by Pastor Cecil | Feb 17, 2016 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
It is fascinating to see an old abused item renewed and made whole once again. I recall a friend years ago who found an old derelict car that was so rusted out it seemed impossible to do anything with it.
I was wrong. Several years later I returned to the area and was invited to assist my friend in loading that old wreck into a truck to transport it to an auto show. I could not believe that he would want to take that hunk of junk anywhere but to the wrecking yard!
Then I saw it. Wow! What a transformation! It looked better than it did when it originally came off the assembly line. IT HAD BEEN RENEWED! My friend’s hands had created something beautiful! It was his handiwork.
In the same way, God wants to take the old wrecks of our lives and renew them into things of beauty that will show forth His handiwork.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 16, 2016 | Romans
Romans 12:19-22
“Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. Therefore; ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
This morning as I drove around taking care of errands, I was listening to the radio. The opera, Il Trovatore, was about to start and the commentator was giving a synopsis. I was struck by the violence that the opera portrayed. Vengeance was graphic in which several characters, including infants, were burned to death.
I know this was just an opera based on fictional characters, but the demand for vengeance revealed the wickedness of the human heart. Even in our modern day, perhaps even more so than in times past, there is a loud demand for vengeance.
The Bible does speak about getting even. It appears in today’s passage of Scripture. In order to get even with someone who has become your adversary, here are the steps to take: Feed him and give him something to drink if he is thirsty.
And here is the result of treating your enemy this way: “ … you will heap coals of fire on his head.” That is getting even God’s way. Let God fight your battle for you. All you have to do is overcome evil with good!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 15, 2016 | Psalm
Psalm 101:2
“I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.”
It seems as though I can still hear my mother telling me to behave. The very fact that she was speaking in a stern tone was a sure indication that I had been misbehaving. I wish I could say that I immediately obeyed, but the truth of the matter is that most times I continued doing what I had been doing.
It is one thing to misbehave in such a way as to disappoint our earthly parents, or even ourselves. Far greater is the misbehavior that disappoints God. His Spirit is with His children and He knows exactly what we are doing at all times. When we hear the voice of God speaking, our response should always be to immediately behave!
The Psalmist gives us a beautiful picture of a sincere prayer. In this prayer he is telling the Lord that he will behave wisely in a perfect way! When we behave in the way we should, we want the Lord to be near us. That is why the Psalmist pleads with God to come to him.
Let us make a new commitment to the Lord to walk in such a perfect way that we can truly behave as we should spiritually. That means searching the Scripture to determine the way we should walk and then walk that path.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 12, 2016 | Hebrews
Hebrews 10:22
“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
Fanny J. Crosby was visiting the home of a friend, Phoebe Knapp. Phoebe was playing a new melody she had just composed and mentioned to Fanny that she called it Assurance. Fanny responded, “Blessed Assurance.”
Fanny returned home and quickly penned the words to the hymn that has become such a favorite since it was published way back in 1873. It is just as much a blessed assurance today as it was back then.
Blessed Assurance
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God.
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
Refrain: This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angles descending, bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
Refrain: This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Savior am happy and blest;
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.
Refrain: This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long.
Enjoy this free inspirational video of, “Blessed Assurance” by going to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/blessedassurance/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 11, 2016 | Philippians
Philippians 4:4-6
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
If you were to score yourself on the basis of rejoicing, how well would you do? That is an embarrassing question, isn’t it? It should not be. Christians in the early church were known for their love for one another, but also for their rejoicing.
Paul urges the church at Philippi to rejoice always. I’m not sure what always means to you but to me it means at all times and under all circumstances. The reason is that we rejoice in the Lord! That means we look beyond the circumstance and try to see what God is planning to do next.
Rejoicing carries with it an element of expectation. If God says it and we believe it, we need to open our eyes to the power of God at work in and around us. Paul goes on and says that we are to let our gentleness be known to everyone. We can do that when we rejoice in the Lord always.
Next, Paul says that we are to get rid of our anxious thoughts and replace them with prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving. That is where rejoicing is the greatest testimony that a Christian can possess. Are you rejoicing?!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
