by Pastor Cecil | Mar 31, 2021 | Proverbs
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
The first time I flew in a private aircraft I was blown away at the view I had never seen before. It was just me and the pilot, who was a distant cousin of mine. After we had been flying for fifteen or twenty minutes, he told me to take control.
As I moved the wheel the plane responded more sensitively than I had anticipated. Fortunately my cousin had his own control and we were quickly back on an even keel. He allowed me to retake control and demonstrated that a soft touch on the wheel is all that is required.
Many times in flying with the Lord we are like I was on that day so long ago when I flew with my cousin. We dip and dart because we have not learned the secret of a delicate touch.
It is well for us to stop and evaluate our walk with the Lord. Are we using too strong a control of our actions? Do we dip and dart instead of allowing our Lord to tenderly cover our hands on the control of our life? As we fly with the Lord we will learn the value of a delicate touch in many areas of our life.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 13, 2021 | Proverbs
Proverbs 12:15
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise.”
Since he had become a Christian, Al had always tried to do what was right. He read his Bible and prayed frequently. As he grew spiritually Al was able to see the hand of God at work in his life. Then something happened!
Al owned a classic automobile that he had restored from the ground up. When the restoration was finished he decided to sell it for a huge profit. Then he had a better plan (or so he reasoned). Al decided to keep all of the profits to buy an even more expensive auto that would bring even more profit so that he would be able to give more to the Lord.
But from the very beginning things began to go wrong. There were huge unforeseen costs that drained his money and embittered his heart. He focused all of his attentions inward instead of upward and it led to disaster.
Trying to please God on our own terms rather that doing what God requires is always doomed to failure and destruction. It is not how smart we are, or what wonderful position we fill, or how much money we make that counts with God. It is and always has been that we do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 30, 2020 | Proverbs
Proverbs 18:8
“The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.”
It was many years ago when I was a pastor of a church with an active prayer chain that I received a call from a woman I did not know. She asked to see me and we arranged a time to meet at a local café where I often met with people for counsel.
Since I had never met this woman I was in the dark about what she wanted to discuss. She began our conversation by stating that she was “the other woman.” I was still at a loss. Then she asked if our prayer chain had not identified her as the woman who was having an affair with a certain man in our congregation. She had heard rumors that we named her as the guilty party that needed prayer. I assured her that she was not on our prayer chain and that we would never allow such requests.
That encounter reminded me that it is possible to indulge in sanctified gossip. It disguises itself as legitimate concern, while having an underlying prurient interest. Anytime we hear a prayer request that is met with “Really?!” get rid of it and pray for the Lord to cleanse our hearts of SANCTIFIED GOSSIP.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 24, 2020 | Proverbs
Proverbs 16:18
“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.”
With a subscriber base that reaches around the globe, each day I receive reports of trials and persecution that the saints of God are experiencing. It is easy to feel true sympathy for these people.
As I pray and meditate about those who are experiencing persecution, I am immediately aware that we are to rejoice with these people. In today’s Scripture the Greek word for “blessed” is “makarios.” It means to be happy to the point of rejoicing.
Why on earth would someone who is experiencing lies, persecution, and insults rejoice? The reason we encounter harsh treatment is to demonstrate our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
It is essential to examine our persecution to determine if the cause is the result of faith in Jesus Christ or because of some type of our misconduct on our part. We cannot claim to be persecuted for Christ’s sake if we are guilty of doing something wrong.
Here is the bottom line—if we encounter ordeals in our life that are not the result of our sinful actions, we are blessed. We are told to count it joy and even to rejoice in our trials. We don’t need to pity, we need to praise!
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 23, 2020 | Proverbs
Proverbs 16:18
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
It is not necessary for us to deal with our own pride. God allows situations into our lives that make us realize we have nothing to be proud about. There are many embarrassing moments in my life. One that stands out in my memory happened years ago when I was teaching a class of young professionals. The class seemed to be very interested in everything I was saying, that is until I noticed that they all were looking down at my feet.
Finally one of the young women raised her hand and asked if there was a reason I was wearing one black shoe and one brown shoe? I dreaded looking down, knowing that in my haste earlier that morning I had made a blunder. The class exploded in laughter at my expense. After recovering from my initial embarrassment, I sheepishly told them, “As strange as it may seem, I have another pair at home just like this pair!”
One of the things I have learned from these “red-faced” situations is that pride needs to be dealt a blow. It is hard to act proud and aloof when you have on one brown shoe and one black shoe.
I earnestly pray that the Lord will continue to bring the “shoes” into my life any time I start to think more of myself than I ought. NOT ME—BUT CHRIST ONLY!
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 16, 2020 | Proverbs
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.”
As a boy I used to cherish the times I got to spend alone with my dad. He once worked as a driver for the Washington Motor Coach Company and I got to ride along on his route a few times. The bus may have carried twenty or thirty passengers, but only my dad was the driver. Our lives were in his hands. You might say (and rightly so), we were just along for the ride!
Sometimes, when we would make a scheduled stop, my dad would ask me to perform a small task for him. I did so joyfully. But it was only when he asked that my tasks accomplished the purpose of serving him.
Our problem is that we are doing things our way rather than doing things God’s way. He never desires us to run ourselves ragged in order to please Him or to merit salvation. In today’s Scripture we see that what God wants us to do is to place our trust in Him.
I hope you get the spiritual implication. The Lord calls us to ride along with Him and enjoy the scenery until He calls us to do His bidding. Wait expectantly for Him — it is worth the wait!
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
