by Pastor Cecil | Oct 17, 2016 | Proverbs
Proverbs 19:21
“There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the LORD’S counsel—that will stand”
A few days ago I spoke with a fellow worker from the 1970’s when we served on the Idaho Law Enforcement Planning Commission. It was good to reminisce about the “good ole days.” As the name implies, we were delegated the responsibility of planning and funding criminal justice programs in the State of Idaho.
It seems to be a fact of life that sometimes our best laid plans fail to materialize. This is true in the business world, the personal world, and in our spiritual life. But the reality that things do not always turn out the way we plan must never stop us from looking ahead.
In our spiritual life we often make commitments to the Lord, as well as to ourselves, about how we are going to serve Him faithfully. The problem arises when we fail to devote our efforts to prepare to be used of God.
It is essential that we focus our efforts on the Lord’s plans for our lives rather than our own selfish goals. It is not what makes us happy and fulfilled that matters, but the determinate counsel of the Lord. I want to follow as He leads!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 14, 2016 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 3:10-11
“According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Back during my high school days, I worked weekends and summers for a concrete contractor. Believe me when I tell you that things were different back then. There was very little pre-mixed concrete that was delivered by large rotating carriers. We were the mixers! We had a pile of sand, another of gravel and sacks of concrete that we had to combine shovel by shovel and bag by bag, water was then added.
In order to get the sloppy concrete into the foundation, we had to deliver it by manual labor. We had large wheelbarrows that we filled then pushed to the point of delivery. In the building process a solid foundation was essential. A weakened foundation could lead to the building falling.
As we travel through this life we often see people that have not laid a foundation that will withstand the storms of life. Sadly when storms strike, their foundations fail. It is during the storms that we need the solid foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ to keep us safe. John Rippon published this hymn in 1787.
How Firm a Foundation
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, I will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand.
When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace all-sufficient shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!
To access How Firm a Foundation, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes Hymn Music Videos, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/howfirmafoundation/ 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 13, 2016 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 13:13
“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
I had a good cry this afternoon. My daughter gave me a page from my wife’s diary that she had written back in January 2012. That was three years before she went to be with the Lord. I had given Lori some of Joyce’s diaries and she found this page dated January 28, 2012. I want to share it with you.
My precious husband, how I love you! You captured my heart when I was just a teenager, and it has lasted for over 60 years. How good God has been to us, to be with the dearest love of your life that long. Please know how deeply you are loved — now and forever.
As I read these poignant words I realized that words never end when a person dies. I only wish that more couples could experience the deep love that Joyce and I shared.
If you have not done so before now, I urge you to take the time to write your own love letter to that special person in your life. You may be gone when they read it, but like this message from Joyce to me, it will be like a gentle kiss from one who is waiting in that land where we will never be parted again.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 12, 2016 | Matthew
Matthew 6:33
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
This passage of Scripture is part of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has just given what we have come to know as the Beatitudes. He then proceeds to teach about mankind’s everyday needs such as food, clothing, and shelter. Jesus stresses that we can get the wrong priorities in our life if we focus on those issues of life.
So what does the Lord say we are to place the emphasis on? You are correct if you answer the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. When we devote our energy on pleasing God, He will supply our needs.
It is important that the Lord does not say He will supply our wants, but rather the things that are necessary. Paul repeatedly shares how he endured hardships, but the Lord was always with him and allowed the trials to be used as opportunities for sharing the Gospel.
My desire is to devote myself in the days I have left in this life to seek to please God in everything I do. I want to be more of a giver than a taker. I want to burn out brightly for Jesus in all that I do and all that I say.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 11, 2016 | Proverbs
Proverbs 16:18
“Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
It does not take much for us to begin thinking more highly of ourselves than we should. We display a certain act of skill and someone praises us. Then we hear another word of praise … before long we start believing we really are something special.
I want to share from personal experience how foolish that is. I once stopped by an estate auction where I knew the auctioneer. As a lark I made a bid of one dollar on a box of odds and ends. After returning home and going through the contents of the box, at the bottom I discovered several valuable items. The auctioneer heard about my find and began to praise me for my astute eye for valuables. I never was able to convince him that it was purely a fluke and I had no inkling of what was in the box.
The difficulty that we find when compliments are believed is that we get an inflated view of who we are — as a result we feel that we are entitled to special treatment. Some even feel that they do not need to obey God’s word. They begin to do things that are dishonoring to the name of Christ.
My counsel is to forget thinking highly of ourselves. We need to develop a spirit of humility that always draws attention to Christ … not ourselves.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
