by Pastor Cecil | Jun 21, 2017 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 13:7
“Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.”
Many times when people ask; “How are you doing?” The response is; “Pretty good under the circumstances!” Someone offered an addendum by asking; “What are you doing under there?”
Each and every one of us will encounter circumstances in our life. These may be financial, physical, relational, or some other difficulty. The reality of life is that God never promises to take us away from the circumstances, but that He will be with us as we encounter the circumstances.
I once was talking to a Pastor of Adult Ministries. He advised me never to ask folks in a retirement facility how they were doing. He said they would spend the next hour telling you how they were doing. When my mom was in such a facility I came to understand that we need to take time to listen, not just speak the words.
There are people all around us who are being crushed by their circumstances. May God give us the ministry to reach out and touch them with the love of Jesus. We may well be the bright hope they need in their dark night of despair.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 24, 2017 | 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.”
If you ever feel that you are not smart enough, or popular enough, or from the right kind of family to do God’s work in an effective manner, read today’s Scripture passage once again. Who does God choose? The foolish and the weak — that describes me!
Jesus did not teach on a theological level, yet His clear and simple teaching has confounded doctors of theology across the centuries. He was the creator of the world, yet His ministry was extremely simple.
He did not intend for people to be mentally brilliant in order to know Him personally. It was and always has been this simple: Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.
You notice in the acronym KISS that I stated it differently than we ordinarily see it. It is not Keep It Simple Stupid but Keep It Simple Sweetie! We do not need to demean one another with words that insult, but let us encourage each other with words that convey love and respect!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 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.”
When the going gets tough, the tough get going! Have you ever heard that popular expression? Do you think that is true? What about when you are not tough and confess your weakness? That is when you let go and let God be God through you!
Sometimes people fail to act because they feel they are unqualified. The fact of the matter is that many great people are not that different from anyone else. The only difference is that they remained steadfast at their task.
Thomas Edison experimented with over 10,000 substances before discovering the answer in tungsten. After 9,999 attempts, the story goes that a reporter asked him if he was going to go on after so many failures. Edison’s response was that he had not had any failures. He had only discovered 9,999 substances that would not do the job.
Being steadfast for the Lord does not look at failure in the results we may see. It is in being the faithful servant that keeps on doing the work God has called each of us to do and leaving the results up to Him. Are you steadfast?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 5, 2017 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 8:13
“Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.”
Last Saturday, family and friends gathered for the birthday party of my youngest great-granddaughter, Kourtney. As we entered through the front door we saw a pile of shoes in various sizes and colors. It was evident that we were being invited to remove our shoes to keep the floors clean.
It reminded me of the time I spent in Newfoundland, Canada. I think every home I entered they had slipper socks available and there were usually several pairs of shoes from those who had entered.
Over and over I heard protests from the lady of the house to keep my shoes on, but I was equally aware that to be socially sensitive meant that I observed their custom. I always removed my shoes upon entering any home I was invited to, and I received many return invitations. Other men from our Squadron did not heed this custom and were seldom invited back.
Sensitivity (or the lack of it) seems to identify a person’s character. We can damage our Christian image by being unconcerned about what other people find important. To be a true witness we need to sharpen our Christian sensitivity!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 17, 2017 | 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. One of those was the son of the former pastor of our church in Nampa, Idaho. I can recall our fervent prayer for Gary Lee as well as all of the other hostages.
They were finally redeemed and allowed to go free. That incident has returned to my mind just recently as I read that these hostages have battled to receive compensation for the time that they were held hostage. It is difficult to know what would be fair compensation, but in this case they have been asking for something like $3 million each.
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 | Jan 18, 2017 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 9:24
“Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.”
In the highly competitive world in which we live there will always be winners and losers. In every sporting event, spectators leave the stadium with smiles or frowns. In the financial world we find the same expressions depending on what the earning reports reveal.
There are many excuses given for why a favorite team lost. It may be that a key player was injured or, more frequently, an official called a decisive penalty that altered the outcome. Inevitably, the end result was that there was a loser.
In our Corinthians scripture today, Paul is writing to encourage each and every believer that we can all be winners. The prize that we are contending for is eternal life in heaven with joys and raptures far beyond anything here on earth.
The gift of eternal life is just that – a gift. It comes with a tremendous price, but the price has already been paid by our precious Savior, Jesus Christ. He gave His all that we all have only to accept it by accepting Him. Now that is a sure winner!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
