by Pastor Cecil | Nov 12, 2014 | Matthew
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
There are so many times in life when you wonder where to turn. It may be your own difficulties, or it may be what someone else is going through, but it is just beyond our human ability to come up with the answer. I want to let you in on a little secret–It isn’t necessary to have the answer, but it is to have the Savior!
The disciples who followed our Lord were human, just as we are human. They were like sheep without a shepherd. The religious leaders of their day had perverted the truth of the Word of God and now they had seen the Truth in human flesh giving them the answer they needed for the dismal future they faced: COME TO ME!
Notice the different categories of individuals that Christ called to come to Him. There were those who were weary and burdened. If you are in that condition at this moment, or if you find yourself in that condition in the future, you can be assured that you know where to go: COME UNTO ME! Those words of invitation are your answer.
Jesus told His disciples that it was the Father who enabled them to come to Him. That still applies today. If you feel a tug in your heart drawing you to: COME UNTO ME, you know it is the Holy Spirit being sent from the Father. I urge you never to resist, but rush into His arms!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 11, 2014 | 2 Peter
2 Peter 1:5-7
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.
For several months our congregation has been studying First and Second Peter. I have prepared the following as a teaching tool for Second Peter 1:1-7. I have decided to send it out for your personal study.
PETER’S STEPS TO SPIRITAL GROWTH
FAITH THAT SEES BEYOND THE PRESENT
(THIS IS THE BASIS FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH)
ADD THE FOLLOWING ATTRIBUTES:
GOODNESS
(A virtuous course of thought, feeling and action)
plus
KNOWLEDGE
(Moral wisdom, such as is seen in right living)
plus
SELF-CONTROL
(The virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, esp. his sensual appetites)
plus
PERSEVERANCE
(Steadfastness, constancy, endurance)
plus
GODLINESS
(Reverence, respect towards God)
plus
MUTUAL AFFECTION
(The love which Christians cherish for each other)
plus
LOVE
(The nature of God is summed up in love)
As you consider these attributes that Peter lists, what would be your score? Make a start today!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 10, 2014 | James
James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
In over fourteen years of sending out this Daily-E-Votional, I have not requested personal prayer. It is not that I do not believe in the power of prayer because I certainly do! There are many prayer warriors who have been called to that ministry and I applaud their faithful service.
That being said, I would like to request prayer for my wife, Joyce, and myself. Joyce has been diagnosed with Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). It is a type of progressive dementia that leads to a decline in thinking, reasoning, and independent function because of abnormal microscopic deposits that damage brain cells over time. She has experienced all of the symptoms.
Please pray for Joyce to be healed and for me to have strength to care for my beloved wife of 62 years.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 7, 2014 | Ephesians
Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
I suppose many of us have heard humorous stories about someone approaching the gates of heaven and being required to prove that their actions on earth merited entry into God’s heavenly kingdom. Beep! Wrong answer!
A person may do amazingly good works here on earth and still miss heaven. It is not what we do for God that determines where we will spend eternity—it is what He has done for us. When we repent of our sins and accept Him as Savior and Lord then—and only then—is our name is written down in glory.
The writer of this week’s hymn, Charlotte Elliot, was offended when someone asked her if she was a Christian. She told him to mind his own business. Later as she was contemplating his question, she began to wonder what it took to become a Christian. She called him and he explained to her the plan of salvation which she accepted. It was then that she wrote this hymn, “Just As I Am.”
Just As I Am
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Hath broken every barrier down;
Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, of that free love
The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
Here for a season, then above,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
To access Just As I Am, this week’s inspirational video fromGloryScapes.com, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/justasiam 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 | Nov 6, 2014 | Romans
Romans 8:26-27
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
Several years ago I read a newspaper article about a popular baseball player who had a very ill daughter. Her condition was extremely critical and immediate care was necessary. This loving father held his daughter in his arms as the technicians attempted to start an IV.
They tried one arm but could not get a vein. They tried the other arm with the same negative results. As a last resort they started one of her feet. The pain was terrible for both the little girl and her father. She looked up at him as if to ask why he was allowing them to hurt me like this.
The father was John Olerud. As a dedicated Christian he gave a profoundly wise and spiritual comment. “She had to trust me. It’s the same situation we’re in with God. We have to trust what we don’t understand, and even if He explained it, we might not understand. Our plan was to have healthy kids. God planned something else.”
It is inevitable that we will go through painful ordeals in this life. All too often when we pass through these times of pain, we waste our energies attempting to understand why. Listen! If God wants us to know why, He will let us know. Until then, let’s just keep on fully trusting God!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
