by Pastor Cecil | Oct 21, 2015 | 2 Chronicles
2 Chronicles 7:14
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
In the past I have had experience in hiring and supervising individuals. One of the first things I did was to explain the conditions they were expected to meet in order to remain in good standing and receive their salary. It would have been inconceivable for them to tell me what I should do to meet their expectations.
Isn’t it strange that we try to tell God what to do before we obey Him? We have heard prayers that go something like this; “Lord if you will get me out of this mess then I promise I will go back to church and serve You.” Another type of bargaining prayer might sound like this; “Lord if you heal me (or my loved one) of this disease then I will dedicate myself completely to You.”
How many times have we prayed that our nation turn back to God? How many times have we prayed for revival? Most of the time we pray for God to send healing to our nation or revival in our midst, but as we read today’s Scripture we see that there is a condition we must meet before God answers.
Do you see the four conditions that God requires?
- Humble ourselves
- Pray
- Seek God’s face
- Turn from our wicked ways
Have you met His conditions?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 20, 2015 | Matthew
Matthew 11:28-29
“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.”
Over the years we receive many invitations. Some of them come with the notation; RSVP. Those four letters indicate that you are to respond as to whether you will attend or not. God gives us an invitation and no RSVP is required. We might call it an open invitation.
I can recall a family member who once lived near Disneyland relating about people who had arrived without an invitation. They were friends or family members who expected to be housed and fed and also to be guided through Disneyland. It quickly became such a financial hardship that they had to say no.
God’s invitations cost the life of His dear Son. When we read the invitation that Jesus gives us in today’s Scripture we see that what He promises He is able to deliver. The only requirement is for us to take His yoke and learn from Him.
Are you burdened with a heavy load? If so Jesus invites you allow Him to take that load and give you His rest. Do not carry the burdens of this life any longer. Yield your load to Him and begin to live the life He desires.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 19, 2015 | Jeremiah
Jeremiah 29:11-13
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
Have you ever had someone make a promise to you and then not keep it? I’m sure that the majority of us have experienced that very thing. As a pastor I have had countless people promise that they would be in church the following week. When Sunday came they were not there nor have they ever appeared. I have often thought that if everyone who promised to be present would follow through on that promise the church could not hold them all. It is not that I am numbers conscious, but it breaks my heart when people make promises and then forget them.
Many years ago I had a young man in the church I pastored who had suffered brain damage years before. He was able to function in many areas and yet was greatly curtailed and others. One thing I admired about him was that he never failed to fulfill a promise. I knew that many times it took a great deal of effort but he always followed through. I can still remember him stacking wood that he had brought for our fireplace because he had made that promise.
God’s promises are always fulfilled. He has promised us peace and not evil and a future and a hope. He has promised to hear us when we pray and when we seek him with all our heart we will find Him. Oh how I love Jesus!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 16, 2015 | Psalm
Psalm 103:1-5
“Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s”
I would dare to say that almost all of us experienced some sort of trial in our life. It could be the loss of health, a financial meltdown, death of a mate or child or any number of catastrophic events. It is not whether or not we will encounter these trials, but rather what we will do when they arise.
The phrase, “Praise to the Lord” occurs in at least 155 verses in the Bible. That indicates to me that we need to spend far more time praising the Lord than we do. It would be well to replace our complaints with words of praise to the Lord.
Over 300 years ago, Joachim Neander was a hymn writer for the German Reform church. He was going through a time of trial and testing in his life. He would take long walks and pour his heart out to the Lord. It was on one of these walks that he came to the realization that it was not his strength that would give him victory and peace, but rather the powerful God he served. It was in that state of mind that he composed this week’s featured hymn.
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, Now to His temple draw near;
Join me in glad adoration!
Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires e’er have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?
Praise to the Lord, who with marvelous wisdom hath made thee!
Decked thee with health, and with loving hand guided and stayed thee;
How oft in grief hath not He bought thee relief,
Spreading His wings for to shade thee!
Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him!
Let the Amen sound from His people again;
Gladly for aye we adore Him.
To access Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Inspirational Music Videos, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/praisetothelordthealmighty/ 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 | Oct 15, 2015 | 1 Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians 5:14-15
“Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.”
I have sometimes been called an exhorter. A person with the gift of exhortation is motivated to boost the spirits of people around them. Sometimes in our excitement to help people achieve their full potential we may seem pushy. My own daughter has sometimes called me Pastor Push!
I recall attending a football practice at a local high school. The coach was very passionate and exhorted his players to do their best. He divided his team and was having a scrimmage. A ball carrier was running down the field and his teammate was supposed to block for him. Instead he just watched as a defensive player made a tackle. The coach yelled at the player who had missed the block; “Son, if you can’t block for him, at least you should cheer for him!”
We all need to be aware that there are scores of people around us who need someone to cheer for them. The world is a dismal place at times and without someone to lift spirits it can seem unbearable. We do not have to be a great orator to exhort people. People need to know there is someone who knows they are there and cares! Let Jesus shine through from you to those around you!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
