by Pastor Cecil | Jan 20, 2016 | Hebrews
Hebrews 5:12
“For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.”
I just saw a picture of my youngest great granddaughter tasting her first solid food. It brought back many memories of when our three children tasted their first solid food. As I recall, it was always mashed potatoes and gravy and it was usually me that did the sneaky deed. Joyce or my mom would chastise me, but it was fun anyway!
It may be humorous to talk about our babies needing their solid food, but all too often many churches have huge congregations of believers who still exist on predigested spiritual food from the pulpit instead of sinking their teeth into something solid by studying their own Bible.
As you honestly evaluate your spiritual life, where do you see yourself? Are you able to dig into the solid meat of God’s Word or is it necessary for you to have someone else feed you? It is time for us to grow up!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 19, 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.”
Satisfaction! There are many things that bring feelings of satisfaction. I can recall one incident when I was a teenager that brought great satisfaction. I had been hired to dig a ditch for a couple. It was 50 feet long and about 3 feet deep.
As I started the task I realized that the soil was mostly topsoil which made for easy digging. In very little time I was down to the 3 feet depth and the width that was required. I then tried to see how fast I could dig. I was amazed at in a very short period of time I had completed the task.
When I knocked on the door and told the owners that I was completed they could not believe it. They are paying me by the hour and felt that I earned more than they had agreed upon and paid me a special bonus. I left with a sigh of satisfaction!
What type of satisfaction do we gain doing the things that God calls us to do? At the end of the day can we go to sleep knowing that we have served the Lord to the best of our abilities? Can we slip into slumber with a sigh of satisfaction?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 18, 2016 | James
James 3:10-12
“Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.”
“Is that milk fresh?” How many times have we heard that question asked (and usually followed by someone taking a sip of the milk in question). The response provides the answer: “Yuck!” means it is sour and not fresh.
I often wonder about the “freshness” of our lives. When people spend time around us are they prone to utter that same expression? Yuck! I hope there’s a smile on their face such as follows a satisfying swig of sweet fresh milk!
We are told that when we are born again we become new creatures. The problem all too often is that people do not live like new creatures. They continue with habits and associations of the past. Like James says in today’s Scripture: “… these things ought not to be so.”
It is time to evaluate our spiritual life and determine whether it is fresh or sour.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 15, 2016 | Psalm
Psalm 99:9
“Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at His holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy.”
Sometimes we never get the credit we think we deserve. I am so glad we don’t. If we did we would be prone to take pride in our accomplishments. Many of God’s most faithful servants labored in complete anonymity.
Such was the case with the composer of this week’s hymn. Reginald Heber was born at Malpas, Cheshire, England, April 21, 1783, to a heritage of wealth and culture. By the age of five, he had read the Bible so thoroughly that he could give chapter and verse for chance quotations.
He composed many hymns, but served his entire life without seeing them published. It was only after his death that as many as 57 of his hymns were recognized. It was to the Lord that he dedicated his works. Such is the case with this week’s hymn, Holy, Holy, Holy!
Holy, Holy, Holy!
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! all the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Who wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.
Holy, holy, holy! tho’ the darkness hide Thee
Tho’ the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy name, in earth and sky, and sea;
Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
To access Holy, Holy, Holy, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/holyholyholy/ in your browser or click on the image below.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 14, 2016 | Matthew
Matthew 10:39
“ He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”
You may have heard the humorous anecdote of the man who commented, “I now must admit that I believe in the hereafter. It seems like every time I go from one room to another, I stop and ask myself, ‘What am I here after?’” Ouch! That hits pretty close to home!
Have you ever lost something that has special significance to you? Sometimes it is not the monetary value of a item which makes it precious, but the memories that are associated with it. I recently lost about 20 DVD’s of favorite Christian music that I played before services each Sunday. The only thing I can conclude is that they were accidentally thrown away in the trash after a potluck dinner.
Let’s face it — the most precious things in this world will someday be lost in one way or another. If we base our happiness and contentment on the things of this world, we will experience disappointment when they are lost, as eventually they will be.
Today’s Scripture tells us that if we grasp and hold on to the things of this life, we will lose them. But when we lose our life and the things of this life, we will find LIFE … real life. That is what I want to seek and hold onto!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
