by Pastor Cecil | Oct 19, 2016 | Isaiah
Isaiah 41:10
“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.”
What are you afraid of? I have met people who fear such things as snakes, spiders, birds, germs, or some other thing. If we do not have a fear of any of these things, we are prone to laugh at the fear others feel so deeply.
Fear almost always paralyzes. The paralysis may be very temporary or it may last for an extended period of time. Regardless of what it is, fear is a debilitating condition that afflicts and limits one’s effectiveness.
The enemy of our soul delights when we are struck with fear. He knows that we are sidelined from being on the front line of God’s army when we allow fear to take hold and dominate us.
The answer to fear is found in God’s word. There is absolute assurance that what God says is true. The answer to our fear is to read what He says: (1) He is our God. (2) He will strengthen us. (3) He will help us. (4) He will uphold us with His righteous right hand. To me that is dynamite assurance that He will make us fearless.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 18, 2016 | Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes 5:2
“Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven and you on earth; therefore let your words be few.”
As a Christian Counselor I was frequently confronted with adults that still carried the trauma of their early years. My precious wife carried some of those scars. She mentioned one boy who treated her very cruelly. Ironically, when I became a pastor in Burns, Oregon, that same boy, now an adult, was a member of our church.
Joyce had a difficult time overcoming the memories of the things he had said and the way he had mistreated her. One of the things that perplexed her was that he did not recall his harmful actions and acted nonchalant about it.
I am also aware of the ones who do not actually say the hurtful words, but laugh when another person belittles someone. Their laugh has the effect of bringing that person into the area of guilt. We might say guilt by association.
God calls each of us to speak words of blessing and praise. Look for things to lift up the downhearted or brow beaten. Look for God-given opportunities to show forth the love of Jesus to hurting hearts we meet.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 17, 2016 | Proverbs
Proverbs 19:21
“There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the LORD’S counsel—that will stand”
A few days ago I spoke with a fellow worker from the 1970’s when we served on the Idaho Law Enforcement Planning Commission. It was good to reminisce about the “good ole days.” As the name implies, we were delegated the responsibility of planning and funding criminal justice programs in the State of Idaho.
It seems to be a fact of life that sometimes our best laid plans fail to materialize. This is true in the business world, the personal world, and in our spiritual life. But the reality that things do not always turn out the way we plan must never stop us from looking ahead.
In our spiritual life we often make commitments to the Lord, as well as to ourselves, about how we are going to serve Him faithfully. The problem arises when we fail to devote our efforts to prepare to be used of God.
It is essential that we focus our efforts on the Lord’s plans for our lives rather than our own selfish goals. It is not what makes us happy and fulfilled that matters, but the determinate counsel of the Lord. I want to follow as He leads!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 14, 2016 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 3:10-11
“According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Back during my high school days, I worked weekends and summers for a concrete contractor. Believe me when I tell you that things were different back then. There was very little pre-mixed concrete that was delivered by large rotating carriers. We were the mixers! We had a pile of sand, another of gravel and sacks of concrete that we had to combine shovel by shovel and bag by bag, water was then added.
In order to get the sloppy concrete into the foundation, we had to deliver it by manual labor. We had large wheelbarrows that we filled then pushed to the point of delivery. In the building process a solid foundation was essential. A weakened foundation could lead to the building falling.
As we travel through this life we often see people that have not laid a foundation that will withstand the storms of life. Sadly when storms strike, their foundations fail. It is during the storms that we need the solid foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ to keep us safe. John Rippon published this hymn in 1787.
How Firm a Foundation
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, I will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand.
When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace all-sufficient shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!
To access How Firm a Foundation, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes Hymn Music Videos, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/howfirmafoundation/ in your browser or click on the image below.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 13, 2016 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 13:13
“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
I had a good cry this afternoon. My daughter gave me a page from my wife’s diary that she had written back in January 2012. That was three years before she went to be with the Lord. I had given Lori some of Joyce’s diaries and she found this page dated January 28, 2012. I want to share it with you.
My precious husband, how I love you! You captured my heart when I was just a teenager, and it has lasted for over 60 years. How good God has been to us, to be with the dearest love of your life that long. Please know how deeply you are loved — now and forever.
As I read these poignant words I realized that words never end when a person dies. I only wish that more couples could experience the deep love that Joyce and I shared.
If you have not done so before now, I urge you to take the time to write your own love letter to that special person in your life. You may be gone when they read it, but like this message from Joyce to me, it will be like a gentle kiss from one who is waiting in that land where we will never be parted again.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
