by Pastor Cecil | Sep 2, 2010 | Ephesians
Ephesians 5:19-21
“Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of GOD.”
I was in my office this morning when I heard the sweetest melody. It was not from the radio or television, but from our birdcage in the family room. It was our little canary, Buddy. His trills and tweets were a treat to our ears. What a way to greet the day!
Buddy has been a delight to us for the past eighteen months, but he has not always been so free with his songs. As a matter of fact he can go for several months without singing a single note. It is during these silent times that we have learned to enjoy him for his unique personality, not just for his performance.
All around us there are people who are aware of us. We may not be aware of them, but they are aware of us. They may hear us when we perform (speak, sing or in some way minister), but they also are watching how we live. How we handle the ups and downs of daily living.
Our question should be, “How can I, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, make beautiful music in the silent times of my life?” Beautiful music can and should be a very real attribute of our new life in Christ. How is your song?!
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 | May 28, 2010 | Ephesians
Ephesians 2:8-9
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
I suppose many of us have heard humorous stories about someone approaching the gates of heaven and being required to prove that their actions on earth merited entry into God’s heavenly kingdom. Beep! Wrong answer!
A person may do amazingly good works here on earth and still miss heaven. It is not what we do for God that determines where we will spend eternity—it is what He has done for us. When we repent of our sins and accept Him as Savior and Lord then—and only then—is our name is written down in glory.
The writer of this week’s hymn, Charlotte Elliot, was offended when someone asked her if she were a Christian. She told him to mind his own business. Later as she was contemplating his question, she began to wonder what it took to become a Christian. She called him and he explained to her the plan of salvation which she accepted. It was then that she wrote this hymn, “Just As I Am.”
“Just As I Am“
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Hath broken every barrier down;
Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, of that free love
The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
Here for a season, then above,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
To access Just As I Am, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/justasiam 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 | Apr 1, 2010 | Ephesians
Ephesians 5:19-20
“Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Sometimes people listen and act when you are least expecting it. One Sunday morning I preached a sermon on the attitude of gratitude. I tried to stress the need to be thankful for everything. I am not sure where I came up with the illustration, but I suggested that it would really show how thankful we were if we were thankful for a gift of zucchini squash.
Give thanks for everything!
That evening when I arrived for the evening service there were bags surrounding the pulpit area. You guessed it ― the phone had been busy and all of our amateur gardeners unloaded their excess zucchinis on the pastor.
I had to say “thank you” and really mean it, but it was a strain to graciously share the wealth with others. It seems that when nothing else will grow, zucchini will.
It taught me a valuable lesson — all too often we choose what to be thankful for and what not to. We searched out new recipes and sought out friends who could use a bag full.
What has God given you that you feel is more trouble than it is worth? Please do not try to take it into your own hands to determine what is good and what is not good. Even calamity can be used of the Lord when we thank Him for it and seek to see how He can use it for His good and our blessing.
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 | Mar 2, 2010 | Ephesians
Ephesians 3:8
“Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.”
Once there was a young boy who was always the slowest and clumsiest on the playground. In the classroom he lagged behind the rest of the students and was more interested in lunch than lectures. He was the brunt of so many jokes and pranks that felt that he was a failure ― that young boy was me!
So how in the world could the Lord use a failure like me? The answer is that I gave my life to Him in total surrender. I invited the Lord into my life as a youngster and never looked back. There was no immediate change, but the path that the Lord had in store for me has been a fantastic adventure.
One of the greatest blessings the Lord brought into my life was meeting the most beautiful girl in the world while we were starting the 9th year of school. Improving grades and being used to touch others increased in God’s own time. Joyce and I were married when we were just 18, almost 58 years ago. After our marriage I not only graduated from college, but also graduate school. (Miracles still happen!)
Here is one of the things I would like to share with you: Never! Never! Never! feel that you are a failure. Sometimes focusing on our failures is nothing but pride. Did you hear that? Pride is often disguised as judging ourselves instead of allowing God to take our brokenness and inability and filling us full of Himself.
Right now you may feel rejected and flattened by the way people have treated you. Do not let this prideful attitude shipwreck you. God knows you better than you do yourself, so confess your preoccupation with yourself and yield to His Lordship!
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 4, 2010 | Ephesians
Ephesians 6:12-13
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.”
Many of you have written to ask if I am still stuck in a fog bank approaching the Boise airport or just what happened to me. Believe me when I tell you that it was my intention to present an air of mystery and hopefully entice you into reading “The Rest of the Story.”
Yes, we did land and I was able to deliver the message that the Lord had put in my heart. Something Pastor Erwin Lutzer has written impressed me — he struck hard with what happens a moment after we pass through the curtain separating life from death: “We will either be enjoying a personal welcome from Christ or catching a glimpse of gloom as we have never known it.”
In the case of my brother I am confident that it was the personal welcome from our Savior and Lord. I recalled how our grandfather’s final words before slipping into eternity were, “Well, there’s Jesus now!”
With those words there was no doubt about grandpa Thompson’s current address. He is certainly not stuck in a fog bank somewhere, or in the dismal depths of a sinner’s hell. No, he is in his eternal home, and I am equally confident that he and my brother (along with all the others) are rejoicing as never before!
Where is grandpa Thompson? With the Lord! Where is my dear brother? With the Lord! Does this give us confidence and hope? Without a doubt! Praise the Lord!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 13, 2009 | Ephesians
Ephesians 2:8-10
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Modern day media has done a good job of warping the concept of eternity. It has led many people to believe that entrance into heaven is determined by how good we are on earth. It is like a giant scale with good deeds on one side and bad deeds on the other. The side that is heaviest determines heaven or hell.
Today’s Scripture makes it crystal clear about the difference between faith and works. Good works are involved, but understanding the sequence is vital. The only thing we can do in order to be born anew is to confess our sin and need of Jesus, then invite Him into our heart and life.
For years I have been blessed as I have read about the mighty revival that swept through Wales in the early 1900’s. There was a young coal miner who was totally sold out for Jesus. His name was Evan Roberts.
Not only Evan Roberts, but several other lay men and women confessed their sin of lethargy and pride. They began to spend time crying out to the Lord to search them and show what was lacking in total commitment.
When Evan Roberts was given an opportunity to preach he kept his messages simple and direct. I want to encourage you to consider these steps as a means to bring revival to our land. Evan Roberts challenged his audience with these four imperatives:
- You must confess every known sin to God;
- You must remove every doubtful habit from your life;
- You must obey the Holy Spirit’s prompting; and
- You must go public with your witness for Christ.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
