by Pastor Cecil | Aug 17, 2016 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 12:8-9
“Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
Why do bad things happen to good people? Have you ever asked that question? Have you ever prayed for God to answer your prayer for a specific thing and fail to see it answered? If so, join the crowd. As parents of three young children, we often heard their pleas for one thing or another. They would try every trick in the book in an attempt to get their parents to relent. There were times when we decided that it would be okay to grant their requests, but at other times we had to refuse.
Why did we refuse? It was not that we did not love them. Of course we did. Was it because we wanted to see them suffer? Of course not! Why did we turn a silent ear to their pleas? Simply because we felt that it was for their welfare not to grant the request.
They might not see it at the time, and in fact, they may never know fully why we turned a deaf ear. We knew and sometimes it was better not to let them know the reasons. That is the way it is with God. He knows what lies ahead and when He fails to grant our request, we need to trust Him. His grace is sufficient!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 16, 2016 | Psalm
Psalm 34:1
“I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.”
BLESSING PEOPLE is what we should do and a BLESSING PEOPLE is what we are to be. Frankly, I have been around many people that drain the life and vitality out of anyone they are in contact with.
What does it mean to be a BLESSING PEOPLE? I think it means to leave them feeling better because they have been in your presence. That is what we are to do. Doing that consistently as a lifestyle is what we are to be.
We live in a hurting world. Trouble and strife are all around us and it seems to be getting worse all the time. If ever there was a time when people need a blessing from the Lord, it is now. The people of God are the ones who should at all times and in every situation be a BLESSING PEOPLE.
How would you describe yourself? Let me rephrase that. How would other people describe you? Are you a BLESSING PERSON? Do you leave a trail of people that have been blessed after spending time with you? The Scripture says we are to bless the Lord at all times and praise is to be continually in our mouth. Can that honestly be said about you? I want to be a BLESSING PERSON, and I want to encourage as many as possible to be PEOPLE OF BLESSING. Please join me!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 15, 2016 | Isaiah
Isaiah 40:31
“But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.”
I have loved eagles for as long as I can remember. My address is even Bald Eagle Lane. A few days ago I was outside with my little dog, Izzy, when I happened to look up and see a majestic eagle in flight.
I must have been watching the eagle for five minutes as it circled over a wooded area when it suddenly struck me that the eagle was not flapping its wings. Instead it was soaring on wind currents. It would merely change the angle of its wings in order to carry it where it wanted to go.
That splendid sighting of the eagle reminded me of today’s passage in Isaiah 40:31. Hanging on the wall above my desk is a counted cross stitch picture that was a gift from our oldest daughter, Brenda Joy, before her death. Countless times I have glanced up from my work and been thrilled by the words of this verse.
God gives us a promise of strength, which is not bestowed when we strive or strain to accomplish some great and mighty act. We receive it when we wait on the Lord. It is like waiting on a train platform knowing the train is soon coming. When it arrives we simply get on board and ride along. Now that is soaring!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 12, 2016 | Psalm
Psalm 18:3
“I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies.”
I would dare to say that almost all of us experienced some sort of trial in our life. It could be the loss of health, a financial meltdown, death of a mate or child or any number of catastrophic events. It is not whether or not we will encounter these trials, but rather what we will do when they arise.
The phrase, “Praise to the Lord” occurs in at least 155 verses in the Bible. That indicates to me that we need to spend far more time praising the Lord than we do. It would be well to replace our complaints with words of praise to the Lord.
Over 300 years ago, Joachim Neander was a hymn writer for the German Reform church. He was going through a time of trial and testing in his life. He would take long walks and pour his heart out to the Lord. It was on one of these walks that he came to the realization that it was not his strength that would give him victory and peace, but rather the powerful God he served. It was in that state of mind that he composed this week’s featured hymn.
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, Now to His temple draw near;
Join me in glad adoration!
Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires e’er have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?
Praise to the Lord, who with marvelous wisdom hath made thee!
Decked thee with health, and with loving hand guided and stayed thee;
How oft in grief hath not He bought thee relief,
Spreading His wings for to shade thee!
Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him!
Let the Amen sound from His people again;
Gladly for aye we adore Him.
To access Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Inspirational Music Videos, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/praisetothelordthealmighty/ 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 | Aug 11, 2016 | Ephesians
Ephesians 6:13
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
When we hear the words, “at least,” it is easy to think that some anticipated goal had not been met. For instance; “We had hoped to harvest 300 acres this week, but at least we did harvest 200 acres.” That same sentiment could be applied to any number of goals that were set but not met. We had hoped to do one thing but at least we did something.
In a way that is not bad. In fact there is some merit to it. While many people would give up and do nothing, individuals with purpose do the best they can and accomplish everything that is within their power to accomplish.
Life is filled with challenges to our way of thinking. It is so easy to become discouraged and do nothing. People with a spirit of discouragement are not even capable of saying; at least this much was accomplished.
I want to give you a word of encouragement. With God’s help, do the best you are capable of doing for Him. We may not be able to do everything ourselves, but; at least we can do our best for the Lord and leave the rest up to Him.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
