by Pastor Cecil | Feb 17, 2017 | 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 it is the 35th anniversary of my dad’s death. He was a true man of God and there was an authenticity about his walk with the Lord. He loved his family, but even more so he loved his God.
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.
To access Near to the Heart of God, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Christian Music Hymns & Songs, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/neartotheheartofgod in your browser or click on the image below.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 16, 2017 | Isaiah
Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
One summer when I was a young boy, we were challenged to memorize key verses in Scripture. One of those verses was Isaiah 41:10. I cannot begin to tell you how many times across the years this verse has been with me.
In today’s world of GPS (Global Positioning System) technology, there is a voice that gives instructions of where to turn and how far to go before giving the next instruction of where to turn and how far to go. I have known drivers that turn their GPS off just to silence that voice.
I come from a day and age where we learned to read maps. When I worked as a milk man it was necessary to use a code to tell how many intersections to cross, when to turn left or right and which house was to receive the home delivery (I am a very old man!).
God gives us assurance that His voice will always strengthen, help, and uphold us as we obediently follow His word and His way. All we need to do is to … FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS! Do not silence His voice.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 15, 2017 | Jeremiah
Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
I once held the position of Deputy Director of the Idaho Law Enforcement Planning Commission. We were tasked with the responsibility of allocating Federal and State funds to upgrade the Criminal Justice System.
Various jurisdictions had to apply for the grant, but before they were approved to receive the funds they had to submit a plan as to how the upgrade would improve the efficiency of their operation. In a manner of speaking, we wanted to bless them by providing the money to accomplish an objective they could not attain without it.
Unfortunately there were some groups who failed to see that our objective was to help them. They seemed to think that we were stepping on their toes by demanding that they follow their own guidelines.
In the spiritual realm we sometimes overlook the fact that God has plans for us that are for our own good and His glory. It is vital that we slow down and spend time alone with the Lord to discover the precious plans He has to bring us peace, a future, and a hope.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 14, 2017 | Isaiah
Isaiah 28:10
“For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.”
For anyone who has spent time in the criminal justice system, it seems like we see the same people very frequently. In a manner of speaking many individuals have developed a habit of breaking the law. In corrections the term recidivism is used to describe repeat offenders.
Just as there are bad habits that lead to negative consequences, so are there habits that lead to positive rewards. There are spiritual principles that can be gained by repeating them over and over.
Scripture memory is aided by repetition. The older I get the harder it becomes to imprint verses into my memory bank. I have often commented that my forgetter is better than my rememberer. Those may be strange words but you get my point.
What kind of habits are we developing in our personal life? Are we forming patterns of godly conduct and thinking that will be a blessing to ourselves and others? I pray that we will habitually strive to please God.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 13, 2017 | Exodus
Exodus 3:11
“But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?’”
I recall listening to a sermon tape of Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse in which he related an incident following a message he had preached on the subject of humility. A lady approached him after the message and requested that he would pray for her to be “nothing” in the Lord’s sight. With holy boldness he replied, “Madam, take it by faith … you are nothing!”
It is not so much who we are that matters, but who the God we serve is. In today’s culture we tend to exalt ourselves over the majestic God we serve (2 Timothy 3:2-3). But He alone is the power of salvation unto a lost world.
In a world where there is increasing emphasis on thinking that we are something special, we need to temper that with the ultimate truth that the One who created the world is our Savior and Lord. He and He alone knows us and has offered us eternal life because of what He has done, not what we do to deserve it.
In response to the question WHO AM I?, we need to respond that we are His children. That being the case we need to do everything we can to please Him!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
