by Pastor Cecil | May 15, 2009 | Hebrews
Hebrews 4:12
“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
In the past few weeks the entire world seems to be consumed with fear over the outbreak of swine flu. Some have started using face masks, while others of us have taken more precautions to wash our hands and cover our mouths when we cough or sneeze. I can still remember as a boy when families were quarantined because someone in the house was diagnosed with a contagious disease.
Cleland McAfee was chaplain and choir director at Park College in Parkville, Missouri, in 1903 when two nieces died from diphtheria. In his hour of grief he wrote this hymn and had the college choir sing it outside the quarantined house.
“Near to the Heart of God“
There is a place of quiet rest,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where sin cannot molest,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain: O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God,
Hold us who wait before Thee
Near to the heart of God.
There is a place of comfort sweet,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where we our Savior meet,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain: O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God,
Hold us who wait before Thee
Near to the heart of God.
There is a place of full release,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where all is joy and peace,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain: O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God,
Hold us who wait before Thee
Near to the heart of God.
To access Near to the Heart of God, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/neartotheheartofgod in your browser 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 | May 14, 2009 | Hebrews
Hebrews 11:1-3
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”
Joyce and I once lived in a gated community that required using a remote control device to open the gate. It was designed in such a way to prevent unauthorized persons from entering. Only with the box that had been provided to us could we open the gate.
Faith may be defined as the gate that leads from our poverty to God’s power. In making that statement I do not wish to give rise to a name-it and claim-it theology. All too frequently people use God’s promises for their own selfish desires.
As we read chapter eleven in Hebrews, it is almost like walking through God’s hall of fame of the faithful men and women who trusted God with their all. These heroes of the faith saw something that was more important than life. They might have been shy and quivering cowards at one time in their lives, but they saw something that gave them courage and backbone worthy of merit.
These heroes of the faith stood tall and trusted God rather than circumstances. It was the faith of these heroes that brought joy to God’s heart. He is delighted by men and women who choose to place their faith in Him rather than compromising with the world.
Down through the ages of history—even to our present day—there are men and women who have placed their reliance on things which are seen only by faith in God. In many cases believers have endured pain, torture and death, knowing that eternal bliss waited just beyond their final breath.
Songwriter Oscar Eliason wrote, “Got any rivers you think are uncrossable? Got any mountains you can’t tunnel through?” He answered his own question as he continues; “God specializes in things thought impossible, and He can do what no other power can do.”
Every Christian faces obstacles along life’s pathway and walking in God’s will doesn’t guarantee that our way will be easy. In fact we are told that there will be tribulations in this life. But no matter how difficult the circumstances, we can trust God to open the gates in His time and for His purposes. When He does, we can go forward by faith.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 13, 2009 | Matthew
Matthew 8:33-34
“Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they pleaded with Him to leave their region.”
The passage above deserves further explanation. Jesus and His disciples had just crossed the Sea of Galilee and came to the region of the Gadarenes where two tomb dwelling demon-possessed men, rushed out to meet Him. The demons cried out in recognition of Jesus’ Divinity and begged Him not to punish them before the time of the end. They asked to be allowed to go into a herd of swine. He, Jesus, allowed the demons to possess the beasts. The result was that 100 pigs rushed into the water and were drowned. Isn’t it interesting that two men—even though they were driven mad—were able to tolerate the demons, but the pigs perished.
Picture the scene that must have occurred. These two men had been released from the power of the demons and were now set free. They must have been rejoicing with Jesus and His disciples about how free they felt. They now had new life and a new hope. Jesus could do what no other power on earth could do!
They had been rejected by the community because of the demon possession. Now they were free and had the desire to rush and tell their friends and family their good news, but first they just had to spend time talking with Jesus. (This is all just conjecture on my part). While they were speaking with Him, the villagers came out to meet them. The swine herders had rushed into town to tell the devastating news about the loss of the swine.
How sad! Instead of rejoicing with the demoniacs who had been set free, they were angry about the loss of the pigs. Rejection is one of the hardest things in life to deal with. In one way or another, it is an uninvited guest that seems to appear at the door of our life. Rejection hurts to the quick. It often is not the result of our actions, but upon the selfish actions of others. You may be feeling rejection in your life at this very moment.
The old expression, “Misery loves company,” does not really apply to rejection. It is some comfort to recognize that rejection is common to all of us. If our precious Lord Jesus was rejected, then we can be sure that we will also encounter times of rejection.
The townspeople had two choices. They could rejoice over the two demoniacs who had been set free, or they could get ticked off about the pigs that were now floating dead on the water. THEY CHOSE TO GET TICKED OFF! That does not make sense, but then rejection never does. They asked Jesus to leave their region. This was the Messiah who could heal and deliver and restore—but they had lost their pigs and that was what mattered most to them.
