by Pastor Cecil | Aug 24, 2018 | James
James 4:8
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
As I write the words of this Daily-E-Votional, my mind reflects back to the memory of my precious Dad. I cherished every moment I spent with my Dad. He was an encourager and was always there to insure that I was striving to be the man God wanted me to be. He stressed that after he was gone I would hold fast to the gospel and point people in the direction of the cross. I yearn for the day when I will see my Dad once again, but even more so I yearn for the day I will meet my Savior face to face.
In the early years of the 20th Century there was an outbreak of diphtheria in the U.S. that claimed many lives. In 1903, Cleland McAfee was chaplain and choir director at Park College in Parkville, Missouri. As the epidemic swept the area, two of his nieces died from the dread disease and the others in the house were quarantined. In Cleland’s hour of grief he wrote the hymn NEAR TO THE HEART OF GOD and had the college choir sing outside the house.
If you are passing through the valley of the shadow of death right now (I know that each of us do at some time in our life), let these words bring that quiet assurance we need.
Near to the Heart of God
There is a place of quiet rest,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where sin cannot molest,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain: O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God.
Hold us who wait before Thee,
Near to the heart of God.
There is a place of comfort sweet,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where we our Savior meet,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain: O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God.
Hold us who wait before Thee,
Near to the heart of God.
There is a place of full release,
Near to the heart of God
A place where all is joy and peace,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain: O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God.
Hold us who wait before Thee,
Near to the heart of God.
Enjoy this week’s hymn from GloryScapes.com. To access a Video of Near To The Heart of God, please go to: http://gloryscapes.com/neartotheheartofgod
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 23, 2018 | Ezekiel
Ezekiel 33:32
“Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them.”
It seems that the message the Lord was sharing with Ezekiel was that there will be people who attend services for reasons that are not spiritual. It may be that they want to impress people with their seemingly righteous life.
Let’s take it out of the area of church attendance and apply it to other Christian activities. When you listen to Christian music is it to worship God in the beauty of holiness or to be entertained?
Remember that God knows the thoughts and intents of the heart. In Psalm 139:4 we read: “Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O LORD.” It may be possible to fool the preacher, those sitting next to you, or even yourself, but you will never be able to fool God.
My prayer is that we will come closer and closer to the Lord. I pray that we will have a sincerity that does not put on a show of spirituality, but that we will come to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 22, 2018 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 1:27
“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.”
I recall once leaving a food court with a trash bag in one hand and a sack of baked goods in the other. When I arrived at my car I realized that I had thrown the wrong bag in the trash. My beautiful croissant was lost forever! Recalling that incident reminds me that we are prone to make the same blunder when it comes to our spiritual values. We hold onto the “trash” and throw the valuable spiritual truth away.
Remember the story of Job? God boasted to Satan that Job was the most righteous man in all the earth. But Job, a God-fearing man, had no idea that there was a battle in heaven over his integrity. He only knew that calamity after calamity crashed over him destroying all that he held dear.
God knows that we are not perfect. He knows our every thought and the motive behind each and every action we take. That is why we need to make sure we do not mistakenly throw out the precious things of God only to find ourselves holding onto the worthless trash of this world. What are you holding in your hands?
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 20, 2018 | Leviticus
Leviticus 19:9-10
“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger: I am the Lord your God.”
In today’s Scripture God instructs His people to be generous and caring for those who have a need for food in order to survive. Years later we find this acted out in the life of Ruth when she gleans the fields of Boaz. It is easy to take in more and more spiritual truth, but leave nothing behind for others to glean. We may possess pages—even entire notebooks—filled with things that have inspired us, but sadly we have never shared them with others.
I remember as a young teen when our family lived in southern Idaho. Someone told us that when farmers harvested onions for seed they often dug up the bulbs and dumped them in the sagebrush. Many evenings found our family sniffing out the air and “gleaning” huge piles of onions. We quickly learned how to use them and freely shared them with our friends.
Sometimes as we study the Bible we may find the spiritual food that has been left behind for us. After we have “gleaned” the truth of God’s Word, we must leave some along the edges and in the corners of our life for others who need to be fed.
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 17, 2018 | 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 a car and creating a larger than life shadow.
Death often casts a huge shadow, but it should hold no fear for the child of God. In II 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!
As we consider the words of this song we should make it our prayer request. It should be our desire to walk closer to the Lord than ever before. It should not be just one time, but 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 the free inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/justacloserwalkwiththee/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
— Pastor Cecil
