by Pastor Cecil | Jun 27, 2016 | Matthew
Matthew 22:37
“Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.”
Mankind’s natural tendency seems inclined towards always trying to gain something by investing as little as possible. It is like that old story of the young man who was writing a love letter to his sweetheart vowing he would climb the highest mountain for her. He would swim the widest river for her. He would fight a ferocious tiger for her. He closed his letter to the love of his life by promising he would drop by her house on Saturday … “if it’s not raining.” Ooops!
Much too often we exhibit that same trait in our devotion to the Lord. We talk a good talk, but when it comes down to being sold out to the Lord, we don’t walk the talk. In today’s Scripture the Pharisees are trying to find fault in the teachings of Jesus. He was asked which was the greatest commandment? Matthew 22:37 gives His reply.
Let me ask you a very personal question (I am asking it of myself as well). How well are we doing in our response to this greatest commandment of them all? Can we truly say we love the Lord our God with ALL our heart, our soul, and our mind? It is time to look into the mirror of God’s Word and see what He sees.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 24, 2016 | Revelation
Revelation 3:20
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”
This beautiful hymn was composed by Will Thompson who lived from 1847 to 1909. The words seem to capture the heart of the listener and draw us to come to Jesus. You can almost picture Jesus Himself standing patiently urging us to come to Him.
He not only pleads for us to come, but he offers complete pardon to anyone and everyone who will come to Him. He offers He has paid the price and He has the authority to extend pardon to any who will come to Him.
The words of this hymn stress the urgent need of those who are lost. Some may feel like they have time before making that decision, but sadly for many they wait too long. Now is the hour of decision to receive Christ’s mercy and pardon!
Softly and Tenderly
Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
watching for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading;
pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not His mercies;
mercies for you and for me?
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
passing from you and for me.
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
coming for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
O, for the wonderful love He has promised,
promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
pardon for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
To access this free inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/softlyandtenderly/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 23, 2016 | John
John 12:24
“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.“
I have a jar of barley grain in my storage cupboard. If I remove one grain from the jar it hardly makes a difference. Now multiply the amount of grain in my jar several times over and look inside the hopper of a grain harvester — that one grain now seems even less significant. Look into the hold of a cargo ship with millions of bushels of grains. How much is only one?
I fear that we often discount the value of our one life and witness. We feel that we, like that single grain, will not make a difference. Not only that, we hold onto our life with such a tight fist like we are better able to do something with it.
What does God want us to do with that grain which is our life? Are you ready? He wants us to plant it into the rich soil of His Word and die. It is only as we die to self that He is able to create new life.
You may feel that you only have one grain to offer to the Lord. That, dear friend, is enough. It is God’s power that creates new life, not ours. One grain can grow and multiply until there is a rich harvest. Give your grain to Him!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 22, 2016 | Acts
Acts 26:28
“Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You almost persuade me to become a Christian.’“
Last Saturday I was on my way to conduct a graveside service in a small community in our area. My daughter Lori was riding along to keep me company and as part of honoring me for Father’s Day.
We were less than a mile from the cemetery when an oncoming car swerved across into my lane. I immediately jogged to the shoulder of the road and he missed me by a fraction. I told Lori that the graveside service might easily have been for us.
We laughed about it and Lori profoundly commented that it would not have been all that bad to enter Paradise together. She later said it would be even better to be in a church service when the Rapture occurs and we could all go up together.
There are many “almosts” in life. The most heart rendering one is for a person to be under deep spiritual conviction from the Holy Spirit and fail to accept the free gift of eternal salvation. I have a deep desire to try to insure that I have done all I can to remove the “almost” from a person’s destiny.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 21, 2016 | Philippians
Philippians 3:13-14
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.“
Certain Bible characters stand out in my mind as brilliant examples of God’s amazing grace. One of these characters is a woman named Rahab who lived on the other side of the Jordan in the city of Jericho. It was the first city that Israel would besiege when they began to possess the Promised Land. Not only that, she was a harlot in Jericho.
Rahab’s redeeming qualities were that she believed that the God of Israel was the true God. She put her faith in God by hiding the two spies that were sent out by Joshua before crossing over the Jordan.
She hid the spies and they promised to save Rahab and her family providing they were inside her house when Jericho was attacked. The scarlet ribbon from her window identified her place of security.
God’s wonderful grace not only saved Rahab and her family, but she became the wife of Salmon. The family line continued down to David and eventually Jesus. Now that, my dear readers, is God’s amazing story of grace.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
