Pastor Cecil A. Thompson DailyEvotional

DAILY-E-VOTIONAL     BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART Pastor Cecil A. Thompson August 1, 2016 TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THROUGH THE BIBLE  IN ONE YEAR , CLICK ON THIS LINK: https:// pastorcecilthebibleinoneyear. blogspot.com “SHADOWS!” Psalm 23:4 “ 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. ” One day last week I was returning home from an appointment. I was a block from my house and gliding along at about ten miles per hour when I noticed an eight-inch long shadow gliding along the pavement. It was then that I saw a two-inch long insect flying closer to me. The sun was at just the right angle to magnify the shadow of the tiny insect. As I have played this picture over in my mind I am reminded that shadows are always larger than real life. The Psalmist reminds us that as we travel through the valley of the shadow of death, not the valley of death. What is the d

DAILY-E-VOTIONAL BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART Pastor Cecil A. Thompson July 29, 2016 TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THE DAILY E-VOTIONAL, CLICK ON THIS LINK: pastorcecilathompsondailye-votional.blogspot.com TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR, CLICK ON THIS LINK: pastorcecilthebibleinoneyear.blogspot.com “JESUS PAID IT ALL!” Titus 3:4-5 “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” One night, 1886, a group of Christians were singing in a down-and-out part of a large city. A distraught young woman questioned if it would be possible for a sinner like her to be saved. Listening to her heart-cry for salvation, she was taken back to the mission and left with the ladies in charge. The young, wayward woman was brought to Christ that night. A situation was secured for her in a minister's

DAILY-E-VOTIONAL     BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART Pastor Cecil A. Thompson July 28, 2016 TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THE DAILY E-VOTIONAL, CLICK ON THIS LINK:   https:// pastorcecilathompsondailye- votional.blogspot.com   TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THROUGH THE BIBLE  IN ONE YEAR , CLICK ON THIS LINK: https:// pastorcecilthebibleinoneyear. blogspot.com “FES UP!” 1 John 1:8-9 “ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ” Have you ever noticed how easy it is to explain our sin as being something other than sin? We may say it is an error of judgment, an immature response to another person’s actions, or any number of other excuses. The word “fes” is a colloquialism for the word confession. In certain parts of the country when someone is guilty of something they are sometimes urged to “fes up!”   In my previ

DAILY-E-VOTIONAL     BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART Pastor Cecil A. Thompson July 27, 2016 TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THROUGH THE BIBLE  IN ONE YEAR , CLICK ON THIS LINK: https:// pastorcecilthebibleinoneyear. blogspot.com “LOOK UP!” Luke  21:28 “ Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near. ” It seems that every day we hear of tragedies of every kind. There are natural disasters, but also there are violent attacks that leave scores dead and badly injured. Just when it seems that things could not get worse, they seem to do just that. What should be our reaction to the violence and chaos around us? I think we have at least two choices: We can  look around  us and become increasingly depressed, or we can  look up  and see that God is the Blessed Controller of all things. In today’s Scripture, Jesus is listing the things that will precede His return and the end of the age. He does not want us to be bu

DAILY-E-VOTIONAL     BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART Pastor Cecil A. Thompson July 26, 2016 TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THE DAILY E-VOTIONAL, CLICK ON THIS LINK:   https:// pastorcecilathompsondailye- votional.blogspot.com   TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THROUGH THE BIBLE  IN ONE YEAR , CLICK ON THIS LINK: https:// pastorcecilthebibleinoneyear. blogspot.com “SHAPE UP!”   I Timothy 4:8 “ For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. ” I have never been much of a model of physical fitness. Yes, I recall my high school days (almost) when I was on the starting football team. I was in shape then, but for the most part I have always battled with a weight problem and, more often than not, I have lost that battle! Therefore, I love it when Paul tells Timothy that bodily exercise "profits a little." I am sure he  wasn't implying that we are not to exercis

