by Pastor Cecil | Sep 15, 2017 | Hebrews
Hebrews 12:1-2
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
This week’s hymn was written over 300 years ago by Isaac Watts. It would be impossible to fully know the number of lives it has touched since he wrote it. One of those lives was the blind hymn writer, Fanny J. Crosby. In the autumn of 1850 revival meetings were being held in the Thirtieth Street Methodist Church in New York City.
Fanny and some of her friends attended each night and she craved for spiritual joy, but could not find it. On the evening of November 20, 1850, it seemed to her that the light must indeed come then or never. After a prayer was offered, they began to sing this hymn. When they sang “Here Lord, I give myself away,” her soul was flooded with a celestial light. She realized what her problem had been. She realized that she had been trying to hold the world in one hand and the Lord in the other.
At the Cross
1. Alas! and did my Savior bleed, And did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred head, For sinners such as I?
Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!
2. Was it for crimes that I had done, He groaned upon the tree? Amazing pity! grace unknown! And love beyond degree!
Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!
3. Well might the sun in darkness hide, And shut his glories in, When Christ, the mighty Maker died, For man the creature’s sin.
Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!
4. But drops of grief can ne’er repay, The debt of love I owe: Here, Lord, I give myself away, ’Tis all that I can do.
Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!
Are you like Fanny Crosby—looking for joy to fill your soul? Her answer is our answer— Here, Lord, I give myself away, ’Tis all that I can do.
To access this week’s free inspirational video from GloryScapes.com. please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/atthecross/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 14, 2017 | Psalm
Psalm 37:7
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”
From time to time we will encounter friends, family or acquaintances who like to boast that they do not believe in God. They seem to feel that the decision they have made concerning the existence of God determines whether or not He is real. How pompous!
Several years ago my wife Joyce and I had stopped at a super market and were just returning to our car. I heard someone scream my name and a young woman I had known for several years ran up and greeted me with sheer delight. It seems that she had heard that I had died and now here I was alive and well.
You see, just because she thought I was dead did not make me dead. She was sincere in believing what she had heard, and in fact she had shared the news of my death with others, but that had no bearing on my being alive.
When we encounter people who pride themselves in their atheistic disbelief it is well to remember that it is the Holy Spirit who will be able to reveal the truth to them. In the meantime we need to live the authentic life in Christ the will reveal the truth that God is not dead, He lives in and through us!
Blessings dear hearts!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 13, 2017 | Psalm
Psalm 53:1
“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.”
From time to time we will encounter friends, family, or acquaintances who like to boast that they do not believe in God. They seem to feel that the decision they have made concerning the existence of God determines whether or not He is real. How pompous!
Several years ago my wife Joyce and I had stopped at a super market and were just returning to our car. I heard someone scream my name and a young woman I had known for several years ran up and greeted me with sheer delight. It seems that she had heard that I had died and now here I was alive and well.
You see, just because she thought I was dead did not make me dead. She was sincere in believing what she had heard, and in fact she had shared the news of my death with others, but that had no bearing on my being alive.
When we encounter people who pride themselves in their atheistic disbelief, it is well to remember that it is the Holy Spirit who will be able to reveal the truth to them. In the meantime we need to live the authentic life in Christ that will reveal the truth that God is not dead. He lives in and through us!
Blessings dear hearts!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 12, 2017 | Isaiah
Isaiah 1:18
“‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’”
If there is anyone who is without sin it is certainly not me. As a matter of fact, in Romans 3 the Bible tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. If you try to convince yourself or others that you are without sin, you have just contradicted the Word.
The reality is that we live in a fallen world. Beginning with Adam and Eve, every single person has been imprinted with sin. It is part of our human DNA. The only remedy for this fatal condition was for a perfect substitute — Jesus!
There is no way anyone can be good enough or do enough good deeds to merit salvation. Isaiah 64:6 reminds us that all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. That is how God views our efforts to justify ourselves.
But, thank God, there is hope for us. It is not in what we do for ourselves, but what God has done for us by sending Jesus to redeem us from our sin. There is only one way to be cleansed from our sin, and that WAY is JESUS!
Blessings dear hearts!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 11, 2017 | Matthew
Matthew 5:44-45
“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
It is mind-boggling to read about the devastating rain that has fallen in areas of south Texas from Hurricane Harvey. Some areas received over three feet of rain. It will take months or even years to recover from the catastrophic damage from the rain.
There are other areas of the world that have suffered equal devastation from the lack of rain. Month after month and year after year the skies remain clear and the earth is parched with no rain to bring life.
Sometimes we experience times of drought in our spiritual life as well. It starts with neglecting the personal time with the Lord and what starts as preoccupation with other things turns into total neglect of spiritual matters.
Are you going through times of spiritual drought or is the lord sprinkling His rain drops of blessing on your life? Remember that God is more interested in bringing you into harmony with Him than you can even imagine!
Blessings dear hearts!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
