by Pastor Cecil | Feb 10, 2016 | Matthew
Matthew 26:38
“Then He said to them, ‘My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.’”
In yesterday’s Blessings From the Heart I used the title “GO!” — so it may sound a little contrary to select the title “STAY!” for today. It appears the two terms are opposed to each other, but even a casual study will reveal that is not the case.
If we go in our own strength and with our own wisdom we will be doomed to fall short of God’s plan and purpose for our life. Jesus was facing the ordeal of the cross and called His disciples to stay with Him and watch. Instead, they allowed their own weariness to supersede His invitation.
Before we reach out and impact the world for Jesus, we need to stay close by His side. The disciples had been by the side of their Master for several years. They had even been able to perform miracles when He sent them out two by two. But now, as always, He needed them to stay close to Him.
It is time to commit ourselves to staying close to the Lord. There is nothing we can do in our own strength that will last for eternity. The fact of the matter is that when we do things in our own strength, it leads to pride of self rather than glory to the Lord. I want to stay close to Him every moment of every day so I will be useful to Him.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 9, 2016 | Matthew
Matthew 28:18-20
“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.”
When I was growing up, one of my parents would tell me to go and do something. It may have been to go to the store, go mow the lawn, or go do my homework. What it did not mean was to stay.
Somewhere along the line we have concluded that we can do the work of the Lord by having people come to us. We have changed the understanding of the great commission to having people come from all the nations so that we can make disciples of them. But that is not what it says!
We can go in many different ways. My wife Joyce had a wonderful ministry of discipleship by sending cards. I often felt she was far more effective than I was. The Holy Spirit would direct her about the card to send, the person to send it to, and the message she was to impart. In her own way Joyce was “going” to make disciples.
God may be calling you to go as a missionary, a teacher, a preacher, or some other full-time Christian vocation, but we are all called to make disciples. Ask the Lord to show you how you can fulfill the great commission.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 8, 2016 | Ephesians
Ephesians 4:1-3
“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
When I was ordained as a minister of the Gospel, I was in a group who had completed years of study and had also held a pastoral position long enough to know what the rigors of the ministry were.
We were challenged that night to walk worthy of our calling. Perhaps we had not experienced the rigors of life long enough to know what that entailed — the times when we would deal with broken hearts and broken lives — but what about our own walk with the Lord? Would we be WORTHY WALKERS?
Paul makes it very clear in this letter to the church at Ephesus what it means to be worthy of the calling of the Lord. Listen to the adjectives he uses: LOWLINESS, GENTLENESS, LONGSUFFERING, BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER, TRYING TO KEEP THE PEACE.
I think it is important for me as well as you to make it a practice to read these verses on a regular basis and see how we measure up. As for me, I know that I want to be considered a worthy walker for the Lord!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 5, 2016 | Ruth
Ruth 2:8
“Then Boaz said to Ruth, ‘You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women.'”
It is hard to make a list of beloved hymns without encountering Fanny J. Crosby. This blind little lady composed well over 8,000 hymns and poems in her life. It is sad that many churches never sing these songs anymore. They are the losers!
As I think about the life of Fanny J. Crosby I am humbled. With her physical limitations she expressed her longing to be more and more like the Master she served. This hymn seems to highlight her aim to draw closer to Him.
In today’s Scripture, Boaz instructed Ruth to stay near the women who worked for him. He was her kinsman redeemer even though she did not know it. Christ is our Kinsman Redeemer and we know it because the Bible tells us so. Are we like Fanny J. Crosby having a desire to be closer to Him?
Close to Thee
Thou my everlasting portion,
More than friend or life to me,
All along my pilgrim journey,
Savior, let me walk with Thee.
Refrain:
Close to Thee, close to Thee,
Close to Thee, close to Thee;
All along my pilgrim journey,
Savior, let me walk with Thee.
Not for ease or worldly pleasure,
Nor for fame my prayer shall be;
Gladly will I toil and suffer,
Only let me walk with Thee.
Refrain:
Close to Thee, close to Thee,
Close to Thee, close to Thee,
Gladly will I toil and suffer,
Only let me walk with Thee.
Lead me through the vale of shadows,
Bear me o’er life’s fitful sea;
Then the gate of life eternal
May I enter, Lord, with Thee.
Refrain:
Close to Thee, close to Thee,
Close to Thee, close to Thee,
Then the gate of life eternal
May I enter, Lord, with Thee.
Enjoy this free inspirational video of, “Close to Thee” by going to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/closetothee/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 4, 2016 | Matthew
Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Do you ever get weary? If you are honest, I am sure that you would respond in the affirmative to that question. These bodies of ours are amazing, but at some point we feel fatigue set in and we need rest.
There have been times in my life when I was so tired that I felt as if I could not move one more step. I recall a time many years ago when I felt that way. It was at that moment that the Lord seemed to draw me near to Him in a new way.
Physically, I certainly did not feel inclined to respond in a positive way. But I am so glad I did. It was a new step to discover a deeper walk with the Lord. He taught me a lesson I have carried with me all these years. When we come to Him and take up His yoke, we feel strength we never felt before.
If you are at that point in your life right now, I want to encourage you to take the step of faith in forgetting all of your aches, pains, and weariness. Say “yes” to the Lord in any and everything He is telling you to do. THAT IS BEING YOKED WITH HIM!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
