by Pastor Cecil | Oct 10, 2014 | Philippians
Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
William Walford did not allow the fact that he was blind limit his service for his Lord. He was frequently called upon to preach in a small country church. He composed the sermons in his head and also was able to quote large portions of Scripture from memory. Some people thought he had memorized the entire Bible. He also composed verses as the Lord laid the words upon his heart. Above all—he was a man of prayer.
In the mid 1800’s, Thomas Salmon was visiting in England and became acquainted with Pastor Walford. As they were visiting one day the blind pastor quoted a few pieces he had composed. Since he had no one to write them down he had kept them treasured in the storehouse of his mind.
One of the verses he related to Mr. Salmon was, Sweet Hour of Prayer.Mr. Salmon eagerly scribbled the words down on a scrap of paper. When he returned to New York he sent the verses to the Observerand asked if they thought them worth preserving. The Observer did think them worthy and published them on September 13, 1845. The music was added by William Bradbury in 1861.
Sweet Hour of Prayer
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer!
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne
Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer!
The joys I feel, the bliss I share,
Of those whose anxious spirits burn
With strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place
Where God my Savior shows His face,
And gladly take my station there,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer!
Thy wings shall my petition bear
To Him whose truth and faithfulness
Engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since He bids me seek His face,
Believe His Word and trust His grace,
I’ll cast on Him my every care,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer!
May I thy consolation share,
Till, from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height,
I view my home and take my flight:
This robe of flesh I’ll drop and rise
To seize the everlasting prize;
And shout, while passing through the air,
‘Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!’
To access Sweet Hour of Prayer please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/sweethourofprayer 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 | Oct 9, 2014 | Jeremiah
Jeremiah 9:23-24
This is what the Lord says: ‘Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know Me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord.
In our kitchen we have a beautiful peppermill and salt shaker set. It is made of oak and has been turned to perfection. It is hard to calculate the hours it took to create this fantastic set. It was a gift from the man who made it and I recall the occasion when it was given.
There was a specialty auction and people had brought all sorts of items to be sold to raise funds for some church project. Nick-knacks that had been thrown together were bringing fairly high bids. When it came to these handcrafted works of love there were very few bids and all were small. In frustration the man who had made them won the bid himself. He commented that the price did not even cover the cost of materials. He gave them to Joyce and me as a gift. We have treasured them since that night.
Pride and boasting have always been a part of fallen man. The things we count as precious in our own eyes may are not necessarily the things that God desires. In today’s Scripture we are told that what counts as precious in God’s sight is for us seek and know more about His nature. That He exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness here on earth.
Have you found the secret of bringing delight to the Lord? Spend quality time looking for the wonders He has performed around us. Then share it with others. It is not what we have done for Him, but what He does for us. DELIGHT GOD!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 7, 2014 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 12:8-9
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
A story is told of a very poor man who lived in ancient times that had only one horse and one son. As the son grew older, he used the horse to plow the fields, to haul the produce to market, and ride from place to place on various errands. People showed no pity and often made disparaging remarks about his poverty.
Things went from bad to worse for the poor man when his son was thrown off the horse to the ground and broke his leg. The people clucked their tongues and wondered what evil thing this poor man had done to have such bad fortune to befall him. But he would just smile and reply, “The Lord knows what I need. I will still trust Him.”
Soon after the son’s accident, the king sent messengers to each village and demanded that every able-bodied young man report for battle immediately. The only one in this age group who was not conscripted was the poor man’s injured son. Later on, the sad news reached the village of a terrible defeat for the king’s army. Now the man who had once been pitied was considered to be the one who was blessed.
Romans 8:28 is true in any and every circumstance: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
As a child of God He may delay the answer to our prayer, or He may deny it as He did with Paul. Whatever the Lord determines for our lives, His grace is sufficient.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 7, 2014 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 12:8-9
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
A story is told of a very poor man who had only one horse and one son. lived in ancient times. As he grew older, his son used the horse to plow the fields, to haul the produce to market and ride from place to place on various errands. People showed no pity and often made disparaging remarks about his poverty.
Things went from bad to worse when his son was thrown to the ground and his leg broken. The people clucked their tongues and wondered what evil thing this poor man had done to have such bad fortune to befall him. He would just smile and reply, “The Lord knows what I need. I will still trust Him.”
Soon after the son’s accident, the king sent messengers to each village and demanded that every able-bodied young man report for battle immediately. The only one in this age group who was not conscripted was the poor man’s son. Later the sad news reached the village of a terrible defeat. Now the man who had once been pitied was considered to be the one who was blessed.
Romans 8:28 is true in any and every circumstance: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.””
As a child of God He may delay the answer to our prayer, or He may deny it as He did with Paul. Whatever the Lord determines for our lives, His grace is sufficient.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 6, 2014 | Philippians
Philippians 1:21-24
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
Someone has made a very profound observation: “The percentage of death is 100%.” That may be profound, but it is not at all original. It reminds me of an old song called “Little Jimmy Brown.” It spoke of the birth, marriage, and death of a man just known as Jimmy Brown.
As we make our way through this life we need to be aware that we are all destined to die (unless the Lord calls us home in the Rapture). So — how many years will we live? None of us has the answer that question. Having turned 80 this year, I am well that I am in the zone. But then I stop and remember that I had grandparents and one parent who lived into their 90’s. Only God knows how long I will remain.
You know what? That does not distress me. The Lord has given me a meaningful ministry and be it a few days or many years I am content in trusting myself into the arms of my Savior. I can honestly say EITHER WAY!
When I use the term either way, I do not want to imply a flippant attitude, but that is truly the way I feel. The Lord has blessed me in so many ways that I could never count them all. As Paul says in today’s Scripture; “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” EITHER WAY!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
