by Pastor Cecil | Oct 11, 2012 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 12:26
And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
Many years ago I was teaching a Sunday School class of young professionals. I had tried to emphasize the biblical pattern of thanking God for everything. One Sunday one of our class members, Carletta (Midby) Allen, shared an incident she had experienced.
She was riding her bike to work when she was forced off the road and fell. Her knee was gashed open in the fall and blood poured down her leg. She bound it up as best she could and continued on her way.
She laughed as she related that the only thing she could think of was that Cecil had said to thank God for everything, so she began to thank Him for her pain. She then asked us if we had ever experienced the beauty of pain. None of us had, so she went on to say that it was almost as if the parts of her body were speaking to each other and encouraging them to be careful since one of them had been injured. It was a beautiful experience as well as for those of us who listened that day.
Today’s Scripture is a culmination of Paul’s teaching on the church of Jesus Christ and relates it to the human body. The insight I gain from his analogy is that we are to suffer along with those brothers and sisters who suffer. That means taking the time to reach out and comfort them with actions as well as with words. When one of the members of the body of Christ is honored we are urged to share with them in their honor and rejoice along with them. It means getting our eyes off of ourselves and enjoying the fellowship of other believers!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 19, 2012 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 11:27-29
So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves.
Do you remember a time when a major test was facing you? It may have been in school or on the job, or perhaps at the order of your doctor. I have just experienced my annual physical exam that concluded today with a bone scan. The test was not to see if I have any bones, but to determine if I have signs of bone loss that can occur with someone my age. I never can quite get my mind around the fact that some people seem to think that someone my age is considered someone my age. I feel like a young man in a 78-year-old body. How did that happen?
Just a note to say that all of my tests have been excellent so far, and the doctor is very pleased with the shape I am in. That is especially gratifying since I had my triple heart by-pass surgery just eighteen months ago.
We can have our physical examinations, but far more important is the necessity for our spiritual examination. Just as people sometimes ignore their health, we can also neglect our spiritual well being. If we ignore our spiritual condition, the consequences are far more serious.
Paul is urging us in today’s Scripture to examine ourselves before we partake of the Lord’s Supper. This examination is to be deep and introspective. We need to be honest with ourselves and with the Lord. When we have allowed sin to creep into our life it is time to confess and make peace with God once again. Only then can we truly pass the examination. Good health to you!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing to others!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 31, 2012 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 15:55-57
Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Yesterday I received a prayer request that was somewhat unusual. It seems that a dear saint of the Lord is very near death. The family has been at her bedside for many, many hours, and yet she keeps hanging on. She wants to go and be with the Lord, but her body keeps lingering. The prayer request was that she would die!
It reminded me of a minister I once heard speak at a pastor’s conference who had been called to pray for people to be healed but, in almost every instance, they had died soon after. The pastor developed a complex and became hesitant to pray for healing. Then he received a call from a member of his congregation whose father was very near death. This time he was asked to come and pray that the Lord would hasten the death.
He was delighted to go since that was what usually happened. (You know what is coming don’t you?) Sure enough, the pastor prayed for the old man to die, but he was healed and lived for several more years. It taught that pastor to seek to know God’s plans and pray for God’s will to be done, not the human will.
Do we really trust God enough to pray that His will be done? When we are passing through the valley of the shadow of death, can we take our hands off and pray that His will be done? I am confident that if we can trust God with our life here on earth, we can certainly trust Him to bring us home to glory! As long as He has plans for me on this side, I am anxious to stay, but I will trust Him for my death!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 28, 2012 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 15:56-58
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Back when we were young parents (which was so long ago that I can hardly remember that far back), there was a kid’s toy that I think was called a “Slip ‘N Slide.” It was about twenty feet long and three feet wide. You would roll it out on the lawn and soak it down with water. The kids would get a run and, because of the water, they would be able to slide down it with ease.
There was one element that was always required and that was water. If the Slip ‘N Slide was not wet, the kids would not be able to slide down the plastic strip. No matter how fast they would run before they landed, the plastic had become totally unyielding and resistant to a slip or a slide.
There is a spiritual application here. It is possible to water down the Word of God to such a degree that we are always on a slippery surface. Not only is it easy to slide through life, it is almost impossible to even stand up without slipping. The answer is found in today’s Scripture. Paul is telling Christians that to be able to stand firm we are to give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord.
Each of us is called by God to stand firm and sure for Him. We are to live a life of trust under His control. We accomplish this by being in fellowship with Him. We are to spend time reading what He says in His precious word and enjoying fellowship with Him in prayer. Are you standing firm for the Lord or are you on a slip and slide?
Blessings dear hearts! Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 21, 2012 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 10:12-13
So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
As I reflect back upon my life I am mindful of the variety of positions I have filled at one time or another. I have been a police officer, military enlisted man, then commissioned officer, college professor, and a criminal justice planner. It is almost as if I can say that I have been there and done that!
Many of these positions placed me in temptation’s line of fire. There were many fellow workers who tried to persuade me to violate my conscience and go along with them in their sinful activities.
As much as others try to entice us, there is no way that they can win unless we choose to go with them rather than going with God. It is vital for us to understand that it is not in our own strength that we will have victory, but in the might and power of the Lord who was tempted just as we are tempted and yet without sin.
If you are experiencing pressure in your life to compromise your principles, stop what you are doing and get alone with the Lord. Pour out your Heart to Him and let Him know that you are calling out to Him for help to overcome the enemy. Then find a faithful Christian friend to pray for you to remain steadfast.
Blessings dear hearts! Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 20, 2012 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
In recent years piracy on the high seas has increased dramatically. Huge oil tankers or cargo carriers have been boarded and the ship and crew have been held hostage until the price for their release has been met. THEY HAVE TO BE REDEEMED IN ORDER TO BE SET FREE!
The fact that Fanny J. Crosby wrote thousands of poems, many of which became favorite hymns is amazing. The fact that she was totally blind is even more remarkable. Our hymn this week is Redeemed.
Redeemed
(1) Redeemed, how I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
His child and forever I am.
REFRAIN: Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child and forever I am.
(2) Redeemed, and so happy in Jesus,
No language my rapture can tell;
I know that the light of His presence,
With me doth continually dwell.
REFRAIN:
(3) I think of my blessed Redeemer,
I think of Him all the day long:
I sing, for I cannot be silent;
His love is the theme of my song.
REFRAIN:
(4) I know I shall see in His beauty,
The King in whose law I delight;
Who lovingly guardeth my footsteps,
And giveth me songs in the night.
REFRAIN:
(5) I know there’s a crown that is waiting,
In yonder bright mansion for me,
And soon, with the spirits made perfect,
At home with the Lord I shall be.
REFRAIN:
Notice verse four. It strikes me that Fanny Crosby was eagerly looking forward to that day when her Redeemer would appear and her blinded eyes would be opened and she would behold the most beautiful sight she could ever imagine—Jesus!
To access Redeemed, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/redeemed/ in your browser or click on the image below.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
360-570-0074
PastorCecil@Daily-E-Votional.com
