by Pastor Cecil | Nov 5, 2014 | Titus
Titus 3:3
At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
From time to time I recall some of the deceptions I have been involved in. No, they were not malicious, just pranks. There was the time when several couples of us decided to put a little excitement in the community.
It was a sleepy Sunday afternoon in Nampa, Idaho. We had a record player tuned up with lively music. We called various people in the church and had them stand by because they had been selected for an on-air contest sponsored by the Grow-Pup Dog Food Company (I am not sure one even existed).
Momentarily we would blast the music and a ficticious host would ask the big question. It did not matter what they answered, they were always told that it was wrong, but thanks for being on the program.
That night at church it was hilarious as people shared the exciting news that they had been on a radio program and might have won a big prize. Before long it became apparent that it was a deception. We confessed and everyone laughed.
The enemy of our souls (Satan) is the master of deception and it is no game. It started in the Garden of Eden and continues to the present day. He tries to question the nature of God and infer that God cannot be trusted. Remember, it is not a game and the way to evade the deception is to rely on the Word of God.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 4, 2014 | Romans
Romans 5:17
For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
My wife, Joyce, once worked as a Legislative Aide for the Washington House of Representatives. One day another Aide brought her grandson to the office so that her co-workers could meet him. (Isn’t it strange how grandmothers seem to be proud of their grandchildren?!)
Joyce wanted to give the little boy a treat and rummaged through her purse (which, by the way, has a bottomless pit!) until she found a small package of peanuts left over from an airline flight. From that day on, every time the little boy came with his grandmother for a visit, he would shyly slip up to Joyce’s desk and ask if she had any more peanuts. On one visit he said he was not feeling well. When Joyce expressed sympathy, he told her that he thought some peanuts would help.
Brenda, our oldest daughter, died when she was 35. Our youngest daughter, Lori, was facing death with a failed kidney and pancreas. The kidney was graciously donated by our granddaughter Jenna, and the pancreas from a cadaver.
Lori was given the ultimate gift of life, but she received a far more precious gift when she accepted Jesus Christ into her heart. We can give and receive gifts in this world, but we need to remember that the ULTIMATE GIFT was provided by Jesus when He died on the cross to give us eternal life!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 3, 2014 | Hebrews
Hebrews 11:1-3
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Faith! What is it? How can you put into words a concept like faith? The entire eleventh chapter of Hebrews may be described as the Faith Chapter in the Bible. In much the same way that 1 Corinthians 13, is described as the Love Chapter in the Bible. When you read the passage given above, it almost defies logic. It is as though it doubles back on itself, and leaves us gasping for true understanding.
How do we go about to grasp the meaning to the beautiful concept of grace? Most would immediately began to recite Hebrews 11:1 from the King James Version: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
To get some grasp about faith I think it is useful to use word pictures. We have to visualize what we have faith in as has already become reality. Imagine that it is 100 degrees outside and you and I are going to our favorite ice cream store to buy a cone. When do we start to enjoy that luscious cold treat? That’s right, it is the time we visualize having that delicious cone in our hand.
That is the word picture that we need to paint of believing in those things that we have not yet seen. It is based upon the Living Word of God. God says it, and we begin to visualize God being faithful to what He has promised!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 31, 2014 | Isaiah
Isaiah 55:6-7
Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
It was the final service of our annual Camp Meeting. The old tabernacle was crowded on a warm summer evening. The evangelist had been delivered a message outlining clearly the plan of salvation and the penalty that faced anyone who failed to accept the Lord Jesus as personal Savior.
I was sitting with my cousin and across the aisle from us was his dad. We knew that Uncle Harold had rejected the Lord, but were hopeful that this would be the time he would open his heart. The congregation was led in the old invitation hymn, Softly and Tenderly.
Wayne and I could see his dad weeping with conviction. We went over to him and pleaded with him to go forward and invite Jesus into his heart. Even though tears were flowing, he shook his head and refused to be moved. As far as we know he never made that choice. How sad that God’s free gift of eternal life was rejected. How about you? Have you honestly and sincerely invited Jesus Christ to be the Lord of your life? He is calling, O sinner, come home. All you have to do is open your heart and invite Him to come in.
Softly and Tenderly
Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
watching for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading;
pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not His mercies;
mercies for you and for me?
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
passing from you and for me.
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
coming for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
O, for the wonderful love He has promised,
promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
pardon for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
To access Softly and Tenderly, this week’s inspirational video fromGloryScapes™ Christian Music Hymns & Songs, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/softlyandtenderly/ 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 30, 2014 | Luke
Luke 12:16-18
And He told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.’
A close friend of ours was an insurance agent. Among other types of insurance, he represented a company that insured against storm damage. He once shared with a group of us that one man who had the insurance called him in the middle of a hailstorm to say that his metal patio cover was about to collapse and he should get right over and shovel it off. RIGHT!
Well sure enough the hail was heavy enough that the cover finally came down. The man called the insurance agent and said he was not going to pay his deductible part of the policy because he had notified him and he did not come over to remove the hail.
How very much like that we are like that homeowner. It seems as if we treat the Lord in much the same manner. God has given us His great and precious promises that will ultimately be fulfilled in heaven.
Instead of trusting in the Lord (our divine insurance policy), we pester the Lord to do it for us. It just does not work that way. Let Proverbs 3:5-6 be our watch word and song: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
