by Pastor Cecil | Nov 11, 2015 | 1 John
1 John 3:16
“By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”
November 11th is celebrated as Veterans Day. In some countries it is celebrated as Armistice Day. Originally, it was to remember the end of World War I in 1918.
This day has been set aside to honor those who served to defend their country. They are worthy of honor. In our modern world we observe more dishonor than honor. Parents and the elderly are treated with disrespect and scorn.
On this day that we set aside to pay tribute to those who have placed their lives on the line, it is appropriate to honor our Savior, Jesus Christ. Jesus came into the world and gave His life in order that we can have eternal life.
I want to set aside a significant block of time this day to honor my Savior and Lord for who He is, and what He has done for me. This could be a new awakening of the honor that we need to show our Lord.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 10, 2015 | Ephesians
Ephesians 3:20-21
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
It is a miracle that I am still alive today. Food safety guidelines require that certain foods, such as chicken and potato salad, be stored at cold temperatures. My dear old Grandma Shubert lived in another era.
My family would often travel from the State of Washington to the Oklahoma Panhandle to visit my grandparents and other relatives. Many times when we were ready to leave, Grandma would prepare fried chicken and potato salad, put them in a paper grocery bag and send it with us for our lunch on the road. Being summertime, the temperature was very warm and we traveled several hours before stopping for lunch — it was still very hot.
We would open up that grocery bag and thank the Lord for His provision, then dive in. I can never remember a time when any of us got sick from it. I guess it would land us in the hospital if we ate that way today!
Jesus is our ultimate provider. I love the way Paul expresses it: “…abundantly above all that we ask or think.” That is the kind of provision that the world will never be able to provide. If you have never received that type of provision, bow your head right now and ask the Lord to give it to you.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 9, 2015 | Romans
Romans 14:7-8
“For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”
A man decided to fence in his back yard so his dogs would have a place to run and play without being on a leash. As he was digging the holes for the posts, his neighbor came storming out and demanded an explanation; he claimed that the posts would be on his property.
It turned out, after the expense of a survey, that the posts would have encroached one inch onto the neighbor’s property. It was a petty squabble that damaged the relationship between the two neighbor’s who had once been friends.
Determining ownership of property is a small thing compared to determining the ownership of our lives. To whom do we belong? Who holds the title deed to our life? Paul sums it up for us very well when he says, “. . . whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”
If we are the Lord’s, it is time we start living like it. That means letting go of the things that are temporary and grasping the things of eternal value.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 6, 2015 | 1 Peter
1 Peter 4:12-13
“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.”
Fanny J. Crosby was a remarkable woman. There are so many accomplishments in her life that it is hard to comprehend them all. She lost her eyesight because of the treatment of a careless doctor. In spite of her loss she memorized huge portions of Scripture just by listening to her grandmother read them to her. She is credited with writing over 10,000 hymns during her life.
Fanny began writing poetry at an early age, but another amazing fact is that she did not accept Jesus as her personal Savior until she was 31. She was attending a service on November 20, 1850. The congregation was singing a hymn by Isaac Watts; At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light. She knew she needed the Lord and that very night He became her Savior and Lord.
Her desire was to always stay close to Jesus who had paid the ultimate price for her salvation. Her desire was to remain near her Lord. She immediately wrote the words to the hymn for this week.
Near the Cross
Jesus, keep me near the cross;
there a precious fountain,
free to all, a healing stream,
flows from Calvary’s mountain.
Refrain: In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever,
till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.
Near the cross, a trembling soul,
love and mercy found me;
there the bright and morning star
sheds its beams around me.
Refrain: In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever,
till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.
Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
bring its scenes before me;
help me walk from day to day
with its shadow o’er me.
Refrain: In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever,
till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.
Near the cross I’ll watch and wait,
hoping, trusting ever,
till I reach the golden strand
just beyond the river.
Refrain: In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever,
till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.
To access Near the Cross, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/nearthecross/ 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 5, 2015 | Psalm
Psalm 64:5-6
“They encourage themselves in an evil matter; they talk of laying snares secretly; they say, ‘Who will see them?’ They devise iniquities: ‘We have perfected a shrewd scheme.” Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.”
Life is filled with choices. We can choose to get up when the alarm sounds or we can roll over and go back to sleep. We can smile or we can frown. We can work or we can play. We can add to that list on and on, but the reality is that we have choices that are set before us at all times.
When we carefully evaluate the activities of our day, I fear that most of the time we focus more upon the things that satisfy us than the things that serve others. In choosing today’s title, “Enjoy Or Encourage,” I wanted to highlight the choices we make of either serving ourselves or serving others.
The Psalmist uses the word “encourage” here, but in actuality it’s speaking more of focusing upon one’s own enjoyment or the things that are self-centered. Later on in this same chapter he gives us another aspect. Verse 10 says: “The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and trust in Him. And all the upright in heart shall glory.” What will you choose today — to enjoy or to encourage?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
