by Pastor Cecil | Jul 16, 2019 | Matthew
Matthew 6:14
“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
Forgiveness is something that is much easier to talk about than putting into practice. All of us are perfect and it is so hard to forgive those around us who take advantage of our perfection.
RIGHT! Give me a break! We are not perfect and much of the time we have done something that creates the situation that causes the other person to hurt us, or take advantage of us, or not meet our needs.
I heard the story many years ago about a man that had been unfaithful to his wife. He was caught in his indiscretion and although his wife took him back she made his life miserable from that point on. She did many mean and nasty things to him and always reminded him that it was just pay back and dug her spurs in even harder.
Sometime later the wife developed a serious medical problem. Her husband stayed close beside her and nursed her back to health. After she had recovered, she called her husband to her side and told him that he had paid his price and that she would now forgive him. He told her that she had not forgiven him — he earned it!
FORGIVENESS IS ONLY POSSIBLE WHEN THE PERSON BEING FORGIVEN DOES NOT DESERVE TO BE FORGIVEN!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 15, 2019 | Hebrews
Hebrews 11:1
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Faith! What is it? How can you put into words a concept like faith? The entire eleventh chapter of Hebrews is often described as the faith chapter in the Bible. When you read the passage given above, it almost defies logic. It is as though it doubles back on itself and leaves us grasping for true understanding.
As I study and meditate about the meaning of faith, it strikes me that the way to understand it is by way of word pictures. We have to visualize what we have faith in as already coming into being.
Suddenly it becomes a lot of fun to think in a graphic manner. Imagine that it is 100 degrees outside and we are going to our favorite ice cream shop to get a double-dip ice cream cone. When do we begin to enjoy it? On the way there we experience the joy of anticipation. THAT IS FAITH!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 12, 2019 | Luke
Luke 24:29
“But they constrained Him, saying, ‘Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.’ And He went in to tarry with them”
If you knew that you were very near the end of your life, what would you write? The author of this week’s hymn, Henry F. Lyle, was preaching his final sermon to the small congregation he had served for over 20 years. He was so weak that he had to be helped to the pulpit.
He encouraged his parishioners to rely on the Savior who loved them enough to die for them. His prayer, reflected in this hymn, is a prayer that each of us can breathe when we approach the valley of death.
Abide With Me
Abide with me—fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens—Lord, with me abide;
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me!
Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me!
I need Thy presence every passing hour;
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me.
Hold Thou Thy word before my closing eyes,
Shine thru the gloom and point me to the skies;
Heaven’s morning breaks and earth’s vain shadows flee
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me!
Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video from Gloryscapes.com. To access Abide With Me, this free inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/abidewithme/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 11, 2019 | 2 Peter
2 Peter 2:15
“They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.”
A certain young man had a fervent desire to serve the Lord. For a time he was completely committed to obeying God’s Word without compromise. Then one day he was tempted to participate in a questionable activity. He knew it was not the right thing to do, but decided to pray about it. As he prayed he sensed that God was saying NO!
The young man waited several days and asked the Lord again and heard the Holy Spirit speak: No! He waited a few more days and again prayed. This time he heard the Holy Spirit whisper: No! Asking the same question a few days later he heard nothing, so he joyfully engaged in an activity that led him away from the Lord and into great heartache.
Mark this down: God does not change! If He says that something is contrary to His Word, will, and way—it will forever remain contrary to His Word, will, and way. It does not matter that some church council will approve sinful activity—if it is not in accordance with God’s Word, it is sin and will always be sin.
Our “do-as-you-feel-like-doing” society has torpedoed far too many believers. We must never allow the appeal of this world’s values to draw us away from God’s best for our life.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 10, 2019 | Proverbs
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
When our oldest daughter Brenda was eight, she suddenly developed an extremely high temperature of 104-105. I rushed her to the emergency room where they put her in a large stainless steel tub filled with water and buckets of ice.
It broke my heart to stand beside her shivering little body as she cried and pleaded with me to make the pain go away. Oh, how I wished I could trade places with her and free her of the agony she was enduring. I couldn’t! She had to endure the agony in order to get well!
Frequently I am contacted by people who are hurting and feel stuck in intolerable situations. As I pray and respond as best as I know how, I am struck by how many times I have had people pour out their hearts to me and beg for relief from their pain. I have found that most of the time (actually, all of the time) I do not have the answers.
So what can I do? How can I give hope to those of you who are passing through the valley of the shadow of death? The only answer is to trust in the Lord with all of your heart and leave the results up to Him.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
