by Pastor Cecil | Nov 15, 2019 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 3:10-11
“According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
Back during my high school days, I worked weekends and summers for a concrete contractor. Believe me when I tell you that things were different back then. There was very little pre-mixed concrete that was delivered by large rotating carriers. We were the mixers! We had a pile of sand, another of gravel and sacks of concrete that we had to combine shovel by shovel and bag by bag, water was then added.
In order to get the sloppy concrete into the foundation, we had to deliver it by manual labor. We had large wheelbarrows that we filled then pushed to the point of delivery. In the building process a solid foundation was essential. A weakened foundation could lead to the building falling.
As we travel through this life we often see people that have not laid a foundation that will withstand the storms of life. Sadly when storms strike, their foundations fail. It is during the storms that we need the solid foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ to keep us safe. John Rippon published this hymn in 1787.
How Firm a Foundation
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, I will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand.
When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace all-sufficient shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!
Enjoy this free inspirational video of, “How Firm A Foundation” by going to: https://gloryscapes.com/howfirmafoundation/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 6, 2019 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 10:31
“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
I am not sure if you are familiar with the expression; HIGH BALL IT! It has been used time after time to have the driver go faster and faster. All too often the driver has driven beyond his or her ability and accidents have resulted.
I have attributed the expression to the game of baseball, but if that were the case, the high ball would result in the pitcher missing the strike zone. So I had to eliminate that derivative of the phrase.
I have finally had the answer from old time railroad signals. When a train was approaching an area that required caution, the engineer would watch for a pole with two signal balls. If they were low on the pole he had to proceed slowly, but if the balls were high on the pole he could go full throttle!
I like to think that the way we live our life for Christ could use more, high balling rather than, low balling. We need to get rid of those things that prevent us from going all out for Christ and make a difference for Him. HIGH BALL IT!
May God richly bless you by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 30, 2019 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 1:27
“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.”
I recall once leaving a food court with a trash bag in one hand and a sack of baked goods in the other. When I arrived at my car I realized that I had thrown the wrong bag in the trash. My beautiful croissant was lost forever! Recalling that incident reminds me that we are prone to make the same blunder when it comes to our spiritual values. We hold onto the “trash” and throw the valuable spiritual truth away.
Remember the story of Job? God boasted to Satan that Job was the most righteous man in all the earth. But Job, a God-fearing man, had no idea that there was a battle in heaven over his integrity. He only knew that calamity after calamity crashed over him destroying all that he held dear.
God knows that we are not perfect. He knows our every thought and the motive behind each and every action we take. That is why we need to make sure we do not mistakenly throw out the precious things of God only to find ourselves holding onto the worthless trash of this world. What are you holding in your hands?
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 1, 2019 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 4:14
“I do not write these things to shame you, but as my beloved children I warn you.”
I once noticed a young man backing out of his parking space with a gallon of milk teetering on the top of his car. I stopped behind him and honked my horn, but he appeared unaware of what I was trying to tell him. I honked again and motioned for him to roll down his window. Again he failed to understand. Other people were now honking and trying to get his attention.
Ignoring everyone’s efforts to warn him, the young man continued backing toward me. Just as he was about to hit my car someone ran up to his window, grabbed the gallon of milk and showed it to him. Disaster was diverted and the man was able to return home with the milk that had come so close to splattering on the ground.
The honking did not work. The motions did not work. The shouting did not work. It was not until someone grabbed the milk and handed it to the driver that he stopped and received it. All around us there are folks who leave the milk of God’s Word outside their lives. It is heartbreaking to observe as they refuse to heed our warnings. Perhaps it is because we stay too far away and fail to get close enough to hand the milk to them.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 25, 2019 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 15:52
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
Many years ago I sat enthralled as I listened to Rev. Tim Lahaye speak on the rapture of the church. It later became the topic of his book series and movie which we know as Left Behind.
I am convinced that there will come a day when the Lord will call His church to meet Him in the air, and so shall we ever be with Him for all eternity. The signs Jesus said to look for are detailed in Matthew 24. If you study this chapter you will find a description of what our modern day society looks like.
I have personally tried to prepare messages in the form of letters and e-mails for those who are left behind after the church has been raptured. I have urged those who happen to find these messages to read God’s Word to find the answer to what has happened.
The terrible time of trouble and tribulation that awaits those who have been left behind can be eased by the realization that there will still be time for them to repent and accept the gift of salvation that Jesus offers. Oh, how much better it will be for them to escape the terrible time of tribulation that awaits those who have failed to accept this gift before the rapture. Pass the word!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 24, 2019 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 5:1
“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”
I have enjoyed many nights camping out in a tent, but I must confess that I was always eager to return to my own home and comfy bed. The apostle Paul was a tent-maker by trade. I can almost visualize his calloused fingers and hands. They would almost certainly have been the marks from years of stretching and stitching the fabric to create or repair tents.
In today’s Scripture, Paul uses his profession as a tent-maker to illustrate a spiritual truth: This human body of ours is not going to survive. There are those who try to reverse the aging process in various ways, but nothing is going to keep us from coming to the end of our life and entering eternity.
It is sad that most of us spend far too much time and effort on things that will pass away. By spending so much time on earthly things we neglect the things that really count—those things that have eternal value.
Spending time with God in prayer and reading His Word will prepare us for that heavenly home that will never pass away. What home are you spending your time and effort to build?
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
