by Pastor Cecil | Dec 7, 2018 | Luke
Luke 2:15
“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.'”
The beloved Carol “O Come, All Ye Faithful” was originally written in Latin (Adeste Fideles). The words were written by an Englishman, John Wade who had originally intended it as a hymn.
The music to “O Come, All Ye Faithful” was composed by fellow Englishman John Reading in the early 1700s. In 1841, Rev. Frederick Oakley revised the lyrics of “Adeste Fideles.”
While it would be an appropriate hymn at any time of the year, it has become a cherished Christmas Carol. Let us all come and adore, Christ the Lord.
O Come, All Ye Faithful
Oh Come All Ye Faithful
Joyful and triumphant,
Oh come ye, Oh come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
Oh Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing all that hear in heaven God’s holy word.
Give to our Father glory in the Highest;
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
All Hail Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning,
Oh Jesus for evermore be Thy name adored.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing;
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video, “O Come, All Ye Faithful” from Gloryscapes.com by going to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/ocomeallyefaithful/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 6, 2018 | 2 Timothy
2 Timothy 3:1-2a
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy.”
I have taken the liberty of listing only 7 despicable characteristics of people living in the last days. There are actually 17 listed by Paul. It is a depressing view of humanity, but sadly descriptive of our present world. That tells me that we are living in the last days.
It grieves me that there are so many professed believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who tell more than show the way we are to live out our Christian faith. SORRY! I hate to upset the apple cart of these people, but we are first of all to Show — then Tell. We hear all too much and see so very little.
Listen! If someone talks about being godly, yet violates the biblical pattern of godliness, do not consider that person a role model. In fact, they are negative role models and should be avoided.
In exploring the meaning of godliness, it is possible to know about God and even possess some knowledge of God’s Word and yet fail to put it into practice. Be cautious of such people. Look beyond what they say — observe how they behave.
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 5, 2018 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 13:5
“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.”
Television has never been known for presenting the sterling virtue of honesty. As a matter of fact, it just seems to get worse and worse. In the past few years there has been an increase in “reality” shows. In addition to the numerous times the censors have to bleep the language of those being filmed, there is also a lack of authenticity.
When I was in graduate school I studied the Presentation of Self In Everyday Life by Erving Goffman. It was interesting to learn that people do not respond in a natural way when they are being watched by an audience.
When people have a television camera stuck in their face they will either put on a show (which most do) or close down and fail to act naturally. It is my humble conclusion that most of the reality shows are…make believe!
The tragedy is that many Christians also live a rigged reality life. They behave in a manner that seems right on the outside, but inside they are completely different. It should come as no surprise that the Lord knows our innermost thoughts and feelings. The real ones! My appeal to each and every one of us is to be honest and do not live a life that is characterized as MAKE BELIEVE!
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 4, 2018 | Psalm
Psalm 51:10
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Have you ever wondered who you count on to do what they have promised to do? Let me ask another, more penetrating question. Have you ever made a commitment to someone and after days, weeks, or even months later realize that you have failed to follow through? You have betrayed your trust, my friend!
It is a serious thing to violate your promises to those around you. But what about promises to the Lord? What promises have you made to Him that you have failed to keep? This is a question that I try to apply to myself as often as possible. I must confess that there have been times I have had to hang my head in shame and ask the Lord to forgive my failure.
It is easy to see the faults of others while at the same time ignoring my own short comings. I think that the more easily we find fault in others, the easier it is to overlook the lack of trust in our own lives.
There have been many times that people have disappointed me by promising one thing and then doing another. It has hurt and made me to feel betrayed. At times they have renewed their commitment and once again demonstrated faithfulness. It is important that we live in such a manner that others can count on us!
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 3, 2018 | Luke
Luke 17:3
“Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.”
If you are like me, there are times an old familiar song pops into your head and replays itself over and over. In the past day or so I have relived that experience (again). The song this time is one that Bing Crosby sang many years ago as he reminisced;You Are Easy to Remember, But So Hard to Forget; about a sweetheart that was gone but not forgotten.
As I have thought about the lyrics to the song I have been reminded of how difficult it is for some people to forgive. We can remember the offense against us (that is the easy part) — forgetting the offense is the hard part.
Across the years I have been called upon to counsel many people who deal with the issue of forgiveness. They may say they have forgiven, but at the same time their behavior reveals that their thought life centers on the way they were mistreated by the other party.
I have come to realize that the only reasonable way of dealing with our inability to forget the transgressions of others is to focus on our own. Rather than digging our heels in and demanding recompense from the more guilty party, we must rememberour own sins. We need to be QUICK TO FORGIVE!
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
