by Pastor Cecil | Dec 31, 2014 | Isaiah
Isaiah 55:6-7
“Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.”
Charles Thomas “C.T.” Studd, was a missionary ministering in China, India, and Africa in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. His devotion to serve God in the far flung areas of the world can be summed up by one of his quotes: “Forward ever, Backward never! Some wish to live within the sound of Church or Chapel bell; I want to run a Rescue Shop within a yard of hell.”
One of his quotes has frequently been mistaken from scripture. It actually is from one of his poems.
Only One Life ‘Twill Soon Be Past
Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgment seat;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave, And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, a few brief years, Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill, living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
When this bright world would tempt me sore, When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way, Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, “twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, ”Thy will be done”;
And when at last I’ll hear the call, I know I’ll say “twas worth it all”;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
We have a new year stretching out before us. My prayer is that this year I may make this phrase a reality in my life. Have a blessed 2015!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 30, 2014 | Hebrews
Hebrews 13:6-8
“So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?’ Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Back when I was eight or nine, my parents owned a café in Camas, Washington, called Kelley’s. I have many fond memories of spending time in and around that place. I would sometimes help the dishwasher, but in reality was no doubt more hindrance than help.
Years after we had moved away from Camas, I always wanted to drive by and see if Kelly’s was still open. I had told my wife Joyce about it enough times she was no doubt tired of hearing my stories. A day came when I took a trip down memory lane with Joyce. I was able to find our old house and our old church where I had given my heart to the Lord, but my heart was sad when we saw the building where Kelly’s had been. It was now an insurance agency. Rats!
There have been other instances where we have tried to find some favored spot only to discover the use has changed and it is entirely different from the way we remember. It is disappointing to have the buildings of our past change, but it is heart breaking to discover people have changed for the worse.
In today’s Scripture we are urged to stay the course and walk in such a way that our life will be an example to others. Jesus is always the same and that is the rock upon which we are to build our life.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 29, 2014 | Galatians
Galatians 3:23-24
“Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith.“
I must confess that it is humorous to be in a position in which someone who has been in authority over you now finds you are in that position.
Way back in 1953 I walked into an Air Force Recruiting Station and was met by Sgt. Swift. He told me of the positive features available if I enlisted. I trusted him and enlisted.
That is not the end of the story. About ten years later I had received my college degree and a commission in the Air Force. My first assignment was at the training base where I had attended Officers Training School. As I looked over the personnel that I now supervised, guess whose name I saw. Sgt. Swift! His first response was, “Oh no!” We had a good laugh about how things had changed and he was glad he had been honest.
I encountered another serendipity in my life. I was working for the Idaho State Law Enforcement Administration and had been in the northern part of the State. On my way back I was stopped by an officer who wrote out a ticket (I am sure he did so because he was sure I would not be able to appear in court.) His bad luck was that I had another meeting in that county in a week and the judge not only dismissed the ticket, but chided the officer for negligence. A few years later I was teaching a criminal Justice class at Boise State—you guessed it— my officer was now my student! His first response was, “Oh no!” (I was kind to him, but had him squirming for awhile.)
We will all appear before the Judge of the universe. Every single thought or deed will be revealed. I am sure Satan will try to bring up every sinful thing in our past, but when we have confessed our sins and received Jesus into our hearts, we need not fear. Jesus was born in Bethlehem to pay the price for our sins. He has done what we could never do! Praise the Lord!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 26, 2014 | Proverbs
Proverbs 3:3
“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.”
Back in the 1970’s (Can you remember that far back?) I was working for the State of Idaho and because of my background I also taught night classes at Boise State in the fields of Criminal Justice and Sociology. We had to have at least 20 students enrolled for the class or it would not be offered. Several times I went to pick up my class roll and discovered there were not enough signed up.
One class I remember well. I went to the registrar’s office hoping to have enough students. I asked if there were enough and with a laugh I was told that there were 122 students. Wow! What was I going to do with that many students? I asked a friend who was a full time professor about my dilemma. He laughed and said; “Cecil, you will not be a teacher, you will be an entertainer!”
At the close of the first session I gave the class assignment. They were to state what was the most important thing to them and why. There were some grumbles, but when they came back to the following week I could detect a change. They had been thinking about what was most important to them and it made them smile.
As I reviewed their responses for the next class session, I was amazed. Most had listed LOVE as the most important thing. Second in importance was JOY and then came PEACE. Now remember that this was a state university, but I took out my Bible and read Galatians 5:22-23; “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” I used their responses as the pattern to teach real meaning into our lives.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 25, 2014 | Proverbs
Proverbs 3:3
“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.”
Over the 62 years of our marriage, Joyce has been the driving force behind sending out Christmas cards and greetings. I can remember that she was adamant about getting them in the mail the day after Thanksgiving. Joyce has not able to do that this year and in fact it has been a few years since she was able to do so. Looking back we can now see that it was because of the early signs of her dementia that limited her ability. This has rapidly progressed and just this past week she was placed on Hospice.
Leaving that behind, we want to send to each of you our love and best wishes. As we celebrate the entry into the world of the King of kings and Lord of lords, please make time from all of the gifting, eating and merriment to stand in awe of a God who loves us so much that He sent His dear Son, born as a tiny baby is a smelly stable.
This is a time for rejoicing in the Lord for all He has done for us. Family and friends will surround us, and that is good. But please take time to spend quality time with the Lord in prayer and thank Him for His marvelous gift of our blessed Savior and Lord.
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MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EACH OF YOU!
Blessings dear hearts!
Cecil & Joyce
