by Pastor Cecil | Nov 30, 2018 | Titus
Titus 3:4-5
“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
One night, 1886, in group of Christians were singing in a down-and-out part of a large city. A distraught young woman questioned if it would be possible for a sinner like her to be saved. Listening to her heart-cry for salvation, she was taken back to the mission and left with the ladies in charge. The young, wayward woman was brought to Christ that night.
A situation was secured for her in a minister’s family. Sometime later she became ill and had to be taken to a hospital. She rapidly failed and it became evident that she would not be long on earth. One of the gentlemen, whom she had met on that night on the street, was visiting her in the ward. After quoting a few suitable verses of Scripture, he repeated her favorite hymn, “All to Christ I Owe.”Two hours afterward she passed away.
Of course the greatest payment in our behalf is the gift of eternal life. It cost the horrible death of our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He paid what we could not pay. He went to the cross voluntarily because He knew we would never be able to pay the cost.
Jesus Paid It All
I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small!
Child of weakness watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”
Refrain:
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow.
For nothing good have I,
whereby Thy grace to claim
I will wash my garments white,
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.
Refrain:
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow.
And when before the throne,
I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down,
All down at Jesus’ feet.
Refrain:
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow.
To access Jesus Paid It All, this inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/jesuspaiditall/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 29, 2018 | Philippians
Philippians 2:4
“Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
I recall a seminary professor share how easy it is to downplay the things that are meaningful or important to another person. If someone has achieved some major goal in his or her life, it is easy for us to ignore it or act as if it were insignificant.
That professor explained how he would go out of his way to get excited about an accomplishment someone shared with him. For example, a certain person had told him about a verse he had memorized and the professor exploded with joy and congratulations. It was just the response that person needed because others had always made him feel inferior and worthless. Contrary to the opinions of those around him, that man went on to become a dynamic spiritual leader in his area.
It does not have to be just spiritual accomplishments that we praise. We had a small man with a severe learning disorder in a church where I served as an associate pastor. The man could barely talk, but he loved to bowl. Somehow I discovered he carried a small book with his bowling scores written down.
Each week I made a point of looking at his book and getting excited about his scores. They were sometimes 25 or 30, but I tried to make him feel special. It not only made Roscoe feel special, it made me feel that I had met an angel unaware.
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 28, 2018 | 1 Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians 5:15
“See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.”
It is far too easy to be preoccupied with our own life and forget about those around us. Stop for a moment and think about a time in which you were treated unfairly or given an insult of some kind. The natural reaction to this treatment is retaliation.
The person who caused you pain may or may not even be aware that they have done so. Perhaps they may have been given a promotion that you felt you deserved. While they celebrated their promotion, you felt rejected. You may have even justified your actions in showing a bitter attitude toward them because you felt you deserved the promotion, not them!
This type of behavior is certainly not the way a Christian should behave. There will be times in our life when we will be treated “unfairly”. The way we react will say more about our spiritual maturity than hundreds of sermons.
My prayer is that you and I will start living the way the Lord desires. That means giving up our tender feelings to the Lord and refusing to show a contrary attitude, even when we are hurt to the core. SHOW A CHRISTIAN ATTITUDE!
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 27, 2018 | Psalm
Psalm 42:1
“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God.”
Thirst is something that cannot be ignored. The dehydration of the body can quickly lead to death, as we have seen with the tragic deaths of athletes who over exerted themselves in hot temperatures.
What about spiritual dehydration in believers? Let’s try to imagine what that looks like to see if you may be suffering from the ailment.
One of the symptoms of spiritual dehydration is prolonged absence from assembling in the house of the Lord. It leads to isolation and vulnerability to the temptations of the flesh.
Another symptom of spiritual dehydration is not spending time with God in personal communion, praying in the power of the Holy Spirit and reading His Word to hear Him speak to us.
Is that a choking sound I hear? How long has it been since you and God met for a visit?
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 26, 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 need a quiet place, a place far away from the stress and turmoil of life? Such a quiet place is more of a spiritual state of mind than a physical location. We can experience quietness and peace even in the battles of life.
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 still in the presence of the Lord we will never experience the knowledge of His Lordship in our life. Failure to be still before Him will lead to our own efforts to work out our own solutions.
The quiet, healing, intimate presence of God is to be found only as we consciously make an effort to be alone with Him. Ask the Lord to show you a time that you may be able to devote time alone with Him: Early mornings before the rest of the family rises; at noon when you may be alone in your office; when the kids are down for a nap; after everyone has retired for the night; parked in your car beside a lake … I think you get the picture.
As you come to the quiet place, spend more time listening than speaking. You may read a verse or two, but then stop and meditate on what you have read. Wait in silence to hear the quiet voice of the Lord whispering peace and blessing within your inner being. Ahhhhh! How sweet the quiet!
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
