by Pastor Cecil | Jan 4, 2013 | Psalm
Psalm 46:1-3
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah
As a part of our discipline of reading through the Bible in a year we read through the book of Psalms twice. It is absolutely astounding that David was beset by so many storms. He was attacked on all sides by his enemies who desired to take his life. Do you feel that way sometimes?
King Saul was a demented king who imagined that David was attempting to take the kingdom from him. (Actually it was the Lord who had rejected Saul because of his wickedness and failing to keep the Lord in control of his life.)
In many of his Psalms, David cried out to the Lord for help and immediately praised the Him for giving him a safe place of refuge. That is the same with us today. We may be tossed and torn by the storms of life, but the Lord always gives us a haven of rest. That is the hymn for this week.
The Haven of Rest
My soul in sad exile was out on life’s sea,
So burdened with sin and distressed,
Till I heard a sweet voice, saying,
“Make Me your choice”;
And I entered the “Haven of Rest”!
Refrain: I’ve anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest;
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep,
In Jesus I’m safe evermore.
I yielded myself to His tender embrace,
In faith taking hold of the Word,
My fetters fell off, and I anchored my soul;
The “Haven of Rest” is my Lord.
Refrain: I’ve anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest;
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep,
In Jesus I’m safe evermore.
The song of my soul, since the Lord made me whole,
Has been the old story so blest,
Of Jesus, who’ll save whosoever will have
A home in the “Haven of Rest.”
Refrain: I’ve anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest;
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep,
In Jesus I’m safe evermore.
How precious the thought that we all may recline,
Like John, the beloved so blest,
On Jesus’ strong arm, where no tempest can harm,
Secure in the “Haven of Rest.”
Refrain: I’ve anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest;
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep,
In Jesus I’m safe evermore.
O come to the Savior, He patiently waits
To save by His power divine;
Come, anchor your soul in the “Haven of Rest,”
And say, “My Beloved is mine.”
Refrain: I’ve anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest;
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep,
In Jesus I’m safe evermore.
To access The Haven of Rest, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/thehavenofrest/ 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
Be sure to check out PastorCecil.com
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 3, 2013 | Psalm
Psalm 51:10-11
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Have you ever wondered who you count on to do what they have promised to do? Let me ask another, more penetrating question. Have you ever made a commitment to someone and after days, weeks, or even months, later realize that you have failed to follow through? You have betrayed your trust, my friend!
It is a serious thing to violate your promise to those around you, but what about promises to the Lord? What promises have you made to Him that you have failed to keep? This is a question that I try to apply to myself as often as possible. I must confess that there have been times I have had to hang my head in shame and ask the Lord to forgive my failure.
It is easy to see the faults of others while at the same time ignoring my own short comings. I think that the more easily we find fault in others, the easier it is to overlook the lack of trust in our own lives.
There have been many times that people have disappointed me by saying one thing and then doing another. It has hurt and made me feel betrayed. My battle ground is taking my hurt to the foot of the cross and understanding how those closest to Jesus betrayed their trust. But thank the Lord they renewed their commitment and, after the resurrection, were even able to give their lives rather than betray their trust once again. With the help of the Lord that is the kind of trust I seek for myself.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 2, 2013 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 16:13-14
Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.
I want to share with you that in the past few days I have been forced to compromise. While this is a confession, it deserves an explanation. No, I have not, nor will I ever compromise the essential tenets of the faith or my walk with the Lord, but it has to do with the creation of the Daily-E-Votional.
It seems like I have been fighting a battle for the past several years that I simply cannot win. It has to do with the creation of the text that I send to our Internet Service Provider, ReachONE Internet. They have been a tremendous blessing to this ministry for well over ten years now.
The problem has to do with certain punctuation marks. Quotations marks, apostrophes, and some symbols appear to some of the recipients as garbled symbols. Try as we might the problem remains. As a last resort I have determined to phrase things in such a manner that these offending symbols will not be used. That is where I have made the compromise.
Sadly there are far too many believers who compromise in the critical area of their walk with the Lord. Things of the spiritual realm that once were a vital part of their walk have been compromised to point that they no longer exist. If you have been compromising in this manner, I urge you to confess your sin and return to God.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 1, 2013 | Philippians
Philippians 3:13-14
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
I cannot believe how much quicker time passes when you get older. As a kid it seemed as if everything was in slow motion and that the days drug by. From one holiday to the next seemed like an eternity. But then I arrived in my seventies and the years seem to fly past like watching a picket fence at highway speed. Fast or slow, life is constantly slipping past and another year is before us.
Some people spend the majority of their time remembering the days gone by. We say that they are living in the past. Others spend much of their time worrying and wondering about the future. As I see it, neither of these choices are worthy of our efforts. We cannot re-live the past (what is done is done). We cannot pre-live the future (we have not been there yet).
That leaves the here and now. There is a familiar quotation that sounds like a Bible verse, but if so I cannot locate it: Only one life and it soon will be past. Only what is done for Christ will last!
My aim and desire for the year 2013 is to live each day for Jesus Christ as if it is the last day I have to live for Him. It may very well be the last day and I want most of all to please Him rather than to enjoy any other thing. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 31, 2012 | Luke
Luke 23:42-43
Then he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.’
A quick glance at the date on the Daily-E-Votional for today will reveal that this is the last day of the year 2012. Since I send these e-mails out in the afternoon of the previous day, some will receive them on the date given, while others of you will have received them much earlier. At any rate, it is the last gasp of the year 2012.
For some this has been a year of challenge and loss. For others it has been a year of victory and joy. Regardless of what has gone on throughout the year, it is almost a part of history. Now we face the challenge of a new year 2013.
I recall being called to the bedside of a dying man. I had officiated at his wedding several years earlier and now was within a few days of conducting his funeral. As I sat beside his hospital bed there was no indication that he could hear what I was saying. Regardless, I shared the wonderful plan of salvation with him as if he could hear. As I concluded my prayer of repentance and acceptance in his behalf, I saw a tear form in his eye and roll down the side of his face. I truly believe he heard and prayed that prayer. His last gasp of life seemed to be an acceptance of salvation.
You may face the last gasp of life this year. I pray that you have opened your heart and received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Just confess your sinful condition and invite the Lord to come into your heart and life. Make a break with the world and become a part of the family of God.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
