by Pastor Cecil | Jun 19, 2015 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
“Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit. “
In 1979 the U.S. Embassy in Iran was overpowered and the Americans inside were held hostage for 444 days. One of those was the son of the former pastor of our church in Nampa, Idaho. I can recall our fervent prayer for Gary Lee as well as all of the other hostages.
They were finally redeemed and allowed to go free. That incident has returned to my mind just recently as I read that these hostages have battled to receive compensation for the time that they were held hostage. It is difficult to know what would be fair compensation, but in this case they have been asking for something like $3 million each.
Forgetting that particular incident and thinking of our redemption from sin, what is the worth of the human soul? The Lord Jesus paid the price for our redemption, and I am so grateful that we have been set free from the penalty of sin!
The writer of this hymn, Fanny Crosby, was eagerly looking forward to that day when her Redeemer would appear and her blinded eyes would be opened and she would behold the most beautiful sight she could ever imagine—Jesus!
Redeemed
(1) Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
His child and forever I am.
REFRAIN: Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child and forever I am.
(2) Redeemed, and so happy in Jesus,
No language my rapture can tell;
I know that the light of His presence,
With me doth continually dwell.
REFRAIN:
(3) I think of my blessed Redeemer,
I think of Him all the day long:
I sing, for I cannot be silent;
His love is the theme of my song.
REFRAIN:
(4) I know I shall see in His beauty,
The King in whose law I delight;
Who lovingly guardeth my footsteps,
And giveth me songs in the night.
REFRAIN:
(5) I know there’s a crown that is waiting,
In yonder bright mansion for me,
And soon, with the spirits made perfect,
At home with the Lord I shall be.
REFRAIN:
To access Redeemed, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/redeemed/ 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 | Jun 18, 2015 | 1 Kings
1 Kings 15:14
“Although the pagan shrines were not removed, Asa’s heart remained faithful to the LORD throughout his life.”
How can you be faithful to the Lord without doing everything the Lord tells you to do? I wish I knew the answer to that question. An even greater question in my mind is why does the Lord bless me when there are things in my life that are not pleasing in his sight? That brings it closer to home doesn’t?!
It is so easy to be critical of others instead of looking at the faults in our own life. King Asa of Judah came to the throne following evil reigns of his grandfather and his father. He was the first king of Judah that found favor in the sight of the Lord. That means there was some mighty fine things that Asa did. But there was something missing!
There is always something missing if we fail to make a total commitment to the Lord. Yes, the Lord did bless Asa because he loved God and had done many things that were right. But there was something missing . . . Total commitment!
People looking at us may think that we are doing so many fine noble things for the Lord. But what does God say? Are we committing our way 100% to the Lord so that when we enter the gates of glory we will hear those words that will be the most precious words we can never hear; “Well done good and faithful servant!” I do not want to have anything missing in my life when I go to be with Him.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 17, 2015 | 2 Kings
2 Kings 6:17
“And Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”
A number of years ago one of the men in our congregation came to my office and brought a plaque of sorts. It is about 7 inches long and 2 inches wide. It is black with white wood pieces glued on. As you look at it at first you would think there is nothing there but just gibberish. He told me to look again harder. As I did I realized the black background was what I was should be looking at. It was only then that I saw the word; JESUS.
So many times as we go through this life there things all around us that we do not see because we do not have eyes to see. It often makes me wonder what I’ve missed by being so busy are so preoccupied that I failed to take the time to really look.
In our modern society cell phones and other such devices have so consumed the minds and attention of people that they fail to take time to realize there are others that need their attention. They’re so busy talking to someone somewhere else that they ignore the person in front of them.
We have done that with Jesus so many times. Through the Holy Spirit he has wanted to reveal Himself to us but we are so busy with our own activities that we fail to see Him. I want to urge us open our eyes see JESUS!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 16, 2015 | Romans
Romans 6:4
“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
Have you ever met people who claimed to have accepted the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord, yet they continued to live the same hollow lives they did before? Some may call them carnal Christians, but in reality they may not be Christians at all.
In today’s Scripture Paul was writing to believers in Rome about how they should live. One day he would be there in person to live out what he was telling them. It is one thing to preach, but another thing to live it!
If Paul were to suddenly appear in your home, your work place, or your church, what do you think he would find? Let me take that another step further. What if Jesus would appear in those places? Does that make you a little uncomfortable?
Let me be so bold as to rattle your cage even more. If you truly have given your heart to the Lord Jesus and accepted Him as Lord of your life, the Holy Spirit is always with you. When you do those questionable things that you think no one sees . . . the Holy Spirit sees! Wherever you go and whatever you do is known to the Lord. How then should we live our life? “Walk in newness of life.”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 15, 2015 | Acts
Acts 5:41-42
“The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.”
I hate to admit it, but there are obnoxious Christians out there! By that I mean there are people who claim the name of Jesus as their personal Savior, but they live lives that border (one side or the other) on unquestionable practices. I hear from people that are around these types, and they perceive that person has an ugly spirit within them. Often that is what the world sees . . . and that is how they judge all who claim the name of Christ.
The early Christians constantly put their lives on the line for the sake of Christ. Were they all perfect? Absolutely not! None of us are. But those believers were willing to give everything they had, including their very lives, for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ who had saved them and given them eternal life.
As I read the story of the Christians in that early New Testament Church, I noticed that they never felt sorry for themselves. In fact, they considered it a spiritual blessing to endure suffering. Today, if we have to endure insults or innuendos, we whimper and cry like babies. It is a far cry from our brothers and sisters who gave their lives for the Gospel.
I want to make a new commitment to live my life with rejoicing rather than trying to feel sorry for myself!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
