by Pastor Cecil | Jun 23, 2009 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 5:7-9
“We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.”
I want to make it plain at the outset that I am a creationist. I believe God’s Word when it says that it was God who created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. How did He do it? By the power of His mighty Word!
My faith is based on the infallible Word of God. I made a choice long ago to make the Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of my life. I accept His Word and if He opens new vistas of understanding, I am eager to receive them. Many things I do not understand, but I know that He is the blessed controller of all things!
Evolutionists have had a hard time of it. Over the years of my life they have tried over and over again to prove their theory. To believe in evolutionism requires more faith than I could ever muster. Yes, faith is required regardless of our response to the accuracy of God’s Word.
Scientists have been repeatedly forced to conceive or contrive new theories to substantiate their position. They try to say that man is nothing more than an accident of millions of years evolving from a rock to a human. I just do not have enough faith to believe that religion.
Hebrews 11:1 says it all for me and that is where I take my stand: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 22, 2009 | James
James 1:5-8
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”
Recently I received an e-mail requesting prayer for a “prayer worrier.” I am sure the writer meant “prayer warrior,” but, as I have done so many times—misspelled and thus changed the meaning.
I have been thinking about the difference between the two. I went to the dictionary and found this definition for “warrior”: One who is engaged in or experienced in battle. One who is engaged aggressively or energetically in an activity, cause, or conflict. That sounds like someone you would like on your side, right?
Here is the definition for “worrier”: One who thinks about unfortunate things that might happen. One who is of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), unstable and uncertain about virtually everything. Whoops! That is certainly not the person I would feel confident to have in my corner as a prayer partner.
The thing I find about a true prayer warrior is that the circumstances have nothing to do with how he reacts. Job had lost all of his earthly possessions, his ten children, his health and his reputation. He was on an ash heap surrounded by friends who accused him of some secret sin that caused all of these things.
How does Job react? Job 19:25-26: “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!” Those are the words of a prayer “warrior” not a prayer “worrier.” Which are you?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 19, 2009 | Luke
Luke 18:15-17
“People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.'”
Warner wrote a novel titled, “Say and Seal.” She alluded to the fact that Jesus loves little children. After the novel had been published and circulated, she was informed by a Sunday School teacher that a young boy was lying in the hospital near death.
Susan called her sister, Anna, and asked if she could write a hymn for the teacher to sing to the dying lad. Anna wrote the first verse and two years later, William Bradbury wrote the second and third stanzas.
The simple words of this song speak volumes. I heard the story of an old retired minister who had returned to speak at the church he had pastored for many years. He had not been seen by the congregation for a very long time and they were very anxious to hear what his words of wisdom would be. Slowly he made his way to the microphone and spoke in a soft voice: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so!” His words were more powerful than the best prepared sermon.
“Jesus Loves Me“
Jesus loves me! This I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak, but He is strong.
Refrain: Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.
Jesus loves me He who died,
Heaven’s gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
Let His little child come in.
Refrain: Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.
Jesus, take this heart of mine,
Make it pure and wholly Thine;
On the cross You died for me,
I will try to live for Thee.
Refrain: Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.
Jesus really cares for you, regardless of your age, in His eyes you are one of His “little children!” Let Him love you and care for you.
To access Jesus Loves Me, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/jesuslovesme 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 | Jun 18, 2009 | Psalm
Psalm 23:4
“Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice.” (The Amplified Bible)
There is a lot of fear going around these days. Fear of the failing economy, fear of medical difficulties, fear of what people will think, fear of failing, fear of tomorrow, fear of the unknown—you name it—and we can and do develop a fearful attitude.
I especially like the way The Amplified Bible uses numerous nuances of the original Hebrew text in order to clarify the meaning. We should read that first phrase over and over again: “Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you.”
We may want to argue with others that our situation is different and that we really have something to fear, but God says we don’t. The reason that we need not fear is that He is with us.
If we go back into the Old Testament and read of the way God delivers His people, we find that He is able to protect and lead. It was only when people rejected His leadership and control of their lives that they faced defeat.
Just think of the way God led His people out of Egypt. He provided a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. God’s presence in the clouds both gave the direction to travel and also stood between His people and the enemy.
Trust Him to lead and protect you and you will never need to fear!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 17, 2009 | Isaiah
Isaiah 34:15
“The owl will nest there and lay eggs, she will hatch them, and care for her young under the shadow of her wings; there also the falcons will gather, each with its mate.”
Today as Joyce and I were driving, we saw a kildeer fly across the road ahead of the car. It reminded us of the antics we have observed from kildeer. We once owned a house that overlooked a flat piece of ground with very little vegetation. (Actually it was our yard that had not yet been planted with grass.)
We noticed that a mother kildeer had made a nest in a very shallow depression, which seemed foolish since the eggs would be so vulnerable. It was then that the remarkable antics of this bird were observed.
Anytime a threat approached—man, bird or beast—the mother would suddenly go into a remarkable bit of acting. The kildeer would suddenly begin to flutter and flop as if it was wounded. When the intruder began to follow the “wounded” bird, it moved further and further away from the nest with its characteristic call that gives its name, “killdeer, killdeer, killdeer.”
Once the threat had been lured far away from the nest, the kildeer would suddenly take wing and fly away to safety. When everything was safe, it would return to continue the task of hatching its eggs.
It is wonderful to realize that God has created these seemingly defenseless kildeer with such unique methods of protecting their eggs. He also has unique ways of defending us. When we place our trust in Him, He will care for us. In Matthew 6:13, our Lord taught His disciples to pray these wonderful words of promise: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” He will answer our prayer!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
