by Pastor Cecil | Jul 31, 2013 | Romans
Romans 5:6-7
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.
One of the men from our church family had major surgery today. I have spoken with his wife several times following the successful surgery to get updates on his progress. Recovering from major surgery is a mess! I think it may be harder on the family who watch than the patient who recovers.
I have had several major surgeries in my life, but one stands out in my mind. It was at a hospital in Boise, Idaho. For some reason I regained awareness in the operating room. I felt no pain, but I was fully aware of the conversations and being wheeled down the hall to the intensive care unit.
They had a breathing apparatus taped to my face and some type of petroleum jelly in my eyes. I had absolutely no way of communicating with others, but I was fully aware of my surroundings.
Joyce and my mom came into the recovery room and almost passed out. It was such a shock to them that they were certain I was done for! I can still remember my sweet wife reading passages from the Book of Psalms to me. She was not sure I was going to last much longer. Thankfully one of our friends was a surgeon. When he came in and saw her concern, he apologized that they had not explained the recovery process.
There are times in our life (many of them) when we are powerless. One of the most significant comes in being born into the family of God. We are powerless to earn our salvation. It is only by grace through faith. Thank God that our blessed Jesus came into the world and paid the price. It is only by His shed blood that we are saved! We might be powerless, but He is all powerful!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 30, 2013 | Isaiah
Isaiah 34:15
The owl will nest there and lay eggs, she will hatch them, and care for her young under the shadow of her wings; there also the falcons will gather, each with its mate.
There is a very unique bird called a Killdeer. It seldom flies, but spends most of the time on the ground. We once owned a house that overlooked a flat piece of ground with very little vegetation. (Actually, it was our yard that had not yet been planted with grass.)
We noticed that a mother Killdeer had made a nest in a very shallow depression, which seemed foolish since the eggs would be so vulnerable. It was then that the remarkable antics of this bird were observed.
Anytime a threat approached the nest, the mother bird would suddenly go into an extraordinary bit of acting, fluttering and flopping as if she was wounded. When the intruder began to follow the apparently wounded bird, she moved further and further away from the nest calling out the characteristic, Killdeer, killdeer, killdeer, from which derives its name.
Once the threat had been lured far away from the nest, the Killdeer would suddenly take wing and fly away to safety. When everything was safe, it would return to continue the task of hatching its eggs.
It is wonderful to realize that God has created these seemingly defenseless Killdeer with such unique methods of protecting their eggs. He also has unique ways of defending us. When we place our trust in Him, He will care for us. In Matthew 6:13 the prayer Our Lord taught His disciples to pray these wonderful words of promise: Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. He will answer our prayer!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 29, 2013 | John
John 13:34-35
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
When was the last time you told the Lord that you loved Him? In this and other scriptures I discover that we are to be lovers. It starts with loving the Lord with all of our heart. According to our Lord Jesus, that is the first and greatest commandment. He goes on to add that the second is to love our neighbor as ourselves.
I once heard a Christian Counselor share about his experience in trying to restore a marriage that was near the breaking point. The wife had shared that her husband never told her that he loved her. The husband fired back that he told her he loved her when they were married 35 years ago and he had not rescinded his declaration. It was still in effect!
Wow! That is a hard nut to crack! It may sound reasonable to that husband, but it did not sound reasonable to his wife and it does not sound reasonable to me. Love is a precious thing and it must be demonstrated and expressed as often as possible.
As people grow older they lose the physical abilities they once possessed. This gives us opportunities to show our love. It may be a brother, sister, husband or wife who has a need. We may feel inadequate, but at least we can show our love by doing what we can, even smile while as we show our love. By loving others we demonstrate our love for the Lord!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 26, 2013 | Isaiah
Isaiah 55:6-7
“Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.”
It was the final service of our annual Camp Meeting. The old tabernacle was crowded on a warm summer evening. The evangelist had been delivered a message outlining clearly the plan of salvation and the penalty that faced anyone who failed to accept the Lord Jesus as personal Savior.
I was sitting with my cousin and across the aisle from us was his dad. We knew that Uncle Harold had rejected the Lord, but were hopeful that this would be the time he would open his heart. The congregation was led in the old invitation hymn, Softly and Tenderly.
Wayne and I could see his dad weeping with conviction. We went over to him and pleaded with him to go forward and invite Jesus into his heart. Even though tears were flowing, he shook his head and refused to be moved. As far as we know he never made that choice. How sad that God?s free gift of eternal life was rejected. How about you? Have you honestly and sincerely invited Jesus Christ to be the Lord of your life? He is calling, O sinner, come home. All you have to do is open your heart and invite Him to come in.
Softly and Tenderly
Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
watching for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading;
pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not His mercies;
mercies for you and for me?
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
passing from you and for me.
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
coming for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
O, for the wonderful love He has promised,
promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
pardon for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
To access Softly and Tenderly, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Christian Music Hymns & Songs, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/softlyandtenderly/ in your browser or click on the image below.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 25, 2013 | Matthew
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
It seems that our lives are filled with threatening situations of every description. Every new medication comes with a list of side effects that seems worse than the condition the medicine is designed to treat.
When we watch the latest news reports, we discover threats of every kind. Even the weather reports tend to lead to feelings of dread and gloom. Some, seeking to find a safe place, have left civilization for a life of isolation only to find themselves confronted by wild beasts. There just seems to be no safe place to which we can escape the ravages of our world.
Reading the histories of the suffering saints of God across the ages reveals that this world never has been a safe place. The Old Testament is full of war and strife that in a way appears more violent than our modern age.
The answer is to be found in the gentle words we discover in this passage from Matthew 11:28-30. The Lord promises rest and peace in the midst of the storms of life. When we surrender to Him and His will for our life, we find our very own SAFE PLACE. It is our haven from the storms of life.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
