by Pastor Cecil | Jul 4, 2018 | 1 John
1 John 1:8-9
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
It is amazing that when we see other people doing bad things we call them sins. When we do the same type of things we justify them as “errors in judgment” or simply “mistakes.” BEEP!
In the eighth chapter of the Gospel of John, John relates an incident when the Pharisees brought forth a woman caught in the act of adultery. They eagerly pointed out that the Law prescribed that the penalty for such an act was stoning. (The accusers conveniently failed to produce her partner in the sinful act. I wonder if it was one of them?)
Jesus did not justify her sinfulness, but simply wrote with his finger in the dust and asked for the one without sin to cast the first stone. It suddenly became very quiet as each of the accusers turned and left Jesus alone with the accused woman.
Jesus did not condone her sinfulness; He simply refused to condemn her and told her to go and sin no more. He does the same thing today. He forgives our sins, but He wants us to live a life of holiness. It begins with confessing our sins!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 26, 2018 | 1 John
1 John 4:10
“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
I once heard about a couple who made an appointment with a marriage counselor. The wife started out by saying that she didn’t think her husband loved her. He just never said he loved her. When the counselor asked the husband if this were true, he readily agreed. He said, “I told forty years ago I loved her and I have not withdrawn that statement—it’s still in effect!” (I think the counselor wanted to bang his head on the desk!)
Here is my candid observation—love is an emotion and begs for some type of positive response. We are prone to love only as long as the person loves us in return. Take that response away and we quickly lose the desire to continue loving.
According to God’s precious Word we are to love with a love that is like the love Jesus has for us. That means we are to love even when the other person is not loveable.
When you stop to think about it, that is the way God loves us—when we are the most unlovable. It is while we were unlovable sinners that Christ loved us, and it is the unlovable people around us who need us to love them—with Christ’s transforming love.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 8, 2018 | 1 John
1 John 1:9
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Sin has been – is now – and will continue to be a problem until Jesus returns. Sin is not a subject that we generally choose up sides and debate. Sin is more commonly committed than discussed. Sin is frequently denied! (Please re-read this paragraph and let it sink in.)
We often apply the following assessments: Sin is what YOU do! An error in judgment is what I do! YOU CONFESS yours. I will just try to WORK ON MINE. That, my precious friend, is the maggot’s nest of a judgmental attitude, a denial of personal sin, and a sure way to appear to the world as a first-class hypocrite!
We seem to enjoy the spiritual sport of making the sinner grovel and cower before the so-called holy ones and do penance until we are satisfied. To me, that is wicked. It is interesting that John, the beloved disciple, is the one who wrote the letter of I John. He was Spirit-filled, beloved of the Lord, saw visions of the heavenlies, yet he still talked about dealing with personal sin.
In John 8, when the teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus, He simply bent down and wrote in the sand and said, “He that is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” One by one the woman’s accusers turned and departed. Only Jesus was left standing there with the woman. DEAL WITH IT!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 14, 2018 | 1 John
1 John 4:7
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.”
Today, February 14th, is Valentine’s Day. If you have not yet purchased that card, a romantic gift, or whatever, you had better get busy! There is very little time left to get that special something which will demonstrate in a meaningful way the feelings of love for that special someone in your life.
Unfortunately, there is phony (or fictitious) love present in our world that is often the result of selfish and greedy emotions. People often want things for themselves and use love as a tool to obtain what they think will satisfy their demands.
If my precious wife, Joyce, was still alive we would be celebrating 66 years of marriage this July. I can honestly say that my love for her is far deeper even though she has gone to be with our Lord. There is an important reason for our successful life of love and growth together — we kept the Lord at the center of our marriage.
Perhaps the greatest gift you can give your loved one this Valentine’s Day is to share together the precious love of God; commit yourself to allow His love to be expressed through you in your actions as well as in your words.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 24, 2017 | 1 John
1 John 2:28
“And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.”
We live in a day and age where people seemingly are not ashamed of anything they do. Not only is there a lack of shame, but there seems to be a pride in aberrant behavior. Those of us who live by the Word of God are ridiculed and teased about not going along with the sinful lifestyle around us.
I once heard the story of a small group of believers who were meeting to worship in a country that oppressed the preaching and teaching of the Gospel. In the middle of the meeting the doors suddenly burst open and several masked men came in with drawn weapons. They demanded that anyone who was ready to die for their belief to remain and that all others should leave.
Several panicked people ran from the building, leaving behind a few brave souls who were certain they were about to die for the faith. But to their amazement, after the leader of the masked invaders closed and locked the door, they all removed their hoods and said they were looking for true believers to worship with.
Not only do I want to stand true to the Lord, I want to never be ashamed to proclaim Jesus as the Lord of my life. To live is Christ and to die is gain!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 9, 2016 | 1 John
1 John 1:7
“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Some people have better night vision than others. I am told it has to do with rods in the retina. I guess my night vision is fairly good, though I am not sure how you are able to compare it with the average … but I do not stumble too often. As a teen I did stumble a few times when I came in after a date with Joyce and did not want to turn on the lights. Mom had a habit of re-arranging furniture!
As a police officer I frequently had to enter dark buildings that had been found unlocked. With only a flashlight to illuminate large warehouse areas, it was vital to only walk in the beam of light.
Jesus is the Light of the World. In order to insure we do not stray into dangerous territory, we must follow in the light of His Word. There are people who try to tell us to follow them, but that can lead to great danger.
When we search the Word of God and walk in its light, we will be able to stay on the right path and prevent falling into error. It will also lead us to the fellowship of others who are committed to walking in the light.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
