by Pastor Cecil | May 28, 2009 | 1 John
1 John 1:5-7
“This is the message we have heard from Him and declare unto you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.”
I have a great fear that we have given people the wrong message concerning salvation. We have propounded the idea that you are able to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and go on living a godless lifestyle. That is totally wrong. I find none of that thinking in Scripture. In fact it is just the opposite. This passage is just one of many that indicate our walk must match our talk.
Jesus consistently told those who had been set free from sin and disease to turn away from it and begin to walk a different walk. Now if Jesus said that to people in His day, it still applies today. It seems that somewhere along the line, we have adopted the notion that we can live like the devil and still be a child of the King. BEEP! WRONG!!
It is inventory time. We need to answer a set of questions that may well determine our eternal destiny. That means we cannot take them lightly. Ready?
1. Can you recall when you prayed to ask the Lord to forgive your sins and come into your life?
2. Were you sincere in praying that prayer?
3. Do you have the assurance that Christ is your Savior and Lord at this very moment?
4. In what manner has your way of life changed since you received Christ into your life? Have you turned away from the sins of your past?
5. Are you disciplining yourself daily to read God’s Word?
6. Do you have a meaningful prayer time each day? (Not just before meals or “Now I lay me down to sleep”)
7. Do other people know you are a Christian by your spiritual walk with the Lord?
8. When you sin, does your conscience convict you and lead you to confess the sin?
9. If you were to appear before God right now, would He be pleased with the way you are living?
These are just a few questions that will hopefully reveal what your walk is like. It may be a wakeup call to reestablish your relationship with God. It is so easy to get caught up with the things of the world and ignore the Lord who has promised us eternal life.
We never know when something very sudden and unexpected could end our life on this earth. The few questions above will be nothing compared to the questions we will give about every deed done in the flesh. Are you ready? I urge you to do it now while there is still time.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 29, 2009 | 1 John
1 John 1:5-7
“This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.”
I have read that there really is no such thing as darkness. Darkness is the absence of light. Modern night-penetrating devices can only function with a certain degree of light. If there is not enough light from stars or artificial lights, the operator sends a beam of near-infrared light that is invisible to the naked eye, but provides light for the device to see in the dark.
Sometimes we speak of being in the dark, but when our eyes become accustomed to the dark, it is possible to see what we did not see at first. I have heard that many pirate captains wore eye patches over one eye, not because they were blind, but so that when they went below decks they would be able to see if some of the crew were planning to mutiny.
As a boy we used to sing a little song about being a light. We would go through the motions as if we were holding a candle to illuminate the dark. As I read the words once again I am transported back in time:
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Won’t let Satan blow it out.
I’m gonna let it shine.
Won’t let Satan blow it out.
I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Let it shine til Jesus comes.
I’m gonna let it shine.
Let it shine til Jesus comes.
I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Hide it under a bushel – NO!
I’m gonna let it shine.
Hide it under a bushel – NO!
I’m gonna let it shine, Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
Let it shine over the whole wide world,
I’m gonna let it shine.
Let it shine over the whole wide world,
I’m gonna let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
My prayer is that my life will be a candle in the darkness of this sin-sick world. The source of our light is Jesus. He will provide the fuel to keep our light burning until He calls us home. Even after we have gone to be with Him, may the warm glow burn in the hearts of those whose lives we illuminated.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and light the world around you!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 22, 2008 | 1 John
I John 4:7-9
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.”
I have a picture of my dad, taken in 1950, standing with five of his brothers in front of a couple of 40’s era cars. As I looked at it I felt a longing to see my Dad once more and tell him how much I love him. This man with only an eighth grade education had wisdom which cannot be taught in schools. But beyond that, he was a man who was filled with love for others.
Dad taught me what it was to know the Lord. He did that in many ways, not all of them pleasant. I can vividly remember that in the second drawer of his chest of drawers, he had an old fashioned razor strap. They were created to sharpen the old straight razors which were used by men back in the early days. They may have been designed to sharpen the razors, but they were objects of terror to the behinds of young boys!
For those of you who are too young or innocent to know about these straps, they were designed with two pieces—one was leather, and the other canvas. They were held together with a metal clasp at one end. While I am unclear just how they were used to keep a sharp edge on a razor, it had only one use in our house: Dad freely applied it to my seat of understanding. When the leather and canvas smacked together during the spanking, it made a sound like a rifle shot. It took a very short time before I was promising never, ever, in no way, whatever, etc., to misbehave again. (Sad to say, I did!)
Looking back on these episodes of discipline, I know it hurt Dad as much as it hurt me, but in a different way. He was doing it for love and to direct my steps. When I became a teen, I loved and respected my Dad. I can recall confronting another boy who called my Dad, “your old man.” He learned quickly that my Dad deserved and received my love and respect.
Across the years, since receiving the Lord as my personal Savior, I have grown in my love with Him. There have been times when I felt His hand of discipline, but I always knew that it was for my own good. I also have come to realize that when the Lord has had to discipline me, it hurts Him more than it does me. He only brings about the discipline because of His great love and concern for me.
Fredrick Whitfield must have felt that same way when he wrote the words to the hymn, “O, How I love Jesus.” As we read the words we feel the love and longing to see Jesus face to face:
1. There is a name I love to hear, I love to sing its worth; it sounds like music to my ear, the sweetest name on earth.
2. It tells me of a Savior’s love, who died to set me free; It tells me of His precious blood, the sinner’s perfect plea.
3. It tells of one whose loving heart can feel my deepest woe. Who in each sorrow bears a part that none can bear below.
Chorus: O, how I love Jesus, O, how I love Jesus, O, how I love Jesus–Because He first loved me!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 7, 2008 | 1 John
1 John 4:10
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
I once heard about a couple who made an appointment with a marriage counselor. They had been married for forty years and the counselor wondered why they would want to talk to him.
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!)
It is seldom, if ever, that we choose up sides and talk about the meaning of the word, “love.’ Many of us think we have a grasp of its meaning, but do we really? Can we honestly claim that we have plumbed love’s true meaning?
Here is my candid observation—love is an emotion, that while being a command, 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.
Like it or not, we humans are self centered and preoccupied with ourselves. If you want an example of this just stop and listen to someone’s conversation. Note the way they focus on their own interests and welfare.
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.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
— Pastor Cecil
