by Pastor Cecil | Jul 10, 2009 | Acts
Acts 17:31
“Because He has fixed a day when He will judge the world righteously (justly) by a Man Whom He has destined and appointed for that task, and He has made this credible and given conviction and assurance and evidence to everyone by raising Him from the dead.” (Amplified Bible)
Fanny Crosby wrote over 8000 hymns. She said about her blindness, “The first face ever to gladden my sight will be when I get to heaven and behold the face of the One who died for me… I verily believe that God intended that I should live my days in physical darkness so that I might be better prepared to sing His praise and lead others from spiritual darkness into eternal light. With sight I would have been too distracted to have written thousands of hymns.”
Fanny tells this one story about the hymn, “Blessed Assurance.” Mrs. Phoebe Fairchild Knapp, wife of the organizer of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, went to visit Fanny and get an opinion of a tune Mrs. Knapp had written. “What does it say to you, Fanny?” she asked. Fanny’s answer was “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine.” And then a few minutes later she handed to Mrs. Knapp the completed lyrics of the hymn. Our hymn for this week is that wonderful hymn; “Blessed Assurance.”
“Blessed Assurance“
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God.
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
Refrain:
Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest;
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
Refrain:
Fanny Crosby lived her life without physical eyes, but her spiritual eyes shone so bright that they still illuminate the lives of all who love her hymns.
To access Blessed Assurance, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/blessedassurance 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 | Jul 9, 2009 | Numbers
Numbers 30:19-20a
“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to His voice, and hold fast to Him.”
Here is a news flash: YOU CANNOT MAKE DECISIONS FOR PEOPLE! Frequently we parents wish we could somehow make the right decisions for our kids that would keep them free from harm and danger—but we can’t!
Back when I was a Juvenile Probation Officer, I seemingly had the lives and future of these delinquents in my hands. It was an awesome responsibility. Repeatedly I would explain the consequences of their actions only to discover within a short time that they had been arrested yet again.
I have to admit that it would have been easy to give up on these kids, but often I was the only one who was on their side (even if they didn’t know it). I tried to point out the consequences of continuing walking down the wrong path. It was similar to what Moses held out for the people in today’s Scripture.
That same challenge remains true for us today. The Lord has set before us life or death—blessings or curses. Not only are we to choose life, but we are to keep on choosing it.
Joshua was Moses’ successor in leading the Israelites to possess the land God had promised. In Joshua 24:14-15 he gives us this fantastic passage: “Now fear the LORD and serve Him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” I’m with you, Joshua!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 8, 2009 | Numbers
Numbers 13:31-33
“But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.’ And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, ‘The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.’ ”
Over ten years ago I was faced with adversity and personal trial. There was a small group that aligned themselves against me and my ministry. They began to undermine and cast doubts on any who would listen. They even went so far as to call a few pastor friends of theirs who suggested I was too old for effective ministry and should resign.
I am ashamed to confess that I began to believe what they were saying and fell into one of the most trying times of my entire ministry. I felt like I was a grasshopper facing giants and could do nothing but surrender. Thank the Lord the majority of the congregation rose up and asked me to remain.
At that time my ministry was restricted to perhaps one or two hundred. I began to pray the prayer of Jabez as found in I Chronicles 4:10: Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.”
The Lord heard that prayer so completely that this poor “grasshopper” now has a ministry that reaches around the world. It is not me, but what the Lord is able to do through me that has made the difference!
Two thoughts I would like to share from my experiences:
1. Never look at another person as being a grasshopper. You may block their ministry for the Lord. Be their supporter and cheerleader to let them know they are not alone.
2. As you consider your own ministry for the Lord, realize that nothing is insignificant to Him. Charge into the task He has given you and allow Him to slay the giants that stand in the way of the work of the Lord.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 7, 2009 | Acts
Acts 9:15-16
“But the Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go! This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.’ ”
From time to time I reflect on the sacrifice that followers of Jesus have had to make across the years. In many cases prison and/or death was the common price for claiming Christ as your Savior.
Those who were the persecutors of Christians gave them opportunity to change their minds and recant their belief in Jesus Christ as their Savior. Their challenge was something like this: “Recant or you will die!” Some responded to their persecutors: “Repent or you will die!”
One thing that such persecution did was to weed out the namby-pamby half-hearted followers of the Lord. When your life was on the line, you made sure that you were ready to repent.
My great fear is that we have churches full of people who believe about Christ, who believe that He is the Son of God who came to die for our sins. They even go so far as to make a public profession of that statement. The problem is that this is not enough—There must be repentance!
Repentance is turning around and going the other way. In the verses before today’s Scripture, Saul (Paul) had been going to Damascus in order to persecute believers. On the road he was blinded by the presence of the Lord and his life suddenly turned around. Paul was blind and now this man, Ananias, was ordered to go and place his hands on him so he could see.
There is one phrase that we need to see: “I will show him how much he must suffer for My name.” Paul knew what was in store for him. He faced suffering and death, but there was a crown of righteousness waiting for him in glory!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 6, 2009 | Ezekiel
Ezekiel 47:9
“Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh, so where the river flows everything will live.”
Today’s Daily-E-Votional is from an article written by our good friend, Leslie McMillan, in the newsletter from the Russian Community Life Center.
The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. Fed by the Jordan River and other streams, 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.
Recently, the Lord has impressed upon me the principles of Ezekiel 47—which we may now receive by faith and later witness by sight when Jesus returns. He promised springs of living water to the woman at the well, and to the celebrants in the temple, and “By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive.” (John 7:39a)
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. This is no way to serve in these last days. Yet we have a better hope that comes by faith. The Lord on His throne is ready to answer even one person’s humble, earnest, faith-filled prayer for revival.
“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.” (Ezekiel 47:12)
I do believe He is ready. And you?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
