by Pastor Cecil | Nov 4, 2013 | Joshua
Joshua 24:15
But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.
It seems like a lifetime ago that I was first called to make a stand for the Lord. As a matter of fact, it just about was a lifetime ago. My decision to accept Jesus Christ as my personal Savior was made when I was very young.
As a teenager, there came a time when I had to make a choice whether to stand firm for the Lord or go along with the crowd. There were activities that I knew to be against what the Bible says. My decision meant standing alone and facing ridicule from some of my friends, but I am so glad I chose to stand for the Lord.
On November 7, Billy Graham will be celebrating his 95th birthday. To honor this man of God, the Billy Graham Association is calling people to turn to the Lord . . . for Christians to stand firm for their faith and share the Gospel message with friends and family.
This should not just be an organized program, but it should become a wakeup call for all of us to choose to stand up for the Lord. It may result in ridicule and, in some cases, rejection. It may also be the door of salvation for someone you know!
Blessings, Dear Hearts, draw near to God today, trust Him completely, and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 1, 2013 | Psalm
Psalm 33:1-3
Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise Him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.
What a wonderful woman! She stood less than five feet tall and weighed less than 100 pounds. Because of being maltreated for an eye infection when she was only a few months old, she spent the remained of her 95 years totally blind.
Her name was Fanny J. Crosby. This tiny dynamo wrote over 8,000 poems and hymns during her lifetime. She composed her poems and hymns entirely in her mind and then dictated them to a stenographer. She was said to be able to work on as many as twelve hymns at once before dictating them all out.
Fanny felt that it was a special gift from God that she should be blind all of her life and she thanked Him for that gift. She felt that once she arrived in heaven the first face she desired to gladden her sight was he precious Savior. It was in 1896 that she wrote the hymn selected this week.
Praise Him! Praise Him!
1. Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Sing, O Earth, His wonderful love proclaim!
Hail Him! Hail Him! Highest archangels in glory;
strength and honor give to His holy name!
Like a shepherd Jesus will guard His children,
in His arms He carries them all day long:
Refrain: Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness; praise him! Praise him ever in joyful song!
2. Praise him! Praise him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
For our sins he suffered, and bled and died;
He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation,
Hail Him! Hail Him! Jesus the Crucified.
Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows,
love unbounded, wonderful deep and strong:
Refrain: Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness; praise Him! Praise Him ever in joyful song!
3. Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Heavenly portals loud with hosannas ring!
Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever;
crown Him! crown Him! Prophet and Priest and King!
Christ is coming! over the world victorious,
power and glory unto the Lord belong.
Refrain: Praise Him! Praise Him! Tell of His excellent greatness; praise Him! Praise Him ever in joyful song!
To access Praise Him, Praise Him, this week’s inspirational video fromGloryScapes™ Inspirational Music Videos, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/praisehimpraisehim 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 | Oct 31, 2013 | Proverbs
Proverbs 16:18-19
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed, than to share plunder with the proud.
I once heard of a pastor who presented a sermon series on humility. He hammered against the sin of pride and the necessity for every true believer to be empty of self in order to defeat the terrible sin of pride and self-righteousness. Following his final sermon on the topic, a little lady met him at the door. She thanked him profusely and said, “Pastor, this has been the most meaningful series. I do not have many gifts or talents, but I am so proud that I am humble.” The pastor felt like vomiting!
Pride is one of the most prevalent and insidious of sins. It creeps into our life as quiet as a butterfly. To understand this tendency toward pride, stop and listen to the many times the words “I” or “Me” dominate our conversations. Even our spiritual music often has a personal focus.
None of us are immune from this horrible sin. The moment we take our eyes off the Lord and focus on ourselves, we are headed toward the slippery slope of pride. Surely the Devil howls with delight every time he watches this scene unfold. The way to deal with pride is to spend more time with the Lord and being concerned with others more than ourselves.
Blessings, Dear Hearts, draw near to God today, trust Him completely, and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 30, 2013 | 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.
It was a cold and snowy night in the Black Hills of South Dakota in early winter of 1953. Joyce and I were on our way to my first duty assignment at Rapid City. Soon after dark our car slid off the icy road and into a ditch. We were stuck!
We were a few miles from Keystone, S.D., and had noticed a house about halfway to the small town. We had a pet parakeet in a cage, so we covered him as best we could and started walking back in search of some sort of civilization. Thankfully the lights were on in the house, and we were hopeful they were congenial and would invite us to COME ON IN!
It was a blessing to be welcomed into their home, and they agreed to keep our pet for us while we went for a tow truck to pull us out. The tow driver said the road was too slick for him as well and that we would have to wait until morning. We spent a comfortable night in a hotel and the next day we collected our bird, left a bundle of money for the tow truck and went our merry way.
Without Jesus in our hearts we are like stranded motorists who find themselves in unfamiliar territory stuck in the deep ditches of life. Our choices are to remain stuck in our predicament or to come to the Lord for His welcoming embrace. What comfort to know that regardless of how dark our night or deep our ditch, He is always there to welcome us into His fold. COME ON IN!
Blessings, Dear Hearts, draw near to God today, trust Him completely, and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 29, 2013 | 1 Peter
1 Peter 5:8-9
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
When I was a boy our family spent a wonderful vacation at Yellowstone National Park. The beauty was breathtaking and we were within walking distance of a lake that was teeming with trout. (At least my imagination told me it was teeming with trout.)
I grabbed my fishing rod and was heading toward the lake. Between myself and the lake was a stand of willow bushes. I was making my way through the thick bushes when I suddenly saw a cow moose and her baby. She was heading my direction with her hackles up and making warning snorts. I froze as she roared past me about 20 feet away.
I was so unnerved that I forgot about my great fishing expedition and headed back to the cabin. Since then I have discovered that a mother moose with a calf is a dangerous animal. Many people have been badly injured or even killed by this gigantic beast. A park ranger cautioned us to stay in clear areas or where paths have been cleared.
In our spiritual journey, we may be tempted to wander into areas that are dangerous. Our enemy is always watching for those who stray from the straight and narrow path of God’s Word. We must always remember that danger is lurking when we compromise what God has given us as the way, the truth and the life.
Blessings, Dear Hearts, draw near to God today, trust Him completely, and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
