by Pastor Cecil | Jul 21, 2016 | Romans
Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
There once was an expression; “A day’s wages for a day’s work.” I am not sure if that is still modern day thinking. It seems to be more like; “You can afford it so give me a wage whether I earn it or not.” It seems to be proper to cheat our employers by not giving our all on the job.
In today’s Scripture we have two contrasting words; wages and gift. Immediately we are struck by the differences. Wages come as a result of what we do. A gift is given as an expression of favor from by another. It is what they do.
Immediately I think we can see the difference. It is almost like Satan being our harsh task master. When we yield to sin we are promised wages. It reminds me of the old mining towns where the company owned everything. The wage was not in currency, but in company tokens. They could only be used to pay for company housing, food in the company store and medicine from the company clinic. The wage was death!
On the opposite side of the coin, so to speak, God has offered us a gift. It is a free gift. It is an eternal gift of never ending life. It was paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross. As with any other gift, it must be accepted. Have you received your gift yet?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 20, 2016 | James
James 1:12
“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
I have to confess, I was never much of a checker player. It has been years since I played, but I do remember that when you are able to get one of your game pieces to the row closest to your opponent, that checker is “crowned” with another checker. Once a piece is crowned it can be moved either backwards or forward.
Some people seem to think they are entitled to be treated like royalty here on earth. They almost demand that we crown them. I really do not care if you are king or commoner, the only crown that counts is the one we are promised in today’s Scripture.
There will come a day when we will receive the crown of life. This particular crown is given to those who endure temptation. Every person on the face of the earth faces temptation. There is no sin in being tempted. It is how we respond to the temptation that matters.
For those who yield to temptation there are consequences. You may have experienced some of these failures in your own life. Thankfully, we can remedy the failure by confessing our sins and receiving the blood of Jesus Christ to cover the sin. The other thing is to say “no” to temptation. That is what it means to endure temptation. The reward is the crown of life. CROWN ME!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 19, 2016 | Galatians
Galatians 3:2-3
“This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?”
I can almost remember my childhood days. Believe me they are far back in my rear view mirror. One thing I do recall is having arguments with other my brother or other kids and using the phrase; “Why don’t you?” The reply was usually; “Well, why don’t you?”
Unfortunately this same argument is often carried into married life. Many times I have tried to counsel couples who seem to be stuck in the same childhood rut of argumentation. It never seems to resolve their problems.
I have tried to counsel couples who are caught in this whirlpool of conflict to replace the phrase with, “How can I?” What a difference it makes to offer to make a change in one’s own life rather than demanding the other person make a change.
This is even more significant when it comes to our relationship with God. Let’s face it, there many times when we want God to do the changing. We pray that same question; “God why don’t You?” We want God to do the changing to meet our own desires. If we truly accept what Paul is writing in today’s Scripture, we will be prepared to ask Him, “Lord, how can I?”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 18, 2016 | Galatians
Galatians 3:2-3
“This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?”
I remember working with my dad building houses. Sometimes when we were fitting pieces of framing together, the ends might be a fraction of an inch off. I would hear my dad say, “Good enough.” I fear that many people are prone to apply that same attitude to their spiritual lives.
Just what is good enough in the spiritual realm? The answer is perfection. The second question is whose perfection? It is certainly not ours. I have known thousands of people in my life and not one of them was or is perfect. There are some who seem to believe that they are perfect, but just spend time with them … you will see the truth!
My dear friend Mike Keller works in prison ministry in Florida. He always asks his group this question: Do you think you can be good enough to make it to heaven? Most inmates raise their hands to answer “Yes.” Then Mike tells them that it is not possible to be good enough and goes on to explain the plan of salvation to them.
It is not our perfection that we need, but the perfection of Christ. He paid it all in our behalf. We can never be good enough in ourselves, but Jesus was good enough for all of us. We need His goodness to provide us with salvation.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 15, 2016 | Luke
Luke 15:19-20
“So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
One of my most pleasurable jobs as a pastor has been helping families restore broken relationships. I recall being asked to officiate at a funeral service for a family that I did not know. The son of the deceased told me that he had not spoken to his sister for years and wanted me to reconcile them before the service. Right! Just like that! What other miracle would you like me to perform?!
Less than an hour before the service I met with the two and their families. Each of them had children, spouses and others on their side. This son and his family were on one side of the aisle and his sister and her family on the other side. I had prayed for just the right words. I just started reading a Scripture. To this day cannot recall what I used. I had just finished reading when the brother stood and walked across the aisle and hugged his sister. The two families merged with great joy.
Fanny J. Crosby lived from 1820 to 1915. This remarkable lady never let problems keep her away from the Lord. Her blindness as an infant meant that she spent her entire life without physical sight, but was blessed with a keen spiritual sight.
When she was only eight years old she wrote the following poem: Oh, what a happy child I am, although I cannot see! I am resolved that in this world contented I will be! How many blessings I enjoy that other people do not! So weep or sigh because I am blind, I cannot – nor I will not. The hymn, Draw Me Nearer expresses her desire to draw nearer to her blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Draw Me Nearer
I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
To access Draw Me Nearer, go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/drawmenearer/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
