by Pastor Cecil | Dec 28, 2012 | 1 Peter
1 Peter 4:12-13
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
Fanny J. Crosby was a remarkable woman. There are so many accomplishments in her life that it is hard to comprehend them all. She lost her eyesight because of the treatment of a careless doctor. In spite of her loss she memorized huge portions of Scripture just by listening to her grandmother read them to her. She is credited with writing over 10,000 hymns during her life.
Fanny began writing poetry at an early age, but another amazing fact is that she did not accept Jesus as her personal Savior until she was 31. She was attending a service on November 20, 1850. The congregation was singing a hymn by Isaac Watts; -At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light.- She knew she needed the Lord and that very night He became her Savior and Lord.
Her desire was to always stay close to Jesus who had paid the ultimate price for her salvation. Her desire was to remain near her Lord. She immediately wrote the words to the hymn for this week.
Near the Cross
Jesus, keep me near the cross;
there a precious fountain,
free to all, a healing stream,
flows from Calvary’s mountain.
Refrain: In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever,
till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.
Near the cross, a trembling soul,
love and mercy found me;
there the bright and morning star
sheds its beams around me.
Refrain: In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever,
till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.
Near the cross! O Lamb of God,
bring its scenes before me;
help me walk from day to day
with its shadow o’er me.
Refrain: In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever,
till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.
Near the cross I will watch and wait,
hoping, trusting ever,
till I reach the golden strand
just beyond the river.
Refrain: In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever, < br /> till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.
Enjoy the free inspirational video for week from Gloryscapes.com by going to: http://gloryscapes.com/nearthecross/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 27, 2012 | Luke
Luke 17:3-4
Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you,rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, “I repent,” you shall forgive him.
If you are like me, there are times when a song pops into your head and it seems that you go over and over it. In the past day or so I have had that experience. The song is one that Bing Crosby sang many years ago . . . Easy to Remember, But So Hard to Forget.
The song Bing Crosby sang referred to a sweetheart that was gone but not forgotten. As I have thought about the words, I have been reminded how difficult it is for some people to forgive. We can remember the offense against us—that is the easy part—forgetting the offense is the hard part.
Across the years I have been called upon to counsel many people who deal with the issue of forgiveness. They may say they have forgiven the offender, but at the same time their actions reveal that their thought life centers on the way they were treated by the other party.
I have come to realize that the only reasonable way of dealing with our inability to forget the sins of others is to focus on our own faults. Imagine a situation where another person is guilty of 85 percent and we are guilty of 15 percent. Rather than digging our heels in and demanding recompense for the more guilty party, we must remember our own transgressions. We need the Lord to show us how to forget our own hurt.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 26, 2012 | Revelation
Revelation 2:4-5
Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.
The commercial turmoil of the season has been in full swing for weeks and months now. While Christmas Day 2012 has come and gone, there is much hectic furor still to be found as people rush to stores in order to return items that were too small, too large, too garishly loud, too blah, too – – – you get the picture.
There has been a slight increase of interest in things spiritual these last few weeks as people sang Christmas carols, attended Christmas pageants and watched programs on television that emphasized the birth of the Savior of the world. The problem is that all too quickly most have lost their interest.
In the Scripture for today, the Lord reveals to the Apostle John a letter to the church in Ephesus. This was a dynamic church that was complemented for their labor, patience, abhorrence of evil deed doers, and false teachers. But there was something lacking—they had lost their first love.
It is possible for us to have activities that are spiritual in nature and have wonderful intentions, but lack the love that first existed when we were new Christians. Now is the time for us to perform an evaluation of our walk with the Lord to determine if He would find that we still possessed the first love for Him. I pray that we will be found worthy of His name.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 25, 2012 | John
John 1:1-14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
What more can be said except, Thank you Lord? This is truly the message of Christmas! On this Eve of Christmas, prepare to open heart to His glory and grace.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 24, 2012 | Luke
Luke 2:25-26
And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
When I hear the admonition to be prepared, my mind flies back across the years of time when I was in the Boy Scouts. The Boy Scout motto is – BE PREPARED! – It means that you consider what you are going to need in any given situation and be prepared with the necessary equipment or techniques to meet any type of unexpected event.
God had spoken through His prophets across the ages that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, and to a virgin. It seemed to be an impossible occurrence and there were far more skeptics than believers. Most of the religious leaders of that day were more interested in their own position than they were in listening to God. They were not prepared when God sent His Son in accordance with prophecy.
There were two exceptions – Simeon and Anna. Both expectantly spent their time in the Temple waiting for the promised Messiah. When Joseph and Mary appeared on the eighth day to have Jesus circumcised and named, they were prepared and found joy that their preparation was not in vain.
It was tragic that others in Israel were so filled with themselves that they could not have an open heart to welcome the Savior of the world. It is time to evaluate our own life to be able to determine if we are prepared to welcome the Lord. He came once and He is coming again. It is time to be prepared!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
