by Pastor Cecil | Oct 10, 2012 | Psalm
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.
Back when I was a police officer we had a strong windstorm rip through our city. I was patrolling the area where most of the damage had been done and saw a heart stopping sight. A huge tree had blown over and crushed a house. It was still dark and I could only use my flashlight to search the damage.
As I went to the rear of the house I saw through the window that the tree had smashed into the bedroom area. I could only make out the smashed bedframe and crushed mattress. It was impossible to see from the window if anyone was under the fallen tree.
I knocked repeatedly and finally had to force my way into the house. I am happy to report that no one had been at home when the tree fell. It was only the house that had been damaged and my forced entrance had added a little to the overall damage to the home. They owners later thanked me for caring enough to enter and place my own life in jeopardy to search for survivors.
Sometimes we feel that we do more harm than good in searching for the spiritual condition of those we come in contact with. We should always be extremely prayerful that we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit when we share and witness. Tragedies may be used by the Holy Spirit to prepare the most hardened heart for salvation. It still is essential to follow the leading of the Spirit.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 4, 2012 | Psalm
Psalm 61:3-4
For You have been a shelter for me,a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings.
My wife Joyce and I love to cook so it is natural that we enjoy cooking programs. Our Public TV station carries one of our favorite cooking programs. It is called Cooks Country Test Kitchen. One of the delightful things about their programs is the introduction. A church bell peals out the old hymn, Safe Am I.
It has been years since we sang this in our churches, and I had a difficult time finding the words, but after I did extensive search I found the words: “Safe am I, safe am I, in the hollow of His hand; Shelter’d o’er, shelter’d o’er, with His love for evermore; No ill can harm me, No foe alarm me; For He keeps both day and night, Safe am I, safe am I, in the hollow of His hand.”
As I think about the concept of being safe in God’s hand, it occurs to me that we often get the wrong idea. We are prone to think that because we are Christians and living for the Lord, everything is going to be peaches and cream. The fact of the matter is that God’s servants have gone through terrible periods of suffering.
Does that mean that we are not sheltered in His hand? Not in the least! The shelter that is essential is the certainty of our eternity with the Lord. We may experience pain and suffering this side of glory, but the shelter He promises is eternal. I am eagerly waiting for that wonderful day when we are with the Lord of our life.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 3, 2012 | Psalm
Psalm 118:22-24
The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Several years ago I experienced harsh rejection. The only reason for writing about it is to give you a hope and a confidence. Even though you may be rejected by men—you are never rejected by our heavenly Father. The purpose of my rejection is known only to those who inflicted it. It started with snide remarks and innuendos. Comments became accusations with no basis, so it was hard to endure. Have you ever been there? False statements were made and I found myself feeling like an animal being pursued by hunters ready for the kill.
I want to say right here that I am no perfect example. I make more than my share of mistakes, blunders and oversights. Some of the comments had elements of truth in them, so I could agree to a point, but taken out of context, they became a pretext.
I pray that there may be one or two of you out there who are able to relate to this and I hope that this will be God’s way of sending you assurance. I had those who gave me assurance during my ordeal and it was a blessing. God was just beginning with us! People came forward to support and stand along beside us. I realized that I was not rejected, but loved and sustained by the Lord. God still continues to surprise us with His new call to exciting ministry.
For over eleven years the Lord has given me a vision to write this Daily-E-Votional, which is going out to thousands of people all around the globe. Here is my conclusion concerning my personal rejection. Jesus was rejected and He was perfect in all ways. Since we are not perfect we can expect to be rejected or at least not appreciated. Write down on paper what you are encountering and present it to Him in prayer. Keep your eyes fixed steadfastly upon Him and know that He will never, ever reject you.
Since God has given us this day—BE GLAD AND REJOICE IN IT!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 26, 2012 | Psalm
Psalm 42:8
The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me—a prayer to the God of my life.
In my many years of counseling there is one common concern that people have expressed. It is the difficulty dealing with the night hours. They seem to be able to cope when they are active and especially when others are around, but when the lights are turned off and the covers pulled up, they seem to hit a wall.
Now I am not a sleep specialist by any stretch of the imagination, but I know the One who is. The Lord never expects us to toss and turn all night long worrying and fretting about what has occurred during the previous day or what lies ahead when the sun peaks over the eastern horizon.
Isn’t it comforting to know that we serve a Lord who knows the end from the beginning? He delights in giving His beloved servants a sweet rest. The psalmist assures us that the Lord commands His lovingkindness during the daytime. Praise the Lord for that, but that still leaves the nighttime. What happens then?
Are you ready for this? The Lord promises His song in the night. Hold on there, faithful servant. Notice the description of the song in the night. It is the Lord’s song, and it is a prayer to the God of our life. The Lord is not interested in our ability to carry a tune; He wants the prayer of praise that we find in His Word.
The next time you toss and turn on your bed, get up and read Psalm 1:1-3 or Psalm 100 and make it personally your own song in the night to the Lord.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 21, 2012 | Psalm
Psalm 90:1-2
Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
“O God, Our Help in Ages Past” is a hymn by Isaac Watts and paraphrases Psalm 90. It originally consisted of nine stanzas. In present usage, however, the hymn is usually limited to stanzas one, two, three, five and nine.
The hymn was originally part of The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament, published by Watts in 1719. It has often been sung for special occasions in England. It was sung in 1941, at a religious service on board HMS Prince of Wales attended by Winston Churchill and Franklin Delano Roosevelt as part of the conference creating the Atlantic Charter. It was also sung at the funeral of Winston Churchill in 1965.
Later composers subsequently incorporated the tune in their own works. For example, George Handel used the tune in an anthem entitled, “O Praise the Lord.”
“Oh God, Our Help In Ages Past“
Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.
A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And lost in following years.
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guide while troubles last,
And our eternal home.
To access Oh God, Our Help In Ages Past, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/ogodourhelpinagespast 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 | Sep 20, 2012 | Psalm
Psalm 23:1-4
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my Soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
The Weather Channel has just aired a series called Iceberg Hunters. When Joyce and I saw the previews, I mentioned that the men sounded like they were from northern Newfoundland. I said it would be something special if they were from St. Anthony, Newfoundland. In 1966-67 I spent a year in St. Anthony serving as Personnel Officer with the US Air Force. Sure enough, when the program came on tonight it was from St. Anthony.
My mind flooded with memories of that year away from my family. I did not want to go and my heart ached when I had to say farewell to Joyce and our three children. I wondered how anything good could come out of the assignment.
As I prayed for God to use me, I made a commitment to be the faithful servant He wanted me to be. Rather than being miserable I chose to open myself to the Lord’s leading. It was a year of blessing in disguise. The Lord taught me to depend on Him and draw closer than ever before. I had opportunities of ministry that I could never have imagined.
There will be situations in our lives that will arise and cause us to shudder. It may even be like the shadow of death in today’s Scripture. In the most stressful and trying conditions we can be used the most effectively. It is our choice. We can either be a blemish or a blessing. I choose to be a blessing!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
