by Pastor Cecil | Sep 16, 2013 | Luke
Luke 12:35-36
Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.
Accidents, by their very nature, occur without warning. As a former Boy Scout, the thing that has stayed with me through the years is the motto: BE PREPARED! It is amazing how quickly things happen that we did not expect.
Friday I took Joyce to the Medical Clinic to have a lab test. We had determined that the easiest way to get her in was for me to drop her off near the entrance where there was a bench for her to sit on until I parked the car. I would then go inside to get one of the wheel chairs they provided and wheel her into the lab.
As she stepped out of the door, I saw her sway and begin to lose her balance. Immediately I was out of my door and rushed to find her crumpled on the asphalt. She was bleeding from a wound on her wrist and bruises all along the right side of her body. Our plans suddenly changed and instead of a short stop at the lab, we spent almost two hours in Urgent care. We praise the Lord that there were no broken bones.
It has reminded us once again that we must be prepared at all times. We never know when we will encounter extreme situations that strike without warning. When they hit us like a hammer blow, we usually do not have time to anticipate them. The only way to live in victory is to BE PREPARED! Spend time in the precious Word of God and allow Him to be the help we need in the time of trouble.
Blessings, Dear Hearts, draw near to God today, trust Him completely, and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 6, 2013 | Luke
Luke 18:35-38
As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.’ He called out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’
In an episode of The First 48, the suspect in a homicide was a young woman with an extensive criminal history. As the detectives questioned her, she was defiant and bitter. She railed out at them because of her miserable life and denied any involvement in the murder.
As it so happens, her interrogation took place on Thanksgiving Day. There were many police officers on duty that day and so the department had brought in a complete buffet of Cuban food.
After spending fruitless time interrogating the young woman, the detectives left her alone and went into the main office to get a plate of food. One of the detectives suddenly remembered the young woman and filled a plate for her and took it back into the interrogation room.
When the detective placed the plate of food in front of the young woman he observed a heart-stopping transformation. The detective said; “Let’s thank the Lord for the food.” He took her hand and the other detective’s and prayed for each of them at that table and thanked the Lord for the food.
The young woman began to weep and said, “I need to get right with the Lord. I want to tell you everything that I did and I want the Lord to forgive me.” Wow! In that moment, this miserable girl cried out to the Lord to not pass her by, and He didn’t. It reminds me of the old hymn, Pass Me Not, Oh Gentle Savior.
Pass Me Not, O Gentle Savior
Pass me not, O gentle Savior,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
Refrain:
Savior, Savior, Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by.
Let me at Thy throne of mercy
Find a sweet relief,
Kneeling there in deep contrition;
Help my unbelief.
Refrain:
Savior, Savior, Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by.
Trusting only in Thy merit,
Would I seek Thy face;
Heal my wounded, broken spirit,
Save me by Thy grace.
Refrain:
Savior, Savior, Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by.
Thou the Spring of all my comfort,
More than life to me,
Whom have I on earth beside Thee?
Whom in Heav’n but Thee?
Refrain:
Savior, Savior, Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling, Do not pass me by.
To access Pass Me Not, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/passmenot/ 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
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 27, 2013 | Luke
Luke 10:19-20
I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
Think back about the times when you felt that a miracle had taken place in your life. In fact, just remember the times when you rejoiced because God had protected you as you made a long journey with no accidents or incidents.
Certainly we are to rejoice in all things, but as I read this passage in Luke 10, I am wondering if we focus too much attention on specific answers to prayer. If we see God at work in a particular situation, we jump and shout for joy. But if we do not experience that same sort of answer, we may tend to be dismayed.
Jesus is telling His followers the real reason for believers to rejoice is that we have our names written in heaven. There are many things we may not see that are fantastic miracles, but the greatest of all is that we have entered into eternal life the moment we are born again.
