by Pastor Cecil | Dec 24, 2012 | Luke
Luke 2:25-26
And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
When I hear the admonition to be prepared, my mind flies back across the years of time when I was in the Boy Scouts. The Boy Scout motto is – BE PREPARED! – It means that you consider what you are going to need in any given situation and be prepared with the necessary equipment or techniques to meet any type of unexpected event.
God had spoken through His prophets across the ages that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, and to a virgin. It seemed to be an impossible occurrence and there were far more skeptics than believers. Most of the religious leaders of that day were more interested in their own position than they were in listening to God. They were not prepared when God sent His Son in accordance with prophecy.
There were two exceptions – Simeon and Anna. Both expectantly spent their time in the Temple waiting for the promised Messiah. When Joseph and Mary appeared on the eighth day to have Jesus circumcised and named, they were prepared and found joy that their preparation was not in vain.
It was tragic that others in Israel were so filled with themselves that they could not have an open heart to welcome the Savior of the world. It is time to evaluate our own life to be able to determine if we are prepared to welcome the Lord. He came once and He is coming again. It is time to be prepared!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 21, 2012 | Luke
Luke 2:2-10
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.’
Several years ago our church had finished a wonderful Christmas Eve service. Earlier there had been candles placed inside white lunch bags that lined the driveway leading to the church.
Joyce and I had volunteered to extinguish the candles after everyone had left. It had snowed a few days earlier and there were still a few inches on the ground. The temperature was about twenty degrees (F) when we crunched through the snow to the far end. It was so quiet and beautiful that we were moved in our spirit with the beauty of God’s creation and the carol Silent Night.
The words of this well loved carol were written in 1818 by Josef Mohr after he had seen a play about the birth of Jesus. He was in a reflective mood and walked to a hill overlooking his village in the Austrian Alps. The view of the snow covered village reminded him of a poem he had written a few years earlier. The poem was about the night the angel announced the birth of Jesus.
The next day he took the words of his poem to Franz Gruber, who had just composed a melody. He re-worked the melody to match the words to the poem Mohr written. Our beloved carol, Silent Night was born.
Silent Night
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Savior is born
Christ, the Savior is born
Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
To access Silent Night, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Inspirational Music Videos, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/silentnight/ 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 | Dec 20, 2012 | 1 Peter
1 Peter 4:7
But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.
I am sure that you have heard all of the media attention to the fact that the Mayan calendar is suppose to end on this date and the end of the world will come. There have been predictions of calamity and destruction of unparalleled levels.
Ooops! If you are reading this on or after the 20th of December, you will know that man’s predictions of the end have not proven true. Far too often we hear predictions of the end, but as in all cases there is no way for us to be able to do so. That is for God to decide and God alone to determine. In fact we are told in Matthew 24:36, that the angels nor even the Lord Jesus knows when the time will come. Only God the Father knows!
From what I have determined from my study of Bible prophecy is that there are no further prophecies that must be fulfilled before the Lord appears to call His church to that wonderful home that has been prepared for us. Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!
With the return of Christ near at hand there is much work for us to do. We live in the midst of a lost and dying world. The word of hope and salvation that the lost need to hear should be on our tongue. As people see Jesus in us, we need to be ready to share the gospel message with them and have their name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 19, 2012 | 1 Peter
1 Peter 3:3-4
Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
I consider myself one of the most blessed men in the world. I am in the possession of one of the rarest gems known to man—a wife who has a sweet and gentle spirit. We have been married over 60 years and were high school sweethearts before our marriage in 1952.
It has not always been easy living with and loving a wife who has this unique and godly quality. She is so tender that I have hurt her many times without even knowing that my actions caused her pain. My temperament is very outgoing and aggressive. There have been far too many times when I failed to sense that my fun loving pranks caused her grief. For that I feel deep remorse.
In today’s Scripture I see that God is pleased with someone with the quiet and sensitive qualities that my precious wife possesses. She has become a vital example to me of how a precious handmaiden of the Lord can speak volumes without saying a word. It is her incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.
To you husbands who feel that your wife is too quiet and sensitive, I urge you to spend time in prayer and allow the Lord to reveal what a gift He has given you. As far as that goes, we all should evaluate the wonderful qualities that make us unique and thus form a united body of believers.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 18, 2012 | Luke
Luke 1:16-17
And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah,‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
As a school boy and even into my high school years, I never imagined that God could use me in the manner He has. I am sure that I started school too early, and as a result, I was always out of step with the others. I believed them when they said I was a remedial student. To me that meant that I was a dummy and fit for only a menial occupation. In my 11th grade in high school I was confronted with the reality that I could use this brain of mine. I am still the same ordinary kid, but God has revealed to me that He has a unique purpose for each of us.
In today’s Scripture, four hundred years of silence was broken and now an obscure priest from the hill country of Judea was the recipient of a Divine revelation. It was made by none other than the archangel, Gabriel.
He announced that this old couple, Zacharias and Elizabeth, were going to have a son and his name was to be John. Gabriel bridged that gap from the Old Testament book of Malachi and told Zacharias that this special son would be given the spirit of Elijah. He would lead a dramatic revival of spirituality, but even a greater purpose would be to announce the arrival of the promised Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth. Think of it. Before he was ever born his purpose was given!
I am convinced that the Lord has a purpose for each of us. You may feel that you lack the requirements to be used of God, but that is none of your business. It is God’s business and all you and I have to do is find God’s purpose for each and every day and then walk in expectancy. Go for it!!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
