by Pastor Cecil | Dec 10, 2012 | Matthew
Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
It is always a thrill for me to build a fire. I guess it started when I was in my teens and a boy scout. One summer we had a week-long camp and our scoutmaster taught us the fundamentals of building and maintaining a good fire. It was a thrill for us to use our shoe laces, a bow and drill, and in a few minutes have a flame erupt from our dry shavings. He taught us to always have dry wood near at hand so we would be able to keep the fire burning.
Recently I have thought about these lessons as I have built fires in our small wood stove. When I first ignite the fire there is plenty of paper and kindling to allow the flames to quickly flame into light. It is not enough to produce a flame. I have to keep the fire growing by placing larger and larger wood in the flames.
One day last week as I was watching the growing fire, I placed a larger piece of wood. It was too much and too soon for the fire to continue burning. I found it necessary to pay close attention to place smaller kindling back in the flames until they would get the larger pieces engulfed.
In the spiritual realm we sometimes fail to learn the lessons from the fire box. We must insure that we light the fire in new believers. Then we need to provide just the right amount of kindling to get their flame burning bright. As we prayerfully add more and more solid wood we need to watch for the moment when they are burning on their own and producing fire in those around them. GET BURNING!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 7, 2012 | Luke
Luke 2:15
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’
The beloved Christmas carol O Come, All Ye Faithful was originally written in Latin (Adeste Fideles). The words were written by an Englishman, John Wade, who had intended it as a hymn.
The music to O Come, All Ye Faithful was composed by fellow Englishman John Reading in the early 1700s. In 1841, Rev. Frederick Oakley revised the lyrics of “Adeste Fideles.”
O Come, All Ye Faithful
Oh Come All Ye Faithful
Joyful and triumphant,
Oh come ye, Oh come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
Oh Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing all that hear in heaven God’s holy word.
Give to our Father glory in the Highest;
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
All Hail Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning,
Oh Jesus for evermore be Thy name adored.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing;
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
To access O Come, All Ye Faithful, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Inspirational Music Videos, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/ocomeallyefaithful/ 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 6, 2012 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
My cousin used to minister as a song evangelist going from church to church across the country with a preaching evangelist. He relates that one such preacher began the first service by asking if anyone had ever stolen anything, even as small as a pencil? Everyone raised their hand. He next asked who had ever told a lie, even just stretching the truth a little? Again every hand was raised. The evangelist turned to the pastor of the church and said: “Pastor, I am sure glad I am here to preach to this crowd. You have a church full of thieves and liars!”
In today’s Scripture, Paul speaks about temptation. He goes so far as to say that any temptation you may encounter has been experienced by others. That is not to say that it is excusable, but it reveals that we all have a sinful nature.
It is interesting that immediately following the statement about temptations being a common affliction to all mankind, Paul says, “God is faithful.” What a fantastic statement. We may experience the lure of temptation, but “God is faithful.” God is faithful in so many ways that it is hard to speak of only one, but that is what I want to do: “He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
In the book of Genesis we read about Joseph being tempted by Potiphar’s wife. Joseph sought the way out of the situation by avoiding her advances and evading any contact with her. You know the story about how she falsely accused him and he was confined to the prison. Let me tell you something .. . the prison was a place of escape. Joseph was protected from this lecherous woman by the mighty hand of God. It may have seemed punishment, but it was God’s protection.
Rather than becoming bitter by his false imprisonment, Joseph honed the organizational skills that God would use to raise him up to a position that was second in authority in all of Egypt. Even when it seemed that God had forgotten him, God was faithful!
You may feel as if the situations of life are crushing you down. You may experience the temptation to become bitter because someone you trusted has betrayed you. I have a solemn word of warning for you—watch out that you do not develop an unforgiving spirit.
Those who have cheated you have their own confessing to do, but your own battle is with the temptation to develop an unforgiving spirit. I trust that God will be your way of escape.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 5, 2012 | 1 Kings
1 Kings 17:13
And Elijah said to her,—Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son.
There are many jokes made about fruitcakes. One of the sayings I have heard across the years is that a fruitcake is very good, so long as you use it as a doorstop. I must admit that I tended to have that same opinion for many years.
My view of the lowly fruitcake changed when I was stationed with the US Air Force in St. Anthony, Newfoundland. I had not been there very long when I was invited to a home of one of the warm-hearted residents. I was served, of all things- – -fruitcake! But there was a huge difference. This fruitcake had been frosted with a delicious butter frosting. Wow! What a difference. I was now a fan of the former doorstop.
Sometimes we have been served a gospel message that is dry and hard. It seems that there were some who enjoyed it, but for the most part it remained untouched. Then we encountered a minister or a teacher who suddenly frosted the gospel message with the sweet reality of love, joy, and peace. Suddenly we could not get enough of it.
This is where each of us enters the scene. I think it is vital for us to spend enough time in God’s Word to discover how to make it alive and appealing to those we share our faith with. Being excited about what we discover in the Bible is the frosting on the cake. Please, whatever you do, do not make God’s Word a doorstop!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 4, 2012 | Isaiah
Isaiah 26:3-4
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.
There is a remarkable painting by Jack E. Dawson. He has titled it Peace in the Midst of the Storm. It pictures five small quail-like birds hidden behind a crashing waterfall in the midst of a thunderstorm. Wow!
It is such a comfort to me to understand that the Lord is always there with us in the midst of any storm we may encounter. Please repeat that statement—The Lord is always with me in the midst of the storm! The idea of perfect peace is especially appealing when you are in a storm.
Back a number of years ago, Joyce and I were invited to take a cruise to the San Juan Islands of Washington State. A friend of ours was using his cousin’s 30-foot cabin cruiser for the trip. The first day was very smooth, but then came a hazardous crossing of open ocean water. It was soon evident that we were in trouble. Waves on every side tossed us to and fro at will. We finally made it out of the storm.
Yes, there will be storms in the forecast for us. Storms are inevitable. But we also have the confident assurance that the Lord will shelter us in the storms. He will not always use the same methods to protect us, but He will be with us and hold us in the palm of His hand.
Do you want peace in the midst of your storm? Place your trust in the Lord and do not allow the storm to shake your faith. Praise the Lord that He is greater than any storm we will encounter!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
