by Pastor Cecil | Nov 22, 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.”
Being thankful is not (or at least it should not be) a once-a-year thing. As members of God’s family we are to be thankful at all times. It is not our prerogative to choose when and what we will be thankful for.
In today’s Scripture, Paul admonishes the church at Thessalonica (as well as all of us) that we are to: Rejoice always. Do you frequently look as though you have been baptized in vinegar? That, my dear friend, is not being continually joyful.
Paul’s second admonition is that we are to: Pray without ceasing. Here is another embarrassing question: How is your prayer life? Are you continually speaking to the Lord in prayer? It is a discipline that we need to pursue.
The last admonition is in line with today’s topic. Here is what the Lord expects of us: In everything give thanks. Chew on that while you are munching on your sumptuous dinner. What if you had little or nothing to eat? Would you still give thanks? That is exactly the Lord’s will in any and every circumstance.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 21, 2018 | Matthew
Matthew 3:8
“Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance.”
I was saved when I was nine or ten years old ― so long ago that I can’t remember my exact age. It is not essential to know my age; I just knew that I was not a Christian and the only way to become one was to confess my sins and invite Jesus into my heart.
There were about ten or fifteen other kids kneeling at the altar that night. The Pastor instructed us to stand when we knew that Jesus had become our Savior and Lord. After pouring out words of repentance to the Lord and praying for Him to come in, I knew that something had happened. I had been born again! When I stood and saw that all of the other kids were also on their feet, I felt confused. But I knew what had just happened within me was real. I was now a born-again Christian!
Did that mean that I could live any way I wanted? NO! Did it mean that I had to start the process of spiritual growth? Absolutely! Spiritual growth can never precede spiritual birth. Just as I had a lot of physical maturing ahead of me, so too I had a lot of spiritual maturing to do.
We cannot be justified by our good deeds or righteous actions. Spiritual birth must precede spiritual growth. It is only then that we understand and practice what it means to be a faithful born-again Believer in Jesus our Savior.
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions! – – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 20, 2018 | Psalm
Psalm 118:24
“Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”
One cold winter morning I stepped outside for a moment and noticed a mist near the full moon. As I stood silently watching, it quickly vanished away. When I returned to my warm living room, I reflected on the way the mist had so quickly vanished. It reminded me of just how quickly life vanishes away.
Almost every day I read of the rich and famous, as well as the poor and unknown, who have come to the end of their lives on this earth and entered eternity. It is a reality that the death rate for humans is 100%, unless we are destined to depart in the rapture.
Along with this vaporous existence that we know as our life comes a vivid reality: How do we invest the days we have been allotted? Are they lived for the Lord in a way that will count for eternity, or do we waste our time on the here and now that will vanish away like the mist near a full moon?
I want my life to count for the Lord! I want my actions to draw people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. On Christ the solid rock I stand and lift His holy name as that which will never vanish like the vapor.
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 19, 2018 | Psalm
Psalm 118:24
“This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Are you happy in the Lord? Do you anticipate the great and mighty things God has prepared for you to accomplish today? If you say you are happy in your heart, has your heart told your face about it?
There is something about a new day which gives us a hope of a bright new future. The Psalmist in today’s passage looked forward to a day when Messiah, Jesus our Lord, would come and establish a bright new day. He was so much committed to the coming of the Messiah that he chose to rejoice just in the anticipation of what the Lord was going to do.
The word “day” appears 1,732 times in the Bible and it is interesting to read some of the passages. Let me just give you the first and last. Genesis 1:5 is the first: God called the light DAY. The last use of the word is in Revelation 21:25: On no day will its (the New Jerusalem) gates ever be shut, for there shall be no night there.
That is our reason for rejoicing! There is a day in which there will be no night! There is a day when all our tears and sorrows will be a thing of the past. It will be such a day that we will not even be able to recall any of our pain and longing! It will be a day that will be unlike any day before — a day which will never end!
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 16, 2018 | Matthew
Matthew 6:27
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
True Christian character is certainly seen in our biblical heroes, but it may often be seen in those of more recent times. Hope is a character quality that looks beyond our immediate circumstances and shows what we as believers have waiting for us.
In the Sweet By and By is one of the most enduring songs written after the Civil War. It was composed by Sanford Bennett who was the owner of a drugstore in Elkhorn, Wisconsin. He had just returned from the war. A friend, Joseph Webster, a gifted musician trained formally in composition, came to the store each day to talk and play chess. Often Webster would be depressed and down.
When asked what was wrong, Webster would often reply; “It will be alright by and by.” That idea hit Bennett like a flash of sunlight! As Bennett later described the incident, he took out a pen and it was all over in thirty minutes. A new hymn was born. In short order he was singing the words along with Webster and two other friends. That hymn was perfect for the post-Civil War era because it conveyed pathos with a mixture of comforting warmth. It came to typify the virtues of spiritual hope.
Sweet By and By
There’s a land that is fairer than day,
And by faith we can see it afar;
For the Father waits over the way,
To prepare us a dwelling place there.
Chorus: In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
We shall sing on that beautiful shore,
The melodious songs of the blest;
And our spirits shall sorrow no more,
Not a sigh for the blessing of rest.
Chorus: In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
To our bountiful Father above,
We will offer our tribute of praise,
For the glorious gift of His love,
And the blessings that hallow our days.
Chorus: In the sweet by and by,
We shall meet on that beautiful shore;
In the sweet by and by
We shall meet on that beautiful shore.
Enjoy this free inspirational video from Gloryscapes.com by going to: http://gloryscapes.com/sweetbyandby/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
