by Pastor Cecil | May 10, 2019 | Psalm
Psalm 23:4
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
This day has a special meaning for me since it was the birth date of my precious wife, Joyce. She would have been 85 today if she had not gone to be with the Lord just over four years ago. Even though she is no longer close to me, she is now experiencing a closer walk with our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.
Death often casts a huge shadow, but it should hold no fear for the child of God. In 2 Corinthians 5:8 the Apostle Paul reminds us that “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” Death is our doorway into eternity. How fantastic!
As we consider the words of this song we should make it our prayer request. It should be our desire to walk closer to the Lord than ever before. It should not be just one time, but it should be our fervent desire to walk closer to Him with each passing day.
Just a Closer Walk With Thee
I am weak, but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long, as I walk,
let me walk close to Thee.
Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee,
grant it Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
Through this world of toil and snares,
if I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.
Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee,
grant it Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
When my feeble life is o’er,
time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o’er,
to Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.
Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee,
grant it Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
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May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 9, 2019 | John
John 16:33
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
World War I, sometimes called the “Great War,” exacted a huge cost of human life. It has been calculated that some fifteen million people lost their lives in this terrible conflict. It was thought back then that peace would prevail and no more such wars would be fought—but it was barely twenty years before the even more devastating World War II broke out.
As we seek to find peace in our modern world it is important to get a picture of what peace means. It is the Hebrew word shalowm (shalom) and means completeness, soundness, welfare, and tranquility. The Hebraic concept of shalom is “nothing missing-nothing broken,” but figuratively it points to completeness. The word peace is found 429 times in Scripture and is a concept that is important to understand.
Over the centuries there have been many attempts to secure peace between individuals, families, communities, and nations. These human attempts have always failed because it is only the Lord who gives peace.
The wonderful thing is that the Lord gives us peace in the midst of the storms of life. His peace comes from the inside out rather than from the outside in. His peace passes all human understanding. May He grant you His “shalom”!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 8, 2019 | John
John 13:15-16
“For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.”
It is impossible to change people by preaching at them. That may sound like a strange comment coming from a preacher, but I find it to be true. You cannot line people up and preach them into doing anything. Unfortunately, that is what we have been trying to do for years, both in our families as well as in our churches. It just does not work!
We become so focused upon changing the behavior of people that we resort to using our lungs as weapons.We yell and scream at them to quit yelling and screaming! Please read that last sentence over and over until you get the drift of what I am saying. It doesn’t work with our children or other people.
The reality is that we teach others by what we do much more than by what we say. We can quote Scriptures about the importance of telling the truth—but if those around us observe that we are stretching the truth, then we have revealed more by our actions rather than by our words. That is not good!
How can we become more like Jesus? By behaving like Him rather than just describing what He is like. Yes, we can use His life as an example, but our changed life will speak much louder than our words.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 7, 2019 | Proverbs
Proverbs 16:25
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”
Sometimes things happen in life that may seem both humorous and tragic. When I was in college I worked as a police officer on the graveyard shift so I could attend classes during the day. Usually the wee early hours of the morning were very quiet. But there was this one unusual break in the routine.
At about 2:30 one morning I saw a man stagger into the street and wave for me to stop. When I pulled over he opened the rear passenger door and jumped in the back seat. It took a moment for him to realize that he was not in a taxi.
“I thought this was a taxi cab!” he said. I told him that I wasn’t a cab driver, but that I had a room for him until he was sober enough to tell the difference. Perhaps I spared the man’s life by getting him to a safe environment for a few hours.
As we read today’s Scripture we are reminded that just because we think something is right does not mean that it is right. People have been duped into believing that if they do enough good deeds they will make it to heaven. Wrong cab! If they give enough money to the church they will be blessed. Wrong cab! If they just believe in God that is enough. Wrong cab! There is only one way to get into heaven — repent of your sins, invite Jesus Christ into your heart and be born again!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 6, 2019 | Psalm
Psalm 23:4
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me;Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
Back when I was in high school (in the dark ages), I read a poem that rattled my cage. I cut it out and carried it around for many years before losing it. I have wished many times that I still had it. I hope you enjoy what I recall. It went something like this:
When skies are blue and songbirds sing;
When flowers bloom, their fragrance bring;
When friends abound and funds abound;
When health and love are easily found;
It doesn’t take a lot of sand to shout and sing, to beat the band.
BUT – – –
When things go wrong—as they often do;
When skies suddenly lose their azure blue;
When well laid plans fall into a crumpled heap;
When weary eyes scream out for peaceful sleep;
THEN – – –
Is the time to take our stand, it’s the time to walk by faith and take God’s hand!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
