by Pastor Cecil | Dec 25, 2017 | Luke
Luke 2:10
“Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.’”
I want to send out to all of you my wishes for a joyous Christmas Day! It is cause for the greatest praise and glory that God sent His Son (part of the Godhead) into the world to bring the greatest gift to any and all who receive Him.
Many gifts are exchanged at this festive season, but the greatest gift of all times is the precious Lamb of God who was born in Bethlehem so long ago. I urge you to spend time relishing in the pure joy that this gift entails.
It has been almost three years ago that my beloved Joyce went to be with the Lord. There have been many times of agony as I endure her absence, but that is replaced with joy as I realize that she is with the Lord and free from the pain she experienced here on earth. I yearn for the day when we will be together once again.
Since Joyce left this earth, the Lord has graciously opened doors of ministry for me that I could never have imagined. It seems incredible that as I near 84 years of age I am ministering to more people now than in my life. What a joy to serve a risen Savior!
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 22, 2017 | Luke
Luke 2:2-10
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.'”
Several years ago our church had finished a wonderful Christmas Eve service. Earlier there had been candles placed inside white lunch bags that lined the driveway leading to the church.
My wife Joyce and I had volunteered to extinguish the candles after everyone had left. It had snowed a few days earlier and there were still a few inches on the ground. The temperature was below freezing when we crunched through the snow to the far end of the driveway. It was so quiet and beautiful that we were moved in our spirit with the beauty of God’s creation and the carol Silent Night.
The words of this well loved carol were written in 1818 by Josef Mohr after he had seen a play about the birth of Jesus. He was in a reflective mood and walked to a hill overlooking his village in the Austrian Alps. The view of the snow covered village reminded him of a poem he had written a few years earlier. The poem was about the night the angel announced the birth of Jesus.
The next day he took the words of his poem to Franz Gruber, who had just composed a melody. He re-worked the melody to match the words to the poem Mohr written. Our beloved carol, “Silent Night” was born.
Silent Night
Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace
Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Savior is born
Christ, the Savior is born
Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love’s pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video, “Silent Night” from Gloryscapes.com by going to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/silentnight/
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 21, 2017 | 1 Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13
“And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.”
It is difficult to live in peace when the world around us is nothing but chaos. There is strife on every hand, and even within the church of Jesus Christ there are factions that war against each other. If you have ever been involved in a conflict with other Christians, you know that it seems like a no-win situation.
Years ago I heard the story of a pastor who had an obstinate member of his congregation who was a constant source of conflict. He prayed fervently for the Lord to help to alleviate the problem. One day a pillar of the church, a prayer warrior, approached the pastor and said that he had been praying for the Lord to do what only He could do about the troublesome member.
It was a few weeks later during a prayer service that this prayer warrior was called on to pray. He had prayed for the trouble maker so frequently in his private prayers that he forgot that brother “X” was sitting right behind him as he prayed: “Lord, you know how much trouble old brother “X” has been causing. Lord, please sweeten him up or take him home to heaven.” What an embarrassing moment!
Paul informs the Thessalonians about the steps to peace: 1. Live in peace with each other. 2. Warn those who are idle and disruptive. 3. Encourage the disheartened. 4. Help the weak. 5. Be patient with everyone. Five easy steps. Why do we make it so hard?
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 20, 2017 | Luke
Luke 1:30
“Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.’”
I am sure that each of us has experienced fear at some point in our life. One of the taunts that was used on the playgrounds when I was a boy was “fraidy cat!” — which often led to someone taking a dare that usually led to an injury. It was almost as if injury was preferred over fear.
There is a reverential fear of the Lord that is righteous and worthy of honor. It is an awareness that when we are close to the power of God we need to feel the awesomeness of the Almighty that dwarfs all human strength.
As a boy, one of the first verses I memorized was Isaiah 41:10. In the New King James it reads this way: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
I choose to live a life of confidence and like it says in Psalm 23:4, that even though I am forced to walk through death’s fearsome valley, I choose to fear no evil for the Lord is always beside me. What a comfort that is!
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 19, 2017 | Luke
Luke 1:13
“But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.’”
If you are anything like me, you are impatient to receive answers to prayers. I once heard a speaker at a pastor’s conference share his personal frustration with his prayer petitions. It seemed that every time he prayed for someone to be healed they would die soon after.
One day a member of the pastor’s congregation called and asked him to come pray for the Lord to take her very ill father home. The elderly man was in a coma and the doctors had given up any hope for his recovery. The pastor was delighted at the request since most of those he had prayed to be healed had died — this was what he specialized in. After he prayed for the Lord to take the old saint home to heaven, the man made a miraculous recovery and lived for several more years.
Like the three Hebrew men who faced a blazing furnace, they were confident in a God who was able to protect them from the vicious flames. But even if He didn’t they would trust Him just the same. Our petitions may be postponed until later in our life, or even into eternity, but thank God for the assurance that He knows what He is doing and we can trust Him completely!
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
