by Pastor Cecil | Mar 20, 2017 | Daily-E-Votionals
Philippians 4:8
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”
Our thought life is often far different than what people see. We can say one thing and be thinking an entirely different thing. There is so much ugliness in the world and it is safe to say that the majority of these ugly acts were birthed in the thought processes of the individual who committed them.
My Scripture for this year is Psalm 19:14; “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” It is amazing to see the similarity between this passage of Scripture and today’s Scripture from Philippians 4:8.
What things should be going through our mind? Paul gives a list here in Philippians chapter 4. He lists the following things to fill our mind with; true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and good report.
What occupies your mind? Do you meditate on the Word of God as frequently as possible? Do make an effort to memorize Scripture so you discover the mind of God? I pray that your thoughts may be PURE THOUGHTS.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 6, 2016 | Daily-E-Votionals
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
When we graduated from high school in 1952 our class voted this hymn to be our class hymn to take with us. My dear wife Joyce always would brighten up when she heard the hymn and remind me it was our class hymn.
I confess I did not know the story behind the hymn until I did a little investigation for this week’s hymn. The words were composed by Civilia Martin and the music by her husband W. Stillman Martin. One Sunday afternoon Civilia was ill and her husband was on a preaching assignment. She composed the words and when her husband returned he immediately sat at his organ and wrote the music.
This song is credited for transforming the life of James Cash Penney, founder of the American department store chain J. C. Penney. He heard it one morning in the chapel of the Kellogg Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan, where he had been hospitalized with a severe case of shingles, as well as exhaustion and depression.
“GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU!”
- Be not dismayed whate’er betide, God will take care of you;
Beneath His wings of love abide, God will take care of you.
Refrain: God will take care of you,
Through every day, over all the way;
He will take care of you,
God will take care of you.
- Through days of toil when heart doth fail, God will take care of you;
When dangers fierce your path assail, God will take care of you.
Refrain: God will take care of you,
Through every day, over all the way;
He will take care of you,
God will take care of you.
- All you may need He will provide, God will take care of you;
Nothing you ask will be denied, God will take care of you.
Refrain: God will take care of you,
Through every day, over all the way;
He will take care of you,
God will take care of you.
- No matter what may be the test, God will take care of you;
Lean, weary one, upon His breast, God will take care of you.
Refrain: God will take care of you,
Through every day, over all the way;
He will take care of you,
God will take care of you.
There is no video for this week. For other videos, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 2, 2016 | Daily-E-Votionals
Romans 8:36-37
“As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
You have no doubt heard the story of a man asking his friend, “How are you doing?” His friend responds, “Pretty good, under the circumstances.” The first man then asks, “What are you doing under there?”
It is safe to say that we are all going to be faced with the circumstances of life. It may be financial, social, physical, or any other type of circumstance. You may have already encountered adverse circumstances in the past, or they may be waiting for you in the future.
Please do not feel depressed or hopeless. We serve a God who not only knows our every pain, but He has suffered infinitely more than we will ever have to endure. Our hope is expressed in the last sentence of today’s Scripture: “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.“
Look up, dear hearts … our redemption draws near! Trust in Him with all your heart and keep on praising Him for our eternal reward that awaits us in eternity!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 24, 2015 | Daily-E-Votionals
I want to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas. Stop for a moment and think of the ordeal that Joseph and Mary endured to travel some 70 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It would have been a difficult journey under any circumstance, but with Mary almost nine months pregnant, it is hard to comprehend.
The stress and turmoil that this earthly couple endured was nothing compared to our Savior leaving the realms of Heaven to be born in the most humble setting. He did it for you and me! He was born in that most humble manner in order to let us know that we can relate to Him! From the cradle to the cross, He shared His love for a world that was lost without a Savior.
As we pause to reflect upon the birth of Jesus, may we open our hearts to give birth to His message of hope to a lost and dying world. Jesus brought light and joy to that dirty and dismal stable. Let Him bring light and joy into your heart.
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God and be a blessing to others!
Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 13, 2015 | Daily-E-Votionals
Galatians 6:7-8
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”
I have a dear friend, Mike Keller, who along his wife and sons have a prison ministry in Florida. I just spoke with Mike and he shared something that happened a few days ago. Mike and Suzette were at a women’s prison when almost 100 women showed up for their Bible study. This was far more than usually would be there.
As he usually does, Mike asked the question; “If you think you can be good enough to get to heaven raise your hand?” Most of the women raised their hands. Mike went on to explain that they had been deceived by such thinking. He was able to present a wonderful plan of salvation to the group to show them God’s plan of salvation. Many responded to receive Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord.
There is much deception in the world today. The things of the world are crowded in to the extent that the things of God are pushed out. That can happen even in the life of a Christian. When the things around us take a higher priority to the things of God we are in trouble.
It is time for an evaluation of our life. In what ways do you feel like the enemy of our souls deceives us? When we identify the deception it is time to come back to the cross and allow the Lord to be in control.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 14, 2015 | Daily-E-Votionals
Psalm 108:1-4
“O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory. Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples, and I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your mercy is great above the heavens, and Your truth reaches to the clouds.”
Years ago I heard an evangelist use an example about how the Lord brought victory in his life. He always had a difficult time getting started in the morning. Every time the alarm clock would go off he would roll over, rub his eyes and moan, “Good Lord, morning!?”
The Lord began to deal with him about his questionable behavior. He spent time before the Lord and made a commitment to give himself completely to the Lord. He remarked he could tell there was a change since his, “Good Lord, morning?” changed to; “Good morning Lord!”
I think it would be safe to say that we usually have a deficit of praise to the Lord. We are so often caught up in our own little world that we do not thank and praise Him for all of the things He does for us each and every day.
Here is a little assignment for each of us. As soon as you read this start making a list of each and every thing you see the Lord doing for you. Write it on a 3X5 card that you can carry with you so you can read what you have written and keep adding to it. At the end of the day bask in the pure joy of serving a God who loves you supremely.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
