by Pastor Cecil | Aug 11, 2017 | 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:http://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 | Aug 10, 2017 | Isaiah
Isaiah 1:18
“‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’”
I am sure that all of us have had a time or two when we had to plead with someone else to be reasonable. The word reason is one that calls for rational and calculated action — to play with fire leads to a painful burn; therefore, I will not play with fire! Right!
The Hebrew word for reason is yakach. Pronounced yä·kahh’, it means to be rational and calculated before coming to a final decision. All too often we react rather than use reason to determine how we respond to things.
We usually fail to reason because of our propensity to react (more commonly known as the knee jerk response). Instead of taking the time to use reason, we mindlessly take the path of least resistance and then pay the price of our rash actions.
The Lord stands ready to show us His perfect plan for our life. It is true that we are all sinners by nature, but because of His graciousness He has sent our Savior Jesus Christ to provide His shed blood to make us white as snow. Trading our inky black sinfulness for His pure white righteousness is a no-brainer. All we need to do is use REASON to come to a right decision!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 9, 2017 | 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.”
We have far too many church members who look like they have just lost their last friend. They not only have sour expressions on their faces, they have sour personalities to match.
Paul repeatedly urges his readers to rejoice. The word he uses for rejoice is the Greek word chaírō. It is pronounced khah’-ee-ro, and it means to be joyous and happy. That means looking like you are happy. If you have the joy of Jesus in your heart, you need to let your face know about it and show it!
For those who have never placed their trust in Jesus Christ as the Lord of their life, there is little or nothing to be happy about. The things of this earth grow dimmer and dimmer as life slips away.
As true believers who have passed from death to eternal life by confessing we are sinners and accepting the blood of Jesus to pay the price for our sin, we are able to rejoice. The things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 8, 2017 | Psalm
Psalm 32:8
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”
I have many friends who have lost their eyesight. That does not mean they are blind — they are just not able to use their eyes. That may sound strange, but I have found that these friends have developed keen senses through touch and sound that makes them very aware of what is going on around them. Discernment does not rely on one particular sense we may or may not possess. People with 20/20 eyesight may be “blind” to things that are going on around them.
I recall a couple that operated a spiritual retreat center in the beautiful hills of Idaho. I had listened to the wife welcome guests and explain the amenities several times before, so this time I just sat at the rear of the room and observed.
It was then that I noticed her husband. He was also sitting in the rear of the room, but he was communicating with his wife with his eyes and by slight nods of his head.
After the welcome session I spoke with the couple and discovered that he was so shy he could not speak to a group. She, on the other hand, depended on his subtle cues to insure she was presenting things properly. What a team! We all need to be aware of the cues the Lord sends our way.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 7, 2017 | Hebrews
Hebrews 3:13
“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”
I recall Professor Howard Hendricks commenting about how easy it is to dampen the fervor of a new Christian. The new believer will share a spiritual truth he or she has just discovered and the more mature believer they share it with will blow it off as if a three year old could find such a thing.
Professor Hendricks shared how he makes it a point of being so thrilled over the new believer’s discovery that he fairly jumps up and down in excitement and encouragement. This sort of encouragement causes the new believer to want to spend even more time searching the Word.
Each of us has the choice to either encourage or discourage people. Perhaps there is a third option of simply ignoring people. I have heard it said that being ignored is almost worse than being demeaned. It is like they do not exist.
How do you feel you rate in the encouragement department? Do others feel motivated to draw closer to the Lord after they have spent time with you? Are they excited to share what they have discovered in their personal Bible study? Do not let Satan have the victory because of your indifference. Be an encourager!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
