by Pastor Cecil | Jan 20, 2021 | Psalm
Psalm 103:1
“Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!”
I am captivated by the meaning of words. It’s one of my delights to solve the daily crossword as often as possible. The nuances of words can determine several different meanings. Just as the word bless in the above passage means to affectionately praise, so the term blessed in the beatitudes has more depth of meaning. In the Amplified Bible it is rendered this way: “Blessed — happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous [that is, with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions].”
Many of us are familiar with the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5, Jesus introduces a Godly lifestyle. He does this by presenting the Beatitudes. Each of the Beatitudes begins with the phrase, “Blessed are you.”
The concept of blessing has come to hold more meaning to me than ever before. We either bless or curse with our mouths. At times I have talked about how actions speak louder than words. That does not mean we are to be silent—rather we are to speak blessing into situations and then act in the manner that is consistent with our words.
Where do you fit into the concept of blessing? When someone thinks of you, can they honestly consider you a blessing in their life? We need to be a blessing!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 8, 2021 | 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 | Jan 6, 2021 | Psalm
Psalm 91:1-2
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
A certain husband once came to my office for marital counseling. His wife had been in earlier and they were requesting that I assist them to restore peace and harmony in their marriage.
The husband was very vocal in blaming his wife as the cause of the problems they were having. He proceeded to share the things he had said and her adverse reactions. He said that he felt she was being unreasonable.
He had just left my office when there was a knock on my door. It was this same husband. He said that as he was leaving he realized that he had left the wrong impression. The words that he had spoken to his wife were accurate, but the inflection he used as he spoke to her gave an entirely different meaning. He confessed that he was wrong. It was soon after the husband’s recognition of his guilt that their marriage became stronger than before.
When you speak and interact with others are you using an inflection that says more than the words themselves? Could you imagine Jesus speaking with the same inflection in His voice?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 5, 2021 | Psalm
Psalm 91:1-2
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.’”
I cannot even count the times I have read Psalm 91, but each time I read it a new insight grabs my attention. Actually, there are two words that capture my interest: “dwell” and “trust”.
In the past few years there have been television programs that follow a lone individual as he is dropped into a remote area of the globe and left to survive on his own resources for one week. He is not provided food or water and must make his way on what he can glean from the land in which he has been thrust.
Water is the first essential to be obtained, closely followed by starting a fire and preparing a shelter to protect him from the elements. It is surprising how ingenious these men are in erecting a shelter from the rain, cold, or in some desert areas, the sun. While these make-shift covers may be a place to pause, they are not a place to dwell and rest.
It is tragic that many people go through this life erecting “shelters” that they hope will satisfy. Some of these may even cost millions of dollars, but like every other thing in this world, they are destined to pass away.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 4, 2021 | Psalm
Psalm 19:14
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.”
How many times have we said something that caused us embarrassment? We immediately had the urge to yank the words back into our mouth, but it was too late and the damage was done.
Insulting words leave lasting impressions on others who hear them. Words spoken in anger or resentment will last for a long time in the minds of those who are the recipients of our thoughtless outburst. Are you feeling a little uncomfortable right now? It does little good to say we are sorry after we have used words in a way that causes pain to another.
During WWII there was a slogan that was prominently displayed everywhere: LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS! The meaning was that spies might be listening for information that might be passed on to the enemy and used to cause harm and even loss of life.
In like manner we need to make Psalm 19:14 a regular part of our prayer life. The words we speak will be a reflection of the time we spend with the Lord in prayer and meditation upon His word.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 28, 2020 | Psalm
Psalm 119:34
“Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.”
Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible. Each section is introduced by a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. I am told that Jewish youth had to memorize the entire chapter — with 176 verses, that was no easy task. The Psalmist pens this Psalm in the form of a prayer beseeching the Lord to be our teacher.
It is interesting to dig a little deeper into the meaning of the word OBSERVE. In the Hebrew it means to keep, guard, keep watch and ward, protect. That gives us a much clearer meaning of what the writer is seeking from the Lord.
When I was a boy, or even a grown man in graduate school, I was required to apply myself to gaining knowledge. I fear that I fell short many times, but as I entered each classroom I was exposing myself to the things my instructor would teach me.
As we read this Psalm of prayer it is well and good to make it our own prayer. Our part is to listen to the Lord as He teaches and then to keep, guard, keep watch and ward, protect with our whole heart.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
