by Pastor Cecil | Sep 20, 2013 | Psalm
Psalm 23:4
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
Sometimes we just seem to find ourselves wandering down the wrong path, or at least getting out of touch with the Lord. When we ask ourselves why God is not closer to us, the answer is that He has not left us, we have moved away from Him. Can I let you in on a little secret? God is more interested in staying close to us than we are in allowing Him to remain near us.
In our Scripture for today, David gives us assurance that even when we pass through the valley of the shadow of death we need not be paralyzed with fear because the Lord is near us.
The words of Just A Closer Walk With Thee, should be our prayer request for the Lord to forgive us when we fail and allow us to be nearer to Him than ever before. It is my fervent desire to draw nearer and nearer to the Lord with each passing day.
Just a Closer Walk With Thee
I am weak, but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long, as I walk,
let me walk close to Thee.
Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee,
grant it Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
Through this world of toil and snares,
if I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.
Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee,
grant it Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
When my feeble life is o’er,
time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o’er,
to Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.
Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee,
grant it Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
To access Just a Closer Walk With Thee, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Christian Music Hymns & Songs, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/justacloserwalkwiththee/ 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
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 19, 2013 | Isaiah
Isaiah 25:4-5
You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall and like the heat of the desert. You silence the uproar of foreigners; as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is stilled.
In times of trouble and trial we need a refuge. Almost on a daily basis we watch the Weather Channel and observe people who have been confronted with some type of emergency. You can see them looking for a place of refuge.
It is not just weather related emergencies such as storms or floods that place people in jeopardy. Wildfires roar into neighborhoods and often cut off all means of escape. Citizens are in a panic looking for a place of refuge.
In war-torn regions of the world, communities are surrounded by enemies who are reputed to show no sympathy. In the times of living in the shadow of death, those who are in jeopardy are looking for a place of refuge.
You may be facing an ordeal in your life at this very moment that causes you to cry out for refuge. I want to assure you, on the basis of the Word of God, He is the place of refuge. The God who created the world and provides salvation to all who come to Him will wrap His arms around you and bring you to the eternal refuge He has provided for us. Praise the Lord!
Blessings, Dear Hearts, draw near to God today, trust Him completely, and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 18, 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.
For those of you who have asked about the welfare of my precious wife, Joyce, I am pleased to let you know that the bumps, bruises, and laceration are healing quite nicely. That is easy for me to say, since it is Joyce who has the injuries. HA!
During these past few days I have been given one of the greatest gifts the Lord has in store for all of us husbands: To love our wife in the same way that Jesus loved the church and gave Himself up for her.
It is very easy to have a selfish love that is interested in what benefit it will produce. For instance we might be willing to rub another person’s back if they promise to rub ours. But what if the other person is not able to reciprocate? It is at this time we are gifted to be able to love sacrificially.
Rather than being disturbed and perturbed when a loved one becomes incapacitated, we need to thank the Lord that we have been given the true GIFT OF LOVE. We can ask the Lord for special strength, but we need to have an attitude of gratitude instead of a groaning complaint. Thank you Lord!
Blessings, Dear Hearts, draw near to God today, trust Him completely, and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 17, 2013 | 1 Peter
1 Peter 3:15-16
But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
Yesterday I wrote on the necessity of being prepared. I tried to focus on the emergencies of life that we face at one time or another. Without a firm spiritual foundation that is based on the truth of God’s Word, we will find ourselves adrift in the sea of confusion.
There is another aspect of preparedness that I want to briefly touch upon today. I almost gave today’s E-Votional this title: “BE PREPARED TO BE QUIET!” Being of a kind nature, I decided against it. I hope you do not have the dreaded, “foot-in-mouth disease” like I do from time to time.
God has called us to be His witnesses and spread the gospel around the world, but we are told to be wise in the manner in which we share the message. Notice that this passage mentions that sharing must be done with “…gentleness and respect.”
To me, this gentleness and respect implies that we be sensitive to the open heart of the recipient. Not only that, we will be able to witness to the lost by the life we live as much, or even more than the words we speak. As the old railroad crossing signs said: STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN, before we share.
Blessings, Dear Hearts, draw near to God today, trust Him completely, and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 16, 2013 | Luke
Luke 12:35-36
Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.
Accidents, by their very nature, occur without warning. As a former Boy Scout, the thing that has stayed with me through the years is the motto: BE PREPARED! It is amazing how quickly things happen that we did not expect.
Friday I took Joyce to the Medical Clinic to have a lab test. We had determined that the easiest way to get her in was for me to drop her off near the entrance where there was a bench for her to sit on until I parked the car. I would then go inside to get one of the wheel chairs they provided and wheel her into the lab.
As she stepped out of the door, I saw her sway and begin to lose her balance. Immediately I was out of my door and rushed to find her crumpled on the asphalt. She was bleeding from a wound on her wrist and bruises all along the right side of her body. Our plans suddenly changed and instead of a short stop at the lab, we spent almost two hours in Urgent care. We praise the Lord that there were no broken bones.
It has reminded us once again that we must be prepared at all times. We never know when we will encounter extreme situations that strike without warning. When they hit us like a hammer blow, we usually do not have time to anticipate them. The only way to live in victory is to BE PREPARED! Spend time in the precious Word of God and allow Him to be the help we need in the time of trouble.
Blessings, Dear Hearts, draw near to God today, trust Him completely, and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
