by Pastor Cecil | Jan 8, 2016 | Psalm
Psalm 46:1-3
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”
As you read the book of Psalms, David mentions repeatedly the storms of life. He was attacked on all sides by his enemies who desired to take his life. Do you feel that way sometimes?
His predecessor, King Saul, was a demented king who imagined that David was attempting to take the kingdom from him. (Actually it was the Lord who had rejected Saul because of his wickedness and failing to keep the Lord in control of his life.)
In many of his Psalms, David cried out to the Lord for help and immediately praised Him for giving him a safe place of refuge. That is the same with us today. We may be tossed and torn by the storms of life, but the Lord always gives us a haven of rest. That is the hymn for this week.
The Haven of Rest
My soul in sad exile was out on life(s) sea,
So burdened with sin and distressed,
Till I heard a sweet voice, saying, (Make Me your choice)
And I entered the Haven of Rest!
Refrain: I have anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest; I will sail the wide seas no more; The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep, In Jesus I am safe evermore.
I yielded myself to His tender embrace,
In faith taking hold of the Word,
My fetters fell off, and I anchored my soul;
The Haven of Rest is my Lord.
Refrain: I have anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest; I will sail the wide seas no more; The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep, In Jesus I am safe evermore.
The song of my soul, since the Lord made me whole,
Has been the old story so blest,
Of Jesus, who will save whosoever will have
A home in the Haven of Rest.
Refrain: I have anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest; I will sail the wide seas no more; The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep, In Jesus I am safe evermore.
How precious the thought that we all may recline,
Like John, the beloved so blest,
On Jesus strong arm, where no tempest can harm,
Secure in the Haven of Rest.
Refrain: I have anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest; I will sail the wide seas no more; The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep, In Jesus I am safe evermore.
O come to the Savior, He patiently waits
To save by His power divine;
Come, anchor your soul in the Haven of Rest,
And say, ‘My Beloved is mine.’
Refrain: I have anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest; I will sail the wide seas no more; The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep, In Jesus I am safe evermore.
To access The Haven of Rest, this week’s inspirational video fromGloryScapes.com, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/thehavenofrest/ 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 | Jan 7, 2016 | Proverbs
Proverbs 25:13
“Like the cold of snow in time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him, for he refreshes the soul of his masters.”
Not too long ago my granddaughter paid me an extremely high compliment. As I have thought about her comment, it has humbled me. At the same time, there’s a feeling of satisfaction that I’m doing what the Lord wants me to do.
She commented that each day about noon her cell phone always goes off. When her coworkers look in her direction she just smiles and says, “It’s my papa.” She then explains to them that I send out my Daily-E-Votional each day at approximately 12 noon Pacific Standard Time.
By the way, I always send it out one day in advance because many of our subscribers live in parts of the world where 12 o’clock my time is already the following day. I hear from them that they like to start their day by reading the Daily-E-Votional.
Being faithful does not require becoming a super human individual — I am a living example of that fact. All it requires is making a commitment to stay by the stuff until the job is accomplished and the Lord calls me home. Until then, I encourage all of us to remain faithful to the calling that God has given us.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 6, 2016 | 1 John
1 John 5:4-5
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
What happens when your team twins? If you are like the majority of people, you “whoop and holler like you found a new found dollar!” That is often the case in the post-season football bowl games.
I just read a report that this past Saturday night the University of Oregon was leading Texas Christian University 31 to 0 at halftime. It was a blowout and I am sure all of the Oregon fans were rejoicing and the TCU fans were weeping. But there is always a second half, isn’t there? That was the case and in an astonishing fashion, TCU won the game in triple overtime. Now who is weeping and who is rejoicing?!
In this old sin-sick world we may feel like we are on the losing side, but we need to remember that there is a second half. In Psalm 30:5 we read these wonderful words of encouragement: “… weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”
Never feel that things are hopeless or that we are helpless. No matter how bad things may seem, God gives us the final result: JESUS WINS! Stay on His side!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 5, 2016 | Genesis
Genesis 9:14-15
“It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.”
My wife Joyce always loved rainbows. She would almost squeal with delight when one would appear. It always reminded us of the covenant God made with His creation that He would never again destroy all flesh.
When I officiated at weddings I always made a practice of mentioning God’s covenant that He sealed with the rainbow. I use it just before the exchange of rings and try to make a lasting impression on the couple.
As they look down at the rings on their fingers, they see only an arc. It is the same way with the rainbow in the sky. From our ground-view perspective, we see only an arc of varied colors. But when we view from an aircraft looking down on a cloud formation, we are able to see the full unbroken circle of colors. That is God’s view! It is His Covenant with us.
The next time you see a rainbow in the sky, remember that God has entered into a covenant relationship with each and every person who has accepted Him as Savior and Lord. Jesus never fails!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 4, 2016 | 1 Peter
1 Peter 2:17
“Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.”
When I was a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force, it was common to give and receive hand salutes. The lower ranking individual always saluted first, and his salute was always returned by the officer of higher rank.
When you arrived at a new duty station, one of the first things that was required was to register your automobile. This gave you access to go in and out of the base without stopping to register. A decal was placed on the windshield on the driver’s side; officers had different colored decals from enlisted personnel. When you approached the gate the guard would stand at attention and salute, and you would then return the salute as you passed through.
On one occasion my dad was visiting us from out of state and, for some reason, had used our car to go into town. He was delighted when he returned and said the guard had saluted him when he passed through the gate back onto the base. When I asked him what he did, Dad said he returned the salute. The guard had simply saluted the decal identifying a commissioned officer.
Military protocol requires giving honor. It is tragic that we fail to honor the God of the universe who has created all things and for whom all things were created. I personally want to give more honor to the Lord than ever before in 2016!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
