by Pastor Cecil | Jul 18, 2012 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
When he was just a small boy, our oldest grandson followed my dad like a little shadow. He thought my dad could do about anything. As a matter of fact I had that same opinion about him.
One day Zane had broken something. When our daughter began to reprimand her son, he did not seem to be upset. He just looked his mom in the eye and said, “It’s Okay mommy, Papa can fitz it!”
Sometimes we break things in our life and go around and around in a circle trying to get it fixed. Or as Zane would have said, “Get it fitz.” Stop right now and do a short evaluation of your life. What are the broken things that you would like to have fixed? Relationships? Finances? Health? Reputation?—Any number of things may be broken in your life and in desperate need of repair. Who do we turn to?
The answer is Christ. A small boy following closely at his grandpa’s side may think he is helping by getting his hands on the broken object. In fact it obstructs the work of the one who is able to fix it. In the same way we can get our hands in the way as God works out the restoration of our broken condition. It is only as we trust fully in Him that He can perform the miracle. Papa can Fitz it!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 12, 2012 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
Sometimes when I hear a particular word, I will consider its opposite meaning. For instance, with the word steadfast the opposite that pops into my mind is the idea of being wishy-washy. I am sure that many of us have encountered people who talked a big talk, but when push came to shove, they were weak-willed and spiritually anemic. In other words they were wishy-washy! Many unbelievers are eager to point to these wishy washy examples as a representation of all Christians.
The Apostle Paul encountered more than his share of believers who were poor examples of how a true child of God should act. He strongly reacted to a young man named John Mark who started out on a missionary journey with Paul and Barnabas, but went back after a short time (Acts 13:13). But later in Paul’s life, he asked for John Mark to be sent to him in prison as he was profitable to him in the ministry (2 Timothy 4:11).
In our Scripture for today, Paul urges all true believers to demonstrate characteristics that show true spiritual maturity. It is a good way for us to measure our own maturity. Look at the adjectives Paul uses: STEADFAST! IMMOVABLE! ALWAYS ABOUNDING IN THE WORK OF THE LORD!
It is not necessary for us to be an ordained minister in order to do the work of the Lord. We can work at the most menial task and do it as unto the Lord. In fact, that is how we should do anything and everything we set our hand to. Measure your service to the Lord in light of the pattern Paul sets for us here in 1 Corinthians 15:58.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 22, 2012 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 15:58
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.
It was just a dream, but one with a message. Last night, actually toward morning, I had a very realistic dream. In the dream, Joyce and I were outside a charming little church. A young couple was proudly showing us around the outside of the building. I was struck by the tangle of brush and weeds that surrounded the structure. They did not seem to bother the couple as they continued their tour.
As my dream continued, we were once again driving up to the same small church. This time there were many people around and the front door had been smashed in. As we walked inside the shattered front door we saw the inside had been profaned with graffiti and the place was a terrible mess.
It was then in my dream that I saw a man who had been a former member busily engaged in the work of restoring the church. He was getting rid of clutter and was preparing to build the parts that had been demolished.
It made me aware that the dream was a picture of our modern day church. The compromise with the things of the world has allowed the weeds of sin to grow around the church and finally penetrate into the very core of the church itself. Things that were once not even allowed in the open society have invaded the church itself.
As I wake this day, I have a new determination to be busy about the work of restoring the Church of Jesus Christ to those principles that we find in the Word of God. My work cannot be put off by weariness or weakness. I have a new vision of the power of God for the salvation of the lost souls around me. I pray that you will also take a renewed stand for the Lord in these last days.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 23, 2012 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 4:10-11
“By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Samuel John Stone was affectionately known as the poor man’s pastor. His time was spent in ministering to the poor and underprivileged people in the dark places of sin in the East End of London. Much like the world of our day, it was a time when God’s Word was under attack.
Samuel Stone held true to the faith and refused to compromise the fundamentals of the faith. He composed the words of this week’s hymn. Samuel Wesley composed the music for the hymn. He was the grandson of the great hymn writer, Charles Wesley.
It is a sad commentary that the liberal thinking of our time has invaded the church of Jesus Christ. The fundamental of the faith have been replaced with man-made philosophies that stray from the truth. There is only one foundation of God’s church and that is Jesus Christ our Lord.
“THE CHURCH’S ONE FOUNDATION”
The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord.
She is His new creation by water and the Word:
From heav’n He came and sought her to be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died.
She is from ev’ry nation, yet one o’er all the earth,
Her charter of salvation one Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy Name she blesses, partakes one holy food.
And to one hope she presses, with ev’ry grace endued.
‘Mid toil and tribulation, and tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation of peace for evermore;
Till with the vision glorious her longing eyes are blest,
And the great church victorious shall be the church at rest.
O happy ones and holy! Lord, give us grace that we,
Like them, the meek and lowly, on high may dwell with thee.
There, past the border mountains, where in sweet vales the Bride
With Thee by living fountains forever shall abide!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 30, 2012 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
I receive news feeds from MSNBC on my Windows Live Mail. This morning there was an article about the latest sunspot that has produced amazing northern lights. There was one sentence that really grabbed my attention. It said that the flares from this sun spot were traveling at 5.6 million miles per hour. I think that figures out to 93,333 miles per minute or 1,555 miles per second.
Look at today’s Scripture once again. See the words; “. . . in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye.” It is easy to think of a flash or the twinkling on an eye in a more understandable rate. In the above illustration, one second would find a plane flying from Seattle, Washington to Kansas City, Missouri in one second. Zoom! That would sure blow up a police radar detector!
Time is something that God controls. At the moment He says it’s time, believe me, it’s time! That time might be the rapture of the church or it might be the death of a dear saint of God. Either way, instantaneously we pass from this world to the next.
I sincerely believe in the rapture of the church. I have been thinking about the rapture recently as we are studying the book of Revelation in our church. It struck me that a rapturing (catching up in the air to meet the Lord) would occur in that flash of time. But what about a born again believer who dies? In that same instant of time the person is caught up into the presence of the Lord. Either way we have a blood bought ticket into a glorious eternity with the Lord. I hope to see you there!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today and be a blessing in the time we have.
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 27, 2012 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 14:33
For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.
My mother said that when I was a baby the only thing that would stop my fussing was to listen to soft music. It wasn’t the discordant noise that often is defined as music, any more than paint thrown haphazardly on a canvas could be called art. Not just music but other areas of our life. God is a God of peace rather than discord or disorder.
I guess you may say that the fat is in the fire as I write this Daily-E-Votional for Friday. We usually have a hymn courtesy of GloryScapes.com, but I would like to have us think about music for a few moments. The joy I find in GloryScapes is the harmonious nature of the music.
I miss the good old days of television when programs had meaning without chaotic perversion that has become a pattern of sinfulness. One of my favorites was the Andy Griffith Show with Andy serving as Sheriff of Mayberry. You may recall Don Knotts playing the part of the bumbling Deputy Barney Fife. One episode had a scene of a church choir rehearsing. Everyone was singing on key except Barney. The director was beside himself trying to deal with the discord. Finally Barney stepped up to the director and volunteered to move throughout the choir while they were singing to discover who was singing off key.
I love to listen to classical music. For the most part the harmony is soothing and creative, but some pieces are discordant and strident. At this moment I am listening to a hymn that has order and harmony. Sad to say, some Christian music is more noise and clamor than peace and harmony. Lord, may my life be harmonious!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today. Fill your life with harmonious peace and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
