by Pastor Cecil | Mar 19, 2015 | Mark
Mark 7:21-23
“For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.”
This is a somewhat delicate subject, but I was recently thinking of some of the things my mother said to me. From what I hear, there are others of you who heard this same admonition from your own mother; “Be sure to wear clean underwear, you may end up in the hospital and what would they think!”
From my experience in the emergency wards they often just cut off all of the garments of a patient and have no time to inspect whether the underwear was clean or not. I think it is still a good idea to be prepared!
There is a spiritual parallel to being prepared with those things not obvious to the eyes of people around us. It is only as we peel off the façade of our outward appearance that the reality of who we are is revealed. Jesus reveals in this passage that all of the evil things imaginable are from within. It is these things which defile us in the sight of God.
We may walk and talk as holy men and women of God. The real question is what lies beneath? Do we have the clean underwear that can only come by a life lived in submission to the will of God and a readiness to confess our sins in order for Him to forgive us and cleanse us. Remember to PUT ON CLEAN UNDERWEAR!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 18, 2015 | Philippians
Philippians 4:12-13
“I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
There was blinding pain and then darkness. The accident had been so catastrophic that the doctors struggled to save the victim’s life. Hour after hour they fought against the odds and finally turned the corner. With a sigh of relief they made their way from the surgical suite.
They had saved a life and for that they rejoiced. The tragedy was that in order to save the patient’s life, they were required to remove both legs just above the knees. Now it was time for the patient to become a cripple or a new creation. Regardless, things would never be the same.
In 1952 I was joined with Joyce, my precious wife, as one flesh. We were not just two people living in the same place, we were truly one. Over the next 62 years we laughed, cried, created, struggled, and served the Lord. That came to a sudden end for me on January 13, 2015. We were no longer one flesh. I had experienced an amputation from the most beautiful part of my life.
Now I face the vivid reality of the choice I must make: Either let the waves of grief cause me to become a cripple or allow the Lord to provide me with the ability to look through the tears and respond to the needs around me. I do not choose to limp through the rest of my life. As I read in Hebrews 12:1-2: “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 17, 2015 | Numbers
Numbers 32:23
“But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.”
I have often experienced the sadness of discovering the secret sins of those who appeared to be innocent and righteous. When in the company of Christians they pretended to be super saints. But then there was that other side. When they thought they were safe from being recognized, they did things they never would have done around their Christian friends.
A repairman who was a devout Christian was called to repair a piece of equipment in a local bar. He had completed the repairs in the equipment room and was on his way out when he noticed his pastor sitting cozily in a booth with a woman who was not his wife. The pastor lost his wife and ministry because of his sin!
Joseph had been treated cruelly by his brothers and everything seemed to have been taken from him. Their betrayal could have made him bitter. Instead, he became a sterling example of being faithful even when removed from the eyes of his family or friends. He might be far from them, but he was not far from God!
That is a truth each and every believer should remember. We are never far from God. He not only knows our every action, He knows our every thought. We will never need to worry about being caught when we purpose in our heart to live by His Word and walk close to Him.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 16, 2015 | Psalm
Psalm 118:7-9
“The Lord is with me; He is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.”
From time to time, someone asks me how we can know the Bible is the true Word of God? There are many hundreds of prophecies that were fulfilled that prove the truth. That being said, however, belief is a choice. It is a matter of faith. We can either choose to believe, or we can lean on the shallow thinking of unbelievers who say there is no God. One second after death there will be no unbelievers. But failure to accept Christ will cost them eternal suffering and loss. Sad will be their bitter wail!
Some time ago I received an e-mail that should cause doubters to reconsider the truth of the Bible. (This is just one of hundreds). It has to do with the middle of the Bible. The shortest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 117. The longest chapter is Psalm 119.
Now please guess the middle chapter in the Bible? Amazingly it is Psalm 118. That is just the beginning. There are 594 chapters before Psalm 118 and 594 chapters after Psalm 118 for a total of 1188 chapters in the Bible. Hold on to that number, 1188. The very middle verse in the Bible is Psalm 118:8! I have underlined it above: “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.”
In the storms of life and in the expectation of the eternity awaiting us, I find it the most comforting to place my trust in the Lord. Regardless of what others do around me, I choose to take my refuge in the Lord.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 12, 2015 | 2 Timothy
2 Timothy 3:5,7
“Having a form of godliness but denying its power.” “Always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.”
It grieves me that there are so many professed believers in the Lord Jesus Christ who tell more than show the way we are to live out our Christian faith. SORRY! I hate to upset their apple cart, but it should rather be first of all Show . . . then Tell.
We hear all too much and see so very little. There are those who claim to be godly, and try to appear godly, but the result is that they look like they have just been baptized in vinegar.
Sadly, many believe that spiritual depth is measured by educational achievement. Years ago someone said to me that there are so many doctors in the church today you would think God was sick. Some seem to be more concerned with earning titles than practicing their calling.
There is an old book that I read many years ago titled “In His Steps” by Charles Sheldon. The theme of the book is to live life with this question in the forefront of our mind: What Would Jesus Do?
It is a call for all of us to be GOD’S GODLY PEOPLE in the way we live and as we search His Word to find the way He wants us to live. In a day of shallow spirituality, we need more men and women to trust and obey!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
