“But they constrained Him, saying, ‘Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.’ And He went in to tarry with them.”
If you knew that you were very near the end of your life, what would you write? The author of this week’s hymn, Henry F. Lyle, was preaching his final sermon to the small congregation he had served for over 20 years. He was so weak that he had to be helped to the pulpit.
He encouraged his parishioners to rely on the Savior who loved them enough to die for them. His prayer, reflected in this hymn, is a prayer that each of us can breathe when we approach the valley of death.
“ABIDE WITH ME”
Abide with me—fast falls the eventide; The darkness deepens—Lord, with me abide; When other helpers fail and comforts flee, Help of the helpless, O abide with me!
Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day; Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away; Change and decay in all around I see; O Thou who changest not, abide with me!
I need Thy presence every passing hour. What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power? Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be? Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.
Hold Thou Thy word before my closing eyes, Shine thru the gloom and point me to the skies; Heaven’s morning breaks and earth’s vain shadows flee In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
- - - Pastor Cecil
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
“Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
I hate to admit it, but sometimes when I am talking on the phone with a representative from some business, I voice my displeasure in a short-tempered manner. I know they are doing their job, but sometimes I let my attitude show ... and it is not pretty. In other words, my attitude is showing.
Before the call is over I find myself asking the representative to forgive me -- and also asking the Lord to forgive my short and unchristian responses.
It is not just in church or with other believers that our attitude needs sanctifying. If you are like me, a good part of your prayer life tends to be asking God's forgiveness for something we have done, attitudes we have shown, and thoughts we have allowed to permeate our mind.
Our outward expression of snippy responses or unkind words reveal that we need to walk closer to the Lord and respond as He would respond. I desire to be more like Jesus with each and every passing day. I want His attitude, not mine, to shine forth.
Blessings dear hearts!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
- - - Pastor Cecil
You can also find previous Daily-E-Votionals to help you in your walk with the Lord at:www.Daily-E-Votional.com
“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
In the deep shadows of my memory I recall as a young boy laughing at a lady in our church that frequently spoke of the joy in serving Jesus. The problem was that she had the sourest disposition imaginable.
It is good to be sincere in our worship of the Lord, but He repeatedly calls us to find the joy of our salvation. The Hebrew word for joy issimchâh, which is defined asmirth, gladness, joy, gaiety, pleasure, blithesomeness or glee. Do you have that in your walk with the Lord?
All too often we observe believers who mirror few, if any, of those qualities. That should not be. We should have a glow that radiates the love of Jesus in our hearts and lives. That comes by spending time with Him in happy fellowship.
The next time you find your spirits start to fade, read this passage of Scripture once again. Get happy in knowing that we have a home in glory that has our name engraved on the entrance. How about some blithesomeness?!
Blessings dear hearts!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
- - - Pastor Cecil
You can also find previous Daily-E-Votionals to help you in your walk with the Lord at:www.Daily-E-Votional.com
“Therefore know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the Lord Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.”
I recall hearing the humorous story of a man who visited his physician and was given a terrible prognosis. He hung his head in dismay at the report and finally told the doctor he wanted a second opinion. The doctor did not hesitate for one second before he replied, “Ok. You’re ugly, too!”
Our human tendency is to always seek something else to fulfill our life. This discontentment can lead to straying from God’s perfect will. How sad it is that even mature believers may add to the infallible word of God. That should not be!
In today’s Scripture we read those last four words: “. . . there is no other.” We need to rest in the contentment of knowing that God is God alone! There is no other and there will never be another! He is our all sufficiency.
The next time you start searching and seeking to add the things of this world to your life, remind yourself that there is no other. It is like the young boy who was trying to recite Psalm 23. He got only as far as "The Lord is my shepherd" when his mind went blank. In a panic he added his own thought: "That’s all I need to know!"
Blessings dear hearts!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
- - - Pastor Cecil
You can also find previous Daily-E-Votionals to help you in your walk with the Lord at:www.Daily-E-Votional.com
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
I can recall way back when I was a small boy singing a sweet little song called "This Little Light of Mine." As we sang the lyrics we would hold up one finger like it was a candle, protecting it to make sure that Satan could not blow it out and extinguish our light.
Our own children sang that same song, but I’m not sure if children today still sing it. If not, they should. Not only do the children need to sing it, but we adults need to sing that song as well. The darker the night of sin around us, the more important it is that we have the light of Jesus to penetrate the darkness.
Sometimes we feel like the sin surrounding us is so dark that our single light will not make a difference, which reminds me of a tour my family once took at Carlsbad Caverns. Once inside the cavern, our guide extinguished all the lights and we were suddenly enveloped by impenetrable darkness. As I recall, he turned on a single flashlight and it seemed as though the entire cavern was filled with light. Just one little flashlight transformed that thick darkness into light.
Each of us has the opportunity of bringing light to the dark world in which we live. It is a choice that we make whether we will allow our light to shine or whether we will be overcome by the darkness. We need to choose to live our life in such a way that our light will shine brightly. It may be small ... but it can change the world!
Blessings dear hearts!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
- - - Pastor Cecil
You can also find previous Daily-E-Votionals to help you in your walk with the Lord at:www.Daily-E-Votional.com
“But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.”
