by Pastor Cecil | Jun 11, 2018 | Psalm
Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
Do you need a quiet place, a place far away from the stress and turmoil of life? This quiet place is more of a spiritual state of mind than a physical location. We can experience that quietness and peace even in the battles of life. We know what our battlegrounds are; what we need is peace!
I may be a pessimist, but the people with the signs and bumper stickers will never accomplish the peace they proclaim. Only the Prince of Peace will be the source of world peace. But what about our life right now? The Lord desires for us to enter into a blessed quietness with Him. It may require a commitment on our part to find the time and place where we can experience Him in serenity.
We can hear the Lord call to us from today’s passage of Scripture: “Be still, and know that I am God.” If we fail to take the time to be alone with God, we will never experience the knowledge of His Lordship in our life. It will lead to our own weak efforts to work out our solutions.
As you come to the quiet place, spend more time listening than speaking. You may read a verse or two, but then stop and meditate on what you have read. Wait in silence to hear the quiet voice of the Lord whispering peace and blessing in your inner being. Ahhhhh! How sweet the quiet!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 8, 2018 | Psalm
Psalm 29:2
“Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”
There have been times in my life when I have worked in dirt and grime. By the time I had finished my work it seemed that I had been coated with the filth. I could hardly wait to take a shower and clean myself up. In this sin sick world we often need to come near God’s cleansing shower and experience His holiness.
Reginald Heber was born at Malpas, Cheshire, England, April 21, 1783 to a heritage of wealth and culture. By the age of five, he had read the Bible so thoroughly that he could give chapter and verse for chance quotations.
He composed many hymns, but served his entire life without seeing them published. It was only after his death that as many as 57 of his hymns were recognized. It was to the Lord that he dedicated his works. Such is the case with this week’s hymn, Holy, Holy, Holy!
Holy, Holy, Holy!
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! all the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Who wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.
Holy, holy, holy! tho’ the darkness hide Thee
Tho’ the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in pow’r, in love, and purity.
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy name, in earth and sky, and sea;
Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
To access Holy, Holy, Holy, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/holyholyholy/ in your browser or click on the image below.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 7, 2018 | John
John 3:14-15
“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
When I read the book of Ruth, one of the remarkable things that strikes me is Ruth’s unshakeable devotion. Coming from Moab, she was an alien to Israel. The Moabites were from a nation founded by the son of an incestuous relationship between Lot and his oldest daughter. The Moabites had also refused to give food and assistance to the people of Israel during their exodus from Egypt.
In spite of these handicaps, Ruth threw herself upon the mercies of God and chose Him as her God. In Ruth 1:16 we read these beautiful words she spoke to her mother-in-law, Naomi: “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”
The major theme of this wonderful book is the necessity for a kinsman-redeemer. Boaz became the kinsman-redeemer for Ruth, just as Jesus Christ is the Kinsman-Redeemer for all who come to Him. Ruth could not do anything to redeem herself and her mother-in-law. She threw herself upon the mercy of Boaz. How interesting that Boaz and Ruth had a son named Obed, who had a son named Jesse, who had a son named David.
Wow! What a woman of faith!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 6, 2018 | Hebrews
Hebrews 4:16
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
I have heard some people making prayer requests in a manner that sounded as though God was at their beck and call. They were so demanding that I shuddered at the effrontery or brashness of their approach. I react to them in much the same manner as weak-willed prayers.
How are we to approach this matter of confident praying? I truly believe that confidence is the appropriate word. We are to come to the Lord with a sense of expectation. Try visualizing a father who has told his dearly loved child to try a particular task. The father assures his child that he will stand nearby to help when needed.
Sometimes the father has his hands directly over the child’s hands. Sometimes he observes and does nothing. There are still other times he only gives specific instructions about what to do and observes his child. The important thing is that the child always has the confidence that his father is there. Confidence!
When our oldest grandson, Zane, was quite small, he used to follow my dad around like a shadow. He and his great grandfather had a close relationship. If something was broken, Zane would confidently say, “Papa fitz it!” THAT’S CONFIDENCE!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 5, 2018 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 10:12
“For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”
In the human heart there seems to be a strong tendency to boast. This tendency is graphically demonstrated at sporting events. The prancing and preening following a scoring play on the field is so alarming that penalties have been assessed to control it.
As children grow they often like to see the evidence that they really are getting taller. Many times parents will place a yardstick on a wall or in a doorway so they can measure their child’s growth progress year by year. The family takes great delight at each growth jump and will proudly boast about it.
Sadly, we frequently observe such unwise boasting in the church. Individuals, as well as congregations, display so much pride that it becomes troubling. Musicians posture to a distressing degree while the pastor/preacher often acts as if he were the star attraction strutting back and forth across the stage.
I think this attitude of pride is exactly what Paul is writing about in today’s Scripture. He strongly condemns personal boasting in 2 Corinthians 10:17-18: “But, let him who boasts boast in the Lord. For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
