by Pastor Cecil | Apr 23, 2018 | 2 Chronicles
2 Chronicles 26:3a, 5
“Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jecholiah of Jerusalem. – – He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.”
Think back to the time you were sixteen. For some of us that is a real strain on the memory cells! How about looking around and observing the sixteen year olds near you. Uzziah was only sixteen when he became king of Judah. How many sixteen year olds would have the ability to serve his nation as king? The only way Uzziah was able to do it was with the help of his God.
He called upon the Lord, sought His guidance, and the Lord blessed Uzziah’s reign to such an extent that he became inventive. The Lord blessed him with wisdom and the ability to create methods to defend the city. Uzziah’s fame began to spread far and wide.
When we allow the Lord to occupy the throne of our life, He gives us wisdom, understanding, and blessing beyond our natural abilities. The determining factor is getting ourselves out of the way and inquiring of Him.
A study of the catastrophic defeats for the nation of Israel will show that the leader or leaders at the time failed to inquire of the Lord before they acted. It is the same with us. If we seek the will of the Lord before we act, it will save us a world of grief. He is our source of victory!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 20, 2018 | Jeremiah
Jeremiah 29:11-13
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
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.
Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video from Gloryscapes.com. You may also access it by going to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/praisetothelordthealmighty/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 19, 2018 | Luke
Luke 15:30
“But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.”
When Jesus gave the parable of the lost son, I think we naturally assume the lost son was the younger brother who left and went into a far country where he hit rock bottom. We need to remember that Jesus gave the parable in Luke 15 to refute the accusations against Jesus of receiving sinners and eating with them.
I think we have all been thrilled to read of how the younger brother came to his senses when he hit rock bottom in that far country and returned to his father’s house prepared to be a servant, not even a son.
The story we often miss is that of the older brother. He was away from his father’s house as well. It was not in a far country, but in his mind he was just as much in a far country as his young brother. Notice that he accuses his brother of spending his money on harlots. Beep! There was no way he had knowledge of what his brother was doing. Because of the distance there was no communication. This older brother must have been fantasizing about these illicit delights. THAT IS SIN!
The sad thing is that there was never any indication that the older brother saw his need of his father’s love and restoration. He refused his father’s plea to come into the house and rejoice. Which brother do you identify with? I want to be like the younger brother!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 18, 2018 | Matthew
Matthew 23:27
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.”
I think it was when I was 16 years old that I owned my first car. It was an old 1935 Chevy sedan that actually looked older than it really was (if that was possible). The black paint had oxidized and there were rust spots here and there, but it was mine!
You can imagine that I received many snide comments from my friends about my car, but it drove like a dream. Joyce was my sweetheart and she never looked down on me because of the way that old car looked.
We finally decided to do something about the old Chevy’s appearance. I remember going to the paint store with Joyce. We requested car paint and were directed to a wall displaying paints of various colors. We decided on a light gray. After sanding the old car, Joyce’s dad gave me a paint brush with very soft bristles. The paint seemed to flow on and you could not see brush marks at all. When I returned to the paint store to buy a small can of blue paint to add a stripe, they could not believe the paint was brushed on. They said I must have sprayed it on.
I say all of this to remind us that that it was the same old car … just with a new paint job! In the same way there are people who try to cover their ugly condition with a new “paint job,” but underneath they are the same as before. Which are you?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 17, 2018 | Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy 10:12
“And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”
In our own generation we have seen horrifying images of catastrophic events that boggle our senses. Suffering and death can be seen all around us. Often it is generated by those trying to please their false gods. How can we understand this?
The answer lies in our understanding of the true nature of God as opposed to man’s self-made gods. How is our worship of the one true God different from those gods? Our God, the maker of heaven and earth, is the God who loved us so much that He died for us! What a contrast!
Our God has come in human flesh, suffered, bled, and died in order that through Him we may have eternal life. Rather than demanding that we die for Him, He died for us. Our God has always desired the love and devotion of His people, not their suffering, pain, and death.
If God so loved us and sent His Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, to pay the price for our sins, should we not love Him in return and spend our efforts in praising and worshiping Him? What makes us different from other religions? The answer is that we serve the One True God. Our God gives Himself for us by His great love. What a mighty God we serve!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
