by Pastor Cecil | May 25, 2021 | Philemon
Philemon 1:10-11
“I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains, who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me.”
How often do we place our reputation and authority on the line for a brother or sister in the Lord? I fear that we are more concerned about what people think of us than what the Lord calls us to do.
Paul has encountered a runaway slave named Onesimus and led him to a saving knowledge of Christ. This former slave is now returning to his former master and faces an uncertain future. He will either be harshly punished or accepted as a brother in the Lord.
We may encounter individuals who have been slaves to sin. The Lord calls us to be ready to receive them should they demonstrate by changed lives that they have truly been born again.
By their fruit we will know them. The Lord calls us to be fruit inspectors and reap a spiritual harvest. How much time are we spending in God’s orchard of this world? Be ready to reap the harvest!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 24, 2021 | Isaiah
Isaiah 40:31
“But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
Sixty-five years ago on this date, my wife, Joyce gave birth to our first-born child, Brenda Joy. A few days before Brenda left this world to be with the Lord she finished a counted cross-stitch piece with Isaiah 40:31 and an image of an eagle in flight. It adorns the wall above my desk and reminds me of where she is now.
Brenda suffered with heart and lung disease and her body rapidly lost the ability to function. On the other hand, her spiritual life increased in strength and determination as time passed.
One of my greatest joys was to spend hours on end beside her hospital bed and read Psalm after Psalm. She would smile as I finished one and ask me to read another.
I want to remind all of us that for every sigh there is a Psalm. As Brenda Joy labored for her last breath on this earth, she breathed in the clear pure air of a Paradise with her Lord! FREE AT LAST!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 23, 2021 | 1 Samuel
1 Samuel 12:24
“Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.”
Across the years I have counseled many individuals who had yielded to sin and as a result were now suffering the consequences. All too often they were not so eager to turn from their sin, but to find relief from the consequence of the sin. Does that sound familiar to you?
Samuel was frustrated that the Israelites had sinned by demanding a king in order to be like the other nations around them. Sadly they were blinded to the reality that these sinful nations were suffering from the consequences of their sin.
Samuel gave his people instructions that still apply today. First and foremost we are to fear the Lord. This is to be a reverential fear that seeks to please God in all that we do and say. Then we are to serve Him with everything and with all of our heart and strength.
The last admonition is to recall. This is a pleasant reflection on all of the blessings that the Lord has showered on us across the years of our life. When we recall His blessings we will find ourselves discovering the pure joy of our salvation!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 21, 2021 | Proverbs
Proverbs 14:34
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”
I can recall a time when towns debated whether to allow stores to remain open on Sunday. It was as if we considered sin a tangible thing to be dealt with. That attitude may not have been directed from the Lord but from the misguided idea that we can legislate morality.
Those were simpler days, but I am not sure that the heart of man was any more pure back then than it is in our modern world. Sin is sin and rather than observing current trends it has always been a transgression of God’s will for our lives.
Be that as it may, the terrible condition we see in our world today should shake us to the core and cause us to call upon the Lord to hear our prayer. It is only as we allow Him to come into our chaos that we will find answers to our sin problem.
We are called to be the light of the world. That does not mean that we have to occupy a pulpit somewhere, it does mean that we can and should have a voice to speak the words of hope to this old sin sick world. Jesus is our greatest need! Share Him with someone today!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 20, 2021 | Hebrews
Hebrews 12:2
“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
This week’s hymn was written by Isaac Watts. It would be impossible to fully know the number of lives it has touched. One of those lives was the blind hymn writer, Fanny J. Crosby. In the autumn of 1850 revival meetings were being held in the Thirtieth Street Methodist Church in New York City.
Fanny and some of her friends attended each night and she craved for spiritual joy, but could not find it. On the evening of November 20, 1850, it seemed to her that the light must indeed come then or never. After a prayer was offered, they began to sing this hymn. When they sang “Here Lord, I give myself away,” her soul was flooded with a celestial light. She realized what her problem had been. She realized that she had been trying to hold the world in one hand and the Lord in the other.
AT THE CROSS
Alas! and did my Savior bleed, And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head, Fo r sinners such as I?
Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day!
Thy body slain, sweet Jesus, Thine—And bathed in its own blood—
While the firm mark of wrath divine, His Soul in anguish stood.
Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day!
Was it for crimes that I had done, He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown! And love beyond degree!
Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day!
Well might the sun in darkness hide, And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker died, For man the creature’s sin.
Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day!
Thus might I hide my blushing face, While His dear cross appears,
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness, And melt my eyes to tears.
Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day!
But drops of grief can ne’er repay, The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give myself away, ‘tis all that I can do.
Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight, and now I am happy all the day!
Are you like Fanny Crosby—looking for joy to fill your soul? Her answer is our answer— Here, Lord, I give myself away, ’Tis all that I can do.
Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video from GloryScapes.com. To access “At the Cross”, this week’s free inspirational video, please go to: https://gloryscapes.com/atthecross/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
