by Pastor Cecil | Sep 23, 2019 | Isaiah
Isaiah 40:31
“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
It is never a good idea to belittle the ordeals that people encounter in life. Perhaps the worst thing we can say to someone who is going through a “valley of the shadow of death” experience is, “I know what you are going through.” We don’t! It is impossible for us to know what is causing the pain within a person. But the Lord knows!
I vividly recall sitting at the bedside of our oldest daughter as she was dying. Joyce had gone home and it was just Brenda and me in that quiet room. In the past weeks I had remembered her as a precocious little girl in a frilly pink dress. Now she was the mother of three beautiful children, just moments from ascending to be with her Lord.
This was no time for me to focus on the loss, but on the joys that awaited her in glory. As I considered the glory which awaited my beloved daughter, I could almost feel a pang of homesickness for heaven. One of the Scriptures I quoted for Brenda was Psalm 23. Verse 4 was especially precious: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.” It was this promise that made her funeral a few days later a celebration of praise. The Lord knows!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 20, 2019 | Genesis
Genesis 9:16
“Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”
Years ago my wife Joyce and I were driving along the beautiful Columbia River gorge in Oregon. A rain shower had recently swept across the region, and now bright sunlight flooded the area. As we drove, a rainbow kept pace beside the car. I know it was just a refraction of the sunlight, but what an awe inspiring sight.
There are two requirements to produce a rainbow, rain and sun. Without rain there could be no rainbow. Without sun there would be no rainbow. In the rainy times of our life, God’s tender care for us brings His rainbow of blessing. God’s covenant of love did not say that we would be free of rain, but He is always with us in the storms of life.
Back in 1879 Rev. J. K. Alwood was equally moved as he observed a rainbow in the western sky late one evening as he was traveling home. When he arrived at his home, he immediately composed the hymn for this week; The Unclouded Day.
The Unclouded Day
O they tell me of a home far beyond the skies,
O they tell me of a home far away;
O they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise,
O they tell me of an unclouded day.
Chorus: O the land of cloudless day,
O the land of an unclouded sky;
O they tell me of a home, Where no storm clouds rise,
O they tell me of an unclouded day.
O they tell me of a home where my friends have gone,
O they tell me of that land far away;
Where the tree of life in eternal bloom
Sheds its fragrance thru the unclouded day.
Chorus: O the land of cloudless day,
O the land of an unclouded sky;
O they tell me of a home, Where no storm clouds rise,
O they tell me of an unclouded day.
O they tell me of the King in His beauty there,
And they tell me that mine eyes shall behold,
Where He sits on the throne that is whiter than snow,
In the city that is made of gold.
Chorus: O the land of cloudless day,
O the land of an unclouded sky;
O they tell me of a home, Where no storm clouds rise,
O they tell me of an unclouded day.
O they tell me that he smiles on His children there,
And his smile drives their sorrows all away;
And they tell me that no tears ever come again,
In that lovely land of unclouded day.
Chorus: O the land of cloudless day,
O the land of an unclouded sky;
O they tell me of a home, Where no storm clouds rise,
O they tell me of an unclouded day.
Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video The Unclouded Day, from GloryScapes™ Christian Hymns.
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 19, 2019 | Hebrews
Hebrews 3:13
“But exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”
There was a little lady who had a sweet spirit in spite of her many ailments. When anyone would ask Minnie how she was feeling she always replied, “Good, but life is so daily!” I am sure that all of us have felt that way from time to time. We might take a step or two forward, but like the old saying, “The hurrier I go, the behinder I get!”
Sometimes as I sit down at the computer to prepare my Daily-E-Votionals, I wonder how many people take the time to read them and if it is a waste of time. It is at these times that I am prone to use that expression of Minnie’s —”Life is so daily!” Then I pray and realize that I am not responsible for other people’s responses, only my actions. The Lord will cause those who have a need to receive what is given. I hope that in itself may be an encouragement for you.
We live in a world that is so preoccupied with numbers that we overlook the one or two whose lives have been changed. By our caring, some may find Jesus as their personal Savior. Life may be “so daily,” but it can also be “so fruitful!”
Our Scripture for today instructs us to encourage each other daily. It will lift our spirits to the heavens and put a song in our heart. It will cause us to rise each morning with a song of praise: “LIFE IS SO DAILY – AND I CAN HARDLY WAIT TO GET AT IT!”
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 18, 2019 | Luke
Luke 8:14
“The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.”
I have read Jesus’s parable of the sower so many times I imagine it would now be in the hundreds. This portion speaks of the seed that fell among thorns. It was choked by three things that the Lord mentions: worries, riches and pleasures. I notice that the plants are not destroyed, but they certainly fail to mature.
Repeatedly the Word of God charges us to not worry. To worry is the opposite of to trust. We seem to have the idea that there are certain things in our life that are too big for God to handle, so we have to worry about them ourselves. Here is a revealing question for you: How has your worry helped any situation in your life?
Riches and pleasures can easily be considered together. We are prone to feel that if we have riches, then the pleasures of life will follow. Sorry to break your bubble, but that is just not the way it works.
Neither the riches nor pleasures of this world will ever satisfy. Only Jesus can fill that void in our hearts. Jesus says that the seeds sowed on good ground are those with, “A noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” Which ground are you?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 17, 2019 | Hebrews
Hebrews 11:1
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Years ago I was on the staff of a large church that was in the planning stages of a huge expansion project. One of the pastoral staff members came up with the idea of enhancing the “I” in the word faith with a picture of an eye. It was a huge success and generated new enthusiasm to see how God would bless the project.
I have in my notes the difference between a believer and an unbeliever. For the believer — believing is seeing. On the other hand, for the unbeliever — seeing is believing.
Many times we find ourselves perched on the spiritual sidelines waiting for something to happen before we become involved in the work of ministry. This wait and see attitude can become contagious and lead to the death of spiritual vision. We think we have to see it before we believe it!
God calls us to place our trust in Him on the basis of His precious Word and the promises we find there. Rather than trusting in what we can observe, we must look through the eye of faith and trust God to do what He alone can do and allow Him to use us as He sees fit. LOOK THROUGH THE EYE OF FAITH TODAY!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
