by Pastor Cecil | Sep 9, 2014 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Are you ready for the love test? Do you consider yourself a lover of God and a lover of the members of the family of God? Do you love the lost and dying enough to give yourself fully to the work of the Lord? It is time for the love test!
Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 once more, but with a difference. Replace the word love with the name Jesus: Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind, Jesus does not envy, Jesus does not boast, Jesus is not proud, Jesus does not dishonor others, Jesus is not self seeking, Jesus is not easily angered, Jesus does not delight in evil but He rejoices with the truth. Jesus always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. JESUS NEVER FAILS!
Now read it once again and replace the word love with your own name. This is your personal love test. It is rather embarrassing isn’t it? There may be a few attributes that we come close to achieving, but for the most part we receive a low grade.
It is amazing how perfectly Jesus fits into this passage. Jesus was the Father’s expression of love to a lost and dying world. Where we fail, He succeeds. He reaches down and draws us close to Him. We are not saved by passing the test, we are saved because Jesus loved us enough to die for us. If you have never opened your heart and received Jesus as your Savior, do so before it is too late!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 8, 2014 | Isaiah
Isaiah 6:8-94
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ He said, ‘Go and tell this people:‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
Not long ago I was in a coffee shop when I noticed two men sitting fairly close to me. One was speaking to the other, but there was no response. The lack of response was due to the other man texting on his cell phone.
It seems that this scene is repeated over and over again. AT & T once had a slogan, “Reach Out and Touch.” Those were hopeful words created to draw people closer and closer together. Unfortunately we seem to have grown further and further apart. Rarely do we even know the names of our neighbors.
There are groups of “Plain People” who do not use modern communication devices. In fact, to make emergency phone calls they must go to a small phone building separate from their house. The amazing thing is that they have more good and meaningful friendships than the rest of us. THEY ACTUALLY TAKE TIME TO SPEAK TO EACH OTHER AND LISTEN TO WHAT IS BEING SAID!
God wants to speak to us in our inner-most being. I wonder how many times we are so busy with our social networking or whatever to hear His voice. Here is my message to each of us (myself included). Tune out to the noise of the world and tune in to the voice of God. Speak to me Lord!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 5, 2014 | Psalm
Psalm 90:1-2
Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
O God, Our Help in Ages Past, is a hymn by Isaac Watts and paraphrases Psalm 90. It originally consisted of nine stanzas. In present usage, however, the hymn is usually limited to stanzas one, two, three, five and nine.
The hymn was originally part of The Psalms of David Imitated in the Language of the New Testament, published by Watts in 1719. It has often been sung for special occasions in England. It was sung in 1941, at a religious service on board HMS Prince of Walesattended by Winston Churchill and Franklin Delano Roosevelt as part of the conference creating the Atlantic Charter. It was also sung at the funeral of Winston Churchill in 1965.
Later composers subsequently incorporated the tune in their own works. For example, George Handel used the tune in an anthem entitled, O Praise the Lord.
O GOD, OUR HELP IN AGES PAST
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.
A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And lost in following years.
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guide while troubles last,
And our eternal home.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 4, 2014 | Psalm
Psalm 139:1-4
O LORD, You have searched me and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O LORD.
Many years ago during a Sunday morning worship service, Zane, our oldest grandson, was sitting next to Joyce. As I was halfway into the sermon, Zane leaned over and asked, “Gran, is Papa talking about me?” She assured him that it was the Holy Spirit using Papa’s words to speak to his heart.
Many times I have received responses from readers of the Daily-E-Votional remarking that the words in a particular daily message was just for them. It assures me that the Lord delivers my words to the heart that needs them.
I find comfort in the realization that the Lord knows all of our tomorrows just as well as He knows our todays. We try to guess what lies ahead for us, but only the Lord has our future in His hands — as well as our present.
Here is the vital question: Are we trying to make our own choices with our limited view of what lies ahead? That is like driving down the freeway at 70 miles per hour with our eyes closed. I would rather prayerfully seek the guidance of the Lord than stubbornly demand my own way.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 3, 2014 | Isaiah
Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
On the wall above my desk is a very special framed piece of counted cross stitch. It has an eagle in flight and the words of today’s Scripture — and it has a very special place in my heart. It was a birthday gift from our daughter, Brenda, back in 1991.
Brenda had been working on it for my birthday in March. She was desperately ill, which slowed down her work. But Brenda said that even though she had not finished it for my birthday, she was determined to complete it before she went to be with the Lord. Brenda presented her gift to me just a few days before her death.
Each time I glance up to that framed scripture of Isaiah 40:31 on the wall, I recall Brenda’s labor of love. It means much more to know that she was thinking of her dad as she made each stitch.
This fantastic verse reminds us of one of God’s most precious promises: When we wait on the Lord, He will renew our strength. We get into trouble when we attempt to develop our own strength instead of waiting for Him. Anytime people run ahead of God and rely upon their own strength, they get into trouble. On the other hand, when people inquire of the Lord and wait for Him to lead, they are rewarded with His power.
The thought I want to leave with us today is that we need to spend our time in fellowship with the Lord. Reading His Word, speaking with Him in prayer, and listening patiently for His still small voice to guide us. Not running ahead of Him or lagging behind Him, but walking close at His side.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
