by Pastor Cecil | Nov 2, 2011 | Psalm
Psalm 103:1-2
Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.
Back in the day—way back in the day—when Joyce and I were high school seniors, Joyce was crowned Homecoming Queen. I can still picture her sitting in the gymnasium on a makeshift throne along with her court. The crown on her head signified that she had been voted Queen. The position carried no monetary rewards and on the following Monday the other students did not bow to her. She was just the same Joyce Harper as she had been before the celebration.
Two of the things the Lord has promised us are love and compassion. Joyce has them both. We are in short supply of love and mercy (compassion) in our present day world. It seems more and more that we live in a dog-eat-dog world. Even Christians seem to be caught up in the struggle to get ahead regardless of the needs of others.
My sweet “Homecoming Queen” might have surrendered her crown after that night so long ago, but she has received a far greater crown from the Lord. She has the qualities of love and mercy as a gift from God. Across more than fifty-nine years as my wife, I have basked in her love and mercy. I can encourage people and help those who come to me for help, but this “Queen” of mine far surpasses me in sensing hurting people and responding in a quiet manner to bring compassionate love.
In Matthew 5:7, Jesus gave this beautiful Beatitude: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” That is such a comfort to each of us. We may feel that we do not have the gifts and talents of others, but each of us can love and show loving concern for others.
As I sit here trying to comprehend the words God would have me write, my mind is thrust into the love chapter of the Bible. In I Corinthians 13:4-8, Paul defines love this way: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” Does that describe you?
Praise God that He is the One who crowns us with love and mercy!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
(360) 570-0074
P.S. – You can find previous E-Votionals covering a variety of Scriptures and topics to help you in your walk with the Lord at www.Daily-E-Votional.com
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 21, 2011 | Psalm
Psalm 119:33-37
Teach me, O LORD, to follow Your decrees; then I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding, and I will keep Your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of Your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward Your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to Your word.
“I do it myself!” Those are the words of one of our children in their early formative years. If you have children of your own, you may have heard something of the sort. The problem is that learning seldom takes place in the presence of this, “I want to do it myself” attitude.
I once heard the story of a snooty woman of some wealth who had a small son. She wanted only the best for her son and always insisted on the finest of everything. She hired a nanny for her son and insisted that he learn to have everything his heart desired. She told the nanny that her son was going to go through life as a wealthy man so he needed to be accustomed to having what he wanted. The nanny was outside with her young charge when he began to scream at the top of his lungs. His mother flew out into the yard in a rage. “Didn’t I tell you to give my son anything he wanted?” demanded the mother! “Yes madam,” replied the nanny. “I remembered well what you told me. He wanted to play with a bumblebee so I let him.”
As I read today’s Scripture I see an important truth. It is the secret to learning the truth from God’s Word. What is this amazing secret? It is being teachable. We cannot be taught until we are willing to be taught. This passage is not asking God to MAKE us do something; rather it shows our submissive attitude toward the process of learning. It is the picture of an eager student who begs the teacher to instruct them.
A skilled musician may have great ability and the music they produce may sound exquisite to the untrained ear, but a professional knows that something is lacking. Even the greatest musician knows that it is important to return to their mentor for more training from time to time.
As we read the words of the Psalmist we might paraphrase it this way: Lord I come under Your authority. Teach me Your decrees. I open my mind for You to give me divine understanding. I will follow where You lead me and find joy in walking in the paths You set before me.
NOT MY WILL, LORD, BUT YOURS BE DONE!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
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by Pastor Cecil | Oct 7, 2011 | 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
P.S. – You can find previous E-Votionals covering a variety of Scriptures and topics to help you in your walk with the Lord at www.Daily-E-Votional.com.
Special News! My book, 100 of Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations, is now available on Kindle books. Just go the the Kindle store and type in Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations, or Pastor Cecil Thompson.
