by Pastor Cecil | Feb 17, 2015 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
On Sunday I challenged our congregation with 1 Corinthians 13. It has often been called the “Love Chapter” in the Bible, and rightfully so. Paul gives his readers a clear description of what Christian love should be. How do you rate?
- Are you patient — even when you are forced to wait?
- Have you developed a spirit of kindness by looking for ways to help people?
- Are you afflicted with the green-eyed monster of jealousy and envy?
- Do you like to remind others of your accomplishments?
- Do you delight in feeling that you are better than others?
- Are you negligent in caring about the needs and feelings of other people?
- Are you the center of your universe?
- Do you have a “short fuse” and blow up when things do not go right?
- Do you remember the wrongs other people have done to you?
- Do you delight in evil by your actions or in your thought life?
- Do you sincerely rejoice when the truth is revealed?
- Are you a protector of the things of God?
- Do you place your absolute trust in God’s Word?
After prayerfully completing this questionnaire, what changes do you feel God wants you to make in your life?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 9, 2014 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Are you ready for the love test? Do you consider yourself a lover of God and a lover of the members of the family of God? Do you love the lost and dying enough to give yourself fully to the work of the Lord? It is time for the love test!
Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 once more, but with a difference. Replace the word love with the name Jesus: Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind, Jesus does not envy, Jesus does not boast, Jesus is not proud, Jesus does not dishonor others, Jesus is not self seeking, Jesus is not easily angered, Jesus does not delight in evil but He rejoices with the truth. Jesus always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. JESUS NEVER FAILS!
Now read it once again and replace the word love with your own name. This is your personal love test. It is rather embarrassing isn’t it? There may be a few attributes that we come close to achieving, but for the most part we receive a low grade.
It is amazing how perfectly Jesus fits into this passage. Jesus was the Father’s expression of love to a lost and dying world. Where we fail, He succeeds. He reaches down and draws us close to Him. We are not saved by passing the test, we are saved because Jesus loved us enough to die for us. If you have never opened your heart and received Jesus as your Savior, do so before it is too late!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 1, 2014 | 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.
Please indulge me by reading today’s Scripture over two or three times. Having done so do you see something a little strange? When Paul uses the term “stand firm,” It is a labor for Christ. It reminds me of something I read in the book by David Benson, Miracle In Moscow. (I think it is available from Amazon). David has granted me permission to quote from it. During the cold war he risked his life to deliver Bibles to believers in the USSR. It was 6 months since he had contact with the Christian brother and as he stood at the place where he was to meet his contact, he did not appear and David had no way of locating him in a city of 7 million people. Let me quote from David’s book:
“I began to pray for guidance, but before I could get one word out, God said, Benson, for once keep quiet! Before the sun goes down you will see My glory.’ Then the great promise God gave the children of Israel; ‘Fear not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord!’ flashed into mind.
“At that time of year the sun over Moscow goes down around 4:00 P.M. That gave two hours to work! Also I was to ‘stand still.’ I did not take that literally for to stand like a statue in front of the Bolshoi Theater with luggage would certainly draw the attention of some policeman, who at best might think I was a lost tourist and offer his unwanted aid. I took ‘stand still’ to mean that I should not try to figure a way out of my predicament, that I must do something contrary to what I thought I should do.
—-On former trips to I had bought all kinds of of plays, speeches and poetry readings recorded on long play discs. These I shipped back to the States and used to improve my Russian. The only play I had been unable to find was one by Chekhov.
Across the square from the Bolshoi theater is the Metropole Hotel, a grand structure built by the Tsars. It is now used for tourists, and most of the rooms were outfitted with listening devices. —
I took a long shot, not really knowing why. With Bibles in bags and clothing, I walked into this hall lined on both sides with desks behind which sat Communist agents ‘ready to help you with any of your travel problems.’ I had a problem all right, but no one in that room must know it. I recognized a woman I had met before. — She never smiled but was all efficiency and obviously a sold-out Marxist. I knew if I wanted answers she would have them. — As I asked about the Chekhov plays I was well aware of the large number of Bibles I carried.”
I will break away from his narrative to say that this woman scribbled out an address of a particular record shop and said “You will find everything you want there.” She emphasized the words I have highlighted. The cab driver used the same words and the same emphasis; “You will find everything you want there.”
As David arrived near the record shop and placed his bags on the icy sidewalk he was aware of many people rushing up and down. As he stared in the shop window, he thought of the song, “Fools Rush in Where Angels Fear to Tread.” David picked up his bags and was bumped into by a short, stocky man. It was Vitya! The contact to whom he was to deliver the Bibles.
Only by the grace of God was this wonderful miracle performed. The Communist authorities had moved Vitya and there was no way for him to let David know where he was, but God knew where Vitya was. As David stood firm, the Lord did a mighty thing.
Are we standing firm in our daily walk with the Lord? Are we trying to do God’s work our way hoping it will please God? God is not interested in our efforts to do His work our way. He is looking for followers who will stand firm and allow Him to lead us.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 25, 2014 | 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 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.
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!
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:
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
by Pastor Cecil | May 16, 2014 | 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!
To access How Firm a Foundation, this week’s inspirational video fromGloryScapes Hymn Music Videos, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/howfirmafoundation/ 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
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 30, 2014 | 1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 12:21-24a
The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you!’ On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment.
When I was a boy my mother would sometimes comment; “You can’t go out looking like that. You have to look presentable!” I wonder what she would say if she could see the way some people look today when they go out into public?
A great deal of emphasis is placed upon the latest fashions, regardless of how silly they may be. I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around the fad of wearing jeans with holes in the knees. In my day that would indicate you were too poor to wear decent pants.
While I am on the subject I would like to comment on the way people dress when they attend worship services. Often they look like a rag tag conglomerate of sloppy dressers that just wander in off the street because it was a place to get warm (or cool if it is summer).
I happen to think that we come together to meet with the King of the universe. I would certainly dress appropriately if I had an audience with the Queen of England. How much more should I be presentable to meet the King of kings and Lord of lords. What about our hearts? Are they presentable?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
