by Pastor Cecil | Oct 3, 2019 | John
John 14:27
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
One of my most vivid memories growing up was of time spent at Payette Lakes in Idaho. Days may have temperatures in the 80’s, but you needed a cozy blanket or sleeping bag to keep warm at night. I am an early riser and even then I enjoyed waking early and walking down to the lake side and looking across to the opposite shore. Many times the water was so serene and calm that it clearly mirrored the scene from the far shore—a double blessing.
During the day there were waves of hectic activities—loud boats, water skiers, swimmers, and even a sudden storm that churned the waters and turned the calm lake into choppy waves. Life is very much like that. There are times of frantic activity that are fun and enjoyable, but nonetheless chaotic. There are also times when gales blow in and create stormy waters.
We long for peace! Is that possible in the midst of the storm? In today’s Scripture, Jesus promises peace for all of us. His peace is not the kind of peace the world knows. It is a peace that gives us serenity even when the world is howling like a hurricane around us.
He promises that when we come to Him, our hearts will not be troubled and we need not be afraid. That is sweet peace!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 2, 2019 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 5:7-8
“For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”
I am a creationist. I believe God’s Word when it says that it was He who created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. How did He do it? By the power of His mighty Word! My faith is based on the infallible Word of God.
I made a choice long ago to make Jesus the Christ the Lord of my life. I accept His Word and if He opens new vistas of understanding, I am eager to receive them. Many things I do not understand, but I know that He is the blessed controller of all things!
Evolutionists have had a hard time of it. Through the years of my life I have heard them try over and over again to prove their unprovable theory. Belief in evolutionism requires more faith than I could ever muster.
Evolutionists are repeatedly forced to conceive or contrive new theories to substantiate their position. They try to convince us that man is nothing more than an accident of millions of years evolving from a rock to a human. I just do not have enough faith to believe that kind of religion. Hebrews 11:1 says it all for me: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” That is where I take my stand!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 1, 2019 | 1 Samuel
1 Samuel 8:5
“They said to him, ‘You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.’”
It is frustrating trying to lead someone who is not committed to following. They may say they will follow, but it seems they are easily distracted and before long they are nowhere to be seen. This is true in the physical world as well as the spiritual world.
Many of us have had the frustration of asking someone to follow us only to soon discover they have gone missing. I vaguely recall a humorous story of a man who comes into a business and asks if the owner has seen his group. He frantically begs the owner; “Please help me. I must find them. I am their leader!”
Wow! That rings close to home for many of us. We may be just as guilty, or even more so, of taking our eyes off of our followers. Good leaders should know where their followers are at all times. Do we?
Our primary responsibility as a follower of Jesus Christ is to keep our eyes on Him at all times. We accomplish this by spending quality time in His Word and talking with Him in prayer. “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:6
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
