by Pastor Cecil | Jun 25, 2018 | Philippians
Philippians 1:9-10
“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.”
One of my favorite stories of simple, child-like prayer, is the story that was told about the prayer of a small boy who knelt beside his bed. He had evidently heard the adults praying for all of the missionaries in the foreign fields. That word, “foreign” was a little – – – foreign to him. Here was his honest prayer: “Lord, please bless and protect all of the missionaries in the corn fields.”
Someone commented that his prayer was sharper than the adults. If there happened to be some missionaries walking through a corn field at that moment, they had been prayed for!
So, what are we to do with prayer? The disciples of Jesus were confused, and asked Him to give them instruction on how to pray. He gave them what has come to be known as, “The Lord’s Prayer,” but should more accurately be termed, “The Disciple’s Prayer.”
Paul is sharing at the beginning of his letter to the church at Philippi, the manner in which he was praying for them. I find this very interesting as well as instructive. We would do well to examine his pattern to effective prayers.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 22, 2018 | Ruth
Ruth 2:8
“Then Boaz said to Ruth, ‘You will listen, my daughter, will you not? Do not go to glean in another field, nor go from here, but stay close by my young women.'”
It is hard to make a list of beloved hymns without encountering Fanny J. Crosby. This blind little lady composed well over 8,000 hymns and poems in her life. It is sad that many churches never sing these songs anymore. They are the losers!
As I think about the life of Fanny J. Crosby I am humbled. With her physical limitations she expressed her longing to be more and more like the Master she served. This hymn seems to highlight her aim to draw closer to Him.
In today’s Scripture, Boaz instructed Ruth to stay near the women who worked for him. He was her kinsman redeemer even though she did not know it. Christ is our Kinsman Redeemer and we know it because the Bible tells us so. Are we like Fanny J. Crosby having a desire to be closer to Him?
Close to Thee
Thou my everlasting portion,
More than friend or life to me,
All along my pilgrim journey,
Savior, let me walk with Thee.
Refrain:
Close to Thee, close to Thee,
Close to Thee, close to Thee;
All along my pilgrim journey,
Savior, let me walk with Thee.
Not for ease or worldly pleasure,
Nor for fame my prayer shall be;
Gladly will I toil and suffer,
Only let me walk with Thee.
Refrain:
Close to Thee, close to Thee,
Close to Thee, close to Thee,
Gladly will I toil and suffer,
Only let me walk with Thee.
Lead me through the vale of shadows,
Bear me o’er life’s fitful sea;
Then the gate of life eternal
May I enter, Lord, with Thee.
Refrain:
Close to Thee, close to Thee,
Close to Thee, close to Thee,
Then the gate of life eternal
May I enter, Lord, with Thee.
Enjoy this free inspirational video of, “Close to Thee” by going to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/closetothee/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 21, 2018 | John
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
One Sunday morning a young girl stunned me with a very astute question: “Why do we have to give our heart to the Lord?” It was an electric moment and the Holy Spirit seemed to impress me to forget everything and everyone in the room and speak directly to her.
I explained that the Lord tells us that it is the only way we will be born again and be with Him in heaven. One after another questions streamed from her. I blocked out everything else and gave her my undivided attention.
I cannot recall all of the questions she asked, but I do know that I was praying that the Lord would give me wisdom to answer them in such a way that this small girl would know that there is a God in heaven who cares about her.
This exchange seemed to draw us all close together and closer to Jesus who loves the little children. In Luke 18:16 we read of how Jesus felt concern for children: “But Jesus called them to Him and said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.’” I always want to be prepared to answer the sincere questions of either an adult or a little child!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 20, 2018 | James
James 4:14
“ – – whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”
As you walk out the front door of the chapel where we conduct our Sunday services you see a WalMart store just across the street. For the past thirteen years we have met at this same location and thought nothing of it.
That all changed at about 5 pm Sunday. A man began shooting in the parking lot and attempted to hijack a motorist. An armed citizen used deadly force and the offender was killed. All of this happened just yards from where we had worshipped only six hours earlier. We never know what will happen do we?
As I have thought about this I have concluded that it does not matter what I know or don’t know will happen in this life — it is what I KNOW is going to happen when I leave this life that matters. Praise God I know where I am going!
I have no idea when I will be leaving this world or even by what means I will be making my departure, but I certainly know my ultimate destination! My desire is to insure that as many as possible will hear the good news that we can know where we will spend eternity. If we have been born again we will go to be with the Lord. If we refuse God’s offer of salvation, a devil’s hell awaits us. Our DESTINATION IS KNOWN!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 19, 2018 | Psalm
Psalm 24:1
“The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.”
If this is God’s world, and it is, He is in control over everything in it. Why should we ever question who it belongs to? Well, let me give you another Scripture. It is found in 2 Corinthians 4:4: “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
God made this world and placed the first man and woman in the Garden of Eden. The choice to believe Satan in the Garden led to the fall of all men into a sin nature. This means that all are born in sin and must be redeemed in order to have eternal life.
The important thing we need to keep uppermost in our mind is that Satan functions with lies and deceptions. He is the one who brings negative thoughts of hopelessness and despair. He is the one who leads the world into conflicts of all types, fights between individuals, families and even nations.
That is why it is so important to have a proper understanding of God. Not only did God create all things, He also provided a way by which sinful man may be redeemed from the nature of sin. It cost Him His very own Son, but it proved that God is in control and those who seek Him will find victory and assurance.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
