by Pastor Cecil | Jul 17, 2012 | Romans
Romans 10:12-13
For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
After our service this morning, our daughter, Lori, was talking to someone about a comment her older sister, Brenda, had made many years ago. It was when I was stationed with the Air Force in San Antonio, Texas.
This was during the “Cold War” years when there was deep concern about nuclear war. The schools at that time had developed an emergency plan in case of a threat of such a terrible event. The students were told to duck under their desks and cover their heads. It became known as the “duck and cover” drill. I wonder where they came up with such a catchy slogan.
One day there was a false alarm and the sirens sounded. The children in Brenda’s class ducked under their desks (as did the teacher) and waited in fearful silence. The silence was broken when Brenda yelled out; “Say your prayer and I will see you in heaven!”
Our precious Brenda is in heaven now. The all clear was signaled way back then, but in 1991 there was another clarion call and our dear daughter slipped into the Paradise of the Lord prepared for His children.
If you have never prayed to the Lord and turned your life around (repented), now is the time to do it. Just open your heart and confess that you are a sinner and invite the Lord into your heart.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 26, 2012 | Romans
Romans 6:20-23
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
With each passing day it seems that we are exposed to more filth and corruption. There are so many instances of distasteful or downright disgusting perversion, I wonder how much more of this the Lord is going to take. We observe this slide into the slime of sin on television programs and in the advertisements that make the programming possible.
Before you or I get on our high horse about the debased condition of television, look around—it is also prevalent on the radio and in magazines. It is embarrassing going through the check-out stands to be confronted with the offensive stuff plastered on the covers of magazines and newspapers.
The reality is that we are living in a world that is full of repulsive garbage. It is such a dismal scene that it causes you to wonder if there is any solution to the problem. There was a time when people felt the influence of the Christian community—a time when one knew what they were doing was wrong, and many intended to get right with the Lord eventually. But now our Christian influence has dimmed to the point that people who live a godly and moral life are viewed to be the ones who are doing wrong.
There is a solution! It is in discovering what God has to say about sin and doing something about it. It means spending time with God in His Word and speaking with Him in our prayer life. When the Bible says something is sin, we need to get away from it. The best way to deal with the sin in our world is to deal with the sin in our own life.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 14, 2012 | Romans
Romans 7:18
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.
After I sent out the Daily-E-Votional yesterday in which I recalled Old Bill, I had to recall the Chief of Police who hired me. His name was Keith Judd. I will always remember him as a kind and considerate man. In the months that I worked under his leadership I had great admiration for him.
After I transferred to another department there was a tragedy outside the city limits of Caldwell. A family called for help as shots rang out and they were under siege. Law Enforcement Officers from many jurisdictions responded. One of those on the scene was Chief Judd. The officers formed a perimeter around the house in order to determine where the shots were coming from.
More shots were fired and suddenly a deputy from a neighboring county was hit and seriously wounded. Another shot was fired into the back of Keith Judd which left him paralyzed. The shots were not from the outside, but the shooter was the teenage son of the homeowners, firing from an upstairs bedroom window. (Keith Judd died four years later.)
The enemy of our souls often works in deceitful ways. We can be so focused on the threat from outside that we fail to be on guard for the danger within. This is why it is so very important for us to spend time examining our hearts. There is where the roots of bitterness and sin reside. When we examine our soul and find sin lurking there we need to confess it immediately and turn away from it. I want to warn you that the roots have been there long enough to have a strong grip on your behavior, so you may to deal with them over and over until you break their hold.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 4, 2012 | Romans
Romans 12:2
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
It seems that we are more in need of a spiritual renewing of our minds than ever before. The media constantly bombards us with images that are far from what is God honoring and soul edifying.
In the past week I have heard at least five or six people mention how wicked and perverse things in the world are becoming. I am generally an optimistic person, but it is harder and harder and harder to find things in our modern society to be positive about.
Having expressed myself, I do not mean that we should throw up our hands in despair. The Lord has always given us His reason for hope. That reason is our Lord Jesus Christ. He came to bring life to a sin sick world and He still is the answer in our day and age. If Jesus is the answer to renewing our mind, we need to focus our attention to the process of getting the job done.
If someone wants to really know another person, it is not enough to have a desire to know them, they have to spend time getting as close as possible to the person. It is the same way with the Jesus. We renew our mind by reading His Word and spending time speaking with Him in prayer.
My prayer is that we may renew our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. I pray that the world may become illuminated by the presence of the Lord in our life.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 6, 2012 | Romans
Romans 8:38-39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
When Joyce and I were newlyweds, a new pastor was called as the senior pastor of our church. On his first Sunday he spoke of his joy at becoming the new pastor and wanted to introduce his family to the congregation. As the family came to the platform, he started to introduce them beginning with his youngest son. As he reached out to place his hand on the boy’s head, the boy ducked and raised his hand as if he was about to be struck. It was quite some time before the laughter subsided enough for the rest of the family to be introduced.
Sadly we all too often react to God in that same manner, expecting to be struck at any moment. The love of God is so far beyond our human concept of love that we lack words to describe that love poured out in our behalf. I really feel pity for those believers who seem to go through life in a spiritual crouch, waiting for God to strike. They dread the time when they will appear before the Lord.
When our sins are covered by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, we need not fear. We can do countless good works, but that will not save us or make us fit for heaven. It is only by confessing our sins and receiving Him into our hearts that His blood covers us and protects us. Without the blood of Jesus applied to the doorposts of our hearts, there is no salvation.
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
P.S. – If you get a chance, please check out PastorCecil.com.
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 24, 2011 | Romans
Romans 12:2
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
My first assignment as a US Air Force Officer was as Personnel Officer for the Personnel Processing Squadron at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Our Squadron was responsible for receiving and processing young men and women from civilian life into the military.
Back in the sixties there was a radical movement in society. I looked up the definition of radical and found the following: Favoring or effecting fundamental or revolutionary changes in current practices, conditions, or institutions. This attitude could be seen in the new recruits who arrived at our Base for processing.
It was fascinating to observe a line of young men waiting to receive their first military haircut. The barbers had a wry sense of humor and quite often would enjoy having fun with those who had long, well-styled hair. As the young man would seat himself the barber would ask how he would like it cut. There was surprise on the young man’s face that he could actually request how it was to be styled. In a moment the barber made three passes with his clippers over the top, two along the sides and suddenly there was a pile of hair on the floor. Welcome to the military!
Some of these young men had been classified as radicals. They had tried to walk in new ways that screamed in the face of tradition. Now they were about to be molded into airmen who would learn to become REAL. They were poised to become a valuable asset to their country.
I long for true Christians to undergo a radical change in their lives—a transformation so great the world could not help but notice. Not a show or sham, but radically real in our walk with the Lord.
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.comPlease feel free to forward this E-Votional on to your family and friends.
