by Pastor Cecil | Jan 17, 2014 | Luke
Luke 15:19-20
So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
One of my most pleasurable jobs as a pastor is helping families restore broken relationships. I once was called upon to officiate at a funeral service. The son of the deceased told me that he had not spoken to his sister for years and wanted me to reconcile them before the service. Right! Just like that!
Less than an hour before the service I met with the two and their families. Each of them had ten or fifteen children, spouses and others on their side. He and his family were on one side and she and her family on the other side of the aisle. I had prayed for just the right words and to this day cannot recall what Scripture I used. I had just finished when the brother stood and walked across the aisle and hugged his sister. The two families merged with great joy.
Fanny J. Crosby lived from 1820 to 1915. This remarkable lady never let problems keep her away from the Lord. Her blindness as an infant meant that she spent her entire life without physical sight, but was blessed with a keen spiritual sight.
When she was only eight years old she wrote the following poem: Oh, what a happy child I am, although I cannot see! I am resolved that in this world contented I will be! How many blessings I enjoy that other people do not! So weep or sigh because I am blind, I cannot – nor I will not.
The hymn, Draw Me Nearer expresses her desire to draw nearer to her blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Draw Me Nearer
I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
To access Draw Me Nearer, this week’s inspirational video fromGloryScapes™ Christian Music Hymns & Songs, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/drawmenearer/ 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 | Jan 16, 2014 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 12:20
For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.
During World War II, there were colorful posters displayed in prominent places with this slogan: LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS. The intended message was to beware of unguarded talk because the enemy may be listening, and it could lead to disaster for our fighting men.
In our daily walk, we are exposed to loose lips. Another name for it is gossip. That is a horrible word. It implies spreading lies or half-truths about another person. An easy way to determine if gossip is involved is to ask if the words being spoken about a person would ever be spoken directly to that person.
Born-again believers that hold true to the faith, and have high standards of morality about many things, are sometimes guilty of having loose lips. It is certainly nothing to take lightly. I once worked for an obstinate boss and was guilty of gossiping about his actions.
The Lord convicted me of my sin and I quickly confessed it. The hard part was going to that man and asking for his forgiveness. I assured him that from that moment on I would confront him directly when I disagreed with his actions. I was promoted soon after that because he knew he could trust me. Do you have loose lips?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 15, 2014 | Psalm
Psalm 20:6
Now this I know: The LORD gives victory to His anointed. He answers him from His heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of His right hand.
There was a time when sporting events were just that. But now that time seems to be a distant memory. The world of sports has become such big business that even university sports coaches are often paid more than the presidents of those same universities. Getting that bone out of my teeth, let me proceed.
Raucous cheering erupts from spectators when a score is made, and especially when a game is won. Even without sound, it’s easy to tell which team is victorious by the reaction of players and fans. The winning side is happy and jubilant, while the losers are sad and dejected. I have never seen jubilation over a team that has lost.
In this season of playoffs and championship games, you can see supporters wearing jerseys of their favorite team and even painting themselves with their team’s colors. They shout, “We can do it!” even though they themselves are weak and incompetent. They just identify with their team and want to feel a part of the team.
God has allowed us the blessing of being a part of His winning team. No matter how strong the opponents may be, with God in control we are assured of victory. The trials of this life may seem to be crashing down around us, but we need to go back to the Word of God and see who wins. VICTORY is ours! Jesus wins!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 14, 2014 | Matthew
Matthew 25:28-31
What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did what his father wanted?
The word later usually has a negative connotation. It is used to delay doing the task that is at hand. Can you just hear the echoes of a child responding to a request by their mother; “Later Mom.” That later often becomes never as the frustrated mother gives in and does the job herself. We of course have never done that. Right!
The parable that Jesus relates in today’s Scripture has several facets. One of those is that it is never too late to change a LATER into a NOW. It does not matter how long we have delayed in doing the right thing, our actions speak louder than words.
I am so glad that the Lord is patient with us. We may fall short of the commitments we have made, or we may have refused to even make commitments, either way, He is always waiting for us to trust Him and follow when He leads us. Trust and obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
Procrastination always leads to disappointment. This is true for the ones who have asked us to do something, but also for ourselves. I think it is time for us to take a moment and search our memory banks for promises that we have not acted upon.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 13, 2014 | James
James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
Do you ever wonder where certain expressions get started? Not too long ago, the expression “my bad” began to be used when someone desired to acknowledge responsibility for a mistake. I guess that replaced the old standby, “Ooops!”
It does not matter which of these expressions are used, the understanding is that we have made a mistake. Not only that, we expect others to laugh it off and excuse it as one of the many frailties of human nature.
The story does not end there, however. What is our reaction when others do something unplanned or unexpected that adversely affects us? All too often we hit the ceiling, so to speak, and make a spectacle out of an accidental incident.
I am sure that we have all heard of the “Golden Rule.” In Luke 6:31 we read: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” Think how different our life (and the lives of others) would be if we made this a vital part of our behavior pattern. I want to commit myself to have such a servant spirit. Lord, help me to laugh more and be able to look past the “my bads” of those around me.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
