by Pastor Cecil | Nov 9, 2009 | Proverbs
Proverbs 16:25-26
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. The laborer’s appetite works for him; his hunger drives him on.”
Sometimes you have things happen in your life that are both humorous and tragic. When I was working as a police officer, I worked the graveyard shift so I could attend college during the day. Usually the wee early hours of the morning were very quiet.
One time there was a break in the routine. It was in the early hours of the morning when I saw a man stagger into the street and wave for me to stop. When I stopped, the man opened the rear passenger side door and jumped in. It took a moment for him to realize that this was not a taxi.
He said, “I thought this was a taxi cab!” I told him that I wasn’t a cab driver, but that I had a room for him until he was sober enough to tell the difference. Perhaps I spared the man’s life by getting him to a safe environment for a few hours.
As we read today’s Scripture we are reminded that just because we think something is right, it does not mean that it is right. People have been duped into believing that if we do enough good deeds, we will make it to heaven. Wrong cab! If we give enough money to the church we will be blessed. Wrong cab! If we just believe in God that is enough. Wrong cab!
There is only one way to get into God’s cab which is bound for heaven. Repent of our sins, invite Jesus Christ into our heart and be born again. Right cab!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 6, 2009 | Psalm
Psalm 104:1
“Praise the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty.”
Robert Grant lived from 1779 to 1838. Robert was elected to Parliament and was also appointed governor of Bombay. A medical college in India was named in his honor. He was knighted and became “Sir” Robert Grant.
In spite of the earthly recognition which he received, Sir Robert was very much aware that there was the true King that surpassed all human kings. In verse five he describes this King of kings as; “Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.”
“O Worship the King!“
O worship the King, all glorious above,
O gratefully sing His power and His love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.
O tell of His might, O sing of His grace,
Whose robe is the light, Whose canopy space,
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.
The earth with its store of wonders untold,
Almighty, Thy power hath founded of old;
Established it fast by a changeless decree,
And round it hath cast, like a mantle, the sea.
Thy bountiful care, what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;
It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,
And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.
Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail;
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.
O measureless might! Ineffable love!
While angels delight to worship Thee above,
The humbler creation, though feeble their lays,
With true adoration shall all sing Thy praise.
To access O Worship the King!, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/oworshiptheking 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 5, 2009 | Proverbs
Proverbs 16:18-19
“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.”
What is the difference between beautiful joy and ugly pride? Perhaps we have all seen the distasteful displays of taunting or gesturing after a sports figure has accomplished a particular feat. They seem to enjoy flaunting and taunting their opponents. To me it is an ugly and unsportsmanlike display.
I contrast these ugly displays with the pure joy of believers who have been redeemed and are on the way to heaven. God has allowed me to witness people who have had their sins forgiven and who have won the greatest contest of all. There is a joy that words cannot express.
God hates pride in any way, shape or form. There are far too many Christians who seem to love drawing attention to themselves. There is great danger for those who lead worship services. They should always ask themselves if they are drawing attention to themselves or to the Lord. Self needs to be nailed to the cross.
I pray that the joy of the Lord might be poured out in our quiet times. I just received a call from a precious young woman who felt the Lord speak to her about a direction in her life. As she submitted to this new direction she felt joy flow over her like the waves of the sea. Praise the Lord! May our prayer always be, “Not my will, but Thy will be done.”
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 4, 2009 | Hebrews
Hebrews 11:1-2
“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.”
Back when I was in high school (in the dark ages), I worked part-time at a men’s clothing store. The store received a small newspaper called, “GRIT.” Just recently I checked online and discovered that it still exists.
Back to my story. One day during a slow period I was reading the “Grit” and fond a poem that rattled my cage. I cut it out and carried it around for many years before losing it. I have wished many times that I still had it. I hope you enjoy what I recall. It went something like this:
When skies are blue and sonbirds sing;
When flowers bloom, their fragrance bring;
When friends are around and funds abound;
When health and love are easily found;
It doesn’t take a lot of sand to shout and sing, to beat the band.
BUT – – –
When things go wrong—as they often do;
When skies suddenly lose their azure blue;
When well laid plans fall into a crumples heap;
When weary eyes scream out for peaceful sleep;
THEN – – –
Is the time to take our stand,
it’s the time to reach by faith and take God’s hand!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 3, 2009 | Psalm
Psalm 19:3-4
“The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.”
Perhaps you have heard the expression “There is nothing sure but death and taxes!” That is a cynical expression, and it is far from the truth. There are many certainties in God’s Word that are sure and never changing.
It is sad to observe some church bodies that have the audacity to legislate actions or activities that are in violation with Scripture. Let me tell you something; these votes have absolutely no standing with God. He certainly does not check with church policies to determine what is proper or improper. His Word stands!
In Luke 21:33, Jesus gives words of eternal surety—“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.” Those words, spoken by our Savior, are as true and sure as anything can ever be.
If there is ever a time in your life when you struggle for a solid rock to stand upon, it is God’s unchanging Word. Any time a question arises we should ask ourselves the question, “What does God’s Word say about it?”
Digging into Scripture to discover answers is hard work. It will require reading, searching concordances, Bible dictionaries, etc., but the result will be well worth the effort. We will find that His Word is SURE!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
