by Pastor Cecil | Apr 29, 2013 | Psalm
Psalm 18:2
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Saturday the word ROCK came up at least twice. Once at a memorial service I was officiating, and another time listening to Vestal Goodman singing the old hymn, Rock of Ages.
There is something about a solid rock that gives us a sense of security. Jesus used the solid rock in a parable about the two men who built houses. One built on sand and the other on the solid rock. The storms beat on each of the two houses. The one on the sandy soil fell, while the one on solid rock stood firm.
What Jesus was illustrating was that the shifting sands of this world are just not fit to build our life upon. The fickle pleasures of sin may appeal and tempt us to construct in a manner that will appeal to the flesh. But we can be sure that the storms of adversity are bound to come. What will happen then? I can assure you after years of working to restructure the ruined lives of people who built on the sand . . . you do not want to build there!
As we read this passage of Scripture we discover that not only is the Lord our solid ROCK, He is our fortress and deliverer. Anytime you feel insecure and the storms of life howl around you, call upon Him. He will be your mighty Fortress!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 26, 2013 | Psalm
Psalm 145:9-12
“The LORD is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made. All You have made will praise You, O LORD; Your saints will extol You. They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom and speak of Your might, so that all men may know of Your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom.”
The older I get (and I am getting up there), the more disturbed I am about senseless killing. This is true of attacks on other people, but also on killing animals just for the sport of it. In my hunting days I did shoot game, but it was for food not for sport. Now there are many that hunt for bragging rights, not for food. God meant for us to be keepers and protectors, not killers.
In 1225, when he was feeling ill and losing his sight, Francis of Assisi wrote about what was always on his heart: the praise of God. In All Creatures of Our God and King, Francis’ love for God and the world He made comes out very strongly.
Probably because he lived such a simple life, he “noticed” things that we, in our busy-ness, overlook. Francis believed that all earth’s creatures get their life from God and that we all depend on Him for our continual existence.
All Creatures of Our God and King
1. All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing
O, praise Him, Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam
Thou silver moon with softer gleam
O praise Him, O praise Him, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
2. Thou rushing wind that art so strong,
Ye clouds that sail in heav?n along,
O, praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice,
Ye lights of evening, find a voice!
O praise Him, O praise Him, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
3. Let all things their creator bless
And worship Him in humbleness
O, praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One!
O praise Him, O praise Him, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
4. And all ye men of tender heart,
Forgiving others, take your part,
O, praise Him! Alleluia!
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
Praise God and on Him cast your care!
O praise Him, O praise Him, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
To access All Creatures of Our God and King, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Inspirational Music Videos, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/allcreaturesofourgodandking/ 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 15, 2013 | Psalm
Psalm 34:8
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Recently I was watching a program where a well known chef was working under horrible conditions to prepare a complete meal for riders on a train. The meal was to be prepared in a very short period of time.
The chef barked orders to his helpers who were preparing various dishes. He chose to prepare a banana sauce himself. He poured milk in a large pot and then peeled and chopped bananas and added them to the pot. After a few more additions he added a large amount of sugar.
It was several minutes later that he finally tasted the sauce to determine if he needed to add additional flavorings. As he dipped in his spoon he made a face screamed at himself. What he thought was sugar was actually salt. They looked the same, but since he had not tasted it before adding it to his sauce, he had to throw away the entire mix!
It made me think of the many spiritual charlatans that disguise themselves as true and godly, yet lack biblical truth. We can know them by testing to see if what they say matches with the Word of God. In Acts 17, Paul commends the believers in Berea in that they searched the Scriptures daily to assure that what Paul taught was in accordance with the Word. May there be more of such faithful believers!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 2, 2013 | Psalm
Psalm 65:7
You who still the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the peoples.
So you want to get away from the rat race. You long for peace and tranquility which will settle your stress and frustration. You dream of a simpler and more sedate time.
There is a program on Public Television called Alone In the Wilderness that chronicles the year in the life of a man who left civilization and built a cabin in the Alaskan wilderness. The utter isolation was interrupted occasionally by a small bush plane which brought him supplies and mail—but other than that, it was only Dick and the wild animals.
