by Pastor Cecil | May 14, 2018 | Luke
Luke 9:25
“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?“
When our kids were young they enjoyed going to visit Joyce’s parents. Besides enjoying the normal pleasures of grandma’s house there was something special to anticipate. Less than a block away was a small grocery store. Outside the store was a pay phone. As with many pay phones, this one had a coin return. Several times a day the kids would go check the coin return to see if someone had failed to pick up their change. A few coins in their hands that they had “found” made their day.
The owner of the little grocery became very upset and chased them off as often as he saw them. We all wondered why he would be so mean to small children, until one day we happened to notice that he made a practice of going to the pay phone himself to check for “lost” change. He was a bitter man!
In Matthew 19 we learn of a young man that came to Jesus asking about eternal life. He claimed to have kept the commandments and wanted to know what else was required. The Lord told him to go and sell all of his possessions and follow Him. The young man went away sad, for he had great riches. He was unwilling to “lose” the things of this world in order to “find” the greatest of all riches.
Losing our lives for the sake of Christ means we save it for eternity. Hanging on to our selfish ways is a dead-end street, in more ways than one. Daily “losing” ourselves to Christ insures “finding” the new life which is eternal riches.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 11, 2018 | 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’ll 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,
till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river.
To access Near the Cross, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://gloryscapes.com/nearthecross/ 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 | May 10, 2018 | Philippians
Philippians 4:19
“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.“
One of the endearing memories I have of my wife is her purse. Her purses always had to be large and super large. We teased her about the size of her purses, but you know what? When we needed a band-aid, aspirin, sewing kit, tweezers, scissors … I think you get the point. Her purse was the source of supply.
When I recall my many years of walking with the Lord, He has always been my source of supply. When I am weak, He is strong. When I have traveled through the valley of grief, He has carried me. When I have been attacked, He has been my defender.
It is interesting to read today’s Scripture and discover that God has promised to supply all of our need. That does not automatically mean He will supply all of our WANTS. Many times our wants are not what is best for us. In fact, our wants may be harmful to our spiritual or even physical well being.
The answer to discovering a strong spiritual balance is to stay close to the Lord and allow Him to supply everything we need to be effective servants. He goes before us and knows what we will need before we even ask Him. “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:6
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 9, 2018 | 1 Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.“
Sometimes in life we face challenges that seem to be much harder than we are able to bear. In today’s Scripture we are given three admonitions that appear to be impossible for us to obey: ALWAYS REJOICE, ALWAYS PRAY, ALWAYS GIVE THANKS.
What about the times when our world is turned upside down and we feel like we’ve been dropped inside of a tornado? When I stop to think about it, those are the times when I need to be most blessed to have a God in heaven who is stronger than the storms of life. It is in the midst of the ordeals of life that the Lord is able to use my situation for His divine will to be done.
In Acts 6 we meet Stephen, a glorious believer during the times of the early church, who was fully committed to doing the will of God in spite of the oppression from the very men responsible for crucifying Jesus. Stephen did not allow their opposition to defeat him and was willing to sacrifice his own well being in order to proclaim the truth of who Jesus really was ― their promised Messiah.
The stones that the religious bigots hurled at Stephen could not do harm to his eternal soul ― he was already in Christ Jesus and he was at the gateway to glory. What a homecoming was waiting for him!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 8, 2018 | Jeremiah
Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.“
Are you as thrilled as I am at the realization that God has “special plans” for each one of us, and at the same time a “promise” that is available to all who call upon His name?
I think it is important for us to go back to the beginning to really grasp the concept of trusting God. In the book of Genesis we see Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. The description is one of perfection personified. But God had created our first parents with the ability to choose. Ahhh! There’s the rub! They chose to believe the lie of Satan rather than rest in God’s promises. You see, Satan has plans for us, not for peace, but for evil. His plans are a dead end street!
Throughout the pages of Scripture, and into our modern life, this same rejection of the plans and purposes of God has existed. We have the tendency to think we know better than God what is best for us, or at other times we want to be like God in making our own choices rather than seeking His divine will. WRONG CHOICE!
God is imminently qualified to do abundantly above all that we can ask or think. Why in the world do we think it is necessary to tell Him what to do? It is so much better to rest in Him and let Him make known the perfect and complete plans He has for us.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
