by Pastor Cecil | Aug 24, 2020 | Matthew
Matthew 5:11
“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.”
I once had a man from my congregation make an appointment to talk with me. He came to our home and we enjoyed a light lunch before going into my office. Out of the clear blue I heard these words: “I hate your guts!” Wow! You could have knocked me over with a feather. Prior to this there did not seem to be any sort of conflict between us, so his statement was an unexpected blow.
With my mind reeling, I prayed silently for God’s wisdom and strength. With as much sincerity as possible I said, “I am so glad that you feel free to share your feelings with me.” From that incident I would like to suggest a few ways to respond to and love the unlovable:
(1) Rely on God’s wisdom in dealing with the person.
(2) Realize that these unlovable people need love—perhaps more than others.
(3) Remember how unlovable our sins are in God’s sight.
(4) Rejoice that we are counted worthy to encounter persecution.
(5) Respond with love rather than retaliate with resentment.
What happened on that Sunday evening so long ago? We spent time together as he poured out his heart. As he was leaving he looked me directly in the eye and said, “Pastor, I love you so much!” Double Wow! That was certainly a dramatic change from the statement he had declared earlier. God is so good!
May God richly bless you by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 21, 2020 | Psalm
Psalm 33:1-3
“Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise Him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to Him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.”
Fanny J. Crosby was a tiny woman. She stood under five feet and weighed less than 100 pounds. Because of being maltreated for an eye infection when she was only a few months old, she spent the remainder of her 95 years totally blind.
This tiny dynamo wrote over 8,000 poems and hymns during her lifetime. She composed her poems and hymns entirely in her mind and then dictated them to a stenographer. She was said to be able to work on as many as twelve hymns at once before dictating them all out.
Fanny felt that it was a special gift from God that she should be blind all of her life, and she thanked Him for that gift. She felt that when she arrived in heaven, the first face she desired to gladden her sight would be her precious Savior. It was in 1896 that she wrote the hymn selected for this week.
PRAISE HIM! PRAISE HIM!
- Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! Sing O Earth, His wonderful love proclaim! Hail Him! Hail Him! Highest archangels in glory; strength and honor give to His holy name! Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children. In His arms He carries them all day long:
Refrain: Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness; praise Him! Praise Him, ever in joyful song!
- Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer! For our sins He suffered and bled and died; He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation; Hail Him! Hail Him! Jesus the Crucified. Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows, love unbounded, wonderful deep and strong:
Refrain: Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness; praise Him! Praise Him, ever in joyful song!
- Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus our blessed Redeemer! Heavenly portals loud with hosannas ring! Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever; Crown Him! Crown Him! Prophet and Priest and King! Christ is coming! Over the world victorious, power and glory unto the Lord belong.
Refrain: Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness; praise Him! Praise Him, ever in joyful song!
To access the free inspirational video for this weeks, as well as other videos, please go to: https://gloryscapes.com/praisehimpraisehim/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 20, 2020 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 2:9
“But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’”
We live in a world that has come alive with many things that have been invisible until now. Giant telescopes are revealing the vastness of space far beyond the comprehension of our forefathers. Microscopes have opened our eyes to the world of microbiology that is a universe in itself.
The satisfying thing to me as a believer in God and His Word is that God has revealed much of this mystery long before the scientists claim to have made their discoveries. To me it is far more logical to believe the God who created all things than to trust scientists who often are more interested in having a paper published than in honestly supporting the claims of the Bible.
I do not want to discredit honest scientists, but it is more common for the scientific community to spend a majority of their efforts in disproving the Bible than in reporting with integrity what they discover.
Many scientists have become believers in the Lord Jesus Christ after finding that what was taught in the classroom was contrived and lacked the support of true scientific evidence. It was most often based upon what others claimed, not on the actual evidence!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 19, 2020 | Psalm
Psalm 139:7
“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?”
Across the years I have had the privilege of experiencing a variety of professions. One of the most memorable was working as a County Juvenile Probation Officer. I had come into the position directly from serving as a city police officer, so I was well acquainted with the patrol officers who worked the night shift.
I frequently rode with one of the officers as he made his rounds and would occasionally spot a juvenile who was part of my caseload. I would note the time, location, and who else was with him. Many times the probationer was on a court-ordered curfew along with a list of individuals not to associate with.
The next time that probationer reported in I would ask if they were adhering to their curfew. The response was usually that they were. I would then ask about the day and time I had observed them. Their look of astonishment was priceless. I would then proceed to take the necessary action that was merited. It wasn’t long before they felt like I was everywhere and they had better keep on the straight and narrow.
In today’s Scripture we see that the Lord is everywhere and He knows all about us. There are no time-outs when it comes to living for the Lord. He knows each and everything about us. That is not a bad thing but is a constant reminder that He is always there when we call. Praise the Lord!
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 18, 2020 | Jude
Jude 1:3
“Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”
My heart aches as I think of the vast numbers of people who have been deceived into thinking that they have eternal salvation because they were “christened” or “baptized” as infants. A rudimentary study of the Word of God reveals that this is far from the truth.
Jesus Himself informed the spiritual leader Nicodemus that a new birth was necessary. The words of John 3:16 should be enough to counteract the false teaching of salvation through infant baptism: “…that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Paul echoes this requirement in Romans 10:9: “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Where does this truth leave the sincere seeker of truth? It leads us to trust in the truth of God’s Word rather than in the deception of false teachers. There is only one way to obtain eternal salvation and that is in confessing that we are sinners in need of salvation and trusting in the shed blood of our precious Savior to make us His own. The repentant thief dying on the cross beside Jesus received eternal life even as his earthly life was drawing to a close. DO NOT BE DECEIVED!
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