You and I may witness to someone and feel them reject our testimony. It no doubt causes us to feel discouraged. Days, weeks, months, even years later and thousands of miles away, that person can feel the tug of the Holy Spirit and remember what we shared with them. Only eternity will reveal the fruit of our faithful ministry. Hang in there, faithful believer. Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning! Praise the Lord!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 17, 2013 | Luke
Luke 15:19-20
“So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
One of my most pleasurable jobs as a pastor is helping families restore broken relationships. I once was called upon to officiate at a funeral service. The son of the deceased told me that he had not spoken to his sister for years and wanted me to reconcile them before the service. Yah!
Less than an hour before the service I met with the two and their families. Each of them had ten or fifteen children, spouses and others on their side. He and his family were on one side and she and her family on the other side of the aisle. I had prayed for just the right words and to this day cannot recall what Scripture I used. I had just finished when the brother stood and walked across the aisle and hugged his sister. The two families merged with great joy.
Fanny J. Crosby lived from 1820 to 1915. This remarkable lady never let problems keep her away from the Lord. Her blindness as an infant meant that she spent her entire life without physical sight, but was blessed with a keen spiritual sight.
When she was only eight she wrote the following poem: Oh, what a happy child I am, although I cannot see! I am resolved that in this world contented I will be! How many blessings I enjoy that other people don’t! So weep or sigh because I am blind, I cannot ? nor I won?t. The hymn, Draw Me Nearer seems to express her desire toward her blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Draw Me Nearer
I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
To access Draw Me Nearer, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Christian Music Hymns & Songs, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/drawmenearer/ 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 | May 3, 2013 | Luke
Luke 24:29
“But they constrained Him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And He went in to tarry with them”
Henry F. Lyte was a man who greatly loved the Lord with his whole being. He came up with the saying, “It is better to wear out than to rust out,” and it perfectly described his life.
During the last 23 years of his life he pastored a poor church in England. He always suffered from poor health but during this time his health started to decline even more. When he finally preached his last sermon on September 4, 1847, it is reported that he practically had to crawl to the pulpit.
Shortly before preaching his last sermon he wrote the words and tune to the hymn, Abide With Me. He based his hymn on today’s Scripture that tells the story of Jesus walking with two disciples on the way to Emmaus and their statement, “Abide with us: for it is toward evening and the day is far spent.” He went to be with the Lord shortly after writing the hymn.
Later William Monk wrote a new tune for the hymn. During a time of personal sorrow, he was inspired by the beauty of a magnificent sunset.
Abide With Me
Abide with me—fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens—Lord, with me abide;
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me!
Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me!
I need Thy presence every passing hour;
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me.
Hold Thou Thy word before my closing eyes,
Shine thru the gloom and point me to the skies;
Heaven’s morning breaks and earth’s vain shadows flee
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me!
To access Abide With Me, this week’s inspirational hymn video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/abidewithme/ 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 24, 2013 | Luke
Luke 15:20
And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.
I am not an impatient person . . . it is just that I want things to be done without having to wait! You may feel much like that yourself. There are times in our life when we strongly desire for changes to be made immediately, but they just seem to take longer than expected.
As we read the parable of the Lost Son, or more commonly called the Prodigal Son, we are struck by the image of a father waiting and longing for a wayward son to come home. I visualize the father sitting on the front porch of his home, gazing down the long lane leading to the house. His heart is aching to see the familiar form of that son who has been gone for so long.
There is another picture that we do not commonly see in the parable. It is the one of the older brother who remained at home. He might have remained at home, but his wayward heart was in that far country with his younger brother. We see this later in the story as the brother has imagined his younger brother wasting his money with harlots. There is no way he could have known this, but he vicariously experienced it and his heart was not where it should have been.
The father had two sons who were gone, as it were. One son was lost in a far country and the other son was lost in his imagination. Only one son returned to the father . . . the younger son. The older boy refused to return to the house, even when his father begged him. Who is waiting for you today, or for whom are you waiting?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
