by Pastor Cecil | Aug 10, 2012 | John
“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).
We hear of wars and rumors of wars. It seems that every day there is more chaos and strife in this old sin sick world. In recent days there have been attacks that have claimed many lives, including Christians.
The words of today’s Scripture come from the lips of our precious Jesus. He foresaw a when true believers would pay for their faith by their own blood. We do not relish that thought, but at the same time we are given words that bring peace even in the midst of our ordeals.
The United Nations was established back in 1945, following World War II to insure there would be peace in our world. It has not worked. Even member nations of this body become engaged in warfare with each other. For all of the rhetoric about attaining peace we are no closer to world peace, nor will we ever be until Jesus comes again to establish His “Wonderful Peace” over all the earth.
Wonderful Peace
Far away in the depths of my spirit tonight
Rolls a melody sweeter than psalm;
In celestial strains it unceasingly falls
O’er my soul like an infinite calm.
Refrain:
Peace, peace, wonderful peace,
Coming down from the Father above!
Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray
In fathomless billows of love!
What a treasure I have in this wonderful peace,
Buried deep in the heart of my soul,
So secure that no power can mine it away,
While the years of eternity roll! Refrain:
I am resting tonight in this wonderful peace,
Resting sweetly in Jesus’ control;
For I’m kept from all danger by night and by day,
And His glory is flooding my soul! Refrain:
And I think when I rise to that city of peace,
Where the Anchor of peace I shall see,
That one strain of the song which the ransomed will sing
In that heavenly kingdom will be: Refrain:
Ah, soul! are you here without comfort and rest,
Marching down the rough pathway of time?
Make Jesus your Friend ere the shadows grow dark;
O accept of this peace so sublime! Refrain:
To access Wonderful Peace, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Inspirational Music Videos, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/wonderfulpeace/ 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 | Aug 9, 2012 | Jeremiah
Jeremiah 33:3
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
It goes without saying that we live in an age of communication. In Bible times communication was made by sending a letter by a messenger who was going to the city where the recipient lived. It would often take days, weeks or even months for the letter to arrive. Modern postal services progressed rapidly from the days of the Pony Express to overnight delivery.
The very fact that I can type these few words five days a week and send them out to over five thousand people around the globe is one of the examples of communication in action. It is almost impossible to walk or drive anywhere without seeing people talking or texting on their cell phones. Even kids in lower grades feel slighted and deprived if they do not have a cell phone of their own.
In spite of all these modern advances in communication, there is a cry for more and better communication. I often hear people lament that they really do not have anyone who is close enough to keep in touch with them. It is like being alone in the midst of a huge crowd. Millions of people may surround us, but we feel terribly alone.
The Lord delights in hearing from us. His heart is always open to the cries of His dear children. He wants us to share the activities of our day and our anticipation for what lies before us. It is His desire that we draw near to Him in reading His precious Word and in bringing all of our emotions to Him. He beckons us to call Him. Hello Lord!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 8, 2012 | Psalm
Psalm 19:1-4
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.
My fascination with the space program began way back in 1957 when the Russians launched Sputnik. I remember looking up in the clear Idaho sky watching as it made a pass overhead. Since that night so long ago I have seen scores of spacecraft as they made their way across the sky.
Sunday night I eagerly watched as scientists at the Jet Propulsion Lab in California anxiously waited as the Mars Rover, Curiosity, headed for a landing in a designated spot. The last seven minutes was described as seven minutes of terror—it was make or break in an unprecedented technical landing. The Rover made it! The place erupted with joy, shouts hugs, backslaps and pandemonium. It was fun to watch such elation.
As I watched the scene of joy, my attention was suddenly drawn to a bank of windows. There were observers on the other side of the windows that were not part of the scene. They were smiling, but they lacked the same enthusiasm as those inside. It was almost as if they wanted to be inside but they were on the outside.
There will come a day when the saints of God will rejoice like they have never rejoiced before. We will finally see our precious Jesus who gave His life that we might have His eternal life. Families will be restored and we will know and love each and every other believer from all ages. Those who have never accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior will watch the celebration but never be able to participate. Come inside, now is the day of salvation!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 7, 2012 | Philippians
Philippians 2:12-13
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.
One of the most heartbreaking things I have experienced is to receive word that someone who seemed to be a dedicated follower of the Lord Jesus Christ has been living a double standard. They talked a good talk and seemed to walk an upright and dedicated life, but it was just a sham.
Over the years I have had occasion to be in situations where I have been in close contact with men who are away from home and family. For some it is the first time they have been in this situation. Some feel a sense of release to do the sinful things they would never have participated in before. What was the difference? They now felt that there was no one around who knew their spiritual position.
We are well aware that such feelings of release are a lie of Satan. He delights in deceiving believers by whispering in their ears, “No one will ever know.” Our life is no Las Vegas where the theme is “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” This is a lie, for we know that the Holy Spirit is always with us and He sees and knows what we are doing. He brings conviction to remind us that God hates sin!
Today’s Scripture does not imply that we work to achieve salvation. Salvation is by grace through faith. It is clear when we read the entire passage that Paul is writing to believers. It is Paul’s prayer that all true believers will actively do the works of righteousness so that the Lord will fulfill His good purpose. That is my desire! LET’S LIVE IT!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 6, 2012 | Hebrews
Hebrews 3:12-13
See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
I recall an old comic strip (it may still be around) called Popeye. One of the characters who appeared from time to time was an overweight free-loader called Whimpy. It seems that he never had money to purchase his favorite food which was hamburgers. He had a standard line: I will pay you tomorrow for a hamburger today.
All too often we have lived in the same mind set. We make promises to God that we will make a full and complete commitment—but just not yet! We make every excuse under the sun to delay doing what we committed to do.
Our heavenly Father is the God of today. It is His desire that we focus our attention on the immediate and walk obediently beside Him. Our tendency is to want to do things in our own time. That means living by our own desires and putting off obeying the Lord immediately.
Satan delights when we put off doing what the Lord tells us to do today. It seems that he is satisfied if we just delay. He convinces us that tomorrow is soon enough, and we are not really disobeying God, we are just waiting for a more convenient time. When we buy into that deception we delight Satan and grieve the Lord. Let us do what Jesus commands today!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
