by Pastor Cecil | Jun 29, 2012 | 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 5 feet tall and weighed less than 100 pounds. Because of mistreatment for an eye infection when she was only a few months old, she spent the rest of her 95 years 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 someone else. She was said to work mentally on as many as twelve hymns at once before dictating them all out.
Fanny felt that it was God’s special gift that she should be blind all of her life and she thanked Him for that gift. She once remarked; “When I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior!” In 1896 she wrote this week’s hymn selection.
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 | May 18, 2012 | Psalm
Psalm 18:2
The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Ira Sankey was a singer and song writer who ministered alongside evangelist D. L. Moody. He had experienced and extended time of trial and tears in his own personal life. He cried out to the Lord to be able to receive a renewing of his own spirit so he could in turn minister to others. It was during this time of agonizing prayer that the song Hiding In Thee was born. I am so thankful that the Lord heard and answered his prayer.
About twenty years later, Sergei Rachmaninoff was experiencing many problems in his life. He had a mental block, could not write and felt useless. After several years of emptiness he broke out of his doldrums and composed his second piano concerto. It is a joy to feature a blending of both works this week. ENJOY!
Hiding in Thee
O safe to the Rock that is higher than I,
My soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly;
So sinful, so weary, Thine, Thine, would I be;
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee.
Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee,
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee.
In the calm of the noontide, in sorrow’s lone hour,
In times when temptation casts o’er me its power,
In the tempests of life, on its wide, heaving sea,
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee.
Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee,
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee.
How oft in the conflict, when pressed by the foe,
I have fled to my refuge and breathed out my woe;
How often, when trials like sea billows roll,
Have I hidden in Thee, O Thou Rock of my soul.
Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee,
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee.
To access Hiding In Thee, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Christian Music Hymns & Songs, please 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 | Apr 27, 2012 | Psalm
Psalm 46:1-3
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah”
As a part of our discipline of reading through the Bible in a year we read through the book of Psalms twice. It is absolutely astounding that David was beset by so many storms. He was attacked on all sides by his enemies who desired to take his life. Do you feel that way sometimes?
King Saul was a demented king who imagined that David was attempting to take the kingdom from him. (Actually it was the Lord who had rejected Saul because of his wickedness and failing to keep the Lord in control of his life.)
In many of his Psalms, David cried out to the Lord for help and immediately praised the Him for giving him a safe place of refuge. That is the same with us today. We may be tossed and torn by the storms of life, but the Lord always gives us a haven of rest. That is the hymn for this week.
The Haven of Rest
My soul in sad exile was out on life’s sea,
So burdened with sin and distressed,
Till I heard a sweet voice, saying,
“Make Me your choice”;
And I entered the “Haven of Rest”!
Refrain: I’ve anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest;
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep,
In Jesus I’m safe evermore.
I yielded myself to His tender embrace,
In faith taking hold of the Word,
My fetters fell off, and I anchored my soul;
The “Haven of Rest” is my Lord.
Refrain: I’ve anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest;
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep,
In Jesus I’m safe evermore.
The song of my soul, since the Lord made me whole,
Has been the old story so blest,
Of Jesus, who’ll save whosoever will have
A home in the “Haven of Rest.”
Refrain: I’ve anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest;
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep,
In Jesus I’m safe evermore.
How precious the thought that we all may recline,
Like John, the beloved so blest,
On Jesus’ strong arm, where no tempest can harm,
Secure in the “Haven of Rest.”
Refrain: I’ve anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest;
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep,
In Jesus I’m safe evermore.
O come to the Savior, He patiently waits
To save by His power divine;
Come, anchor your soul in the “Haven of Rest,”
And say, “My Beloved is mine.”
Refrain: I’ve anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest;
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep,
In Jesus I’m safe evermore.
To access The Haven of Rest, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/thehavenofrest/ 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
Be sure to check out PastorCecil.com
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 24, 2012 | Psalm
Psalm 19:13-14
Keep back Thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
Today’s title may cause you to think that I am starting a mystery novel. That is not the case, but it relates to one of my tie tacks, one with gold praying hands. I wore it Sunday and just before the service I glanced down and saw that it was upside down.