As idyllic as the scenes of the program might be, isolation is not the answer to the hustle and chaos of daily living. Man is by his very nature created to have interaction with others. There may be recluses who cut themselves off from other people, but by their very actions they reveal there are problems which have not been resolved.
In Mark 4, Jesus told His disciples to take the boats to the other side of the lake. While Jesus slept peacefully on a cushion, a furious squall came up and threatened the boats. Remember that many of these disciples were seasoned fishermen who had spent their lives out on this lake in all kinds of weather. Now they trembled! If ever they needed peace and quiet, it was now.
In their fear and alarm they called out to Jesus. It seemed impossible that He could sleep through such a storm. The men woke Jesus and asked Him if He didn’t care if they were about to drown. It is then that we read the quiet words of power which we read in Mark 4:39: Quiet! (peace) Be still! Immediately the wind died down and the sea became calm.
The disciples had concluded that all was hopeless and that they would never reach shore again. It was only then that they called to Jesus—perhaps they thought to wake Him to prepare for the inevitable drowning, because they had never before witnessed Him quieting the wind and waves.
You may be facing situations that are threatening to swamp your boat! Now is the time to call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember . . . it is Jesus who has the power to calm and bring order out of chaos.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 22, 2013 | Psalm
Psalm 33:1
Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous! For praise from the upright is beautiful.
What a wonderful woman! She stood less than five feet tall and weighed less than 100 pounds. Because of being maltreated for an eye infection when she was only a few months old, she spent the remained of her 95 years totally blind.
Her name was Fanny J. Crosby. This tiny dynamo wrote over 8,000 poems and hymns during her lifetime. She composed her poems and hymns entirely in her mind and then dictated them to a stenographer. She was said to be able to work on as many as twelve hymns at once before dictating them all out.
Fanny felt that it was a special gift from God that she should be blind all of her life and she thanked Him for that gift. She felt that once she arrived in heaven the first face she desired to gladden her sight was he precious Savior. It was in 1896 that she wrote the hymn selected this week.
Praise Him! Praise Him!
1. Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Sing, O Earth, His wonderful love proclaim!
Hail Him! Hail Him! Highest archangels in glory;
strength and honor give to His holy name!
Like a shepherd Jesus will guard His children,
in His arms He carries them all day long:
Refrain: Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness; praise him! Praise him ever in joyful song!
2. Praise him! Praise him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
For our sins he suffered, and bled and died;
He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation,
Hail Him! Hail Him! Jesus the Crucified.
Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows,
love unbounded, wonderful deep and strong:
Refrain: Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness; praise Him! Praise Him ever in joyful song!
3. Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Heavenly portals loud with hosannas ring!
Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever;
crown Him! crown Him! Prophet and Priest and King!
Christ is coming! over the world victorious,
power and glory unto the Lord belong.
Refrain: Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness; praise Him! Praise Him ever in joyful song!
To access Praise Him, Praise Him, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Inspirational Music Videos, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/praisehimpraisehim 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 | Mar 18, 2013 | Psalm
Psalm 139:1:3
O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.
Years ago we were blessed with a small white bundle of love called, Perky. He was a mixed breed of Cocker Spaniel and Miniature Poodle. When Perky was a pup our oldest daughter had him on her bed with several stuffed animals and it was difficult to tell the pup from the stuffed animals.
As Perky grew there were certain rules that were established as part of his training. One of these rules was that he was not allowed to come to the table while we were eating to beg for food. He was to stay in the other room by his own food dish.
This is where the hilarious fun began! Somehow, Perky reasoned that if he could not see us, then we could not see him. He would walk very silently toward the table with his head away from us. You could tell that he was just dying to get near enough for a little bit of that wonderful food. When we would call his name, he would silently slip back to his own dish. We never tired of his antics and it is one of the things we remember about him.
On a serious and spiritual note, we seem to be a little bit like Perky. We somehow reason that if we deny our sin, God will not be aware of it. As we read these verses in Psalm 139, we see that He knows each and every step we take. We may think we are getting away with something, but God sees our heart and knows our every move. I for one do not want to be like Perky by sneaking near the forbidden places God has told me to avoid.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
