by Pastor Cecil | Mar 1, 2013 | Matthew
Matthew 24:10-13
At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Jesus is coming soon! Read Matthew 24 from start to finish and you will see the signs of His coming all around us. One of the prophecies concerning His return concerns the rise of false prophets and even those who claim to be Messiah.
Since 1891, when the blind hymn writer, Fanny Crosby wrote this week’s hymn, there have many false leaders who claimed to be the promised Messiah. Each of these charlatans lacked the required proof— the prints of the nails in his hands! Carefully read the words of this old hymn.
My Savior First of All
When my lifework is ended,
and I cross the swelling tide,
When the bright and glorious morning I shall see;
I shall know my Redeemer
when I reach the other side,
And His smile will be the first to welcome me.
Refrain: I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
And redeemed by His side I shall stand,
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
By the print of the nails in His hand.
Oh, the soul-thrilling rapture
when I view His blessed face,
And the luster of His kindly beaming eye;
How my full heart will praise Him
for the mercy, love and grace,
That prepare for me a mansion in the sky.
Refrain: I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
And redeemed by His side I shall stand,
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
By the print of the nails in His hand.
Oh, the dear ones in glory,
how they beckon me to come,
And our parting at the river I recall;
To the sweet vales of Eden
they will sing my welcome home;
But I long to meet my Savior first of all.
Refrain: I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
And redeemed by His side I shall stand,
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
By the print of the nails in His hand.
Through the gates to the city
in a robe of spotless white,
He will lead me where no tears will ever fall;
In the glad song of ages
I shall mingle with delight;
But I long to meet my Savior first of all.
Refrain: I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
And redeemed by His side I shall stand,
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
By the print of the nails in His hand.
To access My Savior First of All, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Christian Music Hymns & Songs, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/mysaviorfirstofall/ 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
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 28, 2013 | Matthew
Matthew 5:46-48
For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
As I pulled up to a stop light this afternoon, I noticed a car that had a prominent bumper sticker that simply stated: OTHERS. As I sat there waiting for the light to change, I reflected on just what that word means to people.
I have heard sermons preached and lessons given on reaching out to others, but the words often did not match the lives of the hearers or even those who are propounding the message of concern for others.
There is no secret about the fact that we live in a self absorbed world. People are so focused on what is best for themselves that they tend to be blind to the plight of those around them—the others.
In Matthew 25, Jesus speaks about the final judgment. To the righteous He gives commendation for feeding, clothing and ministering to Him. To the unrighteous He condemns them for failing to do those same things for Him. In both instances the people had no idea they were giving to the Lord. It was then that He stunned both groups by proclaiming that since they did it to the needy, they were doing it for and to Him. That my friend is being OTHERS minded! Are you?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 27, 2013 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
My cousin used to minister as a song evangelist going from church to church across the country with a preaching evangelist. He relates that the minister would begin the first service of the week by asking if anyone had every stolen anything—even anything as small as a pencil. Everyone raised their hand. He next asked who had ever told a lie— even just stretching the truth a little. Again every hand was raised. The evangelist would then make a point of sharing with the pastor that he had arrived just in time to preach to a church full of thieves and liars!
In 1 Corinthians 10:13 Paul speaks about temptation. He goes so far as to say that any temptation you may encounter has been experienced by others. That is not to say that it is excusable, but it reveals that we all have a sinful nature.
It is interesting that immediately following the statement about temptations being a common affliction to all mankind, Paul says: God is faithful. What a fantastic statement. We may experience the lure of temptation, but God is faithful. God is faithful in so many ways that it is hard to speak of only one, but that is what I want to do: He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
In the book of Genesis we read about Joseph being tempted by the unfaithful wife of his master, Potiphar. Joseph sought the way out of the situation by avoiding her advances and evading any contact with her. You may recall how she falsely accused him leading to his confinement in prison. Let me let you in on a spiritual secret—the prison was a place of escape. Joseph was protected from this lecherous woman by the mighty hand of God. It may have seemed like punishment, but it was the means God used to protect and prepare Joseph.
Rather than becoming bitter by his false imprisonment, Joseph honed the organizational skills that God would later use to raise him up to a position that was second in authority over all of Egypt. Even when it seemed that God had forgotten him, God was faithful!
You may feel as if the situations of life are crushing you down. You may experience the temptation to become bitter because someone you trusted has betrayed you. I have a solemn word of warning for you: Watch out that you do not develop an unforgiving spirit.
Those who have cheated you have their own confessing to do, but your own battle is with the temptation to develop an unforgiving spirit. I trust that God will be your way of escape.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 26, 2013 | John
John 15:16
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
I have chosen a strange title for this issue of the Daily-E-Votional. It deserves a bit of an explanation. I am not sure you have heard the expression, up fronter, but it denotes the person who is leading a meeting of any sort.
Contrary to what people would guess, I am a shy person by nature. It usually comes as a shock to me to be standing in front of a crowd, leading a service of some sort. With the first few words that come out of my mouth I realize that people are focusing their attention on me in anticipation of what I will be conveying. I am an UP FRONTER!
As I was meditating on this term the other morning, I thought of the opposite of the term. It struck me that the opposite of up is down and the opposite of front is back, so if I am not an up fronter, I would it would be down backer.
Satan loves nothing better than to have believers back down from their responsibility to step forward and speak the words of hope and deliverance to a world choked by sin and ignorance. God has called each of us to be an up fronter. It might be to a large crowd or only one other person. It does not matter, we are to speak for Him!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—-Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 25, 2013 | James
James 5:7-8
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Sir Isaac Newton was a very brilliant man. He set forth the Laws of Motion. The first law is: A body in motion tends to remain in motion until acted upon by some outside force. The second law has sometimes been called the law of inertia. It states that: A body at rest tends to remain at rest unless impelled by some external force. The third law is: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Alright, boys and girls, that is your physics lesson for today!
Leaving such principles of the universe without spiritual comment is tragic. The God of the universe who created and designed these forces is that same God who desires a personal relationship in our life.
Just as there are physical laws that are in control of the universe, there are spiritual laws that are designed to draw us close to the Lord. The first spiritual law of motion is: A soul that moves toward the Lord will tend to continue moving toward Him. The problem is that the devil is trying to draw our attention away from the Lord and if we are not careful our momentum will be stopped. There is a second spiritual law of motion is: A soul that is at rest concerning God will fail to move toward Him. The third spiritual law of motion is: For every spiritual action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Where do you find yourself in relation to the spiritual laws of motion? Have you made promises to make the Lord a priority in your life, but then failed to act upon it?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