It brought back the memory of a time several years ago when I was wearing it and it had slipped around. Someone asked me if I were a swimmer? I couldn’t figure why that question would be asked until they said it looked like I had diving hands on my tie. Facing down they appear to be diving—facing up its devotion.
What do people see when they observe us in our day to day walk? Do they see us as diving or being devoted to the Lord? It is one thing to use spiritual phrases and even quote passages from the Bible. It’s another thing to live our life in such a way that our testimony is more by the life we live. Do people see Jesus in us?
The Scottish poet Robert Burns composed a poem called, To A Louse. At one time I had the poem memorized, but now recall only the final verse: “O wad some power the gift tae gie us; To see oursels as ithers see us! It wad frae mony a blunder free us, An foolish notion: What airs in dress an gait wad lea’e us, An ev’n devotion!” My prayer is that my life will be real and committed to the Lord.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 5, 2012 | Psalm
Psalm 139:7-10
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.
Over the years I have had the privilege of experiencing a variety of professions. One of the most enjoyable was working as a County Juvenile Officer. I had come into the position directly from serving as a city police officer, so I was well acquainted with the patrol officers who worked the night shift.
I frequently rode around with one of the officers as he made his rounds. From time to time I would spot a juvenile who was part of my caseload. I would note the time, location and who else was present. Many times the probationer was on a court ordered curfew.
The next time that individual came in to report I would ask if they were adhering to their curfew. The response was usually that they were. I would then ask about the day and time I had observed them. The look of astonishment was priceless. I would then proceed to take the necessary action that was merited. It wasn’t long before they felt like I was everywhere and they had better keep on the straight and narrow.
In today’s Scripture we see that the Lord is everywhere and He knows all about us. There are no time-outs when it comes to living for the Lord. He knows each and everything about us. That is not a bad thing, but a constant reminder that He is always there when we call. Praise the Lord!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 29, 2012 | Psalm
Psalm 34:17-20
“The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.”
Have you ever lost a loved one? In the past I have shared with you about losing our daughter, but I feel led to do so again. “Dad, are you sitting down?” Those words came across the phone lines from our oldest daughter, Brenda, some twenty years ago. I told her that I was. She said, “I am in the hospital with heart failure.”
The words struck with the force of a blow to my stomach. I told her that her mother and I would be there as soon as possible. It was over 500 miles from Shelton, Washington to Boise, Idaho, and we made it in record time.
When we arrived, the prognosis was even worse than we had anticipated. Brenda was diagnosed with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension and the only way she could survive was to have both a heart and lung transplant. In the meantime she, like so many others, had to live with a broken heart.
I knew that as much as I wanted to fix my dear daughter’s condition, neither myself, her mom, nor the medical doctors could fix Brenda’s heart. She would live the remaining days of her life with a broken heart.
There are many people reading this who have a heart condition or have loved ones who are living with a heart defect. We know the tender care which must be exercised in living with a broken heart. It may require a change in the way we eat, the way we exercise and the medicines we take.
There is another aspect of having a broken heart—it is the attitude of heart before our God. It may be described as the opposite of pride and arrogance. It was a chief characteristic of our Lord when He walked the dusty roads of Israel. He, who was the One who had created all things, was now in submission to His Father. He lived with a broken heart.
How are we to emulate the attitude which Christ patterned? The most obvious answer is that we are to live with a broken heart. That does not mean that we are to develop a medical heart condition, but rather a spiritual one. It is not only okay to have a spiritually broken heart, it is essential in order to live in victory.
Our hearts need to be crushed and broken by the things which we see in our lives which are contrary to the will of God. In these instances we need to cry out to God and confess our sin in order for Him to forgive and cleanse. This very attitude should also be evidenced as we observe the sins of our nation and of the world.
If there was a single characteristic which described the prophets of the Old Testament, it was their godly sorrow for sin. They very clearly lived with a broken heart. Is it any wonder that the Lord was able to do such mighty works through them?
I think it is time for us to stop and evaluate our lives in view of eternity. More than being brokenhearted because of the loss of a loved one, we need to have our hearts crushed before the Lord. As we examine our lives may we pray with all sincerity: “Lord let me live before You with a broken heart!”
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
