by Pastor Cecil | Feb 7, 2014 | Titus
Titus 3:4-5
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
One night, 1886, in group of Christians were singing in a down-and-out part of a large city. A distraught young woman questioned if it would be possible for a sinner like her to be saved. Listening to her heart-cry for salvation, she was taken back to the mission and left with the ladies in charge. The young, wayward woman was brought to Christ that night.
A situation was secured for her in a minister’s family. Sometime later she became ill and had to be taken to a hospital. She rapidly failed and it became evident that she would not be long on earth. One of the gentlemen whom she had met on that night on the street, was visiting her in the ward. After quoting a few suitable verses of Scripture, he repeated her favorite hymn that include the words, “All to Him [Christ] I owe.” Two hours afterward she passed away.
Of course the greatest payment in our behalf is the gift of eternal life. It cost the horrible death of our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He paid what we could not pay. He went to the cross voluntarily because He knew we would never be able to pay the cost.
Jesus Paid It All
I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small!
Child of weakness watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”
Refrain:
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow.
For nothing good have I,
whereby Thy grace to claim
I will wash my garments white,
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.
Refrain:
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow.
And when before the throne,
I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down,
All down at Jesus’ feet.
Refrain:
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow.
To access Jesus Paid It All, this week’s inspirational video fromGloryScapes.com, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/jesuspaiditall/ 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 | Feb 6, 2014 | Matthew
Matthew 25:21
His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
The concept of a “servant spirit” intrigues me. Not only that, but it compels me to strive to become a faithful servant. As I study the pages of Scripture, I find that my heroes of the faith–such as Joseph and Daniel–demonstrated servanthood. As I study the lives of those servants in God’s Word, I find many common characteristics. They were not focused on their own needs, but on the needs of the master they served.
Joseph was below the status of a servant–he was a slave. Even though his world had crashed in around him, he gave himself totally to serve his master. I can barely imagine the long hours it took for Joseph to learn the Egyptian language, but he knew he had to learn it to be the best servant he possibly could.
Another quality of a servant that I see in Bible heroes is their sense of responsibility. They do not do the bare minimum, but demonstrate a self-sacrificial attitude. They never seem to be deterred by mistreatment. Their service is motivated by a desire to please God by the way they treat their human master. I want to be God’s servant!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 5, 2014 | Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy 30:19-20
This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
As a young boy, it was common for the kids in our neighborhood to spend quite a bit of time playing outside. We had no sedate activities that involved handheld electronic devices or such. We played kick the can by actually kicking the can, and many other active games like hide and seek, and dodge ball.
As the sun began to set in the west, each kid intentionally attuned his ears to listen for the familiar call from his house: “Suppertime!” (I don’t know about you, but it was never dinner — we called it supper.) Each one knew the sound of his own mother’s voice as she called him home to eat supper.
As we make our way through this life, we need to listen for the voice of the Holy Spirit. If we listen for that still, small voice, we will be able to hear. Our spiritual ears will be much sharper if we take time to read God’s Word and commune with Him in personal prayer.
As you examine your walk with the Lord, are you inclining your ears to hear when He calls? When you appear before the Lord, will you be able to say that you gave Him the attention He so rightly deserves? Call Lord, your servant is listening.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 4, 2014 | Isaiah
Isaiah 41:10
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness.
Recently I was reading Encouragement For Life, a book by Chuck Swindoll. I was impressed by one paragraph that I would like to share with you. There are times in life when you are brought face to face with spiritual reality, and that is what I felt when I read this statement:
“When you think biblically you focus first on God. Regardless of what you want, regardless of the circumstances you are under, regardless of what others say or think, regardless of how you feel. God and God alone is working out His great plan and in the final tally it will be fabulous.”
As a young boy, one of the first verses of scripture that I memorized was Isaiah 41:10. I am not sure which Sunday School teacher gave that as an assignment, but I praise her for doing so. It has been a beacon in my life in the darkest days I have had to face. I know it will continue to be so the rest of my days as well.
What is the beacon in your life? Are you interested in only what will please you? Are you waiting for the right circumstances? Are you influenced by the opinions of others? I urge you to make Isaiah 41:10 the beacon in your life!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 3, 2014 | Matthew
Matthew 24:36-37
But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
Yesterday, February 2nd, was celebrated as Groundhog Day. In the Northern Hemisphere, we are still almost seven weeks away from spring. Groundhog Day has become a good-natured way of breaking up the harsh reality of a frigid winter. Here in the U.S., Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, celebrates this day to the extreme. A groundhog is removed from the burrow, where it has supposedly been all winter. If it’s cloudy, Punxsutawney Phil won’t see his shadow, indicating it will be an early spring—if he sees his shadow, there will be seven more weeks of winter. RIGHT!
Basically, we humans want to know what is in the future. It causes me to shudder when I see people reading a horoscope from the newspaper to try to determine what their day holds. That stuff is poison to believers and should be avoided at all costs.
I am told that call-in psychic hotlines are kept busy spewing out bogus readings about what the future holds for the caller. If they are so accurate, why are they not able to determine what their own future holds?
The Lord knows what our future holds, and He alone is causing all things to work for our good and His glory. Our part in this is to trust and obey. There is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. Sounds like a song!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
