by Pastor Cecil | Oct 23, 2015 | John
John 4:13-14
“Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’”
Olympia, Washington is Washington’s State Capitol. There is also another significant claim to fame. In the 400 block of 4th Avenue is an artesian well. People are able to fill containers of this pure cool water. It is a fountain flowing freely.
The composer of this week’s hymn is William Cowper. He was born in England in the year 1731. He suffered many personal losses during his early years that caused him much mental anguish. Loss after loss of those that were close brought him to the brink of despair.
Through all of his ordeals the Lord kept drawing him. He finally received Jesus as his personal Savior and began writing hymns and poetry. It is fascinating that he lived in a small house just behind the home of his pastor, John Newton, who wrote the wonderful hymn, Amazing Grace. Thank the Lord for the fountain of redeeming blood that cleanses us from all of our sin.
There Is A Fountain
There is a fountain filled with blood
drawn from Immanuel’s veins
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains
The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there may I, though vile as he
Wash all my sins away
Dear dying Lamb, thy precious blood
Shall never lose its power
Till all the ransomed church of God
Are saved, to sin no more
For since by faith I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply
Redeeming love has been my theme
and shall be till I die
When this poor lisping,
stammering tongue
Lies silent in the grave
Then in a nobler, sweeter song
I’ll sing thy power to save
To access There is a Fountain, this week’s inspirational video fromGloryScapes.com, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/thereisafountain/ 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 22, 2015 | Genesis
Genesis 5:22-24
“After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.”
My emotions are still very raw after losing my wife of 62 years, nine and a half months ago. I’m constantly reminded of things that were precious to us. One of the things that always return to my mind was the walks we took when we were first going together. Through our years of living and loving . . . we walked as one.
Walking hand-in-hand it seemed we were able to communicate at a level that shut out the rest of the world. Many times our walks would be interrupted by the beauty around us and we would stop and allow God’s creation to sweep over us. Not only did it bring us closer together but it brought us closer to God.
Every time I read today’s Scripture I tried to imagine what it must of been like for Enoch to walk with God. The sweet communion they must have shared would have been very precious to Enoch. As near as I can recall from Scripture Enoch and Elijah were the only two men who never saw death because God took them.
It is my desire to walk close to God. I feel I do this by spending time in His Word and talking with Him in prayer. I invite you to join with me in walking with God for the rest of our lives.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 21, 2015 | 2 Chronicles
2 Chronicles 7:14
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
In the past I have had experience in hiring and supervising individuals. One of the first things I did was to explain the conditions they were expected to meet in order to remain in good standing and receive their salary. It would have been inconceivable for them to tell me what I should do to meet their expectations.
Isn’t it strange that we try to tell God what to do before we obey Him? We have heard prayers that go something like this; “Lord if you will get me out of this mess then I promise I will go back to church and serve You.” Another type of bargaining prayer might sound like this; “Lord if you heal me (or my loved one) of this disease then I will dedicate myself completely to You.”
How many times have we prayed that our nation turn back to God? How many times have we prayed for revival? Most of the time we pray for God to send healing to our nation or revival in our midst, but as we read today’s Scripture we see that there is a condition we must meet before God answers.
Do you see the four conditions that God requires?
- Humble ourselves
- Pray
- Seek God’s face
- Turn from our wicked ways
Have you met His conditions?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 20, 2015 | Matthew
Matthew 11:28-29
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Over the years we receive many invitations. Some of them come with the notation; RSVP. Those four letters indicate that you are to respond as to whether you will attend or not. God gives us an invitation and no RSVP is required. We might call it an open invitation.
I can recall a family member who once lived near Disneyland relating about people who had arrived without an invitation. They were friends or family members who expected to be housed and fed and also to be guided through Disneyland. It quickly became such a financial hardship that they had to say no.
God’s invitations cost the life of His dear Son. When we read the invitation that Jesus gives us in today’s Scripture we see that what He promises He is able to deliver. The only requirement is for us to take His yoke and learn from Him.
Are you burdened with a heavy load? If so Jesus invites you allow Him to take that load and give you His rest. Do not carry the burdens of this life any longer. Yield your load to Him and begin to live the life He desires.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 19, 2015 | Jeremiah
Jeremiah 29:11-13
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
Have you ever had someone make a promise to you and then not keep it? I’m sure that the majority of us have experienced that very thing. As a pastor I have had countless people promise that they would be in church the following week. When Sunday came they were not there nor have they ever appeared. I have often thought that if everyone who promised to be present would follow through on that promise the church could not hold them all. It is not that I am numbers conscious, but it breaks my heart when people make promises and then forget them.
Many years ago I had a young man in the church I pastored who had suffered brain damage years before. He was able to function in many areas and yet was greatly curtailed and others. One thing I admired about him was that he never failed to fulfill a promise. I knew that many times it took a great deal of effort but he always followed through. I can still remember him stacking wood that he had brought for our fireplace because he had made that promise.
God’s promises are always fulfilled. He has promised us peace and not evil and a future and a hope. He has promised to hear us when we pray and when we seek him with all our heart we will find Him. Oh how I love Jesus!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
