by Pastor Cecil | May 17, 2018 | Proverbs
Proverbs 18:24
“A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
Being alone is a sad and dismal position. We really do need each other and a friend is one of the greatest possessions we can have. It is a sad and poor man who has no friends. Friends are different from companions. Companions may be close by, but are not sufficiently close that we can share our deepest feelings.
When I resigned as pastor in Burns, Oregon, a close friend, Chris Vosler, gave me a plaque and a card. The plaque reads: A friend is one who knows you as you are, understands where you’ve been, accepts who you’ve become, and still gently invites you to grow. The card reads: Cecil, Thanks for being that friend. Chris.
As close as our dearest friend or friends may be, we have a friend who is still closer. Of course I am speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the One who is with us at all times. When we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, He is there beside us. When we receive devastating news, He is there to provide the comfort and solace to ease the pain. When we receive news that calls for rejoicing, He makes it even better for we have One who rejoices with us. At all times and in every circumstance, our dearest Friend makes our life worth living.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 16, 2018 | Proverbs
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
I once read the recounting of a young girl’s thrilling act of faith. As she and her mother were getting ready to exit a store a rain downpour suddenly erupted. In the crowd that was waiting out the rain were some grumblers while others just stood in silence. Suddenly the young girl began to urge her mother to run through the rain to their car. But her mother wanted to wait for the rain to stop.
The mother patiently explained that they would get soaking wet if they ran through the rain. The girl protested that they wouldn’t and reminded her mother what she had said that very morning. “Don’t you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, ‘If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!'”
The entire crowd stopped dead silent. Finally the mother answered. “Honey, you are absolutely right. Let’s run through the rain. If God lets us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing.” Then off they ran to their car smiling and laughing.
Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child’s life. We need to realize that innocent trust can be nurtured in order for it to bloom into faith.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 15, 2018 | Exodus
Exodus 3:11
“But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?’”
That question Moses asks is of vital concern for each of us: WHO AM I? The answer is that we are the ones the Lord has chosen to do His work. It is not the workers who matter. It is the Lord who sends the workers! It is the Lord who is in us that matters! Do we really believe that? Do we say we believe it and then behave as if we do not believe it?
I know that many of you are facing challenges that seem impossible to deal with. Some are even facing life and death situations. Believers around the world have been and are being targeted for execution. Others of you have shared medical problems which are very serious. Many have problems with family members — husbands, wives, parents, children, etc., all of which bring about a sense of helplessness.
If we have not been confronted with extreme problems, we will be. We need to be used of God to be able to bring God’s solution to man’s problems. Do we have mustard seeds of faith to turn our problems into the opportunities for God to bring about His deliverance? Are we committed to trust in His strength and wisdom rather than trying to do things ourselves? By faith we can say … I AM READY. USE ME, LORD!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 14, 2018 | Luke
Luke 9:25
“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?“
When our kids were young they enjoyed going to visit Joyce’s parents. Besides enjoying the normal pleasures of grandma’s house there was something special to anticipate. Less than a block away was a small grocery store. Outside the store was a pay phone. As with many pay phones, this one had a coin return. Several times a day the kids would go check the coin return to see if someone had failed to pick up their change. A few coins in their hands that they had “found” made their day.
The owner of the little grocery became very upset and chased them off as often as he saw them. We all wondered why he would be so mean to small children, until one day we happened to notice that he made a practice of going to the pay phone himself to check for “lost” change. He was a bitter man!
In Matthew 19 we learn of a young man that came to Jesus asking about eternal life. He claimed to have kept the commandments and wanted to know what else was required. The Lord told him to go and sell all of his possessions and follow Him. The young man went away sad, for he had great riches. He was unwilling to “lose” the things of this world in order to “find” the greatest of all riches.
Losing our lives for the sake of Christ means we save it for eternity. Hanging on to our selfish ways is a dead-end street, in more ways than one. Daily “losing” ourselves to Christ insures “finding” the new life which is eternal riches.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 11, 2018 | 1 Peter
1 Peter 4:12-13
“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.”
Fanny J. Crosby was a remarkable woman. There are so many accomplishments in her life that it is hard to comprehend them all. She lost her eyesight because of the treatment of a careless doctor. In spite of her loss she memorized huge portions of Scripture just by listening to her grandmother read them to her. She is credited with writing over 10,000 hymns during her life.
Fanny began writing poetry at an early age, but another amazing fact is that she did not accept Jesus as her personal Savior until she was 31. She was attending a service on November 20, 1850. The congregation was singing a hymn by Isaac Watts; At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light. She knew she needed the Lord and that very night He became her Savior and Lord. Her desire was to always stay close to Jesus who had paid the ultimate price for her salvation. Her desire was to remain near her Lord. She immediately wrote the words to the hymn for this week.
Near the Cross
Jesus, keep me near the cross;
there a precious fountain,
free to all, a healing stream,
flows from Calvary’s mountain.
Refrain: In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever,
till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.
Near the cross, a trembling soul,
love and mercy found me;
there the bright and morning star
sheds its beams around me.
Refrain: In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever,
till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.
Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
bring its scenes before me;
help me walk from day to day
with its shadow o’er me.
Refrain: In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever,
till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.
Near the cross I’ll watch and wait,
hoping, trusting ever,
till I reach the golden strand
just beyond the river.
Refrain: In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever,
till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.
To access Near the Cross, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://gloryscapes.com/nearthecross/ in your browser or click on the image below.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
