by Pastor Cecil | Feb 14, 2018 | 1 John
1 John 4:7
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”
Today, February 14th, is Valentine’s Day. If you have not yet purchased that card, a romantic gift, or whatever, you had better get busy! There is very little time left to get that special something which will demonstrate in a meaningful way the feelings of love for that special someone in your life.
Unfortunately, there is phony (or fictitious) love present in our world that is often the result of selfish and greedy emotions. People often want things for themselves and use love as a tool to obtain what they think will satisfy their demands.
If my precious wife, Joyce, was still alive we would be celebrating 66 years of marriage this July. I can honestly say that my love for her is far deeper even though she has gone to be with our Lord. There is an important reason for our successful life of love and growth together — we kept the Lord at the center of our marriage.
Perhaps the greatest gift you can give your loved one this Valentine’s Day is to share together the precious love of God; commit yourself to allow His love to be expressed through you in your actions as well as in your words.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 13, 2018 | Isaiah
Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Think of how many times you have walked into a room to get something only to suddenly realize you can’t recall what it was you came in for. (Don’t laugh at us older folks — you yung’uns have had the same experience!) Someone has mentioned that even atheists believe in God because they often ask, “What am I here after?”
I once heard the story about an older gentleman who always called his wife affectionate names like “Honey,” “Sweetie,” “Dearie,” “Love.” When a friend complimented him on the sweet names he called his wife, the old gentleman replied, “I have to, I haven’t been able to remember her name for ten years.”
Peggy Lee, a popular vocalist back in the 50’s, had a hit song titled “Is That All There Is?” It was a depressing song to me. It is an accurate question for many people who try to fill their lives with all of the worldly comforts only to come near the end and find that the things of this life will never satisfy.
God has given His promise to us that He is always there beside us. In the Old Testament He was the hope of all who would trust Him. He gave His word of promise through His prophets; and those who trusted in Him looked down the ages of time, and through the eyes of faith, saw the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 12, 2018 | Hebrews
Hebrews 11:7
“By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”
The definition of spiritual faith is found in Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Now unless I am missing something, substance and evidence are things that can be touched, held, and collected as exhibits. Faith on the other hand is usually described as being unseen but needing trust to believe that it is real. Hebrews 11:1 melds the two ideas together.
I have often used the analogy of going to a favorite ice cream store on a hot day. The enjoyment of your favorite ice cream cone does not begin when you take your first lick of that delectable treat — it is thinking about it on the way to the store.
In like manner we begin to enjoy the pleasures of our eternal home with the Lord as we walk this pathway of life. We may encounter conflicts, pain, and distress along our pathway, but we can demonstrate our righteousness by believing what God says is true. When we doubt God’s word, we demonstrate our unrighteous nature and this is displeasing to God. God desires for us to trust and believe!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 9, 2018 | Luke
Luke 24:29
“But they constrained Him, saying, ‘Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.’ And He went in to tarry with them”
If you knew that you were very near the end of your life, what would you write? The author of this week’s hymn, Henry F. Lyle, was preaching his final sermon to the small congregation he had served for over 20 years. He was so weak that he had to be helped to the pulpit.
He encouraged his parishioners to rely on the Savior who loved them enough to die for them. His prayer, reflected in this hymn, is a prayer that each of us can breathe when we approach the valley of death.
Abide With Me
Abide with me—fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens—Lord, with me abide;
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me!
Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me!
I need Thy presence every passing hour;
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me.
Hold Thou Thy word before my closing eyes,
Shine thru the gloom and point me to the skies;
Heaven’s morning breaks and earth’s vain shadows flee
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me!
Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video from Gloryscapes.com. To access Abide With Me, this free inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/abidewithme/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 8, 2018 | Matthew
Matthew 8:34
“And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.”
Picture the scene: Jesus had just released two men who had been under the power of demons. They were now set free! The men must have been rejoicing with Jesus and His disciples about how free they felt. They now had new life and a new hope. Jesus had done what no other power on earth could do!
In their demon-possessed state they had been rejected by the community because of their violent behavior. Now that they were delivered they must have wanted to tell their friends and family the good news, but they just had to spend more time talking with Jesus. Before they could leave, the villagers came out to them. Instead of rejoicing with the healed men they were angry. The men who had tended the swine had rushed into town to complain that the swine had perished.
Not only did the people refuse to celebrate the miraculous healing of these men who had been demon possessed, they demanded that Jesus leave them alone. That is very similar to the way some sinners treat Jesus in our own day. Sometimes people become so comfortable in the sin of indifference that they demand to be left alone. They REJECT the Lord who offers them eternal salvation in order to remain in their perceived comfort zone. They fail to see they reject their own salvation.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
