by Pastor Cecil | Oct 30, 2019 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 1:27
“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.”
I recall once leaving a food court with a trash bag in one hand and a sack of baked goods in the other. When I arrived at my car I realized that I had thrown the wrong bag in the trash. My beautiful croissant was lost forever! Recalling that incident reminds me that we are prone to make the same blunder when it comes to our spiritual values. We hold onto the “trash” and throw the valuable spiritual truth away.
Remember the story of Job? God boasted to Satan that Job was the most righteous man in all the earth. But Job, a God-fearing man, had no idea that there was a battle in heaven over his integrity. He only knew that calamity after calamity crashed over him destroying all that he held dear.
God knows that we are not perfect. He knows our every thought and the motive behind each and every action we take. That is why we need to make sure we do not mistakenly throw out the precious things of God only to find ourselves holding onto the worthless trash of this world. What are you holding in your hands?
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 29, 2019 | Job
Job 10:10
“Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese?”
Accidents happen―and usually at the most inconvenient time. Often it is only a glass of spilled milk that causes an immediate change of plans. In our family it seemed that spilled milk always occurred just as we were about to leave the house, and somehow it resulted in an immediate revision of our schedule.
The fact of the matter is that we need to always be ready to adjust our schedules to the plans that the Lord has for us. I am sure that the Lord uses those inconvenient accidents to direct us in the way He has prepared for us.
I want to be open to receive the direction the Lord has for me rather than trying to persuade Him to bless the direction I have plotted out for myself. That means I must spend much more time in His word and bowing before Him in prayer seeking His will and way.
As I look back over all the “spilled milk” in my life, I become aware that the Lord’s hand was in it. What I felt that I had to accomplish was not worth considering when I became aware that His plans were good and perfect. It is always good to trust the Lord, even when we have to stop to wipe up some spilled milk now and then!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 28, 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 will make your paths straight.”
Have you ever found yourself in the midst of a situation that seemed to have no solution? How do we cope? In this passage in Proverbs we see there are two things we are cautioned to avoid: Relying on our own understanding and being wise in our own eyes. These are hard for us to accomplish since we want to be in control of things around us.
When encountering evil or injustice we rise up with righteous indignation and want to correct the situation. It should be clear to us (and others) that our fervent anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.
If we are to avoid using our own abilities, how are we to deal with the problems that confront us? The answer is very clear. It begins with trusting in the Lord with all of our heart. That means letting go and letting God have control.
Secondly we must acknowledge God in all of our ways. The Hebrew word for acknowledge is the word yada. It means in part to learn more and more about God and His ways. As we do that, we rest in Him, study His Word, and discover more of His wonderful attributes.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 25, 2019 | Philippians
Philippians 4:4-6
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
William Walford did not allow the fact that he was blind limit his service for his Lord. He was frequently called upon to preach in a small country church. He composed the sermons in his head and also was able to quote large portions of Scripture from memory. Some people thought he had memorized the entire Bible. He also composed verses as the Lord laid the words upon his heart. Above all—he was a man of prayer.
In the mid 1800’s, Thomas Salmon was visiting in England and became acquainted with Pastor Walford. As they were visiting one day the blind pastor quoted a few pieces he had composed. Since he had no one to write them down he had kept them treasured in the storehouse of his mind.
One of the verses he related to Mr. Salmon was, Sweet Hour of Prayer. Mr. Salmon eagerly scribbled the words down on a scrap of paper. When he returned to New York he sent the verses to the Observer and asked if they thought them worth preserving. The Observer did think them worthy and published them on September 13, 1845. The music was added by William Bradbury in 1861.
Sweet Hour of Prayer
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer!
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne
Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer!
The joys I feel, the bliss I share,
Of those whose anxious spirits burn
With strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place
Where God my Savior shows His face,
And gladly take my station there,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer!
Thy wings shall my petition bear
To Him whose truth and faithfulness
Engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since He bids me seek His face,
Believe His Word and trust His grace,
I’ll cast on Him my every care,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer!
May I thy consolation share,
Till, from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height,
I view my home and take my flight:
This robe of flesh I’ll drop and rise
To seize the everlasting prize;
And shout, while passing through the air,
‘Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!’
To access Sweet Hour of Prayer please go to: https://gloryscapes.com/sweethourofprayer in your browser or click on the image below.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 24, 2019 | James
James 3:6
“And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.”
Monday evening I watched the latest episode of Live Rescue. Almost the entire program focused on a wildfire in San Bernardino, Calif. At the beginning the primary focus was on evacuating residents and pets that were in danger. Then the focus was in saving the homes. At all times the firefighters were committed to stop the spread of the flames. Several homes were damaged or lost, but there were no lives or pets lost in the flames.
Fire can be either a blessing or a curse. It can provide warmth in the cold and cook food for a hungry crowd. It can also destroy when not kept under close control at all times. Most homes have fire alarms that need to be checked periodically to insure protection.
Spiritually we need to catch a spark that will ignite our zeal for the Lord and allow it to become a flame that will cause a cold heart to draw near to hear the message of hope in the cold darkness of sin. Will you ignite that spark?!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
