by Pastor Cecil | Jul 26, 2016 | 2 Peter
2 Peter 3:18
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.”
I have never been much of a model of physical fitness. Yes, I recall my high school days (almost) when I was on the starting football team. I was in shape then, but for the most part I have always battled with a weight problem and, more often than not, I have lost that battle!
Therefore, I love it when Paul tells Timothy that bodily exercise “profits a little.” I am sure he wasn’t implying that we are not to exercise, but that is never to be our primary focus in life. If it is, we will be faced with dismay when the accumulated years begin to prevent strenuous activity.
So what, pray tell, is Paul saying? I feel that he is making a strong argument that if we place our emphasis on temporal things, we are wrong. I recall many of my classmates who were in much better physical condition than I ever was, but they have preceded me in death. (They have just reached heaven before me). In view of eternity, the things that really matter are the spiritual decisions we make.
As we look down the road of our life, we have no idea how long we have to live. Each of us is only one heart beat from eternity. Paul is saying that Godliness is always profitable for us. It is time for each of us to SHAPE UP spiritually!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 22, 2016 | Psalm
Psalm 90:1-2
“Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”
This week’s hymn by Isaac Watts is a paraphrase of Psalm 90. It originally consisted of nine stanzas. In present day usage, however, the hymn is usually limited to stanzas; one, two, three, five, and nine.
The hymn was originally part of; The Psalms of David Imitated in the language of the New Testament, published by Watts in 1719.
It has often been sung for special occasions in England. For instance it was sung in 1941, at a religious service on board HMS Prince of Wales, attended by Sir Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt as part of the conference creating the Atlantic Charter. It was also sung at the Funeral service for Winston Churchill in 1965.
O God, Our Help In Ages Past
Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.
A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And lost in following years.
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guide while troubles last,
And our eternal home.
To enjoy this free inspirational video: O God, Our Help in Ages Past, go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/ogodourhelpinagespast/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 21, 2016 | Romans
Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
There once was an expression; “A day’s wages for a day’s work.” I am not sure if that is still modern day thinking. It seems to be more like; “You can afford it so give me a wage whether I earn it or not.” It seems to be proper to cheat our employers by not giving our all on the job.
In today’s Scripture we have two contrasting words; wages and gift. Immediately we are struck by the differences. Wages come as a result of what we do. A gift is given as an expression of favor from by another. It is what they do.
Immediately I think we can see the difference. It is almost like Satan being our harsh task master. When we yield to sin we are promised wages. It reminds me of the old mining towns where the company owned everything. The wage was not in currency, but in company tokens. They could only be used to pay for company housing, food in the company store and medicine from the company clinic. The wage was death!
On the opposite side of the coin, so to speak, God has offered us a gift. It is a free gift. It is an eternal gift of never ending life. It was paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross. As with any other gift, it must be accepted. Have you received your gift yet?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 20, 2016 | James
James 1:12
“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
I have to confess, I was never much of a checker player. It has been years since I played, but I do remember that when you are able to get one of your game pieces to the row closest to your opponent, that checker is “crowned” with another checker. Once a piece is crowned it can be moved either backwards or forward.
Some people seem to think they are entitled to be treated like royalty here on earth. They almost demand that we crown them. I really do not care if you are king or commoner, the only crown that counts is the one we are promised in today’s Scripture.
There will come a day when we will receive the crown of life. This particular crown is given to those who endure temptation. Every person on the face of the earth faces temptation. There is no sin in being tempted. It is how we respond to the temptation that matters.
For those who yield to temptation there are consequences. You may have experienced some of these failures in your own life. Thankfully, we can remedy the failure by confessing our sins and receiving the blood of Jesus Christ to cover the sin. The other thing is to say “no” to temptation. That is what it means to endure temptation. The reward is the crown of life. CROWN ME!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 19, 2016 | Galatians
Galatians 3:2-3
“This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?”
I can almost remember my childhood days. Believe me they are far back in my rear view mirror. One thing I do recall is having arguments with other my brother or other kids and using the phrase; “Why don’t you?” The reply was usually; “Well, why don’t you?”
Unfortunately this same argument is often carried into married life. Many times I have tried to counsel couples who seem to be stuck in the same childhood rut of argumentation. It never seems to resolve their problems.
I have tried to counsel couples who are caught in this whirlpool of conflict to replace the phrase with, “How can I?” What a difference it makes to offer to make a change in one’s own life rather than demanding the other person make a change.
This is even more significant when it comes to our relationship with God. Let’s face it, there many times when we want God to do the changing. We pray that same question; “God why don’t You?” We want God to do the changing to meet our own desires. If we truly accept what Paul is writing in today’s Scripture, we will be prepared to ask Him, “Lord, how can I?”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
