by Pastor Cecil | Oct 3, 2014 | Proverbs
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
I once read about a forest service worker who was walking through an area that had just been ravaged by a forest fire. He saw a strange mound and stopped to check it out. To his astonishment it was a mother bird that had been killed by the fire. As he knelt to examine the bird, he heard a peep from under the pile of ashes. When he turned the bird over he found several chicks.
Instead of flying to save herself, the mother had sacrificed herself in order to protect her brood from the fire that was sweeping toward them. That is what Jesus has done for us. He wants to shelter us under His wings from the firestorm of life.
In 1896, William Cushing wrote the words and Ira Sankey composed the music to the hymn, Under His Wings. Enjoy this featured hymn from GloryScapes.
Under His Wings
Under His wings, I am safely abiding,
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild.
Still I can trust Him; I know He will keep me,
He has redeemed me and I am His child.
Refrain: Under His wings, under His wings,
who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
safely abide forever.
Under His wings, what a refuge in sorrow!
How the heart yearningly turns to His rest!
Often when earth has no balm for my healing,
There I find comfort, and there I am blessed.
Refrain: Under His wings, under His wings,
who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
safely abide forever.
Under His wings, oh, what precious enjoyment!
There will I hide till life’s trials are over;
Sheltered, protected, no evil can harm me,
Resting in Jesus, I’m safe evermore.
Refrain: Under His wings, under His wings,
who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
safely abide forever.
To access Under His Wings, this week’s free inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/underhiswings/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 2, 2014 | 2 Peter
2 Peter 1:5-7
But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
Pride takes many forms. One of these is self-confidence. We often believe we know what is right without spending time with God seeking His will and purpose for our actions. Since the Garden of Eden we humans have listened to Satan’s whispers telling us we are able to make our own decisions without listening to God. The human mind is remarkable, but when it comes to knowing the right choices, we are at a loss.
We agree that salvation is obtained by grace through faith. We then follow that step by trying to live a virtuous life. Peter, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says following that we are to seek knowledge. That is what Solomon asked for when he became king of Israel upon the death of his father, David.
All through his reign, as well as the reigns of the other leaders before and after, when they asked God for wisdom, God answered. When they acted upon their own instincts, they failed.
The great question confronting each of us is whether we will accept God’s knowledge as revealed in the Bible, or rely on our own abilities. I choose to trust in the Lord and find godly knowledge.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 1, 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 was a slogan that was broadcast on radio, displayed on billboards, and published in newspapers: “LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS!” What did that mean? It meant that there may be spies close by and if you carelessly revealed information about the war effort, it could result in peril to our fighting forces.
As a young boy living in a small town fairly close to the Pacific coast, I felt the concern of the adults around me. Many families had sons or daughters serving in the military and others worked in the defense industry. They knew that silence was not only the best policy, it was the only policy.
How do we relate that slogan to a spiritual concept? The mouth is often used as a WMD — a weapon of mass destruction. Cruel and harsh things are spoken which wound and maim those within earshot. HOW WOULD JESUS SAY IT?
All too often I hear Christians saying things that would be better left unsaid, or to be said in a gentler and quieter way. God is not pleased with Christians who scream out in rage. He wants us to speak words of encouragement and hope.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
