Pastor Cecil A. Thompson DailyEvotional

DAILY-E-VOTIONAL BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART Pastor Cecil A. Thompson September 1, 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   “NIGHT AND MORNING!” Psalm 30:5 “ His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. ” Last evening I was taking my little dog, Izzy, outside to do her final duties for the night. I noticed how much darker it was than earlier in the summer. Here in the northern hemisphere the days are getting shorter, but in the southern hemisphere the days are getting longer. As I was meditating on the changes in seasons I was reminded that our lives are very much the same way. There are times when it seems that everything is looking brighter, while at other tim

DAILY-E-VOTIONAL BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART Pastor Cecil A. Thompson August 31, 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?!” Philippians  1:21 “   For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. ” A proud father, and city employee, was introducing his four-year-old daughter to his boss, the Mayor of the city. The young girl was known to be precocious, but her father thought she would be awed to be personally introduced to such a high city official. As the Mayor bowed down and politely extended his hand to the young girl, he said, "Hi, I am the Mayor.” The young girl looked straight into his eyes and asked, "Why?” The Mayor was stunned by the question and quickly moved on to the next group of constituents. Back

DAILY-E-VOTIONAL BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART Pastor Cecil A. Thompson August 30, 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   “FRESH FRUIT!” Galatians 5:22-23 “ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law ” It is that special time of year when the fruit ripens on the trees ... sweet, delicious, and ready to eat. It makes my mouth water just thinking of a perfectly ripe and juicy peach! I know, however, that in just a few short weeks the weather will turn bitterly cold and throughout the months of winter, this tree that now produces such tasty fruit will stand stark and bare, naked of its delicious produce. God promises us a fruit

DAILY-E-VOTIONAL BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART Pastor Cecil A. Thompson August 29, 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   “WEARY!” Jeremiah 31:25 “ For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul. ” In my 82 years of life I have experienced a lot of physical weariness, especially through the labors of mixing and hauling concrete, digging ditches with a shovel, and pounding hardwood floors until I felt my arm would drop off. I have also labored mentally in college and graduate school while working full time. Do you feel sorry for me yet? HA! There have been times of deep emotional sorrow in the loss of family members and dear friends. The loss of father, mother, brother, daughter, and dear wife, was mor

DAILY-E-VOTIONAL BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART Pastor Cecil A. Thompson August 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 “JUST AS I AM!” Ephesians 2:8-9 “ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,   not of works, lest anyone should boast. ” I suppose many of us have heard humorous stories about someone approaching the gates of heaven and being required to prove that their actions on earth merited entry into God’s heavenly kingdom. Beep! Wrong answer! A person may do amazingly good works here on earth and still miss heaven. It is not what we do for God that determines where we will spend eternity---it is what He has done for us. When we repent of our sins and accept Him as Savior

DAILY-E-VOTIONAL BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART Pastor Cecil A. Thompson August 25, 2016 TO HEAR PASTOR CECIL READ THROUGH THE BIBLE  IN ONE YEAR , CLICK ON THIS LINK: https:// pastorcecilthebibleinoneyear. blogspot.com   “ALERT DUTY!” Psalm 37:34 “Wait on the  Lord , and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you shall see  it.” When I was in the military there were times when I was assigned to “alert duty.” What that meant was that those of us who were on duty could not sleep, but were in a constant state of readiness. We would be the ones who would alert the other members of the unit who would spring into action. In today’s Scripture, the psalmist is calling us to take on the assignment of being on alert. We are to be the watchmen (watchwomen) who keep our eyes open to the threats of the enemy. Not only are we called to be alert to spiritual danger, but we are also to be aware of the leading of the Lord. Whe

DAILY-E-VOTIONAL BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART Pastor Cecil A. Thompson August 24, 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   “WATCH YOUR STEP!” Psalm 37:23 “The steps of a good man are ordered by the  Lord , and He delights in his way.” A number of years ago my wife Joyce and I took the train from Olympia, Washington, to Washington D.C. (the other Washington). As we prepared to board the train at the local depot, the conductor cautioned us, "Watch your step!" During the trip that lasted several days, we had to make our way to the dining car for our meals. Frequently, the porter would remind us to "watch our steps" as the train would be a little unsteady as it rumbled along the track. As we make our way along li

DAILY-E-VOTIONAL BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART Pastor Cecil A. Thompson August 23, 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   “FAMILY!” Ephesians 3:14-15 “ For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,   from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, ” A few weeks ago my granddaughter’s husband was quizzing me on our family history. Off the top of my head, I was able to share what I could remember back several generations. That started me thinking about  spiritual  families. To me, a spiritual family is more important than a physical family. It is not that our earthly/biological families do not matter, but they are temporal and exist for only a short period of time. Our spiritual family is from God and wi

DAILY-E-VOTIONAL BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART Pastor Cecil A. Thompson August 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   “WRONG APPEARANCE!” I Thessalonians  5:22 “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” Anytime a believer compromises with the world there is an appearance of wrong. It may be easy for the believer to argue that no sin was actually  committed,  but what signals are being sent? The Apostle Paul spoke about weaker believers who were struggling with the issue of eating meat offered to idols. If these baby believers had been a part of some group that worshipped idols and considered the meat offered as sacred, they would carry that stigma along with them once they had become believers. Paul says that the meat had

DAILY-E-VOTIONAL BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART Pastor Cecil A. Thompson August 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 “ALL THINGS!” Philippians  4:13     “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Self sufficiency is a constant battle for most of us. When we are called upon to serve the Lord, we frequently focus our attention on what  we  are doing rather than what God is doing through us.   If you doubt what I am saying, just let someone else get the credit for something you have done for the Lord. How do you feel? Is there a spirit of resentment and even jealousy in your heart? Ouch!  That hurts, doesn’t it? In order to get a good grasp of today's passage of Scripture, it is essential we recall who

DAILY-E-VOTIONAL BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART Pastor Cecil A. Thompson August 17, 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 “GOD’S SUFFICIENT GRACE!” 2 Corinthians 12:8-9   “Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.  And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” Why do bad things happen to good people?  Have  you  ever asked  that  question? Have you ever prayed for God to answer your prayer for a specific thing and fail to see it answered? If so, join the crowd. As parents of three young children, we often heard their pleas for one thing or another. They