by Pastor Cecil | Oct 12, 2016 | Matthew
Matthew 6:33
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
This passage of Scripture is part of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has just given what we have come to know as the Beatitudes. He then proceeds to teach about mankind’s everyday needs such as food, clothing, and shelter. Jesus stresses that we can get the wrong priorities in our life if we focus on those issues of life.
So what does the Lord say we are to place the emphasis on? You are correct if you answer the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. When we devote our energy on pleasing God, He will supply our needs.
It is important that the Lord does not say He will supply our wants, but rather the things that are necessary. Paul repeatedly shares how he endured hardships, but the Lord was always with him and allowed the trials to be used as opportunities for sharing the Gospel.
My desire is to devote myself in the days I have left in this life to seek to please God in everything I do. I want to be more of a giver than a taker. I want to burn out brightly for Jesus in all that I do and all that I say.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 11, 2016 | Proverbs
Proverbs 16:18
“Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
It does not take much for us to begin thinking more highly of ourselves than we should. We display a certain act of skill and someone praises us. Then we hear another word of praise … before long we start believing we really are something special.
I want to share from personal experience how foolish that is. I once stopped by an estate auction where I knew the auctioneer. As a lark I made a bid of one dollar on a box of odds and ends. After returning home and going through the contents of the box, at the bottom I discovered several valuable items. The auctioneer heard about my find and began to praise me for my astute eye for valuables. I never was able to convince him that it was purely a fluke and I had no inkling of what was in the box.
The difficulty that we find when compliments are believed is that we get an inflated view of who we are — as a result we feel that we are entitled to special treatment. Some even feel that they do not need to obey God’s word. They begin to do things that are dishonoring to the name of Christ.
My counsel is to forget thinking highly of ourselves. We need to develop a spirit of humility that always draws attention to Christ … not ourselves.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 10, 2016 | Joshua
Joshua 24:15b
“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Throughout the course of time, countless fathers have bowed in humble submission to their Heavenly Father and dedicated their family to serve Him. I have known many ministers of the Gospel who have prayerfully given their families over to serve the Lord.
The heartbreak is that some of the children who were dedicated to serve the Lord have chosen to turn away from the Faith. It is heart rending for these precious servants of the Lord to feel helpless as their children reject everything they have been taught.
There is no easy answer to the question of why this happens. In some cases there may be something the children see in their father that fails to ring true. But in other instances, it is pure rebellion on the child’s part.
God has established the role of the father to provide an umbrella of spiritual protection for his wife and children. As long as they remain under that umbrella, they experience the blessing of the Lord. As free moral agents, however, it is their choice to step from under that spiritual covering. The only thing that a father can do is stay close to the Lord and be prepared to welcome the prodigal child if and when he or she returns.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 7, 2016 | Psalm
Psalm 29:2
“Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”
There have been times in my life when I have worked in dirt and grime. By the time I had finished my work it seemed that I had been coated with the filth. I could hardly wait to take a shower and clean myself up. In this sin sick world we often need to come near God’s cleansing shower and experience His holiness.
Reginald Heber was born at Malpas, Cheshire, England, April 21, 1783 to a heritage of wealth and culture. By the age of five, he had read the Bible so thoroughly that he could give chapter and verse for chance quotations.
He composed many hymns, but served his entire life without seeing them published. It was only after his death that as many as 57 of his hymns were recognized. It was to the Lord that he dedicated his works. Such is the case with this week’s hymn, Holy, Holy, Holy!
Holy, Holy, Holy!
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! all the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Who wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.
Holy, holy, holy! tho’ the darkness hide Thee
Tho’ the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy name, in earth and sky, and sea;
Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
To access Holy, Holy, Holy, this week’s inspirational video fromGloryScapes.com, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/holyholyholy/ 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 6, 2016 | Proverbs
Proverbs 18:15
“The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.”
My mom used to tell me that I was a handful when I was little. That is so hard to believe since I am such a meek and mild adult. Choke! Choke! Let me be quick to clarify that I was not evil, but just full of life and always on the move. Sometimes she would make me sit on a stool in the living room without making a sound.
Mom said that within only a few minutes on that stool I was ready to explode. I was like the little boy who, enduring the same punishment, finally told his mother that he was sitting down on the outside, but he was standing up on the inside!
Can you relate to that? There is another passage of Scripture that I memorized many years ago. It is Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” The answer is that God knows our heart inside and outside.
When we have the spiritual ears to “hear” what God says in His Word and apply it to our life, our inner heart is ready to do His will, His way, and in His time. That is like having ears to our spiritual hearts to respond when He calls us.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
