by Pastor Cecil | Feb 6, 2013 | Proverbs
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.
I have a wonderful daily ritual that has been going on for about a year now. Our neighbor, Kitty, has a delightful little Chihuahua named Felicity. Since I always have a small dog treat ready for her, she has become adept at hearing when I open the garage door or happen to be outside.
As Felicity was rushing back to her house to play with the treat, Kitty said that today she began running for the screen door even before I started opening the garage door. Evidently this little dog distinguished the sound of my car from all the others that drive past and had immediately responded.
Today I had just returned from an errand when I saw that familiar, tiny head of Felicity, peeking over the lower part of the screen door. Her tail was wagging and her head was bobbing. When Kitty opened the door for her she dashed over as she usually does and waited for me to rub her ears, stroke her back and give her a treat.
I told my wife, Joyce, that I needed to use the behavior I saw in Felicity for my Daily-E-Votional. It pleases me to no end when I see her love and excitement when she sees me. In the same way the Lord is pleased and delighted when we are eager to rush to Him and pour our love and devotion at His feet. He has so many blessings to share with us that we can hardly count them all. Are you eagerly seeking to please Him?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 9, 2012 | Proverbs
Proverbs 18:10
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
Last week I received the following message from Bill Mormile, one of our long time subscribers who lives in Florida. With his permission I send it along to you.
The Home Run of Eternal Life
As each one of us stand in the batter’s box, we search for “The Way” to hit the “Home Run of Eternal Life”. When the fast pitch of this life is thrown our way, we take a swing, the ball is struck, and we head down life’s base path towards 1st.
At 1st base you will find a church home. Here you will fellowship with other base runners and learn about His ministry. At this place you will worship the Lord and feel His grace and forgiveness. You make the turn and quickly head towards 2nd.
You cannot hit the “Home Run of Eternal Life” without tagging 2nd base — it is impossible. By tagging 2nd base, you accept Jesus as your life long Shepherd, your friend, and your Savior. If you miss 2nd base, you will be called “out” at home — even though you may have tagged all the other bases. After firmly tagging 2nd (without any doubt) you quickly scamper down the base path towards 3rd.
At 3rd base you will spend a life time pleasing the One who awaits you at home plate by spreading His word, helping others, and participating in His ministry —- collecting RBI’s you might say.
Finally, you head down life’s last base path towards home plate. There at home, with arms wide open, stands the Almighty Umpire of the universe. The angels of heaven and all of those who have hit the home run before you are standing on their feet cheering and causing a roar like none other heard before.
And now — only a few feet from home plate, you are totally exhausted, completely out of breath, and looking directly into the eyes of the Almighty Umpire — who in all of time has never made a wrong call. Your foot hits home plate and you stumble forward into His open arms. And then He thunders with a loud voice that shakes both heaven and earth —————– “SAFE”——- “SAFE” He yells. You’re safe!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 27, 2012 | Proverbs
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.
Very early this morning I thought of a strange expression: It works for you. Maybe it was a slogan or catch-phrase promoted by some company somewhere in my past. I did a brief search but I could not find anything to suggest anything of the sort.
I could imagine some corporation trying to persuade potential customers to use its product because it would continue to work for them night and day. Isn’t it strange that businesses try to convince us that they have an answer to our every need—all we have to do is try their product and if it fails to work, they will refund our money.
Stop and think for a moment of all of the things you have purchased that failed to function in the manner that was advertised. In many cases this has led us to feel that we have been deceived by the slick commercials that promised so much and produced so little.
One of my favorite passages in the Bible is today’s Scripture. We have complete assurance that what He offers is the answer and that what the Lord offers will work for us. There are three things we are told to do: (1) Trust in the Lord with all of our heart. (2) Stop relying on our own understanding. (3) Acknowledge Him in all of our ways. His promise is that He will direct our paths. Another way of expressing this is that He will keep on working for us.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 7, 2012 | Proverbs
Proverbs 15:13
A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
A few moments ago there was a news report from London that Queen Elizabeth had just spoken to her husband, Prince Phillip, who has been hospitalized with a bladder infection. The Queen reported that her husband was cheerful . . . but grumbling.
It seems I have encountered people like that—unfortunately many of these grumblers were born again believers. Out of curiosity, I just looked up the Hebrew meaning for the word CHEERFUL; it is the word yatab and means: to be good, be pleasing, be well, be glad.
I have a hard time equating cheerful and grumbling in the same context. To me we are either grumblers or grinners (I hope that is a word). Anyway, I think you get the idea. People that are prone to grumble only make themselves more miserable, and it is challenging to be around them without feeling like a weight has been placed across your shoulders.
Those who are consistently cheerful make the world a happier place, and their joy contributes to the healing of their bodies. Their cheerfulness is also a blessing to those who come in contact with them. I pray that we all will accept the challenge to stop the grumbling and allow the joy of the Lord to shine brightly in our heart and out to others!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 10, 2012 | Proverbs
Proverbs 31:29-31
Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.
Please indulge me while I take this opportunity to tell you about my wife. She is perhaps the truest and most unassuming person I have ever met. Joyce was a gift from the Lord to make my life complete and worthwhile.
From the first moment I saw her some 64 years ago my heart was never the same. She captured it and me along with it. In almost sixty years of marriage, she has brought out the best qualities in me and has made me know a contentment that I wish every married couple could enjoy.
As you look at the date of this Daily-E-Votional, May 10th, Joyce will be celebrating her birthday. Because of the proximity of the dates, she sometimes celebrates Mother’s Day and her birthday on the same day. That is wonderful since she is the most noble example of a mother imaginable.
Joyce is very quiet and serene. That is just the opposite of me. She brings balance and peace to the storms of life. She has the wonderful gift of sensing needs in others that I am unaware of. She has touched countless lives with her gentle spirit of hers. With a smile, she has given hope. Her ministry of sending a card and note at the right moment has ministered more than my sermons ever could.
I pray that those of you who have the gift of mercy may recognize that you are of great value. Allow the Holy Spirit to prompt you to touch those who are in need of your gentle touch. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR JOYCE!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 21, 2012 | Proverbs
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
It was a foggy day in Rapid City, South Dakota. I was assigned duty as a mechanic at a hangar near the end of the runway. We had four fighter aircraft prepared to scramble at a moment’s notice. There was a small room on the front of the hangar that projected out from the building. It was surrounded by windows which gave a fantastic view of any aircraft that were landing or taking off.
This day was different. The fog was so thick that it seemed impossible for a plane to land or take off. I was reading my Bible when I heard the dull roar of an approaching B-36 bomber. Their sound was so unique that I could identify the type of aircraft just by its sound.
My eyes strained to get the first glimpse of the plane as it approached. I was not prepared for the sight of the aircraft heading directly for our hangar. Suddenly the pilot veered toward the runway, but he was too low and I watched helplessly as one of his jet pods was ripped from a wingtip. He did not crash, but it was an ugly landing. I was thanking the Lord that the pilot had not taken out our hangar.
Many times we find ourselves wandering in the dense fog of life. There is no way for us to find our own way through the fog. It is in these moments that we need the Lord the most. Today’s Scripture seems tailor made for the fog of life. When we trust Him with all our heart rather than relying on our own mental ability, then He is free to give us the direction that will bring Him glory and a blessing for us.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
