by Pastor Cecil | Mar 12, 2019 | Philippians
Philippians 4:6-7
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
I was taught to always say please and thank you. Have I always done that? No! To my shame I have at times fallen short of that aim. Even so, my desire is to strive toward the goal of living a life of thanks and praise.
LISTEN! Rejoicing is not an option, but rather an imperative. We are to be a people who rejoice! That means to get a smile on our face. You might have the joy of Jesus down in your heart, but you had better let your face know about it. That is what others will see.
You know what comes to my mind right now? I see the saints of God across the ages who had the joy and rejoicing in their hearts, even during times of deep distress. They rejoiced even as the flames consumed them, or the lions devoured them, or the soldiers of the enemy slew them with the sword.
Were their prayers heard? I believe they were. I believe they are with all of the departed saints of God right now, experiencing utter joy. “It is joy unspeakable and full of glory, and the half has never yet been told!”
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 11, 2019 | 2 Kings
2 Kings 6:17
“And Elisha prayed, and said, ‘Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”
I have worn glasses for as long as I can recall. As a matter of fact I have separate glasses just for using the computer. If I forget and wear the wrong glasses my vision is blurry and it takes a few minutes to correct my mistake.
Spiritually it is critical that we have the eyes to perceive the Word of God in a manner that will keep us focused on the goal of being faithful servants of the Lord Jesus Christ.
There are many things that will keep our vision blocked. One of the hindrances is fear of the unknown. We do not know what the future holds so we fret and stew about what might happen instead of simply trusting in the Lord to direct us.
Elisha was able to see what his servant could not see. We need to trust the Lord whether or not we are able to see the host of heaven around us. All we need to do is ask the Lord to show us what He wants us to see!
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 8, 2019 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 3:10-11
“According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Back during my high school days, I worked weekends and summers for a concrete contractor. Believe me when I tell you that things were different back then. There was very little pre-mixed concrete that was delivered by large rotating carriers. We were the mixers! We had a pile of sand, another of gravel and sacks of concrete that we had to combine shovel by shovel and bag by bag, water was then added.
In order to get the sloppy concrete into the foundation, we had to deliver it by manual labor. We had large wheelbarrows that we filled then pushed to the point of delivery. In the building process a solid foundation was essential. A weakened foundation could lead to the building falling.
As we travel through this life we often see people that have not laid a foundation that will withstand the storms of life. Sadly when storms strike, their foundations fail. It is during the storms that we need the solid foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ to keep us safe. John Rippon published this hymn in 1787.
How Firm a Foundation
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, I will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand.
When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace all-sufficient shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!
Enjoy this free inspirational video of, “How Firm A Foundation” by going to: https://gloryscapes.com/howfirmafoundation/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 7, 2019 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 12:7
“And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.”
In our Scripture for today, Paul shares that he was given a thorn in the flesh. I have heard some who have tried to guess what that thorn was. If it was important we would have been told. By his not naming the thorn we are better able to relate to the thorn that we may have in our own life. I guess you might say; “The type of thorn does not matter—any old thorn will do! The important thing is not the thorn but the Christ who uses the thorn.”
This is why it is so essential that we spend much time in prayer, asking God how we should pray. We are too guilty of telling God what to do, instead of listening for His voice. Once Paul learned the secret of the thorn, he could see that the Lord’s strength and power was made perfect in his weakness.
We may strive to be perfect and have it all put together, but remember the secret of the thorn. It is in our weakness that the Lord’s strength is demonstrated. Paul was so excited about this discovery that he began to delight in his weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and difficulties. Why? Because it was then that Christ could be seen more clearly. It is not a call to a persecution complex. It is presenting of our body to the Lord as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto Him as our normal act of worship.
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 6, 2019 | Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes 9:12
“For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, so the sons of men are snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them.”
My wife and I were once traveling home when we saw a friend of ours, Terry Pullen, frantically waving his hand from the driveway of a family we knew. I thought he was having car trouble and stopped to render assistance. When I stopped I immediately got out of my car. (It was not a wise thing to do!)
As I closed my door a huge dog roared around the front of the car with teeth bared and snarling. It was clear that he meant business! When the dog came after me, Terry jumped in the back seat on the passenger side. The coward! He even had the audacity to roll down the window and tell me to be careful because the dog was vicious. (I was so glad that he told me. I never would have known!)
I am not sure how I managed to get the door open and back inside the safety of the car without being eaten alive, but I finally made it!
That incident reminds me that we can easily fall into the trap of the enemy of our souls. Satan knows how to put various kinds of lures along our pathway to heaven. We may have the best of intentions, and one little detour shouldn’t hurt—but it does!
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
