by Pastor Cecil | Jan 6, 2016 | 1 John
1 John 5:4-5
“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
What happens when your team twins? If you are like the majority of people, you “whoop and holler like you found a new found dollar!” That is often the case in the post-season football bowl games.
I just read a report that this past Saturday night the University of Oregon was leading Texas Christian University 31 to 0 at halftime. It was a blowout and I am sure all of the Oregon fans were rejoicing and the TCU fans were weeping. But there is always a second half, isn’t there? That was the case and in an astonishing fashion, TCU won the game in triple overtime. Now who is weeping and who is rejoicing?!
In this old sin-sick world we may feel like we are on the losing side, but we need to remember that there is a second half. In Psalm 30:5 we read these wonderful words of encouragement: “… weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”
Never feel that things are hopeless or that we are helpless. No matter how bad things may seem, God gives us the final result: JESUS WINS! Stay on His side!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 5, 2016 | Genesis
Genesis 9:14-15
“It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.”
My wife Joyce always loved rainbows. She would almost squeal with delight when one would appear. It always reminded us of the covenant God made with His creation that He would never again destroy all flesh.
When I officiated at weddings I always made a practice of mentioning God’s covenant that He sealed with the rainbow. I use it just before the exchange of rings and try to make a lasting impression on the couple.
As they look down at the rings on their fingers, they see only an arc. It is the same way with the rainbow in the sky. From our ground-view perspective, we see only an arc of varied colors. But when we view from an aircraft looking down on a cloud formation, we are able to see the full unbroken circle of colors. That is God’s view! It is His Covenant with us.
The next time you see a rainbow in the sky, remember that God has entered into a covenant relationship with each and every person who has accepted Him as Savior and Lord. Jesus never fails!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 4, 2016 | 1 Peter
1 Peter 2:17
“Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.”
When I was a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force, it was common to give and receive hand salutes. The lower ranking individual always saluted first, and his salute was always returned by the officer of higher rank.
When you arrived at a new duty station, one of the first things that was required was to register your automobile. This gave you access to go in and out of the base without stopping to register. A decal was placed on the windshield on the driver’s side; officers had different colored decals from enlisted personnel. When you approached the gate the guard would stand at attention and salute, and you would then return the salute as you passed through.
On one occasion my dad was visiting us from out of state and, for some reason, had used our car to go into town. He was delighted when he returned and said the guard had saluted him when he passed through the gate back onto the base. When I asked him what he did, Dad said he returned the salute. The guard had simply saluted the decal identifying a commissioned officer.
Military protocol requires giving honor. It is tragic that we fail to honor the God of the universe who has created all things and for whom all things were created. I personally want to give more honor to the Lord than ever before in 2016!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 1, 2016 | Philippians
Philippians 4:4-7
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.“
William Walford did not allow the fact that he was blind limit his service for his Lord. He was frequently called upon to preach in a small country church. He composed the sermons in his head and also was able to quote large portions of Scripture from memory. Some people thought he had memorized the entire Bible. He also composed verses as the Lord laid the words upon his heart. Above all—he was a man of prayer.
In the mid 1800’s, Thomas Salmon was visiting in England and became acquainted with Pastor Walford. As they were visiting one day the blind pastor quoted a few pieces he had composed. Since he had no one to write them down he had kept them treasured in the storehouse of his mind.
One of the verses he related to Mr. Salmon was, Sweet Hour of Prayer. Mr. Salmon eagerly scribbled the words down on a scrap of paper. When he returned to New York he sent the verses to the Observer and asked if they thought them worth preserving. The Observer did think them worthy and published them on September 13, 1845. The music was added by William Bradbury in 1861.
Sweet Hour of Prayer
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer!
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne
Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer!
The joys I feel, the bliss I share,
Of those whose anxious spirits burn
With strong desires for thy return!
With such I hasten to the place
Where God my Savior shows His face,
And gladly take my station there,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer!
Thy wings shall my petition bear
To Him whose truth and faithfulness
Engage the waiting soul to bless.
And since He bids me seek His face,
Believe His Word and trust His grace,
I’ll cast on Him my every care,
And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer!
Sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer!
May I thy consolation share,
Till, from Mount Pisgah’s lofty height,
I view my home and take my flight:
This robe of flesh I’ll drop and rise
To seize the everlasting prize;
And shout, while passing through the air,
‘Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer!’
To access Sweet Hour of Prayer please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/sweethourofprayer in your browser or click on the image below.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 31, 2015 | Luke
Luke 24:31-32
“Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?’”
It is that time of year when I rely on my trusty little wood stove to supply heat to the house. It has a glass front so I am able to observe the combustion process. From time to time I put a large chunk of wood in and almost always marvel at how resistant it is to burn.
I have learned you never can put large chunks of wood in when a fire is first starting. It requires a hot bed of coals in order to begin the process of combustion. After lying on the bed of coals for a little while things began to happen. Slowly flames began to come up alongside the log and before long it begins to glow.
Not only does the log glow but soon it becomes coals that serve to ignite other chunks of wood that I place in the fire. This process repeats itself over and over as the day progresses. The entire house is warmed!
In the spiritual realm we must be aware that as we come in contact with burning coals of spirituality, we stopped for being a chunk of earthly wood. As we spend time next to spiritual coals, we will begin to glow and provide coals for others!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
