by Pastor Cecil | Aug 24, 2019 | Psalm
Psalm 24:3
“Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place?”
Yesterday I shared that it would have been the 66th wedding anniversary for my precious wife and me. Today, July 11, is another very special and poignant day for me. It was 27 years ago today that our daughter Brenda went to be with the Lord. She had struggled long and hard, but she finally was ready to be with the Lord.
One thing that Brenda requested, in fact insisted upon, was that her grave marker, not indicate the date of her death, but instead the date she ascended. If you pass by her gravesite today you will see that the marker indicates she was born May 24, 1956 and ascended July 11, 1991.
I only wish more of us could live our life in such a way that we would look forward to ascending to be with the Lord. For the believer it is a reward that is waiting for us and a goal to be gained.
What are you looking forward to when your life here on earth ends? Will you ascend to be with the Lord or will you sink into the lowest abyss? I want to ascend to be with my Lord and my loved ones for all eternity.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 23, 2019 | Hebrews
Hebrews 12:1-2
“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
This week’s hymn was written over 300 years ago by Isaac Watts. It would be impossible to fully know the number of lives it has touched since he wrote it. One of those lives was the blind hymn writer, Fanny J. Crosby. In the autumn of 1850 revival meetings were being held in the Thirtieth Street Methodist Church in New York City.
Fanny and some of her friends attended each night and she craved for spiritual joy, but could not find it. On the evening of November 20, 1850, it seemed to her that the light must indeed come then or never. After a prayer was offered, they began to sing this hymn. When they sang “Here Lord, I give myself away,” her soul was flooded with a celestial light. She realized what her problem had been. She realized that she had been trying to hold the world in one hand and the Lord in the other.
AT THE CROSS
- Alas! and did my Savior bleed, And did my Sovereign die?
Would He devote that sacred head, For sinners such as I?
Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!
- Was it for crimes that I had done, He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown! And love beyond degree!
Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!
- Well might the sun in darkness hide, And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker died, For man the creature’s sin.
Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!
- But drops of grief can ne’er repay, The debt of love I owe:
Here, Lord, I give myself away, ‘Tis all that I can do.
Refrain: At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away, It was there by faith I received my sight,
And now I am happy all the day!
Are you like Fanny Crosby—looking for joy to fill your soul? Her answer is our answer – – Here, Lord, I give myself away, ’Tis all that I can do.
To access this week’s free inspirational video from GloryScapes.com. please go to: https://gloryscapes.com/atthecross/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 22, 2019 | Matthew
Matthew 8:34
“Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.”
Sometimes, when we are rejected by others, we take it as a personal failure. We need to remember that Jesus was rejected over and over even when He performed acts of kindness and blessing.
In today’s Scripture, Jesus had just healed two demon-possessed men who had been forced from society to live in the tombs. Instead of rejoicing at the mighty miracle of restoration that Jesus brought them, the people of Gadara asked Him to leave their region. Wow!
The loving heart of our Master must have been crushed by yet another rejection from those who should have begged Him to stay near and show them the way to victory over the power of sin. They could rejoice over the two demoniacs who had been set free, or they could get ticked off about the pigs that were now floating on the water. I guess they valued their pigs more than their souls.
Sad to say, there will always be more who reject our message of salvation than those who accept it. If people rejected our Master, there will be many who will reject us. Our response must always be love and continued service for the Lord.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 21, 2019 | 1 John
1 John 1:8-9
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
It is amazing that when we see other people doing bad things we call them sins. When we do the same type of things we justify them as “errors in judgment” or simply “mistakes.” BEEP!
In the eighth chapter of the Gospel of John, John relates an incident when the Pharisees brought forth a woman caught in the act of adultery. They eagerly pointed out that the Law prescribed that the penalty for such an act was stoning. (The accusers conveniently failed to produce her partner in the sinful act. I wonder if it was one of them?)
Jesus did not justify her sinfulness, but simply wrote with his finger in the dust and asked for the one without sin to cast the first stone. It suddenly became very quiet as each of the accusers turned and left Jesus alone with the accused woman.
Jesus did not condone her sinfulness; He simply refused to condemn her and told her to go and sin no more. He does the same thing today. He forgives our sins, but He wants us to live a life of holiness. It begins with confessing our sins!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 20, 2019 | 2 Peter
2 Peter 1:3
“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
When Michelangelo was working feverishly on the painting in the Sistine Chapel, the Pope became frustrated at how slow the work was progressing. He asked Michelangelo, “When will you make an end?” Michelangelo replied simply, “When I am finished.”
As we travel this pathway of life there may be times when it seems that our progress is very slow. In God’s economy that is never the case. He knows when the timing is right and is working behind the scenes to accomplish His will.
Our problem is getting out of step with God. We either run way ahead and want Him to catch up with us, or we lag far behind and feel frustrated when we are not able to catch up with Him.
It is time to make a new commitment to discover God’s plan and purpose for us and then stay close to Him in order to be used to accomplish the tasks He has for us. Remember to keep the joy of the Lord in your heart. Do not be discouraged — God is not finished with you yet!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
