by Pastor Cecil | Jun 21, 2019 | Psalm
Psalm 36:1-3
“For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.”
Robert Robinson who lived from 1735 to 1790, was saved while attending a service conducted by the famous evangelist George Whitefield. Following his conversion he entered the Christian ministry, but like so many, he would lose his fervor for God.
The words of the hymn “Come Thou Fount” were written to express his own need for a closer walk with the Lord. His prayer is that his heart may be re-tuned to be in perfect harmony with the will of God.
In stanza two he speaks of his conversion. The word “Ebenezer” refers to a time and place when he actually received the Lord into his life as personal Savior and Lord. He goes on to remind himself and others that it is necessary to daily remind ourselves what a debt we owe to the Lord for our salvation at His expense.
Come Thou Fount
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above;
Praise the mount-I’m fixed upon it-mount of Thy redeeming love.
Here I raise mine Ebenezer; hither by Thy help I’m come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger, wand’ring from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood.
O to grace how great a debtor daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wand’ring heart to Thee;
Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it; seal it for Thy courts above.
Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video, “Come Thou Fount” from GloryScapes.com by going to: https://gloryscapes.com/comethoufount/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 20, 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.”
Sometimes when we come to the end of a busy week, we collapse for a couple of days before returning to work on Monday morning. The activities we participate in during our days of rest are intended to refresh, restore, and prepare us for another week in the rat-race. But, do we really experience true rest?
Each day it is important to consider how much we need the Lord’s strength and love for us. God delights in showering His love on His children. God does things His way and in His timing. We may not understand how or why, we simply trust Him to do what we are never capable of doing ourselves.
Jesus taught the principle of allowing Him to be our strength. It is not our own power or ability that makes the difference, but our willingness to give ourselves fully to Him. Faith demands that we choose to believe without understanding.
When we read what Paul has to say about human weakness, it can be a paradox for us. How is it possible for us to become strong when we are weak? The less energy, stamina, health, muscle tone, endurance, and power we possess, the more God’s power comes into play if we are leaning into Him. Do we understand it? No! Do we need to understand it? No! How do we yield to Him and allow Him to be our power? Say YES!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 19, 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.”
This morning I had the delight of speaking with a dear friend who was once the Senior Pastor at a church where I served as his associate. He is now 94 and still maintains his unique sense of humor and deep love of the Lord. Words are a little harder for him to express, but that did not matter, I knew what he was trying to say.
There are many times we try to express some idea but are just not able to put it into words. As a wise person once said: “It is better felt than telt!” Even though there is no such word as “telt” we get the meaning. God knows everything about us and it is His thoughts on our behalf that matter.
The Lord knows what lies ahead for us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. In the most disastrous times of our life He is there beside us giving us a future and a hope, regardless of how hopeless the situation may seem.
What is the greatest ordeal in your future? Will you try 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. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 18, 2019 | 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 promise 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 shortcomings. 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 saying one thing and then doing another. It has hurt and made me feel betrayed. My battleground is taking my hurt to the foot of the cross and understanding how those closest to Jesus betrayed His trust. But thank the Lord they renewed their commitment and, after the resurrection, were even able to give their lives rather than betray Him once again. With the help of the Lord that is the kind of trust, I seek for myself. Let’s keep our promises!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 17, 2019 | Philippians
Philippians 3:12
“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.”
I cannot believe how much quicker time passes when you get older. As a kid it seemed as if everything ran in slow motion and the days seemed to drag by. But once I arrived at my seventies, the years began to fly past like watching a picket fence at highway speed. Fast or slow, life is constantly slipping past and another year is suddenly before us.
Some people spend the majority of their time remembering the days gone by. We say that they are living in the past. Others spend much of their time worrying and wondering about the future. As I see it, neither of these choices are worthy of our time. We cannot relive the past (what is done is done). We cannot pre-live the future (we have not been there yet).
That leaves the here and now. There is a familiar quotation that sounds like a Bible verse, but if so I cannot locate it: Only one life and it soon will be past. Only what is done for Christ will last!
My sincere desire is to live each day for Jesus Christ as if it is the last day I have to live for Him. It may very well be the last day and I want most of all to please Him rather than to enjoy any other thing — ONE DAY AT A TIME!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
