by Pastor Cecil | Nov 21, 2014 | Matthew
Matthew 6:27
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
True Christian character is certainly seen in our biblical heroes, but it may often be seen in those of more recent times. Hope is a character quality that looks beyond our immediate circumstances and shows what we as believers have waiting for us.
In the Sweet By and By is one of the most enduring songs written after the Civil War. It was composed by Sanford Bennett who was the owner of a drugstore in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. He had just returned from the war. A friend, Joseph Webster, a gifted musician trained formally in composition, came to the store each day to talk and play chess. Often Webster would be depressed and down.
When asked what was wrong, Webster would often reply; “It will be alright by and by.” That idea hit Bennett like a flash of sunlight! As Bennett later described the incident, he took out a pen and it was all over in thirty minutes. A new hymn was born. In short order he was singing the words along with Webster and two other friends. That hymn was perfect for the post-Civil War era because it conveyed pathos with a mixture of comforting warmth. It came to typify the virtues of spiritual hope.
Sweet By And By
There’s a land that is fairer than day,
And by faith we can see it afar;
For the Father waits over the way,
To prepare us a dwelling place there.
Chorus: In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
We shall sing on that beautiful shore,
The melodious songs of the blest;
And our spirits shall sorrow no more,
Not a sigh for the blessing of rest.
Chorus: In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
To our bountiful Father above,
We will offer our tribute of praise,
For the glorious gift of His love,
And the blessings that hallow our days.
Chorus: In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
To access Sweet By And By, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/sweetbyandby 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 | Nov 20, 2014 | James
James 1:5-8
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
Years ago I received an e-mail requesting prayer for a “prayer worrier.” I am sure the writer meant “prayer warrior,” but as I have done so many times, they misspelled the word and thus changed the meaning.
Stop for a few minutes and consider the difference between the two. I went to the dictionary and found this definition for warrior: One who is engaged in or experienced in battle. One who is engaged aggressively or energetically in an activity, cause, or conflict. I am not sure about you, but that sounds like someone I would like to have on my side!
To get a clear difference we need to look at the definition for worrier: One who thinks about unfortunate things that may or may not happen. Whoops! That is certainly not the person I would feel confident to have in my corner as a prayer partner.
Let me leave you with this translation from the Amplified Bible: “[For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides].”
In all honesty, are you a prayer WARRIOR or a feeble worrier?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 19, 2014 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 5:16-17
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!
I think it was back in 1960 that I was a County Juvenile Probation Officer. Three teenage girls had repeatedly been arrested by local authorities — they had fled from the officers so many times they were known as the gazelles. As a last effort to deal with their delinquency, the judge ordered them to be confined in the Youth Training Center several hundred miles away.
The Judge had me transport them, so along with my wife Joyce, we began the trip. The deputies had placed leg restraints on the girls to keep them from escaping. A few miles out of town, however, I stopped and asked the three if we could make the trip as a family rather than treating them as prisoners. They readily agreed and we had no problem. By the time we arrived at the facility, we all felt like family.
A few days ago I saw an obituary for a man whose name sounded familiar. As I looked down the list of survivors I saw he had a sister who had the same name as one of those girls. I was able to find her phone number and called. Amazingly she said it was her and vividly recalled the trip. Her life was turned around and she was a changed woman. Did I say woman? On the trip she was about 15, she now is approaching 70. How time flies!
We all have opportunities to impact others we come in contact with. Never neglect to spend time with young people. Let them know you are there for them. Perhaps you will be the only family they will ever have.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 18, 2014 | Colossians
Colossians 1:19-20
For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
As a pastor and Christian Counselor, I have been faced with heartbroken parents who had lost a child. In my attempt to bring comfort, I would empathize with them. Unfortunately, when I said that I knew what they were going through, they reacted in a distant manner.
In actuality I could not know what they were experiencing since I had not lost a child. But that all changed on July 11, 1991, when our oldest daughter, Brenda, slipped into eternity. Joyce and I had witnessed others say farewell to a loved one, but now we would know the reality first hand.
The Godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) had been One throughout all of eternity. Then Jesus, the Son, was sent to this earth to fulfill God’s prophetic purpose—to bring the offer of salvation to all who would receive it. Jesus shed His precious blood to pay the price for our sins. He became sin for us!
So where did Jesus assure our victory over sin and death? On the cross! The very moment His life faded and the last drop of His precious blood was shed, Satan was a defeated foe. That is why the very last words of Jesus on the cross, as recorded in John 19:30, were: “It is finished!”
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 17, 2014 | Matthew
Matthew 6:19-21
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Recently I saw an ad on TV in which a woman was walking toward the camera. She boasted that she was in her 50’s and had many more years left to live. That may sound good to the company she was representing, but it just isn’t always so.
Take time to peruse the obituary column in your local newspaper. You will be amazed at the significant number of deaths of young people. We lost our oldest daughter at age 34, so we are well aware that life is fleeting.
As we read today’s Scripture, we find that the things of this world are not certain. In other words, they pass away. In Luke 16, Jesus tells the parable of the rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. Here on earth the rich man seemed to scorn the lowly beggar who survived on the scraps from his table. But things changed when they both died. Lazarus was now experiencing eternal bliss while the former rich man suffered excruciating agony. (And it would never end.)
We never know when the Lord will call us home. We may have many years to live or we may die this week. The important thing is that we make every effort to store up our treasures in heaven. Where is your heart?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
