by Pastor Cecil | Apr 23, 2021 | Revelation
Revelation 21:17
“But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”
In 1893, James Black was a Methodist Sunday School teacher in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. As he was calling roll one day for a youth meeting, young Bessie, daughter of a drunkard, did not show up, and he was disappointed at her failure to appear. He commented to a friend, “Well, I trust when the roll is called up yonder, she’ll be there.” He tried to find an appropriate song for the situation but could not find one in his song book.
Here is how Mr. Black describes how he came to write the hymn: “This lack of a fitting song caused me both sorrow and disappointment. An inner voice seemed to say, ‘Why don’t you write one?’ I put away the thought. As I opened the gate on my way home, the same thought came again so strongly that tears filled my eyes. I entered the house and sat down at the piano. The words came to me effortlessly…The tune came the same way—I dared not change a single note or word.”
“When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder”
(1) When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
Refrain: When the roll, is called up yonder, When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll, is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there.
(2) On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise, And the glory of His resurrection share;
When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
Refrain: When the roll, is called up yonder, When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll, is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there.
3) Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun,
Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care;
Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done,
And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
Refrain: When the roll, is called up yonder, When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll, is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there.
Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video.. To access When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder, please go to: https://gloryscapes.com/whentherolliscalledupyonder/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 19, 2021 | Revelation
Revelation 3:20
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”
This beautiful hymn was composed by Will Thompson who lived from 1847 to 1909. The words seem to capture the heart of the listener and draw us to come to Jesus. You can almost picture Jesus Himself standing patiently urging us to come to Him.
He not only pleads for us to come, but he offers complete pardon to anyone and everyone who will come to Him. He offers He has paid the price and He has the authority to extend pardon to any who will come to Him.
The words of this hymn stress the urgent need of those who are lost. Some may feel like they have time before making that decision, but sadly for many they wait too long. Now is the hour of decision to receive Christ’s mercy and pardon!
“SOFTLY AND TENDERLY”
- Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching, watching for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home. You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling, O sinner, come home.
- Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading; pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not His mercies; mercies for you and for me?
Refrain: Come home, come home. You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling, O sinner, come home.
- Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing, passing from you and for me.
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming, coming for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home. You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling, O sinner, come home.
- O, for the wonderful love He has promised, promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon, pardon for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home. You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling, O sinner, come home.
To access this free inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: https://gloryscapes.com/softlyandtenderly/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 23, 2020 | Revelation
Revelation 22:1
“And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.”
The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. The Dead Sea has no outlet but evaporates rapidly in the desert heat, leaving heavy, caustic, mineral-laden water behind. Fish that flow in with the fresh water, instantly perish. People enjoy floating effortlessly on the surface, but must immediately and thoroughly rinse away the corrosives. Mounds of salt line the shores of the Dead Sea, and a nearby pillar is named for Lot’s wife.
In Ezekiel 47:12 we are promised river that shall bring healing and sustenance—which we may now receive by faith and later witness by sight when Jesus returns. “Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.”
He promised springs of living water to the woman at the well, and to the worshipers in the temple. Each of us is surrounded by Dead Sea people, and—if we are honest—we recognize that we ourselves are much more briny than the fresh flowing water that gives life. The Lord on His throne is ready to answer even one person’s humble, earnest, faith-filled prayer for revival.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 31, 2020 | Revelation
Revelation 3:20
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
This beautiful hymn was composed by Will Thompson who lived from 1847 to 1909. The words seem to capture the heart of the listener and draw us to come to Jesus. You can almost picture Jesus Himself standing patiently urging us to come to Him.
He not only pleads for us to come, but he offers complete pardon to anyone and everyone who will come to Him. He offers He has paid the price and He has the authority to extend pardon to any who will come to Him.
The words of this hymn stress the urgent need of those who are lost. Some may feel like they have time before making that decision, but sadly for many they wait too long. Now is the hour of decision to receive Christ’s mercy and pardon!
“SOFTLY AND TENDERLY”
- Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching, watching for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home. You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling, O sinner, come home.
- Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading; pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not His mercies; mercies for you and for me?
Refrain: Come home, come home. You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling, O sinner, come home.
- Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing, passing from you and for me.
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming, coming for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home. You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling, O sinner, come home.
- O, for the wonderful love He has promised, promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon, pardon for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home. You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling, calling, O sinner, come home.
To access this free inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: https://gloryscapes.com/softlyandtenderly/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 10, 2020 | Revelation
Revelation 22:4
“They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.”
It was on January 13, 2015 that my precious wife left the trials and pain of this world to enter the place of perfect healing. It brought her wonderful peace, but I have been left to work my way through the remainder of my life without the one who was part of my life since I was just fourteen.
I have a wonderful peace in knowing that Joyce is experiencing a paradise far beyond my wildest imagination. In bringing that picture to mind I am given a peace that the world can never give and a peace it cannot take away!
If you are faced with the trial and tribulation of life I urge you to seek the peace of God that is offered to all who call upon His name. Rather than focusing your attention on the storms of life seek the precious haven that God gives that will assure you His wonderful peace.
Wonderful Peace
Far away in the depths of my spirit tonight
Rolls a melody sweeter than psalm;
In celestial strains it unceasingly falls
O’er my soul like an infinite calm.
Refrain: Peace, peace, wonderful peace,
Coming down from the Father above!
Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray
In fathomless billows of love!
What a treasure I have in this wonderful peace,
Buried deep in the heart of my soul,
So secure that no power can mine it away,
While the years of eternity roll!
Refrain
I am resting tonight in this wonderful peace,
Resting sweetly in Jesus’ control;
For I’m kept from all danger by night and by day,
And His glory is flooding my soul!
Refrain
And I think when I rise to that city of peace,
Where the Anchor of peace I shall see,
That one strain of the song which the ransomed will sing
In that heavenly kingdom will be:
Refrain
Ah, soul! are you here without comfort and rest,
Marching down the rough pathway of time?
Make Jesus your Friend ere the shadows grow dark;
O accept of this peace so sublime!
Refrain
To access Wonderful Peace, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: https://gloryscapes.com/wonderfulpeace/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 3, 2020 | Revelation
Revelation 21:17
“But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”
In 1893, James Black was a Methodist Sunday school teacher in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. As he was calling roll one day for a youth meeting, young Bessie, daughter of a drunkard, did not show up, and he was disappointed at her failure to appear. He commented to a friend, “Well, I trust when the roll is called up yonder, she’ll be there.” He tried to find an appropriate song for the situation but could not find one in his song book.
Here is how Mr. Black describes how he came to write the hymn: “This lack of a fitting song caused me both sorrow and disappointment. An inner voice seemed to say, ‘Why don’t you write one?’ I put away the thought. As I opened the gate on my way home, the same thought came again so strongly that tears filled my eyes. I entered the house and sat down at the piano. The words came to me effortlessly…The tune came the same way—I dared not change a single note or word.”
When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder
(1) When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more, And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair; When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore, And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
Refrain: When the roll, is called up yon-der, When the roll, is called up yonder, When the roll, is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there.
(2) On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise, And the glory of His resurrection share; When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies, And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
Refrain: When the roll, is called up yon-der, When the roll, is called up yonder, When the roll, is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there.
(3) Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun, Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care; Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done, And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
Refrain: When the roll, is called up yon-der, When the roll, is called up yonder, When the roll, is called up yonder, When the roll is called up yonder I’ll be there.
Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video. To access When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder, please go to: https://gloryscapes.com/whentherolliscalledupyonder
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
