by Pastor Cecil | Feb 15, 2010 | 1 John
1 John 4:10
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
Do you recall the old story about a young man’s love note that he sent to his sweetheart? I am sure that my recollection is not 100%, but it went something like this. “Dear beloved, you are more precious to me than I can ever express. Your beauty and grace captivate my thoughts. I love you so much that I would climb the highest mountain for you. I would swim the widest river for you. I would sacrifice everything I own for you!” “P.S. If it doesn’t rain I will drop by and see you Friday evening about seven o’clock.”
Pure love, true and abiding love is sacrificial in nature. It is willing to die in order to prove the validity of its very being.
I once taught a class in Boise, Idaho called the Pairs and Spares. It was made up of newly married couples as well as young professionals. One engaged couple had a keen sense of humor. The fellow delighted in saying to his fiancé, “Submit, woman!” She would respond, “Die, man. The moment you show true love by dying for me, I will submit to you!”
I called and talked with the husband a few days ago. It was the first time I have spoken to either of them in over forty years. He is now a successful pastor in Ontario, Oregon. His true love has burned true and they are a living example of love in action.
Jesus loved us so much that He shed His precious blood for our sins. He paid the price that only He could pay. His blood was the only pure blood that was not tainted by the original sin nature that was passed down from Adam. We demonstrate our true love for Him by dying to ourselves and being raised with Him.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 12, 2010 | Romans
Romans 12:12
“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
William Walford did not allow the fact that he was blind limit his service for his Lord. He was frequently called upon to preach in a small country church. He composed the sermons in his head and quoted large portions of Scripture from memory. Some people thought he had memorized the entire Bible. He also composed verses in addition—he prayed.
In the mid 1800’s, Thomas Salmon was visiting in England and became acquainted with Pastor Walford. As they were visiting one day the blind pastor quoted a few pieces he had composed. Since he had no one to write them down he had kept them treasured in the storehouse of his mind.
One of the verses he related to Mr. Salmon was, “Sweet Hour of Prayer.” Mr. Salmon eagerly scribbled the words down on a scrap of paper. When he returned to New York he sent the verses to the Observer and asked if they thought them worth preserving. The Observer did think them worthy and published them on September 13, 1845. The music was added by William Bradbury in 1861.
“Sweet Hour of Prayer“
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer!
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne
Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer!
The joys I feel, the bliss I share,
Of those whose anxious spirits burn
With strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place
Where God my Savior shows His face,
And gladly take my station there,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer!
Thy wings shall my petition bear
To Him whose truth and faithfulness
Engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since He bids me seek His face,
Believe His Word and trust His grace,
I’ll cast on Him my every care,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer!
May I thy consolation share,
Till, from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height,
I view my home and take my flight:
This robe of flesh I’ll drop and rise
To seize the everlasting prize;
And shout, while passing through the air,
?Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!?
To access Sweet Hour of Prayer please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/sweethourofprayer 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 | Feb 11, 2010 | Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy 23:20-21
“See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since My Name is in him.”
Years ago I heard the story of a man who had strung a wire over Niagara Falls. He then went back and forth on the wire as the crowd cheered his excellent sense of balance and daring. He called out to the adoring crowd, “Do you think I can push a wheelbarrow across the falls with a 175 pound weight in it?” The crowd all agreed that they believed he could.
The tightwire walker placed a wheelbarrow on the ramp leading to the wire. He walked to the crowd and asked one of the spectators to get inside the wheelbarrow. The man refused saying he was too afraid. He was confident that it could be done until he was asked to be involved.
Do you see where this is leading? We often have the utmost confidence in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ to do great and mighty things, but when He asks us to be involved we cower back in fear and refuse His invitation.
In my study of God’s Word I have discovered that the Lord is more interested in our availability than He is in our ability. He wants us to place our total trust in Him and allow Him to “push the wheelbarrow.” When we trust Him and obey His commands, He takes over and brings the victory. Praise the Lord!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 10, 2010 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 6:17
“‘Therefore come out from them and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.’”
Why do believers compromise God’s commands? What justification do we have in living more like the world than like those who have been born anew? What are we going to say to the Lord when He asks us why we neglected His holiness? The sad thing about compromise is that those who do the compromising usually try to justify their actions.
We have an example of this in Exodus 32. Moses was on the Mountain receiving the Law. He had been gone over a month when the people began to question whether he had perished and if he would ever return. In spite of all of the miracles they had experienced, they still lacked the faith to trust God.
With very little persuasion, Aaron took gold from the people and fashioned a golden calf for them to worship. Aaron compromised the absolute truth of God’s plan for His people and tried to justify his actions by saying that it was done to lead the people in worshiping the Lord.
Sunday was Super Bowl Sunday. There was a lot of hype leading up to the day, which should have had little impact for dedicated Christians. It came as an electric shock to me when I heard that one congregation had cancelled their evening service in order to install a large screen TV and show the game in the church.
My prayer is that God will make me more sensitive to my spiritual need. I want Him to make me aware when I am in danger of compromise. It is my desire to hold firm to the standards established in His Word and refuse to drift into compromise. I invite you to join me in that prayer.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 9, 2010 | Matthew
Matthew 23:23-24
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.”
A dear friend who attended the memorial service for my brother commented about my message dealing with heaven. He said that few modern ministers preach about heaven or hell or giving. With that in mind, here are a few of my thoughts concerning giving to the Lord.
Over the years I have been bombarded with questions about spiritual giving. The tone of their question usually indicates that the one who is asking wants to give the least possible amount to the Lord and keep the rest for their self. I feel that we fall into great error when we get the idea that our income belongs to us, and we graciously give a certain amount (or none) to the Lord.
I believe that everything we own or earn belongs to the Lord. That being the case, we need to ask Him what we should do with His money. All too often we are emotionally swayed by heart-rending appeals or guilt trips about not doing enough. I have heard some ministries use greed as an incentive to give.
In our own ministry, I have come to the place of totally relying on the Lord to provide. There have been times in years gone by that I appealed for giving. The Lord has convicted me of doing that. If He lays it upon someone’s heart to give, that is between them and the Lord. Hudson Taylor is quoted as saying; “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supplies.”
It may be that God will have you give twenty or thirty percent of your income to your church or some ministry that He lays upon your heart. The important thing is to spend time in God’s Word and prayer, then let Him lead you.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
