by Pastor Cecil | Aug 26, 2014 | Acts
Acts 6:3-4
So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, ‘It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.’ This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.
Yesterday I wrote about a young Amish school teacher who was attending a meeting for school teachers. One of the speakers mentioned that he wanted to be remembered as a person who was here and willing to help. It was refreshing reading about a teacher’s meeting for Christian teachers.
Here is another statement that caught my attention: “When we serve our fellow men we are serving God. The moment we use our position of authority to demand obedience we have stopped fearing God.” That is a wonderful reminder for all of us.
As we read today’s Scripture we find that Stephen was chosen to wait on the tables. He was a servant! There were six other men chosen, but Stephen was not just a servant, but in verse 8 we read more about him. Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. He went beyond the required tasks of a servant and did his duties as unto the Lord.
Here is the question for us all. Do we have the heart of a servant to such a degree that we serve others as our spiritual act of ministry? That is my desire.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 25, 2014 | 1 Peter
1 Peter 5:2-3
Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
Recently I read an article by a young Amish school teacher. Evidently each year, late in the summer they have a meeting for school teachers. As he shared some of his observations, several stood out in my mind. One was particularly meaningful.
I have no idea who the speaker was who made this statement, but I want to apply it to my own life: “I don’t want to be remembered by something I said. I just want to be remembered as a person who was here and willing to help.”
There all too many people who are willing to allow others to do the work that God has called them to do. That may more accurately be defined as unwillingness. When we fiddle-faddle around neglecting that need around us, it is the opposite of having a willing heart.
As that instructor said during the training session, it is not so much what we say that will leave a lasting impression, but the willingness to become a servant to those we come in contact with. I pray that my actions will be an example of a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ and that I will be totally committed in doing to the least of those He brings across my path.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 22, 2014 | Luke
Luke 24:29
But they constrained Him, saying, ‘Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.’ And He went in to tarry with them.
I wonder how eager we are for the presence of the Lord to abide with us. Do we yearn for His presence in our life to the extent that we grieve when we cannot feel Him near us?
Henry F. Lyte was a man who greatly loved the Lord with his whole being. He coined the saying, “It is better to wear out than to rust out.” That phrase perfectly described his life. During the last 23 years of his life he was the pastor of a poor church in England. He always suffered from poor health but during this time his health started to decline even more. When he finally preached his last sermon on September 4, 1847, it is reported that he practically had to crawl to the pulpit.
Shortly before preaching his last sermon he wrote the words and tune to the hymn, Abide With Me. He based his hymn on today’s Scripture that tells the story of Jesus walking with two disciples on the way to Emmaus and their statement, “Abide with us: for it is toward evening and the day is far spent.” He went to be with the Lord shortly after writing the hymn. Later William Monk wrote a new tune for the hymn. During a time of personal sorrow, he was inspired by the beauty of a magnificent sunset.
Abide With Me
Abide with me—fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens—Lord, with me abide;
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me!
Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me!
I need Thy presence every passing hour;
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me.
Hold Thou Thy word before my closing eyes,
Shine thru the gloom and point me to the skies;
Heaven’s morning breaks and earth’s vain shadows flee
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me!
Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video from Gloryscapes.com. To access Abide With Me, this free inspirational video from GloryScapes™, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/abidewithme/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 21, 2014 | Isaiah
Isaiah 26:3-4
You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord Himself, is the Rock eternal.
Look at the weather reports virtually anywhere in the world and you will find storms of every description. A hurricane in the eastern Pacific Ocean crosses the International Date Line and is now designated a typhoon, but it’s the same storm. Tornados unleash deadly violence in normally peaceful areas. Warm months are not the only seasons of violent storms. In the winter months there are bitter cold spells, frequently with blizzard conditions.
Those who find themselves trapped in any of these storms know the full fury that surrounds them and immediately begin to pray for God’s protective shield against the raging storm. The disciples found themselves in a violent storm on the Sea of Galilee, and even though some of them were seasoned fishermen, they feared for their lives.
Weather-related storms are not the only storms we encounter. There are also financial storms, physical storms, marital storms, employment storms, as well as religious storms. Let’s face it—we live in a storm-ravaged world!
So how are we supposed to deal with the storms of life? Isaiah gives us the answer loud and clear: We need to have a steadfast mind. How are we going to have a steadfast mind? By placing our trust in the Lord forever, which means we trust Him not only in the storm, but beyond the storm. Trust in the Lord and find His perfect peace!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 20, 2014 | Philippians
Philippians 1:20-21
I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
We never know how close we are to eternity! In 1953 I had completed basic training in California and was being transported to Texas. Approximately fifty of us were flying on an older model military transport plane—an old one! It was left over from World War II.
We made an interim stop in New Mexico, and just as we landed, one of the two propellers stopped. As we waited for the repairs to be made, a mechanic mentioned that we were just fortunate—if we had been in the air when the propeller stopped, we might not be there. Yikes!
Thinking about it now I realize that we could very easily have crashed, and I could have been ushered into eternity! I have had other close calls that reveal to me that we are just a heartbeat from eternity!
All of us walk through life on borrowed time. Unfortunately, many of us are prone to behave as if we would go on living for many more years. We cling onto life with our every breath and scream bloody murder at the thought of our death—for what? Not for what we can do for the Lord or to serve Him, but just to live a little longer.
I want to live in such a way that others will see Christ in me. Not only did Paul express his commitment to live only for Christ, he demonstrated it by the way he lived. If ever there was an example of a sold-out Christian life, it was the apostle Paul. Let me close for today with Paul’s statement in Philippians 1:20: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
