by Pastor Cecil | Apr 22, 2020 | Philippians
Philippians 3:14
“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
I recall once being given a button with the initials PBPGINFWMY. They stood for the phrase PLEASE BE PATIENT GOD IS NOT FINISHED WITH ME YET. I think the Apostle Paul echoes this sentiment in the third chapter of Philippians.
The giants of the faith never claimed to be perfect. In fact they have been quick to admit they are constantly in need of God’s redeeming grace. All we like sheep have gone astray. I wish it were not so, but it is a spiritual reality.
I take great encouragement in the fact that Paul confesses his personal need for continual spiritual growth and renewal. If Paul needed a closer walk with the Lord I assure you that I need it even more so.
God never calls us to be perfect little saints; I failed at that long ago. He calls us to consistently be pressing upward toward the goal of being more Christ-like. That is the greatest achievement for us to strive to attain in this journey through life. There will come a day when we will be called to be eternally with the Lord. If you are like me you yearn to hear the Master say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 21, 2020 | Ephesians
Ephesians 6:13
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
I often recall this old saying: If you are not standing on the promises, you will find yourself sitting on the premises. Standing is an active process of involvement; sitting is a passive pastime of taking up space but contributing very little. The gripers, moaners, and fault finders of the world are generally composed of those who are just sitting on God’s premises.
A long time ago I read about a man who was traveling across the Atlantic on a ship. He could just barely scrape up the money for his ticket and a few provisions to eat on during the trip. A few days after he ran out of food he knew he had to do something. He summoned up all of his courage and went to a steward and asked if he might be able to do some work so he could be able to eat a meal or two. The steward, startled by the destitute passenger’s request, explained to him that the ticket he had purchased included all the food he could eat during the voyage. It was his all along, but he was literally starving because of the lack of knowledge of what he possessed.
Many of us have that traveler’s problem. He didn’t read his ticket and we don’t read our Bible! It is just as simple as that. God has given us His very great and precious promises. They are given to us so that we might stand tall for the Lord.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 20, 2020 | Psalm
Psalm 37:23
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delights in his way.”
What does it mean to have our steps ordered by the Lord? Before you answer that question, what defines a man (or woman) as being good? In the original text it means one who has the ability to fight or to be productive. Are you?
If we can truly trust in the Lord, that means we place our confidence in Him rather than relying on others or on our own abilities. Who are you trusting? The words of an old hymn come to my mind. I think it goes something like this: Trust and obey, for there’s just no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
When someone approached Jesus to become one of His disciples, He challenged them to prove their intention by doing good. In one instance He challenged a young man to sell everything and give it to the poor. Sadly, the step to become a disciple quickly came to a stop.
Sometimes our stops are just as much the will of God as are our steps. If we are to be in the center of His will we must stay close enough to Him so we will sense when He calls us to step or to stop. It requires keeping our eyes on the Savior!
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 17, 2020 | Psalm
Psalm 36:9
“For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.”
Robert Robinson who lived from 1735 to 1790, was saved while attending a service conducted by the famous evangelist George Whitefield. Following his conversion he entered the Christian ministry, but like so many, he would lose his fervor for God.
The words of the hymn “Come Thou Fount” were written to express his own need for a closer walk with the Lord. His prayer is that his heart may be re-tuned to be in perfect harmony with the will of God.
In stanza two he speaks of his conversion. The word “Ebenezer” refers to a time and place when he actually received the Lord into his life as personal Savior and Lord. He goes on to remind himself and others that it is necessary to daily remind ourselves what a debt we owe to the Lord for our salvation at His expense.
Come Thou Fount
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above;
Praise the mount-I’m fixed upon it-mount of Thy redeeming love.
Here I raise mine Ebenezer; hither by Thy help I’m come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger, wand’ring from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood.
O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wand’ring heart to Thee;
Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it; seal it for Thy courts above.
Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video, “Come Thou Fount” from GloryScapes.com by going to: https://gloryscapes.com/comethoufount/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 16, 2020 | Isaiah
Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Did you know that fear paralyzes? Perhaps most of us have heard the expression, “He froze like a deer in the headlights.” Think of the most frightful experiences of your life and you may be able to relate to that poor animal. Satan uses fear to keep believers from doing the things that the Lord has called us and empowered us to accomplish. Satan causes us to imagine that we will be laughed at or tormented if we obey the Lord, so we tend to stare into His headlights and do nothing.
In the midst of our fear we are given this powerful verse in Isaiah 41:10. It was one of the first verses I memorized over 60 years ago. There are two things that we are instructed to do: Don’t fear and don’t be dismayed.
The Lord promises what He will do for us if we do not fear or become depressed: He will strengthen us and help us and uphold us with His righteous right hand. The right hand is the symbol of ultimate divine power.
I challenge you to let the Lord fight your battles with the enemy. Trust Him completely and know that He never leaves you or forsakes you but will always be with you.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
