by Pastor Cecil | May 15, 2015 | 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.”
Someone has observed that shadows are often larger than the real object. When I was a police officer there were a few times when I was scared out of my wits by a huge shadow…only to discover it was a small cat walking in front of the headlights of my patrol car.
Death often casts a huge shadow, but it should hold no fear for the child of God. In 2 Corinthians 5:8 the Apostle Paul reminds us that “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” Death is our doorway into eternity. How fantastic!
The words in the song Just A Closer Walk With Thee should be our prayer request to walk closer to the Lord than ever before. It should be our fervent desire to walk closer to Him 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 | May 14, 2015 | Daily-E-Votionals
Psalm 108:1-4
“O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory. Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples, and I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your mercy is great above the heavens, and Your truth reaches to the clouds.”
Years ago I heard an evangelist use an example about how the Lord brought victory in his life. He always had a difficult time getting started in the morning. Every time the alarm clock would go off he would roll over, rub his eyes and moan, “Good Lord, morning!?”
The Lord began to deal with him about his questionable behavior. He spent time before the Lord and made a commitment to give himself completely to the Lord. He remarked he could tell there was a change since his, “Good Lord, morning?” changed to; “Good morning Lord!”
I think it would be safe to say that we usually have a deficit of praise to the Lord. We are so often caught up in our own little world that we do not thank and praise Him for all of the things He does for us each and every day.
Here is a little assignment for each of us. As soon as you read this start making a list of each and every thing you see the Lord doing for you. Write it on a 3X5 card that you can carry with you so you can read what you have written and keep adding to it. At the end of the day bask in the pure joy of serving a God who loves you supremely.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 13, 2015 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 11:3-4
“But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!”
For the past several weeks I have had increasing problems with my computer. I had programs designed to prevent my computer being corrupted, but I had not taken an active part in making sure that my computer inner workings were kept safe.
I have a beautiful computer, but when things began to go wrong I did not find it so pretty. As a matter of fact I was ready to put it on a rocket and send it to the moon. I realize that is not a spiritual thought, but honesty dictates that I tell it like it is. I was more than a little frustrated with it.
Then came my saving grace. After fussing and fighting with my problem I called in the cavalry. Actually not the cavalry, but a trained technician who was able to do what I was unable to do. I sat transfixed watching the screen as he skillfully plowed through the inner workings of my machine and suddenly all was made new . . . so to speak!
I fear that many times we find ourselves corrupted with the things of the world. They may seem to be harmless and even beneficial, but the more time we spend on the things of the world instead of the things of God, the more corruption slips into our heart. It is time for a clean-up and the Lord promises to make us like new!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 12, 2015 | Colossians
Colossians 1:24-27
“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Years ago Joyce and I traveled to a town over an hour away from us. There was a couple who lived there who had once been in a Bible class I taught. For us it was just for a pleasant visit, but God had a different plan. This couple had been praying for God’s direction, and they felt we were an answer to their prayer.
God is the blessed controller of all things! Do we really believe that? I fear that in most cases we behave according to our own purposes. It is only when we come to the end of ourselves that we finally seek God’s plan and purpose.
Let’s face it . . . the ways of God are a mystery to us. We can search His Word and spend time in prayer, yet we still question how He works. In some instances we may never be able to see God’s plan and purpose.
Paul was a man who had experienced much suffering in his life. In spite of this he came to realize that everything that happened to him had a purpose. The true mystery of godliness is that Christ lives in us and that is the hope of glory!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 11, 2015 | Daniel
Daniel 3:16-18
“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.”
How does God work? Many times He does not answer in the way we desire or at the time we want Him to act. Many times God does answer the prayers of His children, but at other times He allows His grace to be sufficient through the trial.
The brother of one of my high school classmates shared a wonderful testimony. He and his wife wanted to move across the state to a larger city to be closer to her parents, but they realized that they did not have enough income for the move. After much prayer he decided to start paying a tithe on the salary he felt they would need to make the move. He expected any day to have his employer increase his salary. Instead, he was terminated. What a blow!
A few days later another company called and offered him a position in the very city where they wanted to live. The salary was exactly what he had been tithing for. As the three Hebrew children told King Nebuchadnezzar, God is able to perform miracles — but even if He does not answer the way we would like, He knows what is best!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
