by Pastor Cecil | Jul 18, 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 remember working with my dad building houses. Sometimes when we were fitting pieces of framing together, the ends might be a fraction of an inch off. I would hear my dad say, “Good enough.” I fear that many people are prone to apply that same attitude to their spiritual lives.
Just what is good enough in the spiritual realm? The answer is perfection. The second question is whose perfection? It is certainly not ours. I have known thousands of people in my life and not one of them was or is perfect. There are some who seem to believe that they are perfect, but just spend time with them … you will see the truth!
My dear friend Mike Keller works in prison ministry in Florida. He always asks his group this question: Do you think you can be good enough to make it to heaven? Most inmates raise their hands to answer “Yes.” Then Mike tells them that it is not possible to be good enough and goes on to explain the plan of salvation to them.
It is not our perfection that we need, but the perfection of Christ. He paid it all in our behalf. We can never be good enough in ourselves, but Jesus was good enough for all of us. We need His goodness to provide us with salvation.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 15, 2016 | Luke
Luke 15:19-20
“So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
One of my most pleasurable jobs as a pastor has been helping families restore broken relationships. I recall being asked to officiate at a funeral service for a family that I did not know. The son of the deceased told me that he had not spoken to his sister for years and wanted me to reconcile them before the service. Right! Just like that! What other miracle would you like me to perform?!
Less than an hour before the service I met with the two and their families. Each of them had children, spouses and others on their side. This son and his family were on one side of the aisle and his sister and her family on the other side. I had prayed for just the right words. I just started reading a Scripture. To this day cannot recall what I used. I had just finished reading when the brother stood and walked across the aisle and hugged his sister. The two families merged with great joy.
Fanny J. Crosby lived from 1820 to 1915. This remarkable lady never let problems keep her away from the Lord. Her blindness as an infant meant that she spent her entire life without physical sight, but was blessed with a keen spiritual sight.
When she was only eight years old she wrote the following poem: Oh, what a happy child I am, although I cannot see! I am resolved that in this world contented I will be! How many blessings I enjoy that other people do not! So weep or sigh because I am blind, I cannot – nor I will not. The hymn, Draw Me Nearer expresses her desire to draw nearer to her blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Draw Me Nearer
I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
To access Draw Me Nearer, go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/drawmenearer/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 14, 2016 | 2 Timothy
2 Timothy 4:7-8
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
Yesterday I received a call from my brother-in-law, Harold. He asked if I was familiar with Ellsworth Air Force Base. I said I sure did since I was once stationed there. That was when I was a jet mechanic. He laughed and said he knew.
Harold had called to tell me that a Delta A380 passenger airliner had landed at Ellsworth instead at the Rapid City Regional Airport. Oops! I can only imagine the difficulty the pilot of that aircraft is now facing.
There are many people flying through life thinking they know their proper destination. The problem is that they may end up at the “wrong airport.” What a tragic realization will face people when they open their eyes in death to find they face an eternity in hell when they could have landed in heaven!
God has provided us with a “flight plan” that will insure that we are on the right course to arrive safely and securely at our eternal home in glory. That flight plan is the BIBLE. We must follow it closely to insure a safe landing.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 13, 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.”
Over the years I have officiated at hundreds of funeral services, some of them for members of my own family, others for members of my congregation. There are others where I officiated at the request of the funeral home. The small church that I pastor even holds services at a local funeral home.
Several weeks ago I was entering the funeral home through the employee’s door and happened to glance up to the alcove above the door. I could see a bird’s nest and the head of a small swallow. It was a mother hatching her clutch of eggs. The following week there were several tiny heads visible in the nest. Her eggs had hatched! In a few days they were all gone.
Last Sunday I was entering through that door again and looked up to the nest. There was the mother swallow’s head again. Another clutch of eggs were soon to be hatched to enter the world of soaring high and catching insects.
The swallows have made me aware that in this funeral home that has witnessed many tears at the passing of loved ones, there is also new birth and life. For those of us who have been born again, a funeral home is not just a place of death, but a time to celebrate the entry into a life that will never end. Life among death!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 12, 2016 | Philippians
Philippians 4:19
“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
It was a sunny Sunday afternoon in Amarillo, Texas. I was a low-ranking airman attending jet mechanic school. I say that to explain why we had run out of money before we ran out of month. We were broke!
Entering our apartment that Sunday afternoon, we were well aware that there was very little in the house to eat — a can of green beans, part of a loaf of bread, and a little milk. We decided to make a gravy to put on the bread. It was then that we discovered the milk had “turned’ and was not fit to use. We ate beans and bread and thanked the Lord for it!
That evening after church we were thrilled to be invited out to a lovely couple’s home for a snack. I fear we were quite aggressive in devouring the food. When we told them the story of our noon meal they laughed and laughed. What we did not know was that they owned a small grocery store. We were graciously invited to come to the store and open a charge account until payday. Yeah!
The Lord has invited us to come to Him and that He will supply all of our needs. We may go through times of spiritual leanness because we fail to draw upon His bountiful supply. We dine on spiritual “beans and bread” when we could be dining at His table loaded with love, grace, and truth. Dig In!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
