by Pastor Cecil | Dec 14, 2018 | Psalm
Psalm 98:4
“Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.”
Throughout scripture we are called upon to make a joyful noise before the Lord. In Psalm 98, all of creation is called upon to make a joyful noise before God. All around us we see the hand of a loving God who cared enough about us to send His own dear Son into the world to provide us with salvation.
This beautiful hymn was written by Isaac Watts. As we read and listen to the words of this moving Christmas hymn, we need to stop and ask ourselves if we are making a joyful noise before the Lord or just noise.
Joy to the World
Joy to the world! The Lord is come.
Let earth receive her King
Let every heart Prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing;
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and heaven and angels sing
Joy to the world, the Savior reigns;
Let men their songs employ
While fields and floods; rocks, hills and plains,
Repeat the sounding joy;
Repeat the sounding joy
Repeat, Repeat, the sounding joy
No more will sins and sorrows grow;
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow;
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as the curse is found.
He rules the world with truth and grace;
And makes the nations prove,
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love;
And wonders of His love;
And wonders, wonders of His love.
Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video, “Joy To the World” from GloryScapes.com by going to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/joytotheworld/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 13, 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.”
Have you ever been lost? I have. Not just once, but several times. I have been lost on a hunting trip, making the wrong turn on a highway, and a few other times I will not go into detail to explain.
Most of our problems arise when we fail to read the directions or do our own thing when we get God’s instructions wrong or out of order. STOP! Be honest and admit how many times you have failed to consult God and His Word before you acted?
When you became lost and undone did you blame God for the mess you found yourself in? (It’s getting uncomfortable now isn’t it?) Just remember that this is directed at me just as much, possibly more, than you.
So what are we expected to do? Just read and re-read today’s Scripture. There are several key steps that instruct us:
- We are to “TRUST God with all of our heart.”
- We are not to “lean on our own UNDERSTANDING;”
- We are to “ACKNOWLEDGE Him” in all our ways!
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 12, 2018 | Psalm
Psalm 103:1
“Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!”
When my wife Joyce and I were high school seniors, Joyce was crowned Homecoming Queen. I can still picture her sitting in the gymnasium on a makeshift throne along with her court. The crown on her head signified that she had been voted Queen of our student body.
The position carried no monetary rewards and on the following Monday the other students did not bow to her. She was just the same Joyce Harper as she had been before the coronation.
Our present-day society suffers from a short supply of love and mercy (compassion). It seems more and more that we live in a dog-eat-dog world. Even Christians seem to be caught up in the struggle to get ahead regardless of the needs of others.
My sweet “Homecoming Queen” might have surrendered her crown after that night so long ago, but she has received a far greater crown from the Lord. She had the qualities of love and mercy as a gift from God and went to be with Him almost four years ago. She now has a crown that will last for eternity!
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 11, 2018 | James
James 1:14
“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.”
There have been two times when driving in heavy snow that I began to notice steering difficulty. Thankfully, each time I was gradually able to steer off the roadway to check out the problem.
It was then that I could see that the front wheel wells were almost packed completely with snow. The snow was packed so solidly that I had to use a sharp iron bar to break it away. Afterwards I could only drive a short distance before the same problem occurred. Each time I had to stop to clean the built-up snow out of the wheel wells.
Perhaps you can guess where I am heading with this. Sometimes in our spiritual walk we start picking up things (even good things) that prevent us from being able to steer in the right direction. Most of the time this “build up” is caused by questionable decisions or conduct.
It is possible for us to pack our lives so full of worthy activities that we lose control of our steering. Even religious activities done in our own strength and without the Lord’s calling will so clog our “wheel wells” that we lose the ability to steer. The way we can clear the blockages in our spiritual steering system is to humbly bow before the Lord and ask Him to direct our paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 says it best: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 10, 2018 | 1 Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians 2:19-20
“For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy.”
What do other people think of you? Many years ago I asked that question of a young man who had recently been released from the Idaho State Juvenile Rehabilitation Center. He had become so disruptive that when released back to our jurisdiction, the local law enforcement agencies were notified that when rearrested he should be confined for as long as possible.
There was no response to my question about what others thought of him, so I passed the letter I had received across the desk and allowed him to read it. The young man’s mouth flew open in genuine astonishment. Ultimately, I agreed to work with him to change his behavior and he was never rearrested. In fact, that unruly young man became a model citizen.
The superintendent of the Rehab Center later inquired about the young man’s status and whether he had been arrested yet. When I reported that the former troublemaker was now a model citizen he wanted to know how I had accomplished that miracle. I told the superintendent that actually he had done it because the young man had read his letter.
So I ask you the question: Are you someone’s greatest problem or are you their glory and joy? I want to be the hope and joy of others!
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