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 4, 2011 | Psalm
Psalm 23:5-6
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
How short sighted we are when it comes to appreciating the blessings of the Lord. Somehow we have been sold a bill of goods that God’s children are entitled to a life free of trials and pain. Try selling that concept to Job or the apostle Paul. I don’t think you would have a sale!
Please don’t get me wrong, I am not knocking the fact that God’s children have been promised precious gifts. It is just that the spiritual money mongers of our day and age have deceived many by preaching a prosperity gospel that leaves people high and dry when they cross the valley of suffering.
In the midst of our everyday world we need to stop and consider the many blessings that the Lord has given to us. First and foremost is the everlasting and spectacular gift of eternal life through our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. His love and sacrifice in our behalf can never be measured.
Here is an example of the logic that we are tempted to use: The Lord was with us on our trip, we did not have any problems at all. What if we had one problem after another on the trip? Does that mean the Lord was not with us? Absolutely not! In fact He may have been using the difficulties to bring us opportunities to share the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ or to teach us patience. Regardless, God blesses us!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
(360) 570-0074
P.S. – You can find previous E-Votionals covering a variety of Scriptures and topics to help you in your walk with the Lord at www.Daily-E-Votional.com.
Special News! My book, 100 of Pastor Cecil?s Select Illustrations, is now available on Kindle books. Just go the the Kindle store and type in Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations, or Pastor Cecil Thompson.
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 28, 2011 | Psalm
Psalm 23:4
Even 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.
How many times have we heard someone use this expression, I know how you feel. I know they make this statement possibly to bring comfort, but as a matter of fact, it accomplishes just the opposite. They have no idea how I feel or what is going on in my inner self.
I once taught a Sunday School Class for young married couples. Joyce and I had been married for over twelve years, so I felt that we could contribute to their maturity. I cannot remember how it came about, but one of the couples had just lost a young son who had tragically run into a glass patio door and the broken glass had killed him instantly.
I was shocked at the horrible grief this precious young couple had experienced. I noticed that other couples always wanted to talk with them when they were going through times of personal tragedy.
Since then Joyce and I have walked down that long gloomy corridor of grief. It is in these times that we cry out to the Lord and inquire of Him to discover what He wants us to learn. During these times of waiting on the Lord we have had people make the statement I mentioned earlier. It has made us aware that quietness and presence are more important than words that are intrusive. Our prayer is that when we meet people who are suffering, we will just let them know we are present.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
(360) 570-0074
P.S. – You can find previous E-Votionals covering a variety of Scriptures and topics to help you in your walk with the Lord at www.Daily-E-Votional.com Please feel free to forward this E-Votional on to your family and friends.
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 19, 2011 | Psalm
Psalm 63:1
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek You; I thirst for You, my whole being longs for You, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.
From time to time I have mentioned an enchanting place called Dry Lake. It is or I should say, was just south of our home in Nampa, Idaho. It is my understanding that progress has moved into the area and replaced it with modern housing.
When we were teens we used to spend many wonderful hours on the flat stretch of land known as Dry Lake. In the summer it was a crusty and cracked surface that was great in learning how to drive. In the winter when precipitation formed a few inches of ice, it became a wonderful time to skate and also to learn how to drive on ice covered roads.
For those who saw Dry Lake for the first time, it might have appeared to be a worthless piece of ground. It was only as you became better acquainted with it from season to season that you began to see that even a flat, dry and parched piece of ground has real value.
As we move through our life we sometimes feel that we are nothing more than a dry lake bed. The circumstances of life pile in on us and we become dry and parched in our spirit. It is at these times that we need to open the eyes of our heart and ask the Lord what He wants us to learn from these flat and dry times. What is God trying to teach you at this very moment? It might just be a good time to skate or learn how to control yourself on a slippery surface.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
(360) 570-0074
P.S. – You can find previous E-Votionals covering a variety of Scriptures and topics to help you in your walk with the Lord at www.Daily-E-Votional.com Please feel free to forward this E-Votional on to your family and friends.
