by Pastor Cecil | Mar 24, 2021 | Luke
Luke 5:32
“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
If you were to ask most people on the street if they thought you could be good enough to make it to heaven, most would respond that you could. BEEP! Sorry, but that is an eternally wrong answer!
The Scripture tells us that all of us are sinners and fall short of God’s holy standard of righteousness. We can never be good enough to earn our way to heaven. Contrary to what Hollywood portrays, there is no one waiting at heaven’s portals asking us to justify that our good deeds outweigh our bad deeds.
There is an explanation as to how we can be allowed into God’s eternal heaven. It is by the shed blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is not what we do FOR Him, but what He did for us on the cross that makes heaven possible.
All it took for the repentant thief on the cross to gain entrance into the paradise of God was to ask in faith believing. It is the same for anyone who seeks entrance. There is only one way and it is by way of the shed blood of our Savior. If you are relying on any other source to gain entrance remember there is only one way!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 23, 2021 | Isaiah
Isaiah 53:6
“All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
I worked the graveyard shift on the local police force when I was attending college. For those who are uninformed, it was from 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM. We had an old sergeant who frequently would come into the station shaking his head and saying: “The more I deal with people, the more I think sheep are smart animals!”
It seems that Isaiah had somewhat of a similar view. The difference is that Isaiah related it to a spiritual condition. The natural tendency with every fallen human being is to reject God’s way and follow our own way.
Across the years I have counseled many criminal offenders who said they had learned their lesson and would never go back to their old behavior patterns. Sad to say, many failed to follow through on their resolve.
The good news is that our behavior is not what is required to find God’s grace for our life. Jesus suffered and bled on that cruel cross in order that His blood would cover our each and every sin. In order to receive this precious gift we only need to confess that we are sinners and invite Jesus to come into our heart. That is being a smart sheep!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 22, 2021 | Matthew
Matthew 5:16
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
I enjoy building a fire. I guess it started when I was a Boy Scout in my teens. One summer during a week-long camp, our scoutmaster taught us the fundamentals of building and maintaining a good fire. It was a thrill for us to use our shoe laces, a bow, a drill, and in a few minutes have a flame erupt from our dry shavings. He taught us to always have dry wood near at hand so we would be able to keep the fire burning.
In the cold winter months I build fires in my small wood stove. When I first ignite the fire I use plenty of paper and kindling to ignite the flames; and then I have to keep the fire growing by placing larger and larger pieces of wood in the flames.
If you place too large a piece of wood, however, it could be too much too soon — the fire will simply smolder and begin to die out. Then it is necessary to place smaller kindling back in the flames to allow the larger pieces to burn again.
In the spiritual realm we sometimes fail to learn the lessons from the fire box. We must insure that we light the fire in new believers. Then we need to provide just the right amount of kindling to get their flame burning bright. As we prayerfully add more and more solid wood, we need to watch for the moment when they are burning on their own and producing fire in those around them. GET BURNING!
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 19, 2021 | 1 Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians 4:17-18
“After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.”
Though an invalid for much of her life, Eliza Edmunds Hewitt was always active and enjoyed a long personal friendship with Fanny Crosby. These two women met often for fellowship and discussion of their new hymns. Eliza was a school teacher in Philadelphia and a Christian lay worker who was committed to write songs to teach children the basic truths of the gospel. This song was written for her own Sunday school class in Philadelphia.
Miss Hewitt often attended the Methodist camp meetings at Ocean Grove, New Jersey. It was here that she collaborated with Emily Wilson, the wife of a Methodist district superintendent in Philadelphia, in the writing of this triumphant gospel hymn–a favorite of young and old alike. “When We All Get to Heaven” was first published in 1898.
WHEN WE ALL GET TO HEAVEN
- Sing the wondrous love of Jesus, Sing His mercy and His grace.
In the mansions bright and blessed He’ll prepare for us a place.
Refrain: When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!
- While we walk the pilgrim pathway, Clouds will overspread the sky;
But when traveling days are over, Not a shadow, not a sigh.
Refrain: When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!
- Let us then be true and faithful, Trusting, serving every day;
Just one glimpse of Him in glory will the toils of life repay.
Refrain: When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!
- Onward to the prize before us! Soon His beauty we’ll behold;
Soon the pearly gates will open; We shall tread the streets of gold.
Refrain: When we all get to Heaven,
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!
Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video, “When We All Get To Heaven” from GloryScapes.com. by going to: https://gloryscapes.com/whenweallgettoheaven/
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 18, 2021 | John
John 16:32
“Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.”
I can recall as a teenager being in a group of my peers who were planning on doing something that was against my principles. They were going on a shop-lifting adventure. I refused to go along with them and as a result I was mocked and belittled. I must confess that it hurt!
It was not long after my refusal to participate with them that they were confronted with the authorities and taken to the local police station before being released to their parents.
There are times in our life when others have gone their own way and we are left alone without friends or family for support. Some people seemingly hold different standards of conduct than we do and we need to stand alone.
It is during these times when others have gone off on their own willful way that we need to realize we are never alone. We have a Savior who is closer than our dearest human friend or brother. STAND UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT. WE ARE NEVER ALONE!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
