by Pastor Cecil | Jun 10, 2014 | James
James 1:2-4
My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.
It seems like a lifetime ago that I was working for the Idaho Law Enforcement Planning Commission. There were a number of things happening in my life that caused me to become very impatient. If a car was going too slow in front of me I became frustrated. It was not that I really had to be somewhere at a particular time, I just did not want to be stuck behind a slow-poke driver.
On one occasion while traveling out of state, I again had the frustrating experience of following a driver that consistently drove below the posted speed limit. I tried to control my anxiety, but just could not find the peace I needed.
When I arrived at my room for the night, I prayed and asked the Lord to please help me deal with this problem area. I opened my Bible and it naturally landed on the Book of James. That is because I had been memorizing that book. When I read the first few verses I knew the Lord was speaking to me. I prayerfully asked Him to grant me patience. (When you pray that prayer, God is faithful to answer!)
The next morning I wanted to arrive at my meeting early so when I went to the restaurant, I sat at the counter. (You know that is the fastest way to get in and out.) Nope! I sat there and sat there watching customer after customer enter, be seated at a booth, order, eat, pay, and leave — while I still sat, at the counter, waiting for my order to arrive. God was answering my prayer.
The waitress was embarrassed and would not even come my way. Almost an hour later she brought my order and apologized. I told her that it was not her fault, God was answering my prayer! She looked at me as if I were crazy. When you pray for patience, get ready for God’s sense of humor!
God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 9, 2014 | Philippians
Philippians 3:12-14
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
I have worn glasses all of my life because of astigmatism in my left eye. I once worked for a Probate Judge who was near-sighted — he could see things close up, but was extremely impaired in seeing things at a distance. At some point Ed decided to have an eye examination.
The optometrist was shocked at the Judge’s inability to see at a distance and immediately prescribed glasses to correct the problem. It was hilarious hearing Ed exclaim delightedly over all of the things he could now see that were not seen before. He was astounded that it was possible to even read house numbers from the street!
As believers, we often suffer from limited vision in the spiritual realm. We are so focused on the things of this world that we fail to have our spiritual vision checked in order to be able to see things as God desires.
I want to have my own spiritual vision clear enough that I will be able to see the hand of God at work so that I can become a part of His Master Plan. The way to do this is to dive into the Word of God and constantly seek to discover the things God wants me to see. OPEN MY EYES, LORD!
God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 6, 2014 | Psalm
Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Sometimes we just seem to find ourselves wandering down the wrong path, or at least getting out of touch with the Lord. When we ask ourselves why God is not closer to us, the answer is that He has not left us, we have moved away from Him. Can I let you in on a little secret? God is more interested in staying close to us than we are in allowing Him to remain near us.
In our Scripture for today, David gives us assurance that even when we pass through the valley of the shadow of death we need not be paralyzed with fear because the Lord is near us.
The words of Just A Closer Walk With Thee, should be our prayer request for the Lord to forgive us when we fail and allow us to be nearer to Him than ever before. It is my fervent desire to draw nearer and nearer to the Lord with each passing day.
Just a Closer Walk With Thee
I am weak, but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long, as I walk,
let me walk close to Thee.
Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee,
grant it Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
Through this world of toil and snares,
if I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.
Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee,
grant it Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
When my feeble life is o’er,
time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o’er,
to Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.
Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee,
grant it Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.
To access Just a Closer Walk With Thee, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Christian Music Hymns & Songs, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/justacloserwalkwiththee/ 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 | Jun 5, 2014 | Ephesians
Ephesians 6:1-3
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—‘so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.’
“SHOW ME SOME RESPECT!” How frequently do we hear that harsh demand? Even some criminals who have just committed a horrible crime and are being taken into custody snarl out those words. They seem to think that their tough behavior earns them the right to be worthy of respect.
I see in our modern society a tragic breakdown in respect. It begins in the early years of a child’s life. They are not taught the importance of giving honor and respect to their parents. As a result of this lack of instruction, they do not feel the need to show respect to anyone.
It is significant that the pattern for respect begins back in the home. If children do not see an example of respect demonstrated by their parents, it is hard for them to learn to show respect. This negative pattern can be broken by coming before the Lord in humility and making a covenant to show respect to everyone around us.
Some may argue that if a person is not worthy of respect, we do not need to show them respect. I disagree with this line of thinking. The more we show a servant spirit in respecting people, the more the spirit of Jesus will be seen in us. I challenge you to put this teaching into practice.
God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 4, 2014 | 1 John
1 John 1:8-10
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word is not in us.
Yesterday I wrote about David’s sin with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah. The consequences of that sin (or any sin for that matter) is the norm. If you bang your thumb with a hammer, the consequences are obvious. If we ignore our sin or try to cover it up, the consequences multiply.
As we examine the activities of our life, we do not need a prophet like Nathan who came to confront David. We now have the precious Holy Spirit who will show us the things in our life that are sinful.
Once we are confronted with our sin, we need to immediately confess it to the Lord. The next thing is to determine if there are individuals we must go to and ask them to forgive us for what we have done.
The problem comes when we sweep our sin under the rug and refuse to acknowledge it. If you want victory in your life, confess your sin and allow the blood of Jesus Christ to cover it. What freedom is waiting for us as we sincerely seek the forgiveness that comes only after our confession. God in His graciousness adds the beautiful cleansing that makes us free.
God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
