by Pastor Cecil | Oct 1, 2014 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 12:20
For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.
During World War II there was a slogan that was broadcast on radio, displayed on billboards, and published in newspapers: “LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS!” What did that mean? It meant that there may be spies close by and if you carelessly revealed information about the war effort, it could result in peril to our fighting forces.
As a young boy living in a small town fairly close to the Pacific coast, I felt the concern of the adults around me. Many families had sons or daughters serving in the military and others worked in the defense industry. They knew that silence was not only the best policy, it was the only policy.
How do we relate that slogan to a spiritual concept? The mouth is often used as a WMD — a weapon of mass destruction. Cruel and harsh things are spoken which wound and maim those within earshot. HOW WOULD JESUS SAY IT?
All too often I hear Christians saying things that would be better left unsaid, or to be said in a gentler and quieter way. God is not pleased with Christians who scream out in rage. He wants us to speak words of encouragement and hope.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 29, 2014 | Proverbs
Proverbs 3:5-6
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.
Over the years I have kept Proverbs 3:5-6 in my heart. I am not sure at what age I set the words to memory, but it certainly has been more than seventy years ago. That is the thing about the Word of God — it never changes. We may change, but the Word of God remains steadfast and true.
The definition of “trust” is: Assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something. After pondering on this definition, read today’s Scripture once again. Do you see how vital it is for us to rely on the One who is above all others?
Our task is to place our full trust in the Lord completely. That means we talk with Him as we read His Word and, before we take any action, we ask for His will in the matter. Just think of all the messy situations we could have avoided across the years of our lives if we had placed our trust in Him rather than relying on our own abilities or our own understanding.
We may not be able to undo all of our past mistakes when we have left the Lord out of our decisions, but we can certainly do something about it now. We can make a new commitment to repeat these two verses each morning and then follow His directions.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 26, 2014 | 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 | Sep 25, 2014 | Luke
Luke 12:54-56
He said to the crowd: ‘When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?’
I really enjoy watching the Weather Channel. It is amazing to see the eye of a hurricane or typhoon from outer space. Modern technology is able to predict the path of storms long before they actually arrive. Teams of experts study data collected from a multitude of sources to predict violent weather such as hurricanes and tornadoes. Many of the pictures will be sent back to the Weather Channel and shown live.
Jesus seemed to have something like this in mind when He spoke about people knowing how to predict weather patterns, but failing to understand what is happening in fulfillment of the prophecy given in God’s Word.
In Matthew 24, Jesus gives us over twenty signs that mark His second coming. If you go there and read that chapter you will see a description of what is happening in our world at the present time. If you are feeling overwhelmed in your walk with the Lord, there is hope and comfort in knowing that the time is near.
So what does this mean to us? It means that there is a lost and dying world around us facing an eternity in hell unless they repent and accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. We have work to do while we remain, so let us be faithful to rescue the perishing.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 24, 2014 | Galatians
Galatians 6:14
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
We were having dinner with friends one evening when the husband began to brag about things he had accomplished. Just when we thought he was through, he would launch into another barrage. We thought the evening would never end! There is nothing as wearing as having to listen to someone boast about themselves.
Every time I read the book of Esther and come to chapter five, I am stunned that Haman called his friends and wife in order to boast of all he possessed. Can you imagine how bored they were?
Boasting is not only boring it is an affront to God. Pride is a sin and over and over the Bible condemns it. So what is the difference here? Paul is not boasting about himself and the things he has accomplished — he is boasting about Jesus.
He not only boasts about Jesus, but he focuses his boast on the cross. That says to me that in essence, Paul is saying it is only by the blood of Jesus, shed on the cross that gives us eternal life. It is not what we do that merits salvation, but what Jesus has done for us by His death and resurrection. Now that is something to boast about!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
