by Pastor Cecil | Mar 6, 2017 | 1 Peter
1 Peter 1:15-16
“But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’”
It has always puzzled me as to how some folk, including entire denominations, feel they are justified in changing Holy Scripture to allow sinful behavior. That’s right, I called it sinful. If God says something is sinful, take it to the bank — it is sinful!
So just what is the holiness that God requires of us? Today’s Scripture gives us a graphic picture of true heart holiness. It is looking into God’s Word to discover the utter holiness and purity of God. Once we have the image of a perfect God who sacrificed His own dear Son for us, we need to strive to reflect His glory.
There is only one way to reflect God’s glory. That is in setting ourselves apart in ALL of our conduct. It means saying “NO” to the sensual desires of the flesh that so easily draw us away from the holiness of God. The more we set ourselves apart from the conduct of the world, the closer we draw to the holiness of God.
What is there in our conduct that is self gratifying rather than God glorifying? Confess it as a sin and turn away from it. That may mean refraining from watching or listening to certain things. The Holy Spirit will guide us to know when something is not pleasing and edifying to the Lord. Trust and obey!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 2, 2017 | Philippians
Philippians 4:12-13
“I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
I have observed an interesting trait of human nature. When someone is the winner of an event they tend to be congenial, happy, and will even show signs of generosity. Those same people can change dramatically when they lose. They become angry, bitter, and accusatory.
There needs to be a different way of responding for the believer in Jesus Christ. Our life is not our own (at least it should not be); we are Christ’s and whether we soar or suffer, we should have our eyes focused on Him.
We know that we will have victories in our life, but we can be equally sure that there will be times when we will experience loss. It is very important that our conduct not be dependent on winning or losing. In Christ we are always winners.
The next time you experience victory OR defeat in your life, just trust in the Lord with all your heart. He will use winning or losing to bring glory to His name.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 1, 2017 | John
John 9:4
“I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.”
At times I have been employed for an organization that required me to punch in at a time clock. It was the means of insuring that I arrived on time and worked the full required time before I clocked out. At times there was a whistle sounded to alert workers that it was time to be on the job.
In today’s Scripture Jesus is teaching that He had work to do and a limited time to accomplish His assignment. If that was true of the Son of God, how much more should we be committed to do our work for Him.
It would be well for us to take stock of how we spend our time. Are we more committed to the pleasures of life than we are to the opportunities to do the work He has called us to perform?
It is time to listen to the whistle from the Holy Spirit that there is work to be done and we need to begin our service for the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Note from my editor: Listening for the whistle reminded me of Isaiah 5:26 and 7:18 when God whistles for the distant nation and the flies and bees. He really does whistle. My thought is that’s how He summoned the animals to the ark … just like we whistle for our pets.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 28, 2017 | Psalm
Psalm 19:14
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.”
Last week I was listening to a Christian radio station and heard a gospel quartet give a fantastic rendition of a song that had the words “WALK TALK” and “TALK TALK” in the lyrics. I am sad to say I have not been able to locate the song on the media, so I will just have to explain the concept.
The essence of the song’s message is that we have a “talk talk” that is all words that fail to match the walk we have with the Lord. I am sure you can think of individuals who say one thing and do just the opposite.
Thank the Lord there are other saints of God who live their talk. They claim the promises of the Lord as found in the Bible and put them into action. Their “walk talk” can be relied upon.
It is well to look deep within our personal life. Do we say one thing and do another? Are we a living example of a sold-out Believer that is willing to pay the price in order to be one who always WALKS OUR TALK?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 27, 2017 | Hebrews
Hebrews 11:1-2
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by IT the elders obtained a good testimony.”
Throughout Scripture we find the tiny word IT. To better understand the meaning, I took the time to look it up in a dictionary: Used to represent an inanimate thing understood, previously mentioned, about to be mentioned, or present in the immediate context.
In today’s Scripture the word it refers to faith. Faith is that attribute that steps forward on the basis of God’s Word rather than relying on our own understanding. There are many things that we will not be able to fully understand as we travel through this life.
We will experience fiery trials and tribulations from time to time, but IT will be able to hold us through. IT is that blessed assurance that Jesus knows what we need to see us through the difficult times by knowing that He is with us.
I desire to spend more time thinking about how the Lord is my all sufficiency. It is not necessary for me to know everything about what is going on around me. I only need to have the IT of faith. Teach me, Lord!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