Prayer
Blessings dear hearts!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
“TO YOU BEFORE THE CLOSE OF DAY!”
Isaiah 26:3
“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”
Years ago I recall listening to a sermon tape by Donald Grey Barnhouse, a prominent pastor and teacher. Years earlier he had just completed an evangelistic meeting several hundred miles from his home in Philadelphia, when he was given a telegram. It informed him that his son had been in a serious accident and was near death.
His only way back to Philadelphia was by rail. As Dr. Barnhouse entered his sleeper, his spirit was greatly disturbed. He knew that it would be hours before his train arrived back home and that there was nothing he could do but leave his son in God’s hands.
As he prayed, he recalled a phrase from Isaiah 65:25, “- - - but dust will be the serpent’s food.” Using that passage he asked the Lord to feed the serpent dust, but to please grant him a good night’s rest. He fell fast asleep and the next thing he knew the porter was touching his shoulder to tell him that they were nearing Philadelphia.
The Lord had answered his prayer. His son lived and during his time of recuperation he committed his life to full time Christian service. If you have been having trouble getting to sleep at night, ask the Lord to give you His blessed rest and feed the serpent dust.
TO YOU BEFORE THE CLOSE OF DAY
To you before the close of day,
Creator of the world we pray!
Your grace and peace to us allow,
And be our guard and keeper now.
From evil dreams defend our sight,
From all the terrors of the night.
From all deluding thoughts that creep,
On heedless minds disarmed by sleep.
O Father, this we ask be done,
Through Jesus Christ, Your only Son.
Who with the Holy Spirit and with You,
Shall live and reign all ages through. Amen
“ANSWERED PRAYER!”
Isaiah 65:24
“It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.”
God is never late! In fact we are the ones who delay responding to His calls on our behalf. The truth of the matter is that God has already answered our prayers and set things in motion to have His will and way done.
The problem is that we are often not aware of what He has done and is doing. Our prayers are many times answered in ways that we have not expected and so we fail to recognize what He is doing.
We might, in a manner of speaking, say that our prayers have already been answered ... but we just have to trust in Him and keep our eyes open to discover how He has answered and if He has something for us to do.
Spend more time in prayer and meditation on the Word of God. Seek to discover the ways of God and fit our lives into those ways. We can rest assured that we serve a God who knows our tomorrows before they ever arrive. HE ANSWERS PRAYER!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
- - - Pastor Cecil
You can also find previous Daily-E-Votionals to help you in your walk with the Lord at: www.Daily-E-Votional.com
Since I had never met this woman I was in the dark about what she wanted to discuss. She began our conversation by stating that she was "the other woman." I was still at a loss. Then she asked if our prayer chain had not identified her as the woman who was having an affair with a certain man in our congregation. She had heard rumors that we named her as the guilty party that needed prayer. I assured her that she was not on our prayer chain and that we would never allow such requests.
That encounter reminded me that it is possible to indulge in sanctified gossip. It disguises itself as legitimate concern, while having an underlying prurient interest. Anytime we hear a prayer request that is met with "Really?!" get rid of it and pray for the Lord to cleanse our hearts of SANCTIFIED GOSSIP.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
- - - Pastor Cecil
You can also find previous Daily-E-Votionals to help you in your walk with the Lord at: www.Daily-E-Votional.com
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who liveaccording to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.”
As a young man I was often faced with a choice: Go to the library and study OR go for a walk in the park with a beautiful girl I had fallen in love with. (I usually chose the walk!)
I am always amazed at how simple the things of God are … and yet they are so difficult that it seems impossible to ever attain them. Paul expresses his own frustration with trying to fulfill God’s requirements when he agonizes, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24). His answer was, and still is, Jesus.
What we set our minds to achieve are the things that become the magnet for giving direction to our life. We will find the direction from the Lord when we choose to follow after the Lord.
Paul sets before us two ways of behaving: God’s way OR the way of the flesh. When we are honest we know the ways of the flesh lead to death, here and for eternity. God’s way leads to eternal life. I choose God’s way!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
- - - Pastor Cecil
You can also find previous Daily-E-Votionals to help you in your walk with the Lord at:www.Daily-E-Votional.com
“Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.”
Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. Each section is introduced by a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. I am told that Jewish youth had to memorize the entire chapter -- with 176 verses, that was no easy task. The Psalmist pens this Psalm in the form of a prayer beseeching the Lord to be our teacher.
It is interesting to dig a little deeper into the meaning of the word OBSERVE. In the Hebrew it means to keep, guard, keep watch and ward, protect. That gives us a much clearer meaning of what the writer is seeking from the Lord.
When I was a boy, or even a grown man in graduate school, I was required to apply myself to gaining knowledge. I fear that I fell short many times, but as I entered each classroom I was exposing myself to the things my instructor would teach me.
As we read this Psalm of prayer it is well and good to make it our own prayer. Our part is to listen to the Lord as He teaches and then to keep, guard, keep watch and ward, protect with our whole heart.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
- - - Pastor Cecil
You can also find previous Daily-E-Votionals to help you in your walk with the Lord at:www.Daily-E-Votional.com
