by Pastor Cecil | Feb 28, 2019 | Job
Job 19:25
“I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth”
Have you ever experienced separation from your home and family? Having spent a year’s tour of duty separated from my family, I know the pain of separation for an extended period. Special days such as birthdays or holidays were the hardest. There were many wonderful experiences during that year, but I always knew that I was there temporarily and it was not home. I was homesick for my family and home. I longed to return to my wife and three precious children.
I once went to a hospital in Bend, Oregon, to visit a member of our church who was a returned missionary. The medical reports indicated that she was in very serious condition and may not be long for this world. I intended to read a few passages of Scripture to her in order to cheer her up.
When I entered her hospital room, it was like an entryway into heaven. This precious saint was so excited about being with her Lord in a few short days that she could hardly contain herself. In the time I spent at her bedside she showered me with praise and hope. I had gone to lift her spirits, but I walked out of that hospital with such a feeling of joy that I almost wished it was me standing on the doorstep of eternity.
I want to encourage all of us to take time and think about being ushered into the presence of our loved ones who have gone on before us and hearing them tell about our new home that will last eternally. Our day is coming – – – soon!
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 27, 2019 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 12:10
“Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Back in the 1970’s I seemed to have it made. I was Deputy Director of the Idaho Law Enforcement Planning Commission. The position paid well and I was offered a similar position with a Federal agency. But God had other plans for me.
I felt God’s call and took a part-time position with my home church. The pay was less and the hours longer, but it was God’s call and I could only obey. Since that time I have felt weak and inadequate, but it is in those times that I have most felt the power of God. It was not what I did, but what God did through me.
There came a time in my life when I felt that retirement was something to look forward to. I actually passed retirement age many years ago and now I am busier and my ministry is more fruitful than when I was young and strong.
Why is that? I think the answer is that it is not my strength or ability, but God flowing through me. The less I am able to do, the more He is able to do through me. “Do you feel me?”
If you feel too weak or too inadequate to do work for the Lord—start praising the Lord. That is when His power and glory can be displayed. It is when we are weak that His strength is revealed! Thank God for the difficulties and watch Him work!
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 26, 2019 | John
John 5:43
“I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.”
I once received a fictitious story that sadly describes how easy it is to escape personal responsibility to do the will of God.
“There were once four brothers: Every-one, Some-one, Any-one and No-one. They had a very important task to do. Every-one was sure that Some-one would do it. Any-one could have done it, but No-one did it in the end. Some-one was angry because it could have been Every-one’s job. Every-one thought that Any-one could have done it, but No-one realized that No-one will do it in the end. In the end, Every-one was angry at Some-one because No-one did what Any-one could’ve done.”
Does that sound familiar to you? I do not mean this humorous vignette, but the reality of the situation it describes. We are prone to expect others to do the job that the Lord calls us to do. Even when we accept responsibility for doing God’s work, we put off and put off, sometimes so long that we leave the job undone.
What is God putting in your heart to accomplish for Him? If you see a ministry that needs to be performed and wonder why someone is not doing it, it may well be that you are the one for the task. Are you faithful in doing God’s will for your life?
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 25, 2019 | James
James 1:19
“So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.”
It is sad that we shut our ears to the very things that we should be listening to. God makes every effort to speak to us but we fill our life with such clutter and confusion that His voice goes unheard.
A judge I once worked for delighted in telling the tale of two deaf men who appeared before a deaf judge.The plaintiff charged that the defendant owed him $100. The defendant (not hearing) objected that he didn’t even own a dog so how could it have bitten the plaintiff. The equally deaf judge looked over the bench and called both men close.“It looks like you two boys could get together and support your poor old mother. Case closed!”
I cannot begin to count the marital counseling sessions I have had to deal with where one or both of the partners would not keep silent long enough to hear what the other was saying. I have resorted to requiring the offender to not say one single word or I will end the session.
Sometimes when we remain silent we will be able to hear what other people are saying to us. Are we speaking or listening?
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 22, 2019 | Psalm
Psalm 46:1
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”
The Haven of Rest Quartet began singing in the year I was born, 1934. I can recall First Mate Bob introducing the program after a fog horn sounded. The quartet then would sing the words of this week’s hymn.
As we struggle through the storms of life it is a wonderful assurance that God provides a haven of rest where we can safely escape the wild waves of adversity. I thank God that many times in my life I have found God’s haven of rest for my own soul. In the book of Psalms, David refers to the storms of life. He was attacked on all sides by his enemies who desired to take his life. Do you feel that way sometimes?
His predecessor, King Saul, was a demented king who imagined that David was attempting to take the kingdom from him. (Actually it was the Lord who had rejected Saul because of his wickedness and failing to keep the Lord in control of his life.)
In many of his Psalms, David cried out to the Lord for help and immediately praised Him for giving him a safe place of refuge. That is the same with us today. We may be tossed and torn by the storms of life, but the Lord always gives us a haven of rest. That is the hymn for this week.
The Haven of Rest
My soul in sad exile was out on life(s) sea,
So burdened with sin and distressed,
Till I heard a sweet voice, saying, (Make Me your choice)
And I entered the Haven of Rest!
Refrain: I have anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest; I will sail the wide seas no more; The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep, In Jesus I am safe evermore.
I yielded myself to His tender embrace,
In faith taking hold of the Word,
My fetters fell off, and I anchored my soul;
The Haven of Rest is my Lord.
Refrain: I have anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest; I will sail the wide seas no more; The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep, In Jesus I am safe evermore.
The song of my soul, since the Lord made me whole,
Has been the old story so blest,
Of Jesus, who will save whosoever will have
A home in the Haven of Rest.
Refrain: I have anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest; I will sail the wide seas no more; The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep, In Jesus I am safe evermore.
How precious the thought that we all may recline,
Like John, the beloved so blest,
On Jesus strong arm, where no tempest can harm,
Secure in the Haven of Rest.
Refrain: I have anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest; I will sail the wide seas no more; The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep, In Jesus I am safe evermore.
O come to the Savior, He patiently waits
To save by His power divine;
Come, anchor your soul in the Haven of Rest,
And say, ‘My Beloved is mine.’
Refrain: I have anchored my soul in the Haven of Rest; I will sail the wide seas no more; The tempest may sweep over wild, stormy, deep, In Jesus I am safe evermore.
To access The Haven of Rest, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/thehavenofrest/ in your browser or click on the image below.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