DAILY-E-VOTIONAL     BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART Pastor Cecil A. Thompson July 25, 2016 TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THE DAILY E-VOTIONAL, CLICK ON THIS LINK:   https:// pastorcecilathompsondailye- votional.blogspot.com   TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THROUGH THE BIBLE  IN ONE YEAR , CLICK ON THIS LINK: https:// pastorcecilthebibleinoneyear. blogspot.com “GROW UP!”   II Peter  3:18 “ But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever. Amen.” Years ago I heard Dr. W.A. Criswell, who was then the Senior Pastor of Dallas First Baptist Church, tell the story of two men who were sitting at a bar arguing about which of them was the most spiritual. (That presents an interesting picture doesn’t it?) As both of them became more and more inebriated, their argument became more and more heated. Finally one of the men bet the other man $10 that he did not even know the Lord’s Prayer. His opponent accepted the w

DAILY-E-VOTIONAL     BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART Pastor Cecil A. Thompson July 22, 2016 TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THE DAILY E-VOTIONAL, CLICK ON THIS LINK:   https:// pastorcecilathompsondailye- votional.blogspot.com   TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THROUGH THE BIBLE  IN ONE YEAR , CLICK ON THIS LINK: https:// pastorcecilthebibleinoneyear. blogspot.com “O GOD, OUR HELP IN AGES PAST!” 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.”   This week’s hymn by Isaac Watts is a paraphrase of Psalm 90. It originally consisted of nine stanzas. In present day 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 occas

DAILY-E-VOTIONAL     BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART Pastor Cecil A. Thompson July 21, 2016 TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THE DAILY E-VOTIONAL, CLICK ON THIS LINK:   https:// pastorcecilathompsondailye- votional.blogspot.com   TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THROUGH THE BIBLE  IN ONE YEAR , CLICK ON THIS LINK: https:// pastorcecilthebibleinoneyear. blogspot.com “GIFT OR WAGES?!”   Romans  6:23 “ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ” There was once was a popular expression:  “A day’s wages for a day’s work.” But  I am not too sure that old adage fits our culture's modern-day thinking. Today it's more like  “You can afford it, so give me a wage whether I earn it or not.”  It appears that it's acceptable to cheat our employers by not giving our all on the job. In today’s Scripture we have two contrasting words:  wages  and  gift . Immediately we are struck by the differences. Wages come as a result of wh

DAILY-E-VOTIONAL     BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART Pastor Cecil A. Thompson July 20, 2016 TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THE DAILY E-VOTIONAL, CLICK ON THIS LINK:   https:// pastorcecilathompsondailye- votional.blogspot.com   TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THROUGH THE BIBLE  IN ONE YEAR , CLICK ON THIS LINK: https:// pastorcecilthebibleinoneyear. blogspot.com “CROWN ME!”   James  1:12 “ Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. ” I have to confess, I was never much of a checker player. It has been years since I played, but I do remember that when you are able to get one of your game pieces to the row closest to your opponent, that checker is "crowned" with another checker. Once a piece is crowned it can be moved either backwards or forward. Some people seem to think they are entitled to be treated like royalty here on earth. They almost deman

DAILY-E-VOTIONAL     BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART Pastor Cecil A. Thompson July 19, 2016 TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THE DAILY E-VOTIONAL, CLICK ON THIS LINK:   https:// pastorcecilathompsondailye- votional.blogspot.com   TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THROUGH THE BIBLE  IN ONE YEAR , CLICK ON THIS LINK: https:// pastorcecilthebibleinoneyear. blogspot.com “WHY DON’T YOU?”   Galatians 3 :2-3 “ This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? ”   I can almost remember my childhood days. Believe me they are far back in my rear view mirror. One thing I do recall is having arguments with either my brother or other kids and using the phrase;  “Why don’t you?”  The reply was usually;  “Well, why don’t you?” Unfortunately this same argument is often carried into married life. Many times I have tried to counsel cou

DAILY-E-VOTIONAL     BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART Pastor Cecil A. Thompson July 18, 2016 TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THE DAILY E-VOTIONAL, CLICK ON THIS LINK:   https:// pastorcecilathompsondailye- votional.blogspot.com   TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THROUGH THE BIBLE  IN ONE YEAR , CLICK ON THIS LINK: https:// pastorcecilthebibleinoneyear. blogspot.com “GOOD ENOUGH!”   Galatians 3 :2-3 “ This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? ”   I remember working with my dad building houses. Sometimes when we were fitting pieces of framing together, the ends might be a fraction of an inch off. I would hear my dad say, “Good enough.”  I fear that many people are prone to apply that same attitude to their spiritual lives. Just what is  good enough  in the spiritual realm? The answer is perfection.  The second qu