by Pastor Cecil | Apr 30, 2012 | Galatians
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
I was just thinking of the number of times in my life when I heard someone try to justify their faults by using these three words: YOU DO TOO! Wow! Now that is quite a brilliant defense! That argument is no argument at all. Just because someone else does something wrong does not give us the right to do it as well.
Increasingly we are bombarded by temptations to sin. Things that were not even hinted at a few years ago have now been so much a part of our daily life that they are common place. A trip to the grocery store can be an embarrassing encounter when we go to the check-out stand.
We all too often justify our actions by what other people do than what God’s Word says about our conduct. Sexual sins have been justified so much that those of us who hold to the standards of God’s Word are seen as the perverts. I think they call us narrow-minded bigots.
Some church governing bodies have taken it upon themselves to justify lifestyles that are clearly defined as sin. Listen carefully: If God’s Word says it is a sin, there is no modern group that can alter what God has spoken!
The result of our permissiveness is a weak church that quickly folds under the pressure of the world. Rather than changing our world for Christ, we are allowing the world to mold us. We need to dig in and live and even die for Christ!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 27, 2012 | Psalm
Psalm 46:1-3
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah”
As a part of our discipline of reading through the Bible in a year we read through the book of Psalms twice. It is absolutely astounding that David was beset by so many storms. He was attacked on all sides by his enemies who desired to take his life. Do you feel that way sometimes?
King Saul was a demented king who imagined that David was attempting to take the kingdom from him. (Actually it was the Lord who had rejected Saul because of his wickedness and failing to keep the Lord in control of his life.)
In many of his Psalms, David cried out to the Lord for help and immediately praised the Him for giving him a safe place of refuge. That is the same with us today. We may be tossed and torn by the storms of life, but the Lord always gives us a haven of rest. That is the hymn for this week.
The Haven of Rest
My soul in sad exile was out on life’s sea,
So burdened with sin and distressed,
Till I heard a sweet voice, saying,
“Make Me your choice”;
And I entered the “Haven of Rest”!
Refrain: I’ve anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest;
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep,
In Jesus I’m safe evermore.
I yielded myself to His tender embrace,
In faith taking hold of the Word,
My fetters fell off, and I anchored my soul;
The “Haven of Rest” is my Lord.
Refrain: I’ve anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest;
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep,
In Jesus I’m safe evermore.
The song of my soul, since the Lord made me whole,
Has been the old story so blest,
Of Jesus, who’ll save whosoever will have
A home in the “Haven of Rest.”
Refrain: I’ve anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest;
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep,
In Jesus I’m safe evermore.
How precious the thought that we all may recline,
Like John, the beloved so blest,
On Jesus’ strong arm, where no tempest can harm,
Secure in the “Haven of Rest.”
Refrain: I’ve anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest;
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep,
In Jesus I’m safe evermore.
O come to the Savior, He patiently waits
To save by His power divine;
Come, anchor your soul in the “Haven of Rest,”
And say, “My Beloved is mine.”
Refrain: I’ve anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest;
I’ll sail the wide seas no more;
The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep,
In Jesus I’m safe evermore.
To access The Haven of Rest, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/thehavenofrest/ 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
Be sure to check out PastorCecil.com
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 25, 2012 | Matthew
Matthew 25:37-40
Then the righteous will answer Him, Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You a stranger and invite You in, or needing clothes and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison and go to visit You? Then the King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least one of these brothers of mine, you did for Me.’
In thinking about the Scripture above, we need to stop and consider what Matthew means by the term, “the least one of these brothers of mine.” It possibly could mean the prophets and ministers of God—but it just as likely applies to those who are confined to hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, forgotten and alone at home—and any number of types of individuals.
The year was 1954 and I was stationed in the United States Air Force in Rapid City, South Dakota. While there, my wife, Joyce, and I assisted in starting a small church with just a handful of people. The pastor and his wife had three children, one of which was a developmentally disabled boy named Chuckie who could only speak with guttural tones and with great difficulty.
