by Pastor Cecil | Apr 8, 2016 | 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.”
Over the years of my life I have known people who had either been born blind or had lost their eyesight through accident or illness. I have always had the feeling they had better awareness of the world around us than I did. Their other senses (saw) things I was over looking.
Today’s Scripture 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 Israel. 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 for execution.
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 they had no hope of escape. It was then that Elisha prayed this prayer to allow his servant what he (Elisha) was able to see. Oh, how many times I wish we could see the mighty army of the Lord that He has placed around us!
Clara Fiske Scott lived from 1841 to 1897. She tragically died after being thrown from a buggy being 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 much like the one 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.
It is my desire that the words of this hymn will become our constant prayer. In the moments when the cares of this world tend to blind us to the mighty power of God unto salvation, I want to have my eyes opened wide.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 7, 2016 | Mark
Mark 7:8
“For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”
I once heard about a pastor that came to a new church with great expectation. Before long, however, it was clear that the people were not accepting him. A committee was even formed to deal with his incompetence.
Before the committee was scheduled to meet, the pastor asked the janitor of the church if he knew why the people were so upset with him. The janitor was reluctant to say anything, but finally told him it was because of the way he administered the Lord’s Supper — he neglected to touch the radiator before serving.
The young pastor called the former pastor, who roared with laughter and told him that it was all a silly misunderstanding. A few years earlier they had installed new carpeting and it created static electricity that snapped when people were served. In order to prevent this, he would touch the radiator first to get rid of the electricity.
What had been started as a simple act of convenience had taken on spiritual significance. Frequently the enemy of truth is tradition. This is why it is vital to spend time in the Bible to discover God’s Truth rather than man’s tradition.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 6, 2016 | John
John 5:30
“I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.”
I recently observed a man with his right hand raised and a big smile on his face. He looked like he was bidding on something at an auction, but there was no auction going on. It was then that I observed his cell phone in his hand. Perhaps he was just trying to get better reception. But no, he was taking a SELFIE.
I am not sure where this preoccupation with taking pictures of one’s self came from, but to me it’s disturbing. I know that I’m an old stick-in-the-mud, but let’s face it, there are a lot better things to take pictures of than ourselves.
Pride comes in all shapes and sizes, and perhaps selfies are an indication of just how subtly it can slip in. In today’s Scripture we read the words of Jesus. If the Son of God can say that He Himself can do nothing without doing the will of His Father, we need to pay attention.
As we examine our life and our conduct, are we placing attention on our self? Do we live to please us or to please Him? Are we seeking our own will or His will? I want to get rid of the selfies in my life and live for Him.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 5, 2016 | Psalm
Psalm 103:1-2
“Bless — affectionately, gratefully praise — the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless — affectionately praise — the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all [one of] His benefits.” (Amplified Bible)
The concept of blessing has come to hold more meaning to me than ever before. We either bless or curse with our mouths. I consistently stress that our actions speak louder than words. That does not mean we are to be silent; rather, we are to speak blessing into situations and then act in the manner that is consistent with our words.
Many of us are familiar with the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. Jesus began His public ministry by teaching the basic principles of a Godly lifestyle. The teaching begins in chapter five, with the Beatitudes. Each of the Beatitudes begins with the phrase, “Blessed are you.” The phrase sounds good, but do we really have an understanding of its meaning?
The nuances of words can determine several different meanings. Just as the word bless in the above passage means to affectionately praise, so the term blessed in the beatitudes has more depth of meaning. In the Amplified Bible, it is rendered this way: Blessed — happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous [that is, with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions]. It goes on to describe conditions that we normally bellyache about.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 4, 2016 | Luke
Luke 9:24-25
“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?”
I am not an accountant by any stretch of the imagination. A series of numbers is enough to send me into a panic. However, I do know enough about business to realize that one’s profit has to exceed the losses in order to be solvent. I cannot even imagine someone making a statement like, “Well, we really did fantastic this month — we only lost $3,000!”
There is a spiritual profit and loss statement as well. Each and every one of us will face a day of accounting. Unlike Hollywood movies, there is no angel or saint sitting at the gate of heaven to calculate our good deeds versus our bad deeds to determine whether we are admitted to heaven or sent to hell.
Our determination of eternal profit and loss is made by how we respond to the still, small voice that calls us to accept Christ. There were two thieves crucified next to Christ. Only one moved from the loss column to the eternal profit column that day. I look forward to speaking with him in heaven and asking him what it was like passing from death into that Paradise with Jesus. What a profit!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
