by Pastor Cecil | Jun 20, 2016 | Psalm
Psalm 51:12
“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.”
As a boy, I recall a woman in our church who loved to testify. It seemed that every time she gave her testimony she looked and sounded like she had just been baptized in lemon juice!
It became a joke for the kids in the church. We kids who were eight or nine years of age would make faces and imitate this lady. I am sure her heart was pure and her devotion to the Lord was pure, but her face lacked the appearance of joy.
At times we Christians seem to have a short circuit when it comes to having the joy of our salvation. We talk of the joys of heaven and walking the streets of gold, but in the meantime we are certainly not a walking testimony of the joy of the Lord.
It is time to take stock of our own behavior concerning the joy of our salvation. Do people see the joy of the Lord in us? If we truly believe that we are born into the family of God, do we act happy about it? Do people want what we have? Think about it and make the changes necessary to enjoy your salvation.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 17, 2016 | 1 Peter
1 Peter 5:6-7
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.“
There have been times in my life when I felt isolated and alone. It seemed that I was alone and could not sense the nearness of God in my life. When I experienced these times of spiritual drought, I was prone to wonder if Jesus really cared, even though I am usually happy and optimistic. It has been in these times that I have felt the enemy of my soul attack. I rush to God’s Word for comfort.
Frank E. Graeff was known as the “sunshine minister.” He had a cheery disposition, a winsome personality, spiritual optimist, and was a great friend of children. He was known to have a child-like faith. That being said, he did pass through times of deep trials. It was then that he turned to the Scriptures as his guide in the darkness.
As I read the words of this hymn that he wrote, I can see the change from gloom and despair to hope and victory. That is what I want in my life.
Does Jesus Care?
Does Jesus care when my heart is pained
Too deeply for mirth or song,
As the burdens press, and the cares distress
And the way grows weary and long?
Refrain: Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.
Does Jesus care when my way is dark
With a nameless dread and fear?
As the daylight fades into deep night shades,
Does He care enough to be near?
Refrain: Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.
Does Jesus care when I’ve tried and failed
To resist some temptation strong;
When for my deep grief there is no relief,
Though my tears flow all the night long?
Refrain: Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.
Does Jesus care when I’ve said “goodbye”
To the dearest on earth to me,
And my sad heart aches till it nearly breaks,
Is it aught to Him? Does He see?
Refrain: Oh yes, He cares, I know He cares,
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Savior cares.
To access Does Jesus Care? this week’s free inspirational video, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/doesjesuscare/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 16, 2016 | James
James 1:19-20
“So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”
Many years ago I was attending a Christian Counselors Conference. One of the speakers related a counseling session he had with a man who was angry at his wife. He ranted and raved about how sloppy she was and how she neglected her duties of keeping the house clean and orderly.
As the counselor listened to the man tear his wife apart, he was silently praying for words with which to respond to the man. It suddenly became very quiet in the room and the counselor realized that the man was finished. Now it was the counselor’s turn to respond.
The counselor surprised the husband by agreeing with him, saying that he was married to the worst wife he had ever heard of. Immediately the husband rose to his wife’s defense. He began to praise her for having a loving nature and spending time loving her family instead of cleaning; he demanded to know how the counselor could think she was such a terrible wife. The husband left in a snit — but with a new view of his wife.
Are you looking for the good in others or are you so focused on their faults that you forget their strong qualities? Go for the gold and look for the best!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 15, 2016 | 1 Kings
1 Kings 8:61
“Let your heart therefore be loyal to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments, as at this day.”
I recently read about a dog that was owned by a veterinarian. This dog was a vet dog. That meant he spent most of his hours in the Veterinary Clinic and was known to greet all of the dogs that came for whatever treatment was needed.
The Vet described him as being loyal to a fault. Not only did he greet each of the dogs that came to the clinic, but he was also a blood donor. Animals do not have the luxury of blood banks, so when an emergency arises, a tube goes from a donor dog to the dog who might die without this blood transfusion.
There are many people who are much like that. They greet others in a friendly accepting manner without hesitation. They give so freely of themselves that others feel they have received a transfusion of love when they are with them.
Today’s Scripture calls each believer to be loyal to the Lord. When we are loyal to Him it means that we are always ready to give a transfusion of love to the one God brings across our path. Are you loyal?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 14, 2016 | Romans
Romans 3:23
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
In the U.S., as in most other nations, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This has produced a mentality that demands that we be proven guilty before we actually are adjudged guilty. As kids we may be accused of some minor indiscretion and cry out, “Prove it!”
When we look into God’s Word we discover that we have all been born into sin and are sinners by nature. That means we are not the innocent little creatures that some picture infants to be until they are contaminated by a sinful world.
The fact that we are guilty from the beginning, as a result of Adam’s sin, reveals that we need to be redeemed. Redemption must be provided by a totally sinless human. The only sinless human was and is Jesus Christ.
We are guilty until our sins are confessed and we invite Jesus to come into our heart and become our Savior. He was both God and man and He was not guilty from the beginning, but He became sin that we might have redemption. We are guilty until His blood is applied to our life. Praise the Lord!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
