by Pastor Cecil | Jan 16, 2009 | Philippians
Philippians 4:8-9
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
Picture with me a serene lake setting. On the far side of the lake is a high peak with patches of snow from the following winter. The water is so smooth that there is barely a ripple. As you gaze at the water you see a perfect reflection of the mountain scene—a mirror image. The more the water is disturbed, the less of the mountain you see.
God want us to have a relationship with Him that reflects His glory. It is not about us, but about Him that matters. The more we are preoccupied with ourselves the less of His image reflected in us. The more we allow the things of this world to trouble the “waters of our soul” the less of Jesus they will see.
In today’s Scripture we have the promise of God’s peace. What a wonderful assurance to read that last verse: “And the God of peace will be with you.” The way to finding that peace are in the preceding verses—our thought life! A computer term fits well here: GIGO (garbage in garbage out). We need to change that to: (glory in glory out)!
Each Friday we will be featuring a free video for you to view. This week it is the hymn, “He Hideth My Soul.” To access it please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/hehidethmysoul or click on the image below.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 15, 2009 | Psalm
Psalm 24:1-4
“The earth is the LORD’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for He founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.”
The Scripture in Psalm 24 is very clear, so why would I ask the question, which is today’s title? If this is God’s world and He is in control over everything in it, what is there to question? Well, let me give you another Scripture. It is found in 2 Corinthians 4:4: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
We could go into deep theological discussion on a variety of issues surrounding this, but let me attempt to simplify it so we can get a perspective of things. First of all, we know that God created all things. (Please do not fall for one of the tricks of Satan by believing that all of this is random chance through the theory of evolution.)
God made this world and placed the first man and woman in the Garden of Eden. The choice to believe Satan in the Garden led to the fall of all men into a sin nature. This means that all are born in sin and must be redeemed in order to have eternal life.
Satan was given authority in the world, but even this is under God’s control. We have a vivid example of this in the book of Job. Satan operates under the control of God’s divine will. Jesus also expressed this when he told Peter in Luke 22:31: “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.” Satan is the accuser of the brethren and desires to discredit the work of God in our life.
The important thing we need to keep uppermost in our mind is that Satan functions with lies and deceptions. He is the one who brings negative thoughts of hopelessness and despair. He is the one who leads the world into conflicts of all types, fights between individuals, families and even nations.
That is why it is so important to have a proper understanding of God. Not only did God create all things, He also provided a way by which sinful man may be redeemed from the nature of sin. It cost Him His very own Son, but it proved that God is in control and those who seek Him will find victory and assurance.
The writer of the Hymn; “This Is My Father’s World”, Maltbie D. Babcock, sums up this thought in the third verse of that hymn: “This is my Father’s world, O let me ne’er forget that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Father’s world: The battle is not done; Jesus who died shall be satisfied, and earth and heaven be one.”
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 14, 2009 | Psalm
Psalm 91:1-2
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”
I cannot even count the times I have read Psalm 91, but this morning as I read it I gained a new insight that grabbed my attention. Actually there were two words that captured my interest: “dwell” and “rest.”
For the past few years there have been two television programs that follow a single individual as he is dropped into a remote area of the globe and must survive on his own resources for one week. He is not given 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 followed by starting a fire and preparing a place 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 were 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.
There is an old song, written by Ira Stamphill in 1949 that provides a reality we need to consider:
I’m satisfied with just a cottage below,
A little silver and a little gold;
But in that city where the ransomed will shine,
I want a gold one that’s silver-lined.
Chorus
I’ve got a mansion just over the hilltop,
In that bright land where we’ll never grow old;
And someday yonder we will never more wander,
But walk the streets that are purest gold.
Tho’ often tempted, tormented and tested
And, like the prophet, my pillow a stone,
And tho’ I find here no permanent dwelling,
I know He’ll give me a mansion my own.
