by Pastor Cecil | Dec 23, 2016 | Luke
Luke 2:10-11
“Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’”
I want to send out special Christmas greetings to all of you, my dear friends and faithful subscribers. God has been very near this year, and I thank Him for health and the ability to minister to thousands around the world.
This is the second Christmas since my precious wife Joyce departed this old sin-sick world and entered that place of eternal bliss. Words cannot express the loss I feel, but knowing what she is experiencing right now only makes me long to be with her even more.
This past summer I was blessed to have my two children, Dan (wife Donna) and Lori with me. Also my grandchildren, Zane (wife Anya), Seth (wife Anna), Jenna (husband Brandon), Jeremiah (wife Madi), Jeffrey (wife Elizabeth), Janelle (husband Adam), and Melinda (fiancé Tyson). Added to that list were eight great-grandchildren.
Many of you have never met me personally, but have adopted me as your on-line pastor and friend. God has given me the strength to continue serving into my 83rd year of life. I have no idea how long the Lord will enable me to continue ministering to you in this format, but I count it among my richest blessings.
Since September 2000 I have sent out over 4,000 editions of the Daily-E-Votional. What started out with only a few subscribers has grown to many thousands around the world.
God has also granted me the blessing of offering a daily Bible reading that covers the entire Bible in one year along with audio for people to listen as I read both the Daily-E-Votional and the One Year Bible Reading. In the past few months I am also recording a short message each week.
The Tumwater Chapel of Grace is a small family congregation where I serve as pastor. It is designed to minister to folks who do not feel comfortable in more traditional church settings. We meet at the Mills and Mills Funeral Home — I like to say that people are dying to come to our services. (Even with my special sense of humor, I have to admit that’s bad)!
I want to encourage each of you to take time during these last few days before Christmas to rejoice that God sent His own dear Son as the promised Messiah. He came as a tiny babe in a manger, but freely gave His life on a cruel cross to provide salvation through His shed blood.
Blessings dear hearts! Draw near to God this Christmas season, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 22, 2016 | Matthew
Matthew 1:23
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, ‘God with us.’”
There are many religions that strive to please the man-made gods that they have created out of wood, stone, or metal. These objects are nothing more than human attempts to worship a god of their own making.
I am so thankful that we serve a God that is not made with human hands. As a matter of fact, we are to serve the God of the universe who created everything … including us.
God did not simply create us — He gave us the greatest gift imaginable by sending His precious Son, Jesus, as a tiny baby. From the very outset, Satan was irate at the birth of this precious gift to the people of earth. He tried to destroy the infant Jesus, and as a result many babies were slain near Bethlehem. God saved His Son from the anger of Satan until the time was fulfilled and Jesus, as a grown man, willingly died on the cross (Matthew 27 & 28).
God came to be with us for the purpose of extending the offer of eternal life for those who would accept the gift by grace through faith. It is the most precious gift that has ever been given. If you have never accepted this precious gift, I implore you to do so right now.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 21, 2016 | Daniel
Daniel 2:22
“He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him.”
There are so many things that I know little or nothing about. When I read about the study of micro-biology, I am stunned by the unseen world that comes alive under powerful electron microscopes. To be able to view the photos taken by giant telescopes of the deepest reaches of the heavens astounds me even more.
Even the most brilliant scientists are continually surprised by the newest discoveries. The most enlightening thing is that God not only knows all of these things, He is the One who created everything!
To my way of thinking, it is far better to know the God who created all things than to try to know something of the things that He made with the word of His mouth. Godless scientists have established a theory of how things were created. They ridicule those of us who hold to the theory of God’s creation. Man’s theory is based upon rejection of God. God’s Word gives us a positive theory that has been confirmed over and over again with each new discovery.
God knows all things. As we trust in Him we will have the answers that matter for time and eternity. Just remember this — GOD KNOWS!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 20, 2016 | Galatians
Galatians 4:4-5
“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”
“I want it and I want it right now!” Those words are often shouted by a spoiled child who has not been properly trained. Well, let me be honest and admit that many adults exhibit that same attitude, if not in those exact words.
In my 82+ years of life I have come to realize that God’s timing is always better than mine. I have experienced disappointment when my requests were not met at the time I asked for them. But, the things that I thought I had to have at a particular time would have been to my detriment (or to others) if my timing was met.
God knew when the time was right for His Son, Jesus, to be born. There were those who wanted it far sooner and others who still deny that Jesus is the promised Messiah of Israel who came IN THE FULNESS OF TIME!
God has all things under control. We need to submit to His loving care and allow His fullness of time to become our fullness of time as well. Even Jesus submitted to His Father’s timing when He prayed, “… not my will but thine be done” (Luke 22:42).
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 19, 2016 | Hebrews
Hebrews 9:27
“And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”
It is usually unwise to state that everyone is doing some particular thing. It is a common ploy that teenagers use to persuade their parents to allow them to do something that is questionable. — “But, everyone is doing it!” (Let me interject at this point that just because others are doing something does not mean it is a wise or prudent thing to do.)
However, there is one thing that I can state with all certainty that every single person on the face of the earth is doing: Each of us is in the process of dying! That is such a sobering truth, but it is an undeniable truth regardless.
While the reality and certainty of death was passed down to us after the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden, we have been offered the gift of eternal life if we choose to accept it. This was made possible only through the birth, death, and resurrection of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.
The fantastic reality is that our eternal life begins at the moment of our spiritual birth. Our physical bodies may grow weaker and deteriorate, but the vital part of our being can have eternal life. Everyone is destined for physical death, but we have a wonderful life that will go on and on forever and forever!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
