by Pastor Cecil | May 10, 2018 | Philippians
Philippians 4:19
“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.“
One of the endearing memories I have of my wife is her purse. Her purses always had to be large and super large. We teased her about the size of her purses, but you know what? When we needed a band-aid, aspirin, sewing kit, tweezers, scissors … I think you get the point. Her purse was the source of supply.
When I recall my many years of walking with the Lord, He has always been my source of supply. When I am weak, He is strong. When I have traveled through the valley of grief, He has carried me. When I have been attacked, He has been my defender.
It is interesting to read today’s Scripture and discover that God has promised to supply all of our need. That does not automatically mean He will supply all of our WANTS. Many times our wants are not what is best for us. In fact, our wants may be harmful to our spiritual or even physical well being.
The answer to discovering a strong spiritual balance is to stay close to the Lord and allow Him to supply everything we need to be effective servants. He goes before us and knows what we will need before we even ask Him. “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:6
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 9, 2018 | 1 Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.“
Sometimes in life we face challenges that seem to be much harder than we are able to bear. In today’s Scripture we are given three admonitions that appear to be impossible for us to obey: ALWAYS REJOICE, ALWAYS PRAY, ALWAYS GIVE THANKS.
What about the times when our world is turned upside down and we feel like we’ve been dropped inside of a tornado? When I stop to think about it, those are the times when I need to be most blessed to have a God in heaven who is stronger than the storms of life. It is in the midst of the ordeals of life that the Lord is able to use my situation for His divine will to be done.
In Acts 6 we meet Stephen, a glorious believer during the times of the early church, who was fully committed to doing the will of God in spite of the oppression from the very men responsible for crucifying Jesus. Stephen did not allow their opposition to defeat him and was willing to sacrifice his own well being in order to proclaim the truth of who Jesus really was ― their promised Messiah.
The stones that the religious bigots hurled at Stephen could not do harm to his eternal soul ― he was already in Christ Jesus and he was at the gateway to glory. What a homecoming was waiting for him!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 8, 2018 | Jeremiah
Jeremiah 29:11
“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.“
Are you as thrilled as I am at the realization that God has “special plans” for each one of us, and at the same time a “promise” that is available to all who call upon His name?
I think it is important for us to go back to the beginning to really grasp the concept of trusting God. In the book of Genesis we see Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. The description is one of perfection personified. But God had created our first parents with the ability to choose. Ahhh! There’s the rub! They chose to believe the lie of Satan rather than rest in God’s promises. You see, Satan has plans for us, not for peace, but for evil. His plans are a dead end street!
Throughout the pages of Scripture, and into our modern life, this same rejection of the plans and purposes of God has existed. We have the tendency to think we know better than God what is best for us, or at other times we want to be like God in making our own choices rather than seeking His divine will. WRONG CHOICE!
God is imminently qualified to do abundantly above all that we can ask or think. Why in the world do we think it is necessary to tell Him what to do? It is so much better to rest in Him and let Him make known the perfect and complete plans He has for us.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 7, 2018 | Psalm
Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!“
Do you have a quiet place — a place far away from the stress and turmoil of life? This quiet place should be more than a physical location, it should be a spiritual oasis. We can experience quietness and peace even in the midst of the battles of life. We know what our battlegrounds are; what we need is peace!
From time to time I observe groups frenziedly waving placards promoting peace. More often than not these are the very people who cause conflicts and dissention. As far as I know they never establish peace.
But what about our life right now? The Lord desires for us to enter into a blessed quietness with Him. It may require a commitment on our part to find the time and place where we can experience Him in serenity.
We can hear the Lord call to us from today’s passage of Scripture: “Be still, and know that I am God.” If we fail to take the time to be alone with God, we will never experience the knowledge of His Lordship in our life. Wait in silence to hear the quiet voice of the Lord whispering peace and blessing within your inner being. Ahhhhh! How sweet the quiet!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 4, 2018 | Ephesians
Ephesians 2:8-9
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
I suppose many of us have heard humorous stories about someone approaching the gates of heaven and being required to prove that their actions on earth merited entry into God’s heavenly kingdom. Beep! Wrong answer!
A person may do amazingly good works here on earth and still miss heaven. It is not what we do for God that determines where we will spend eternity—it is what He has done for us. When we repent of our sins and accept Him as Savior and Lord then—and only then—is our name is written down in glory.
The writer of this week’s hymn, Charlotte Elliot, was offended when someone asked her if she was a Christian. She told him to mind his own business. Later as she was contemplating his question, she began to wonder what it took to become a Christian. She called him and he explained to her the plan of salvation which she accepted. It was then that she wrote this hymn, “Just As I Am.”
Just As I Am
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Hath broken every barrier down;
Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, of that free love
The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
Here for a season, then above,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
Enjoy this week’s free inspiration video, “Just As I Am” from Gloryscapes.com by going to: http://gloryscapes.com/justasiam/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
