by Pastor Cecil | Jan 10, 2020 | Revelation
Revelation 22:4
“They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.”
It was on January 13, 2015 that my precious wife left the trials and pain of this world to enter the place of perfect healing. It brought her wonderful peace, but I have been left to work my way through the remainder of my life without the one who was part of my life since I was just fourteen.
I have a wonderful peace in knowing that Joyce is experiencing a paradise far beyond my wildest imagination. In bringing that picture to mind I am given a peace that the world can never give and a peace it cannot take away!
If you are faced with the trial and tribulation of life I urge you to seek the peace of God that is offered to all who call upon His name. Rather than focusing your attention on the storms of life seek the precious haven that God gives that will assure you His wonderful peace.
Wonderful Peace
Far away in the depths of my spirit tonight
Rolls a melody sweeter than psalm;
In celestial strains it unceasingly falls
O’er my soul like an infinite calm.
Refrain: Peace, peace, wonderful peace,
Coming down from the Father above!
Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray
In fathomless billows of love!
What a treasure I have in this wonderful peace,
Buried deep in the heart of my soul,
So secure that no power can mine it away,
While the years of eternity roll!
Refrain
I am resting tonight in this wonderful peace,
Resting sweetly in Jesus’ control;
For I’m kept from all danger by night and by day,
And His glory is flooding my soul!
Refrain
And I think when I rise to that city of peace,
Where the Anchor of peace I shall see,
That one strain of the song which the ransomed will sing
In that heavenly kingdom will be:
Refrain
Ah, soul! are you here without comfort and rest,
Marching down the rough pathway of time?
Make Jesus your Friend ere the shadows grow dark;
O accept of this peace so sublime!
Refrain
To access Wonderful Peace, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: https://gloryscapes.com/wonderfulpeace/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 9, 2020 | John
John 12:26
“If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.”
The call to commitment is always there before us. Jesus wants our total commitment (and He knows when we place conditions on our commitment). He wants words, but also action. It is not just saying it with our mouth, but living it with our actions. In Hebraic thought there is no obedience without action.
I am looking at the words of the old invitation hymn “Where He Leads Me.” You might think back when George Beverly Shea would sing it at a Billy Graham crusade: “I can hear my Savior calling, I can hear my Savior calling, I can hear my Savior calling, ‘Take thy cross and follow, follow Me.’ “
“I’ll go with Him thru the judgment, I’ll go with Him thru the judgment, I’ll go with Him thru the judgment, I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.”
“He will give me grace and glory, He will give me grace and glory, He will give me grace and glory, And go with me, with me all the way.”
Chorus: “Where He leads me I will follow, where He leads me I will follow, where He leads me I will follow — I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.”
May God richly bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 8, 2020 | Matthew
Matthew 5:12
“Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
One of our church members had been going through difficult times for many years.She shared that she just had to keep reminding herself to go to the “Source” instead of worrying about her problems.
We laughed together as she elaborated that sometimes she would spend a few days focusing on the problem, until she had to slap herself into the reality that she needed to depend upon the “Source.”
We know the “Source” is Jesus and that He alone is our strength and our salvation, so why do we wait so long before calling out for His help? I guess it is our willful self wanting to do things our own way, even when our own way is what consistently gets us into trouble.
The Lord desires for us to be assured of His provision today just as He did when He spoke the words of the Beatitudes on his Sermon on the Mount. Our Source has always been the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Our problems may change, but our Source will always remain the same.
May God richly bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 7, 2020 | Psalm
Psalm 29:4
“The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.”
It is amazing that we live in a world where sound is so important—yet there are so many who fail to hear the most important message on earth. It is not because His voice is soft and quiet, which it can be; but our Scripture for today indicates that it is mighty and powerful. The reason that we do not hear the voice of God is because we do not choose to hear Him.
A young man who had spent his life in the wilderness visited a friend in a large metropolitan city. The streets were filled with the racket of cars, buses, trains, voices—any and all types of noise. He suddenly stopped and asked his friend to listen. Utterly confused, the friend wondered what he was supposed to be listening for. “A cricket,” he was told. Walking toward the curb, the visitor bent over and pointed. There, amidst all of the world’s clamor, perched a small black cricket.
Because his ears knew what to listen for, and the sound was different from all of the distracting noises of the city, the visitor could hear the tiny cricket. In that same manner, we can hear the voice of the Lord in our life … but only when we have a willingness to listen.
We read here in Psalm 29:4 that the voice of God is louder than all of the noise-producing events we may encounter (rapids, floods, waves, fires, winds, etc). That assures us that the Lord makes Himself heard above any “storm” we may be passing through. God is speaking – Listen.
May God richly bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 6, 2020 | Ephesians
Ephesians 5:19-20
“Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
There are times in all of our lives when we come to the end of ourselves. After all of our best efforts we still fall short of attaining our goal(s). It may be caused by a financial reversal, a catastrophic illness, or a loved one (or ones) turning their back on God and becoming involved in a life of sin — you know the thing that has caused you to feel defeated and frustrated
This old sin-sick world is not the believer’s home, we are merely passing through. That being the case, the child of God has a different power source available to deal with a topsy-turvey life. We should be a people of praise and blessing!
Unfortunately, we have been deceived by Satan and behave as if he holds the power and authority. Let me stress once again that Satan is a foe that has already lost. He is free to create strife and chaos, but his doom is sealed!
So how can we tap into God’s power to live in victory? By always giving thanks! The Scripture for today is quite clear: “giving thanks always for all things!” That is what it means to have a godly attitude!
May God richly bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
