by Pastor Cecil | May 22, 2015 | 2 Kings
2 Kings 6:17
“And Elisha prayed, and said, ‘LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”
One of my greatest thrills in my ministry is ministering to those who have lost their sight. I hesitate to call them blind because many times they see much better than I can—they see in a different way. You might say they see with their other senses better than we can see with our ocular facilities.
Yesterday I wrote about voice recognition. I’m thinking of a couple, Burl and Denise. Both have lost 100% of their sight. The last time I saw them was at a wedding reception. People were talking all around us and yet when I said hello to them immediately they responded, “Hello Cecil, how are you?” They recognize me because they saw me with their ears.
This passage is one of my favorites. Elisha, by the power of the Holy Spirit, had been supplying the king of Israel up-to-date reports on any traps that the king of Aram had been setting for him. When the king of Aram discovered that it was Elisha who had been warning the king of Israel, he sent troops by night to arrest Elisha and bring him back to him.
In the morning the servant of Elisha saw the armed force of Aram surrounding them. In utter terror he reported to Elisha that they were surrounded and there was no hope of escape for them. It was then that Elisha prayed this prayer to allow his servant what he already was able to see. Oh, how I wish we could see the army of the Lord that He has placed around us.
Clara Fiske Scott lived from 1841 to 1897 when she died after being thrown from a buggy pulled by a runaway horse. She was a prolific hymn writer, but only this week’s featured hymn is still in circulation. Think of her hymn as a prayer such as Elisha had prayed so long ago.
Open My Eyes
Open my eyes, that I may see,
glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key,
that shall unclasp and set me free.
Refrain: Silently now I wait for Thee,
ready my God, Thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine.
Open my ears, that I may hear,
voices of truth Thou sendest clear;
And while the wave notes fall on my ear,
everything false will disappear.
Refrain: Silently now I wait for Thee,
ready my God, Thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine.
Open my mouth, and let me bear,
gladly the warm truth everywhere;
Open my heart and let me prepare,
love with Thy children thus to share.
Refrain: Silently now I wait for Thee,
ready my God, Thy will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine.
To access Open My Eyes, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Christian Music Hymns & Songs, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/openmyeyes 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 | May 21, 2015 | John
John 10:1-3
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”
Voice recognition is a strange thing. Something in the tone of a voice identifies who it is that is speaking or calling. When I was a boy we would be outside playing, and in the evening our mother would call us to come home for dinner. Without any identification other than the sound of her voice, each of us would know whether it was our mother or the mother of one of our friends. Just the sound of the voice made the difference.
When I was in college we lived in a housing project with other married college students. It was not too long after World War II and the housing was former military barracks. Not the most glamorous place to live, but the camaraderie that existed between all of the married families was wonderful.
One evening several of us men were visiting outside, discussing college and some of the difficult professors we had (yes there were some of them), when the wife of one of the men opened her door and yelled at the top of her voice, “Chester! Come in right now! It is getting dark!” We would have recognized her voice a block away. Poor Chester! We felt for him!
I am told that the sheep can identify the voice or the sound of their shepherd. It may be a whistle or a guttural sound. It may be a hand signal or body language. No matter what means of communication, the sheep know when the Shepherd is calling. How do we know when the Lord is speaking to us? The more time we spend in His Word and in prayer, the more familiar we become with the way He speaks. Listen for His voice and obey!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 20, 2015 | John
John 16:32-33
“Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
“Be of good cheer!” How easy it is to pronounce statements like that without considering the cost. According to Jesus, we are going to have tribulations. Have you experienced them yet? Some wise person once observed that if you haven’t already, you will. They are not just mere words—they are reality. This world is not an easy place in which to live. But, we are called to live here and to be an example.
I really haven’t had to suffer too much in my lifetime. I’ve lost many family members that were very close and very dear. I have gone through financial reversals. I have known physical restrictions and conflicts. But I can’t truly say that I have really suffered the way many have suffered and are suffering.
John the beloved disciple wrote the book in which we read today’s Scripture. We are told that he was the only one of the disciples that was not martyred. But believe me, he did not escape suffering. We are informed that he was dipped into boiling oil and yet survived. I hate to even consider the thought of what that must have felt like. Since he was tortured and expected to die, I doubt that there was any thought of making it easier for him by giving him any form of anesthesia.
So what do we do when we have troubles in this world? According to the words of Jesus in today’s Scripture, we are to be of good cheer. What reason does Jesus give? The reason is that He has overcome the world and we can overcome the world through Him. Are you living that victorious life in the face of difficult situations right now?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 19, 2015 | Matthew
Matthew 5:16
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
My wife, Joyce had a tradition that on the birthday of one of our family or loved ones who had passed on to be with the Lord she would light a candle and burn it all day in memory of that precious one. Last Sunday, May 10, was Mother’s Day but it was also Joyce’s birthday. Early in the day I turned on a LED candle . . . one of those tiny candles that I had purchased at the Dollar Tree. My experiences with these candles are that they usually last only a couple of days. After seven days that tiny candle still flickers . . . faintly but it’s flickering.
It is made me think about our testimony . . . The things that make us all we really are. Do people see our light burning brightly? Do they see the light of Jesus in all that we do and all that we say? Actions burn brighter than mere words.
I want my light to shine for Christ, especially in this sin darkened world, so that people will be able to see that there is hope. I want them to see that in the midst of all the rotten things around us there can be light.
Someone has written; The darker the night the brighter our light shines. Unfortunately we spend much of our time complaining about the darkness instead of getting so close to Jesus that we begin to glow. That makes me wonder again about how bright my light shines. I want it to shine for Jesus.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 18, 2015 | Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes 5:6-7
“Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands? For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God.”
Let’s face it. Most of the mistakes we make occur out of our own free will. We are sinful people, and God’s Word is very clear about letting us know that. However, things will happen from time to time that are really not intended.
Let me give you an example of how an honest mistake can become an embarrassing gaffe. My dear sweet wife Joyce, who has now gone to be with the Lord, had a shy personality. She was always concerned about how her demeanor and communication would affect other people. I often stood in amazement of her kind spirit and her delicate nature, and I will miss those beloved attributes for the rest of my days.
One day in the shopping mall we spotted a young man from our Sunday school class. Unfortunately, Joyce got his name mixed up with one of the other members of our class. The following week she bumped into the wrong young man’s fiancé and commented, “I saw your husband in the mall the other day and he is such a fine young man.” The young lady reacted very sharply. “That’s strange. He was supposed to be out of town on a business trip.” Oops! Luckily I was there and could provide the correct identity of the man we had actually seen at the mall. Joyce was terribly embarrassed by this honest mistake.
God knows our intentions; He knows when we make an honest mistake and when we intentionally violate His Word. Our life should be a living example of what a true person of God should be. Mistakes, yes! But not intentional sinning.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