How did Jesus react to His rejection? He simply stepped into a boat and crossed back over the lake to His own town. He went on with His ministry of teaching, touching and healing. Many were healed and set free from the bondage of sin, but on the other side of the lake, those who had rejected Him, were unchanged, lost for all eternity! Every time they saw the two men that had been made whole it was a reminder of their rejection of Jesus.
As we focus on the Word of God, we are to obey what God says—go on about the work the Lord has placed in our hands for us to do—and leave those who have rejected us to deal with their actions. Will it hurt us? Yes! Will we survive? Yes! But as we look at the life of Jesus and see what He did when rejected, let us use His life as our example. Let us step into our “boat” and be the blessing to others who are on the other side of “our lake” willing to receive our ministry.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 12, 2009 | Psalm
Psalm 65:5-7
“You answer us with awesome deeds of righteousness, O God our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and the farthest seas, who formed the mountains by your power, having armed yourself with strength, who stilled the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations.”
Do you sometimes feel like you would like to get away from it all? The rat race, I mean. You long for peace and tranquility which will settle your stress and frustration. Public television has shown a program called, Alone In the Wilderness. It chronicles the year in the life of a man who left civilization and built a cabin in the Alaskan wilderness.
As idyllic as the scenes of the program might be, isolation is not the answer to the hustle and chaos of daily living. Man is by his very nature created to have interaction with others. There may be recluses that cut themselves off from other people—but by their actions they are revealing that there are problems which have not been resolved.
In Mark chapter four we find the story of Jesus who was surrounded by a huge crowd of people. The crowd was so large that He got into a boat and sat in it as He taught the people who were on the shore. At evening He told His disciples to cross over to the other side of the lake.
Jesus was asleep on a cushion when a furious squall came up and threatened the boat He was in. Remember that many of these disciples were seasoned fishermen who had spent their lives out on this lake in all kinds of weather, but this was a storm that threatened to swamp them.
In their fear and alarm they called out to Jesus. It seemed impossible that He could sleep through such a storm. The men woke Jesus and asked Him if He didn’t care if they were about to drown. It is then that we read the quiet words of power which He proclaimed in Mark 4:39; “He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! (peace) Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.”
I want to remind you once more that these men were not simple recreational boaters. They had spent their lives in all kinds of weather conditions and if they felt that the situation was desperate, it really was. They had almost come to the conclusion that all was hopeless and that they would never reach shore again. It seems that they called out to Jesus in order to announce their hopeless situation.
I feel that they woke Jesus to have Him prepare for the inevitable drowning. Jesus shocked them when He demonstrated that His power was great enough to control the forces of nature.
You may be facing situations that are threatening to swamp your boat. Now is the time to call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember that it is Jesus who has the power to calm the storms in your life.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 11, 2009 | Romans
Romans 12:9-11
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”
Several years ago I was watching the Animal Channel. The host was holding a red frog carefully in his cupped hands. He made a great case for the rarity of this small frog. He explained that it was close to being placed on the endangered species list. He remarked that he always held a frog lightly since a frog breathes through the skin and can absorb certain chemicals from the palms and may even cause its death.
He took great care to explain how this frog defends itself. He explained that when an animal took the frog into its mouth, the frog would inject a gooey, noxious substance into the throat and mouth of the attacker. This would cause such swelling and pain that the attacker would immediately release the frog.
Suddenly the frog he was holding about eight inches from his face made a leap into his mouth. He quickly spat and caught the frog in his hand. As he tried to control his emotions, he placed the frog down onto the dank forest floor and quickly stammered through the rest of his narrative.
Since then I have thought about this incident. I wonder why these wildlife hosts feel it is necessary to hunt down, “snakes and snails and puppy dogs tails,” hold them with seeming ecstasy before releasing them again. Many times they have been bitten by the creatures, but they still continue this dangerous practice.
Here is where I make the spiritual application! That is exactly how many people—even Christians—deal with sinful things. We go after them and hold them in our hands even though we know how dangerous they are. All too often these practices strike and place us in grave danger.
Today’s Scripture says that we are to hate what is evil. If we are to walk in the ways of God, we should see the danger of getting too close to the things which are detestable to God. What God hates, we have no business holding close to us. We should run from it and not hold it close.
The questions we always must ask ourselves are; “Am I in danger of having a frog jump into my mouth?” “Is there any sinful thing in my life that I am holding close enough that it can inject its poison into me?” We need to get rid of those things that pose a spiritual danger to us. Turn to Christ and ask Him to give us the strength and power to get rid of the “YUK” in our life.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
