by Pastor Cecil | Nov 23, 2009 | 2 Timothy
2 Timothy 3:2-5
“People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”
I am so grieved that we have so many professed believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who tell more than show the way we are to live out our Christian faith. SORRY! I hate to upset the apple cart of these people, but we are first of all to Show then Tell. We hear all too much and see so very little.
That—dear friend is not being godly, it is more accurate to describe it as just being nasty. Listen! If someone talks about being godly, yet violates the pattern of godliness in Scripture, do not consider them a role model. In fact they are negative role models and should be avoided.
This pattern applies to all believers, so don’t think it is just for those of us who are called into an active paid ministry. Someone has said that preachers get paid for being good and the others are good for nothing! Yikes! That old joke is even below my standards of humor, but, I am known for saying things like that.
In exploring the meaning of godliness, it is possible to know about God, and even have a knowledge of God’s Word, yet fail to put it into practice. In today’s Scripture, Paul is describing for Timothy that it is necessary to look beyond what these so called “godly” men say, and observe how they behave.
There is an old book written by Charles Sheldon. It is called “In His Steps.” The theme of the book is to live one’s life in such a way that the question would always be in front of those who wanted to be like Christ, “What Would Jesus Do”?
In recent years it has become a Christian fashion statement, especially for young people, to wear jewelry with the initials WWJD, which stood for this statement. How sad that many wear it but do not live it. Is it any more tragic that we who go to church and read the Bible and bow in prayer, so often fail to live our life as Jesus would desire? Please renew your commitment right now that with God’s help, you will live out WWJD.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 20, 2009 | Psalm
Psalm 33:1
“Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise Him.”
What a wonderful woman. She stood less than 5 feet tall and weighed less than 100 pounds. Because of mistreatment for an eye infection when she was only a few months old, she spent the rest of her 95 years blind.
Her name was Fanny J. Crosby. This tiny dynamo wrote over 8,000 poems and hymns during her lifetime. She composed her poems and hymns entirely in her mind and then dictated them to someone else. She was said to work mentally on as many as twelve hymns at once before dictating them all out.
Fanny felt that it was God’s special gift that she should be blind all of her life and she thanked Him for that gift. She once remarked; “When I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior!” In 1896 she wrote this week’s hymn selection.
“Praise Him! Praise Him!“
Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Sing, O Earth, His wonderful love proclaim!
Hail Him! Hail Him! Highest archangels in glory;
strength and honor give to His holy name!
Like a shepherd Jesus will guard His children,
in His arms He carries them all day long:
Refrain: Praise Him! Praise Him!
Tell of His excellent greatness;
Praise Him! Praise Him ever in joyful song!
Praise him! Praise him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
For our sins he suffered, and bled and died;
He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation,
Hail Him! Hail Him! Jesus the Crucified.
Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows,
love unbounded, wonderful deep and strong:
Refrain: Praise Him! Praise Him!
Tell of His excellent greatness;
Praise Him! Praise Him ever in joyful song!
Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Heavenly portals loud with hosannas ring!
Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever;
crown Him! crown Him! Prophet and Priest and King!
Christ is coming! over the world victorious,
power and glory unto the Lord belong.
Refrain: Praise Him! Praise Him!
Tell of His excellent greatness;
Praise Him! Praise Him ever in joyful song!
To access Praise Him! Praise Him!, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/praisehimpraisehim 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 | Nov 19, 2009 | Acts
Acts 14:12, 19
“Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker.” “Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.”
I would like to let you in on a little secret. You probably are well aware of this truth, but I want to share it anyway — popularity is fleeting and fickle. Popularity polls can reverse in such a moment of time that it takes your breath away.
Some of the most tragic counseling sessions I have ever experienced were with people who had placed their confidence in what others thought of them. When the fickle finger of fame turned away from them, they were devastated.
Paul repeatedly received the accolades from crowds who even elevated him to the position of a god. Even when he protested their adoration, they proclaimed their faith in him and the God he preached. That lasted until trouble makers arrived and suddenly he was stoned and left for dead. There has never been a time in my life when I experienced anything of this sort, but I have had those who professed to be faithful friends turn against me.
In prayer and contemplation I have found comfort in the life that Paul lived. He never sought applause or popularity from the people. He only wanted to be faithful to his Lord so that one day he would hear the words that really count: “Well done, good and faithful servant!” That is the way I want to live.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 18, 2009 | Ruth
Ruth 1:20-21
“‘Don’t call me Naomi,’ she told them. ‘Call me Mara, because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The LORD has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.’”
I have been a Christian counselor for so many years I have stopped counting. One of the many things that continue to confound me is how and why some people seem to enjoy wallowing in misfortunes rather than thanking God for His blessings.
This was the case with Naomi, the mother-in-law of Ruth. In no way do I wish to downplay the losses she had experienced: She, her husband and two sons had experienced such famine that they left their home and went to live in Moab, a country that was not known for treating the people of Israel with compassion.
For reasons, of which we are not told, her husband and two sons died. The two sons had married so Naomi at least had two daughters-in-law. When Naomi determined to return to her home in Bethlehem, her daughter-in-law Ruth insisted to remain with her to care for her.
It seems that Naomi was so fixated on her loss that she failed to appreciate Ruth. She told the women of Bethlehem that they were no longer to call her “Naomi”, which means “pleasant”, but to call her “Mara”, which means “bitter”. The name is a derivative of the name of the springs of bitter water that the Israelites encountered. Read Exodus 15:22-25.
Naomi had no means of providing for Ruth and herself, and it was Ruth who suggested that she be allowed to go into the barley fields and glean food for the two of them. When Naomi agreed to her request, it was the first spark of hope — suddenly she remembered that there was a close family member, Boaz, who could become their kinsman redeemer.
What a joy it is to read the last few verses of the Book of Ruth and see that Naomi holds Ruth’s boy, Obed, on her lap and cares for him. She becomes his granny! Praise the Lord! Oh, and by the way, this tiny bundle of joy becomes the grandfather of David, the second king of Israel and also a part of the lineage of our own Kinsman-Redeemer, Jesus!
It would be well to examine our own circumstances. Are we allowing the things in our life to make us bitter or better? My prayer is that we will stop looking only at the present and allow God to bring His work to fruition in His own good time.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 17, 2009 | Isaiah
Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Over the years I have found my mind going back to today’s verse. It was one of the first verses I ever memorized. Come to think about it, it may very well be the reason that I am known as more optimistic than pessimistic. It is not me, but the Lord that makes the difference.
God gives us a tremendous promise in this verse. He promises to strengthen us, to help us and to uphold us. Do you realize what that promise should mean to each of us in our daily walk? It means that we can claim victory over every situation.
As I read this verse again, I see that our requirement is very minimal. We are not called upon to do great and mighty works. We do not even have to possess super human abilities.
So what is our part? “Fear not” and “Be not dismayed.” The reason the Lord gives us for not fearing or being dismayed is that He is with us and He is our God. With God in control we are free to praise Him and give Him the glory.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
