by Pastor Cecil | Aug 15, 2018 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 13:1-3
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.”
I hope you are as blown away by this passage as I am. It is a vital message on the things which God considers important. Perhaps it is better expressed as those things that are meaningless when not motivated by love.
The more I study about God, the more I realize that I need to know more about Him. He wants my heart to be transparent before Him; and only as I do that does He show me more and more of Himself. I think that is why the Christian walk is never dull.
It is possible to do great and mighty things for the Lord only to discover that we are actually doing them to satisfy our own egos, or to impress those around us. Either way those are wrong motives.
It is vital to take time to analyze why we do the things we do. What is our reason for being called a follower of Christ? We may soon discover our shortcomings!
Blessings dear hearts. May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 15, 2018 | 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: http://gloryscapes.com/howfirmafoundation/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 4, 2018 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 2:12
“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.”
It is a tragic fact that many in our world are living in deception — the deception that doing more good things than bad things, or simply knowing about God, is enough to qualify them for heaven. Beep! Wrong answer!
In Deuteronomy 30:19 Moses proclaims the words the Lord had given to him for the people: “This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you today life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life that you and your children may live.”
God does not desire that anyone should perish, so much so that He sent His only Son to die on a cross and be raised in victory over death in order that we may have life, and to have it in great abundance. God offers us eternal life, but we must make it personal by confessing our sinful nature and receiving Jesus Christ as our personal Savior.
Paul gives specific instruction of how to become “born again” in Romans 10:9 “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” I urge you, MAKE IT PERSONAL!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 28, 2018 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 4:5
“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.”
In today’s Scripture, Paul is speaking about how we often use our conscience as a guide to determine our actions. He is quick to point out that our conscience is not the guide we need; our conscience can be seared or warped so it is not always a reliable guide.
I am here to tell you that if you say “no” to the promptings of the Holy Spirit long enough, you will become hardened to His voice and will allow things in your life that at one time you would never do. We even have counselors who try to tell us that the most important thing is for us to think about ourselves and do what will make us feel good. BEEEP! Wrong answer.
As we again look at the Scripture from I Corinthians 4:5, we see that there will be a day of judgment. We will not answer to earthly counselors or earthly judges, but we will appear before the Lord Himself. Down here we can often fool those who observe our actions, but with God that is impossible. “The Lord knows!”
So how can we determine what is right and what is wrong with our actions? You’ve got it — by looking into God’s Word. If you feel guilty about your actions it is probably the Holy Spirit convicting you. Remember – God knows!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 19, 2018 | 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. “
In 1969 the U.S. Embassy in Iran was overpowered and the Americans inside were held hostage for 444 days. They lived in terror for over a year not knowing if they would live to see another day, be it prisoner or free. They were finally redeemed and allowed to go free, but what scars they carried with them into freedom!
Forgetting that particular incident and thinking of our redemption from sin, what is the worth of the human soul? The Lord Jesus paid the price for our redemption, and I am so grateful that we have been set free from the penalty of sin!
The writer of this hymn, 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!
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: Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child and forever I am.
(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: Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child and forever I am.
(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: Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child and forever I am.
(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: Redeemed, redeemed,
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed, redeemed,
His child and forever I am.
Enjoy this free inspirational video from GloryScapes.com. To access Redeemed, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/redeemed/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 20, 2017 | 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.”
As a boy I was always impressed by a huge basalt rock located about 25 miles from my home in Camas, Washington. It is known as Beacon Rock and stands 848 feet tall. Lewis and Clark recorded passing by this huge rock on their famous expedition. Now it is often seen in commercials that feature the mighty Columbia River.
Anyone who has stood at the base of this mighty giant cannot help but be awe struck by something that is immovable. When I say that it is immovable, that is from man’s perspective. God could merely whisper and Beacon Rock would skip like a pebble across the Columbia River.
God calls us to be more immovable than Beacon Rock or any other mighty object here on earth. We are to do that by always abounding in the work of the Lord. We are to do it in His strength rather than in our own.
Are you steadfast and immovable? Are you always abounding in the work of the Lord? Is your world being shaken by the work you do for the Lord or are you shaken by the world in which you live? God wants you to be immovable!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
