by Pastor Cecil | Aug 8, 2014 | John
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
We have a liberal college in our community and from time to time we see bumper stickers from this group that read, World Peace. Some jokesters have made a play on this sticker by coming up with one of their own; Whirled Peas. I suppose the second sticker is much more easily achieved.
From the day that Adam and Eve sinned and were evicted from the garden there has been strife, conflicts and wars. For all of the rhetoric about attaining peace we are no closer to world peace, nor will we ever be until Jesus comes again to establish His Wonderful Peace over all the earth. What a fantastic day it will be when there is eternal peace. The featured hymn this week from GloryScapes, is Wonderful Peace.
Wonderful Peace
Far away in the depths of my spirit tonight
Rolls a melody sweeter than psalm;
In celestial strains it unceasingly falls
O’er my soul like an infinite calm.
Refrain: Peace, peace, wonderful peace,
Coming down from the Father above!
Sweep over my spirit forever, I pray
In fathomless billows of love!
What a treasure I have in this wonderful peace,
Buried deep in the heart of my soul,
So secure that no power can mine it away,
While the years of eternity roll!
Refrain
I am resting tonight in this wonderful peace,
Resting sweetly in Jesus’ control;
For I’m kept from all danger by night and by day,
And His glory is flooding my soul!
Refrain
And I think when I rise to that city of peace,
Where the Anchor of peace I shall see,
That one strain of the song which the ransomed will sing
In that heavenly kingdom will be:
Refrain
Ah, soul! are you here without comfort and rest,
Marching down the rough pathway of time?
Make Jesus your Friend ere the shadows grow dark;
O accept of this peace so sublime!
Refrain
To access Wonderful Peace, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Inspirational Music Videos, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/wonderfulpeace/ 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 | Aug 7, 2014 | James
James 4:7-8
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Last Sunday afternoon we had a visit from our granddaughter and her family who have just moved here from Texas. We were excited to see the family, but my heart was yearning to see the newest member of the family, great granddaughter Skye Elena, who is just two months old.
As I took her in my arms and cuddled her close to my chest, my mind was flooded with memories of days gone by. Our photo albums contain pictures of each of our three kids as babies, cuddled up on my chest. Now come the great grandbabies.
My grandfather on my mother’s side of the family was also a cuddler. He loved babies and babies felt it. They would cuddle up in a ball on his chest and feel the warmth of his love and security.
In the same manner as babies cuddle up in the arms of those who love them, God desires us to cuddle up to Him. At first it may sound sacrilegious, but as we read the Word of God we discover that He is ready and willing for us to draw near to His heart and rest in the shelter and comfort of His arms.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 6, 2014 | Isaiah
Isaiah 1:18
‘Come now, let us settle the matter,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’
Yesterday I wrote about an incident that occurred many years ago when our oldest daughter lost her retainer, causing us to spend many hours in a dumpster sifting through piles of smelly kitchen waste trying to find it.
While our youngest daughter, Lori, was at our house yesterday, I asked her to look it over for corrections. She stared at me with a shocked expression and said, “Dad, that was not Brenda — it was me that lost the retainer, and we were both searching.” She went on to say that her teacher even wrote in her year book that year, “Have your dad stay out of the dumpsters!” Lori continued to explain that we never did find the retainer, but when the dentist heard the story he replaced it free of charge.
I had no idea when I wrote yesterday’s E-Votional that I was conveying erroneous information. I certainly could recall the hours I spent digging through piles of leftover food scraps, but I had the wrong daughter and the wrong resolution to the problem. Lori asked me to go ahead and send out the E-Votional as written . . . but today I need to write this follow-up to correct my error and to teach a lesson.
When we receive knowledge that what we have done is wrong, immediately we need to set the record straight. My intentions were honorable, but my recollection was off base. When we see our errors we need to correct them and allow the Lord to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9).
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 5, 2014 | Luke
Luke 7:3-6
Then Jesus told them this parable: ‘Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’
When our oldest daughter, who has since gone to be with the Lord, was in high school she had problems with her teeth. To correct the problem the dentist had fitted her with a retainer. It was an expense that really stretched our limited budget.
Our hearts sank when she came home one day to announce that she had lost her retainer. The shock was followed by an examination of where she could have lost it. The only place she could remember taking it out was in the lunch room. We were filled with hope and dread. Hope of finding it and dread at having to dig through a messy dumpster that held all of the kitchen waste.
Looking for a needle in a haystack may have been harder, but it certainly would have smelled sweeter. Hour after hour we searched and even after dark we used lights, but found nothing. It was the next day that our daughter found the retainer in her purse. That was over 50 years ago and I still recall the joy at finding the lost.
Sometimes we have friends and family that are lost. We watch and pray for some way to reach them. What joy we feel when a lost soul is found. It is worth all of our effort to seek the lost. Only eternity will reveal the significance.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 4, 2014 | 2 Chronicles
2 Chronicles 7:14
If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
The humorous story is told of two children, Johnny and his younger sister Judy. The two had been outside playing when Judy rushed into the house crying. Judy told her mother that Johnny had hit her. Their mother asked Johnny why he had hit his sister. His reply: “I didn’t hit her—she just ran into my fist!”
It is always easier to blame someone else for our sins and transgressions than to confess them ourselves. This is especially true as we look at our sin-sick world. We cluck our tongues and pray for God to change our rotten society.
I certainly do not mean to imply that we are to accept what is going on in our world, but how does God expect us to respond? I think the answer is that we need to look into the mirror of God’s Word.
In today’s Scripture, God is speaking to His people. That means those of us who are born-again believers. So what does this passage say to us? Humble ourselves, pray, seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways.
Before we can ever hope to change our world, we have to examine ourselves and discover areas of sin and compromise that lurk deep within. We can never hope to see our world change until we are willing to experience a change in our own lives. Are you willing to change?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
