by Pastor Cecil | Sep 13, 2013 | Daily-E-Votionals, Psalm
Psalm 18:2
“The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
Ira Sankey was a singer and song writer who ministered alongside evangelist D. L. Moody. He had experienced and extended time of trial and tears in his own personal life. He cried out to the Lord to be able to receive a renewing of his own spirit so he could in turn minister to others. It was during this time of agonizing prayer that the song Hiding In Thee was born. I am so thankful that the Lord heard and answered his prayer.
About twenty years later, Sergei Rachmaninoff was experiencing many problems in his life. He had a mental block, could not write and felt useless. After several years of emptiness he broke out of his doldrums and composed his second piano concerto. It is a joy to feature a blending of both works this week. ENJOY!
Hiding in Thee
O safe to the Rock that is higher than I,
My soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly;
So sinful, so weary, Thine, Thine, would I be;
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee.
Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee,
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee.
In the calm of the noontide, in sorrow’s lone hour,
In times when temptation casts o’er me its power,
In the tempests of life, on its wide, heaving sea,
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee.
Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee,
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee.
How oft in the conflict, when pressed by the foe,
I have fled to my refuge and breathed out my woe;
How often, when trials like sea billows roll,
Have I hidden in Thee, O Thou Rock of my soul.
Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee,
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee.
To access Hiding In Thee, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Christian Music Hymns & Songs, please 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 12, 2013 | Matthew
Matthew 13:31-32
He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.
It has always amazed me how some people are able to prepare soil and plant seeds that seem to explode out of the ground and bear a crop of amazing proportions. A former neighbor of ours used to raise huge Hubbard squash plants. From a few round planters we could watch as the seeds grew into sprouts and soon filled the planters with green leaves. By harvest time he reaped several hundred pounds of squash. My experience with growing things has not produced the same results.
As I meditate on the subject of sowing seeds, I am aware that in order to grow, there must be a death. Seeds by themselves will never reproduce and bear a crop. They will remain just a single seed. I once read that archaeologists discovered seeds of wheat that had been placed in jars and left in tombs deep inside pyramids. The seeds of wheat remained just as they had several thousand years earlier when placed there.
For believers, there are two aspects of sowing seed. First, we need to be busy sowing seeds. That means sharing the gospel. One of the ministries we support is a Juvenile Correctional Center. The faithful servant who devotes his time to sowing seeds in that field called me today. He shared that several young men have accepted Jesus Christ into their hearts and have been baptized. Praise the Lord!
A second aspect in sowing seed is to recognize that we are seeds. That being the case, we need to die to self in order to produce the harvest that Christ desires—as we give ourselves totally to Him instead of demanding our own way. Increasingly we need to pray, “Not my will, Lord, but Thy will be done!”
Blessings, Dear Hearts, draw near to God today, trust Him completely, and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 11, 2013 | Romans
Romans 5:12, 15
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
Where was God on September 11, 2001? That question has been asked by countless people since that terrible day. The same question has been asked following each and every tragedy, be it on a national level or a personal loss. As I recall, there were just over 3,000 killed on 9/11/2001. On December 7, 1941, the death toll at Pearl Harbor was something over 2,400. Where was God when this carnage took place?
On July 11, 1992, Joyce and I lost our oldest daughter, Brenda. She left three beautiful children and a family that adored her. Where was God when this personal tragedy took place?
Let me try to answer. It was because of sin that the tragedy of death entered into the world. God did not cause it—the sin of our first parents caused it. God has always been near to hear the heart cry of those who call out to Him. Those in these tragic events who knew Jesus as their personal Savior went immediately into His waiting arms. Sad to say, those who had not accepted Him were eternally lost. I cannot make it any plainer than that.
God loved us so much that He sent Jesus, His own dear Son, into the world for the purpose of offering salvation to all who come to Him. In Acts 7:54-59 we are told of the stoning death of Stephen. Facing instant death, the Lord parted the curtains of heaven and he saw Jesus waiting for him. Where is Jesus during these terrible tragedies? Standing with arms open to welcome His believers into their new home!
Blessings, Dear Hearts, draw near to God today, trust Him completely, and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 10, 2013 | Psalm
Psalm 101:6-7
My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with Me; the one whose walk is blameless will minister to Me. No one who practices deceit will dwell in My house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in My presence.
A few days ago I mentioned that my boyhood friend, Jerry Williamson, had died. It was a blow because we had been neighbors since we were in diapers. If you are like me, it is easy to recall some of the humorous instances that makes someone like Jerry special.
One of the bizarre memories was when we were playing high school football. I was center and Jerry was quarterback. We concocted a special play but did not mention anything to the coach. Only the starting team members were aware of it. We simply called the play “Fake It.” It was designed to throw the other team into confusion if and when they seemed to have the momentum.
Here is how the play developed: I centered the ball, but held onto it. Jerry spun around and feigned as if he had given it to one of the running backs. Everyone raced after the back they assumed had the ball. In the meantime Jerry casually walked up and took the ball from me and sprinted down the sideline. It usually resulted in a touchdown. If the defense had focused on the football, they could have stopped the play. Instead they went where they thought it was. It was a fake!
There are many spiritual fakes around us. The moment we take our eyes off of the inerrant Word of God, rather than finding true faith, we are susceptible to fake religion. I do not want fake religion; I want God-given faith.
Blessings, Dear Hearts, draw near to God today, trust Him completely, and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 9, 2013 | 2 Chronicles
2 Chronicles 7:13-14
When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among My people, if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
For some time now my attention has been drawn to the anti-Christian atmosphere of many governments. Christians have been urged to become militant in an effort to bring about a change. We have been told that the answer is to elect believers to office and everything will be better. Sad to say that is not the answer.
Jesus sent His disciples into the world as sheep among wolves. Those early disciples did not establish the church by changing the political climate of their day. They established the church by their own blood!
These brave men and women did not actively seek out persecution and death, but they considered their lives nothing in comparison to the command that Jesus gave them to go and make disciples. It often cost them their all!
We are instructed in today’s Scripture that revival starts with us. We will never change our world by political means, but on our faces before God. I want the Lord to change me, whatever the cost. CHANGE ME LORD!
Blessings, Dear Hearts, draw near to God today, trust Him completely, and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
