by Pastor Cecil | Mar 31, 2014 | 1 John
1 John 4:13-16
This is how we know that we live in Him and He in us: He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
I was calling on a member of a church I once pastored. He was in guarded health and the doctor had told him that he could go at any time. I read a few verses of Scripture with him and tried to encourage him in the Lord. To be honest I am not sure I was ever able to assure him that he was truly born again and ready to be with the Lord.
My dear friend Michael Keller has a prison ministry in Florida. One of the first questions he asks the inmates who he meets with is; “Do you think you are saved by being good?” Most answer “Yes!” That is not what the Bible says.
Let me share with you once again the words of Ephesians 2:8-9; “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” So it it is not what we do for God, but what He has done for us that assures us of eternal life.
When we pray an honest prayer to the Lord and invite Him to be the Lord of our life we can know beyond all shadow of doubt that at the moment we breathe our last breath here on this planet, we will be with the Lord forever and forever. Praise God!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 28, 2014 | Isaiah
Isaiah 55:6-7
Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
It was the final service of our annual Camp Meeting. The old tabernacle was crowded on a warm summer evening. The evangelist had been delivered a message outlining clearly the plan of salvation and the penalty that faced anyone who failed to accept the Lord Jesus as personal Savior.
I was sitting with my cousin and across the aisle from us was his dad. We knew that Uncle Harold had rejected the Lord, but were hopeful that this would be the time he would open his heart. The congregation was led in the old invitation hymn, Softly and Tenderly.
Wayne and I could see his dad weeping with conviction. We went over to him and pleaded with him to go forward and invite Jesus into his heart. Even though tears were flowing, he shook his head and refused to be moved. As far as we know he never made that choice. How sad that God’s free gift of eternal life was rejected. How about you? Have you honestly and sincerely invited Jesus Christ to be the Lord of your life? He is calling, O sinner, come home. All you have to do is open your heart and invite Him to come in.
Softly and Tenderly
Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
watching for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading;
pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not His mercies;
mercies for you and for me?
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
passing from you and for me.
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
coming for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
O, for the wonderful love He has promised,
promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
pardon for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
To access Softly and Tenderly, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Christian Music Hymns & Songs, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/softlyandtenderly/ 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 | Mar 27, 2014 | Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy 4:39-40
Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the Lord your God gives you for all time.
I can recall with a sad heart the times when people I thought could be trusted, just could not be trusted. The result was shattering and I must confess that it took a great deal of prayer and fasting before things returned to normal.
I have come to realize that there is a God in heaven and He loves us so much that He sent His own dear Son, Jesus, to suffer and die in order to ransom us from sin. Because of the original sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden we have been a fallen race. Satan lied to our original parents and they fell for his glib enticement.
I do not know where you are at this time moment in your life. It could be that you have faced betrayal and rejection. Those that promised you so much have turned out to be a bitter disappointment.
Where can we turn at times like this? As always the answer is the Word of God. It is the window into the heart of God and His everlasting faithfulness. It does not matter how many times people have failed us, we can place our trust in the Lord with the absolute confidence that He will never fail us. We can trust Him.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 26, 2014 | James
James 4:13-14
Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
For the past two weeks and more, it seems that the whole world’s attention has been focused on the disappearance of Malaysian flight 370 with 277 passengers and 12 crew members.
Last Saturday there was a massive mudslide here in the State of Washington. So far, there are 14 confirmed dead and over 100 more unaccounted for. These are only two incidents that resulted in loss of life in a moment of time.
Each of us lives only a heartbeat away from eternity. When you are as old as I am, you know that the days of life are greatly reduced. Many people much younger than I am have suddenly had their lives ended in a moment of time.
Regardless of how long we live, we can have the confident assurance that at the moment of our death we can know that we will be with the Lord Jesus. Our Scripture for today tells us just how fleeting this earthly life is. The question that we need to ask ourselves is whether we have received Jesus to be the Lord of our life and insure that our name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 25, 2014 | Matthew
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
It seems the more labor-saving devices that are created, the more weary people become. About anywhere you go these days, you will hear people complain about how tired and exhausted they are. In my growing up years, people had to do far more physical labor than we are called upon to perform today.
Wood had to be cut, chopped, and stacked to provide warmth and heat for cooking. Most of the meals were prepared in the kitchen rather than being purchased at the local super market.
The average work week was at least 48 hours . . . and much of the time it consisted of what today we would consider hard labor. Many people lacked a car so it was not uncommon to walk several miles to work, school, church, or to visit friends. However, complaints about weariness were few.
Be that as it may, we are still faced with bodies that are weary and worn. Facing the reality of weariness, Jesus gives the answer in today’s Scripture. He calls us to come to Him and take His yoke upon us. It may seem a paradox, but in reality, when we take on His yoke, He is the one that bears the burden. Try Him!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