Chuckie needed lots of love. You could see the joy on his face when someone would give him a hug. He especially loved his dad. He was the happiest when he would slip past the one who was supposed to sit with him and go up on the platform and sit in a chair next to his dad.
I can still picture the scene of him sitting, or standing by his dad, with his song book upside down, pretending that he knew what the words meant, and making his singing sounds. His dad, Wes, would look down at him with a pleasant smile that seemed to say, “I love you and I am here for you.”
It must have been in the summer of 1956 that we had a family camp in the Black Hills of South Dakota, at Camp Bob Marshall. It was at the closing service that the speaker invited people to come forward and receive prayer for healing. Pastor Wes and Mary took Chuckie and knelt there along with many others. Soon it seemed that the entire congregation had focused their prayers on Chuckie. There was such a deep assurance that the Lord had heard and that soon this little boy would be healed.
Soon after that family camp I was discharged from the Air Force and returned to complete my college. We kept in touch with our friends in Rapid City and were stunned by the news that Chuckie had died. Chuckie’s parents shared that during their time of grief they received a telegram from the speaker who had prayed so expectantly for Chuckie to be healed. In it he expressed praise and delight. He told the grieving parents that when they had prayed so earnestly for little Chuckie, they had no idea that God would heal him so perfectly! Wow!
Joyce and I were reminded of those words of assurance in 1991, when our own daughter, Brenda, died at age 35. God had given her the best healing of all, by taking her to be with Him. We know she will be waiting for us!
There are many people who may be classified as “the least of these.” They need you and you need them! Accept them as God’s special gift to you.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 24, 2012 | Psalm
Psalm 19:13-14
Keep back Thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
Today’s title may cause you to think that I am starting a mystery novel. That is not the case, but it relates to one of my tie tacks, one with gold praying hands. I wore it Sunday and just before the service I glanced down and saw that it was upside down.
It brought back the memory of a time several years ago when I was wearing it and it had slipped around. Someone asked me if I were a swimmer? I couldn’t figure why that question would be asked until they said it looked like I had diving hands on my tie. Facing down they appear to be diving—facing up its devotion.
What do people see when they observe us in our day to day walk? Do they see us as diving or being devoted to the Lord? It is one thing to use spiritual phrases and even quote passages from the Bible. It’s another thing to live our life in such a way that our testimony is more by the life we live. Do people see Jesus in us?
The Scottish poet Robert Burns composed a poem called, To A Louse. At one time I had the poem memorized, but now recall only the final verse: “O wad some power the gift tae gie us; To see oursels as ithers see us! It wad frae mony a blunder free us, An foolish notion: What airs in dress an gait wad lea’e us, An ev’n devotion!” My prayer is that my life will be real and committed to the Lord.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 23, 2012 | John
John 16:7
But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
I was reading my Bible one day during the lunch hour. As I read it was as if the words were lifting off the page. I saw new insights that I had never seen before. It was at this moment that I knew that the Holy Spirit was illuminating the word to my heart. I laughed quietly as I was relishing this intimate moment with the Lord.
Only a few minutes passed before there was a knock at my door. It was a fellow believer who wanted to spend time with me in order to better understand the Bible. I have to confess that I felt a momentary resentment. He was interrupting my intimate time with God. It was then that I felt checked in my spirit. This was an opportunity to invite this brother to experience a personal contact with God. We began to meet each day at noon and the Lord was always there to show us truths from His Word. We were convinced that the Lord was eager to meet us each day.
Since that day back in the 1970’s, I have looked forward to spending time with the Lord. It is such a rich encounter with my Savior and Lord that words cannot begin to describe it. The times in my life that I have experienced the most challenges are the times when I have felt the Lord nearest to me.
I would like to encourage you to seek the same encounter with the Lord who loves you so much. Ask Him to show you special truths as you read the Bible. It may seem trivial to some people, but to you it will confirm that He has met with you and the two of you have enjoyed sweet fellowship.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
