by Pastor Cecil | Mar 19, 2019 | Hebrews
Hebrews 11:24-25
“By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.”
The pleasures of sin come with a huge price tag. Over the years I have counseled many people who yielded to the siren call of temptation and paid a price that was far more than they expected.
Satan has a deceitful way of making things seem so enticing and appealing that it leads the unwise to indulge. It started in the Garden of Eden when he tempted Adam and Eve to violate the command of God to not eat of the forbidden fruit.
We have no idea what kind of fruit it was, and that really makes no difference. The issue was not the type of fruit, but that God had said that they were not to taste of the fruit. In like manner, the Holy Spirit gives conviction about yielding to certain temptations. When we hear His voice and know it is wrong, we need to run (not walk) away from tempting fruit.
What is the temptation you are encountering? Get away from it as fast as your feet can carry you. If you have already yielded to the temptation, go to the Lord and confess your sin. Turn away from the thing that consumes you and start filling your heart and mind with the living Word of God. God does not want to punish; He wants to forgive the sincere repentant.
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 18, 2019 | Jeremiah
Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Many people have an erroneous view of the Lord. They see Him as a God that is vindictive and anxious to find a fault in our lives for which to punish us. They fail to see the love of God and the provision of God. Like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, they hide from God rather than running to Him for salvation and comfort.
It is important to pause and reflect on the many times when God has stepped in and revealed Himself in a way that resolved our problems. Sadly we frequently within a very short time try to handle problems in our own strength instead of allowing Him to meet our need.
Only the Lord knows what lies ahead for us. Not only that, He will never leave us nor forsake us. In the most disastrous times of our life He is always there beside us to give us a future and a hope, regardless of how hopeless the situation may seem.
What is the greatest ordeal you are facing? Are you trying to deal with it in your own strength? God promises us that He is the One who gives us strength for each and every day. He loves us and has a wonderful plan for our life. Are you actively seeking to discover that plan and purpose that He has designed just for you?
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 15, 2019 | Ruth
Ruth 2:8
“Then Boaz said to Ruth, ‘You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women.'”
It is hard to make a list of beloved hymns without encountering Fanny J. Crosby. This blind little lady composed well over 8,000 hymns and poems in her life. It is sad that many churches never sing these songs anymore. They are the losers!
As I think about the life of Fanny J. Crosby I am humbled. With her physical limitations she expressed her longing to be more and more like the Master she served. This hymn seems to highlight her aim to draw closer to Him.
In today’s Scripture, Boaz instructed Ruth to stay near the women who worked for him. He was her kinsman redeemer even though she did not know it. Christ is our Kinsman Redeemer and we know it because the Bible tells us so. Are we like Fanny J. Crosby having a desire to be closer to Him?
Close to Thee
Thou my everlasting portion,
More than friend or life to me,
All along my pilgrim journey,
Savior, let me walk with Thee.
Refrain:
Close to Thee, close to Thee,
Close to Thee, close to Thee;
All along my pilgrim journey,
Savior, let me walk with Thee.
Not for ease or worldly pleasure,
Nor for fame my prayer shall be;
Gladly will I toil and suffer,
Only let me walk with Thee.
Refrain:
Close to Thee, close to Thee,
Close to Thee, close to Thee,
Gladly will I toil and suffer,
Only let me walk with Thee.
Lead me through the vale of shadows,
Bear me o’er life’s fitful sea;
Then the gate of life eternal
May I enter, Lord, with Thee.
Refrain:
Close to Thee, close to Thee,
Close to Thee, close to Thee,
Then the gate of life eternal
May I enter, Lord, with Thee.
Enjoy this free inspirational video of, “Close to Thee” by going to: https://gloryscapes.com/closetothee/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 14, 2019 | 2 Timothy
2 Timothy 4:2
“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.”
Pi (Greek letter ‘π’), is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter — which is approximately 3.14159. March 14, or 3/14, is also my birthday, as it also was my grandmother’s. Since I was born on Pi Day may explain why I like pie better than cake!
There are so many things that I fall short of achieving in my 85 years on this earth. One thing is very clear; I have lived far more years than those years that lie before me. It really is not my decision just how many more days, weeks, months or years I have left to live. I do, however, have a choice as to how I will live those days – – – I choose to live them for the Lord!
As I write these words I suddenly am overwhelmed with the reality that even the youngest person who receives these words has no idea how long they have to live. It may be at any moment that our earthly life will end and eternity will begin.
On this Pi Day, my 85th birthday, I commit myself to follow Paul’s admonition to Timothy. I will strive to be ready in season and out of season to convince, rebuke, exhort for those who listen, to receive Christ as personal Savior and then grow in His grace!
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 13, 2019 | Job
Job 2:3
“Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.’”
What would God say to Satan about you or me? Would He delight in reminding Satan of our hearts being blameless and upright? Would He say that we have a reverential fear of Him that pleases Him? Would He say that we shun the evil that is so prevalent all around us? What would God say about our integrity? When no one is watching — when we are away from the prying eyes of family and friends — what is the level of our integrity?
Daniel was taken into captivity as a young man. He demonstrated integrity by not wanting to eat and drink that which Nebuchadnezzar’s stewards served. He was never known to compromise his beliefs, even when it may have seemed easier to go with the flow. He was answerable to the God of the universe, and that was far more important than any earthly monarch. If we had a pack of “integrity” investigators going through every scrap of paper in our wastebasket, our computer memory, the words that we spoke, actions that we took, or the people we saw, would they find incriminating evidence against us?
Do we live a life of integrity? Do we live in a way that is pleasing to God and without violating moral absolutes as presented in the Word of God? The word is integrity!
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
