by Pastor Cecil | Jul 8, 2014 | Revelation
Revelation 3:2-3
Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
In 1963, as a new Second Lieutenant in the US Air Force, my first assignment was at Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas. I was officer in charge of the basic training records of the new Air Force recruits that were processed at Lackland. Basic training is always an extremely stressful ordeal and you never seem to get enough sleep.
Each day we had basic training recruits assigned to do the janitorial work in our building. On a particular day one of the men assigned to our building was given the task of wiping down the baseboards of the main office.
The Senior Master Sergeant in our division directed my attention to this recruit. His arm had been going back and forth along the baseboard, but had stopped as he had fallen sound asleep with his head leaning against the wall.
For some humor we decided to have a little fun at his expense. We stood over him and had someone shout as loud as possible, “ATTENTION!” His eyes opened and he saw the two of us, an officer and an NCO, standing over him. It was a shock he would not soon forget. We assured him that we would not report this.
In like manner, we often fall asleep instead of remaining faithful to the task the Lord has assigned to us. I pray that the Holy Spirit will wake us to the task at hand as we open the Word and hear “ATTENTION!”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 7, 2014 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 12:8-9
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
A story is told of a very poor man who lived in ancient times. It was a time when powerful kings dominated all who lived in their kingdoms and who held the power of life and death. It was a time when many sons and many horses were a sign of wealth and prosperity.
This poor man had only one horse and one son. One day his son was using the horse to plow the fields when an accident occurred and his leg was badly broken. He was no longer able plow or to haul the produce to market and ride from place to place on various errands. People pitied the poor man and often ridiculed him for his poverty and misfortune.
Not long after the son’s accident, the king sent messengers to each village and demanded that every able-bodied young man report for battle immediately. The only one in this age group who was not conscripted was the poor man’s injured son. In a short time the sad news was relayed to the village that all of the men from that village had died in battle. Now the man who had once been pitied was considered to be the one who was blessed.
When we trust in God, it makes no difference what people think or say — Romans 8:28 is true in any and every circumstance: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 4, 2014 | Hebrews
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
From time to time there are health scares that cause people to fear for their lives. They rush to receive inoculations or use face masks. There are precautions taken in washing our hands and covering our mouths when we cough or sneeze. As a boy I can still remember when families were quarantined because someone in the house was diagnosed with a contagious disease.
In the early years of the 20th Century there was an outbreak of diphtheria in the US that claimed many lives. In 1903 Cleland McAfee was chaplain and choir director at Park College in Parkville, Missouri. As the epidemic swept the area, two of his nieces died from the dread disease and the others in the house were quarantined. In his hour of grief he wrote the hymn NEAR TO THE HEART OF GOD and had the college choir sing outside the house.
If you are passing through the valley of the shadow of death right now (I know that I am), let these words bring that quiet assurance we need.
Near to the Heart of God
There is a place of quiet rest,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where sin cannot molest,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain: O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God.
Hold us who wait before Thee,
Near to the heart of God.
There is a place of comfort sweet,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where we our Savior meet,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain: O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God.
Hold us who wait before Thee,
Near to the heart of God.
There is a place of full release,
Near to the heart of God
A place where all is joy and peace,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain: O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God.
Hold us who wait before Thee,
Near to the heart of God.
To access Near to the Heart of God, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Christian Music Hymns & Songs, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/neartotheheartofgod 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 | Jul 3, 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.
What constitutes weariness? If we enter an exercise regimen, the first days will seem like pure agony. Muscles will throb that we never even knew existed. So it is not the amount of excursion we expend, but being prepared to deal the demands of life.
When I was in high school I played football. In the first days of practice we didn’t even see a football. All we were exposed to was calisthenics. This is a harsh word that means to torture your body until it screams! Strange as it seems, after a few days we were able to breeze through the routines and were now prepared to run through the plays that would make us successful in the games that lay ahead.
I have often wished I knew more about farming. My limited association is to grasp the idea that you had to get up at sunrise and work until the sun went down. There is a lot more to it. Take the term yoke. In modern practices it is seldom used. It is when two dray animals (often oxen) have a wooden yoke placed across their shoulders and as they walk they pull the load.
For a young animal this seems cruel to yoke them in with a much larger animal. I am told however, that this is for training purposes only. The larger animal carries the burden and the youngster only walks along beside. That is what Jesus calls us to do. When we are weary and burdened with the cares of life, we slip His yoke over our shoulders and walk beside Him. DO NOT BE WEARY!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 2, 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.
Way back in the 1960’s I was an Air Force Personnel Officer stationed in Shreveport, Louisiana. The church we attended had a guest speaker who was a professor at a well known seminary. The Sahara Desert could not have been any dryer than this man’s message. He seemed to delight in using terms that even the most learned would find difficult to understand. The best thing about his message was the Amen at the close!
Many years later I had become an ordained minister and attended a pastor’s conference in Portland, Oregon. As I reviewed the program there were many wonderful sessions with speakers I was eager to hear. Then I looked further and to my shock I saw that the same dull seminary professor was speaking at all of the general sessions. How could the organizers do this to us?!
As the professor began to speak he assumed the person of the character he wanted to highlight. The first character was Joseph. He spoke as if he were actually Joseph. To a room filled with pastors and their wives he became Joseph. He expressed the thoughts Joseph must have felt at all the stages of his life. It was incredible that we were all leaning forward to listen to him live out the inner feelings that Joseph must have experienced.
We could hardly wait for the next session when he lived out another Bible character. In like manner the Bible should come alive. We need to experience it in such a way that it is alive. LIVE IT!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