Chorus
I’ve got a mansion just over the hilltop,
In that bright land where we’ll never grow old;
And someday yonder we will never more wander,
But walk the streets that are purest gold.
Don’t think me poor or deserted or lonely,
I’m not discouraged, I’m heaven bound;
I’m just a pilgrim in search of a city,
I want a mansion, a harp and a crown.
Chorus
I’ve got a mansion just over the hilltop,
In that bright land where we’ll never grow old;
And someday yonder we will never more wander,
But walk the streets that are purest gold.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 13, 2009 | Job
Job 19:25-27
“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!”
It seems like every time I officiate at a funeral service I notice something unusual. In the past two days, Saturday and Sunday, I held services that were unique. I have encountered these situations before, but not two in a row.
The situation that I am referring to is that the surviving mate of each deceased man was not able to attend the service because of Alzheimer’s disease. Both couples had been married over fifty years and were totally devoted to each other, but the mental acuity faded.
The daughter of one of these ladies told me that her mother thought her dad had just stepped out to go to the store—even though he had been dead for well over a week. He was still close in her clouded mind even though he had departed.
These old bodies of ours are on a one-way street to decay. Face lifts, body tucks, diets, exercise programs and the like may play a delaying game, but the reality is that we are going to see things go “south” that should stay put!
Before my mother went to be with the Lord she was only a shadow of her former self. Her weight had shrunk to just over seventy pounds. This little woman who was always so capable in her productive years had come to the place where she had to rely upon others to meet her needs.
That description may appear to be pessimistic and depressing except for one major truth. This world is not my mom’s home. She had a new home waiting for her in glory and loved ones eagerly expectantly prepared to welcome her home with shouts of glory!
All too often we focus our attention on the things of this world and forget the true glories which await us. It is beyond our understanding to fully comprehend eternity, but by faith we are able to grasp a glimpse of our eternal reward. In Ephesians 2:6 we are struck with an awesome reality: “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.”
Wow! I hope that statement rattles your cage as much as it did mine. This is a completed work. It says that we are seated with Christ. We have a home in glory which outshines the sun. This vale of tears through which we are now traveling is only a temporary place.
When we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and turn from our wicked ways to follow Him, we become citizens of a new world. From that moment on we can sing with gladness the words of that old song: “This world is not my home, I’m just passing through. My treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue!”
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 12, 2009 | Titus
Titus 2:11-14
“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.”
These are very momentous days in the Thompson household. Joyce and I are about to become great-grandparents for the first time. This is especially meaningful since our granddaughter, Jenna, is the daughter of our Brenda, who went to be with the Lord in 1991. She is also the brave girl who donated one of her kidneys to our daughter, Lori. And now she is in labor to give birth to a son. We know that Brandon and Jenna will make wonderful parents for little Rhett.
Isn’t it strange how quickly life changes? It seems only a few days ago that Joyce was expecting our first baby. The years have fled by so quickly that it almost seems like a blur. Some of the things I had hoped to accomplish failed to be born. The expectations were there, but time, responsibilities or other interruptions allowed the expectations to slip away. That is okay for my human expectations, but what about the spiritual expectations?
Let me give you a quick illustration of what I am thinking about. I once became frustrated because I did not have the time to study the Bible as I should. I was working for the Idaho Law Enforcement Planning Commission at the time. It was a very demanding job that allowed no free time.
I made it a matter of prayer and waited “EXPECTANTLY” for God to show me time that might be available for study. I think it was during the night, shortly after praying this prayer that the Lord revealed several units of time that I could use for Bible study.
One of them was my lunch hour. I started bringing Bible study materials to work and was in eager anticipation for the lunch hour to arrive. I closed my door and laid my materials out on the desk for a delicious “lunch” in God’s Word.
The story does not end there. Several others who worked for the agency became aware of what I was doing and began to bring their study material and study along with me in the office.
If you are in expectation to be used by the Lord, start by praying and asking the Lord to show you things that you have not seen before.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
