by Pastor Cecil | May 22, 2014 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 6:3-4
We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses.
As I write this I am listening to a gospel song that proclaims “I’m getting ready to leave this world.” Are we? I mean, are we truly looking forward to the day when we will say goodbye to the things of this world and enter our eternal home?
In studying the biographies of some of the greatest saints across the ages, I learn that they faced troubles. Many faced far greater troubles than I have ever faced. Not only that, they dealt with these troubles with confidence in Jesus.
Frequently I have heard ministers preach and teach a feel-good gospel. They seem to say that if you have enough faith you will never have to deal with sickness, pain, or catastrophic events. When I hear their teachings I want to shout out for them to read about the life of Paul. He endured more persecution than I can imagine, yet he was in the center of God’s will.
The discovery I’ve made is that we can have victory in the middle of the storms of life. I recall a song we used to sing when I was a teenager — “Troubles may come and troubles will go; we’ll trust in Jesus come weal or woe.” Now that is my aim in life. I know that there will be troubles, but my Jesus is in control.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 19, 2014 | 2 Corinthians
2 Thessalonians 3:7-9
For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate.
“OUGHTAWANTA!” You can check your dictionaries or thesauruses and I can almost assure you that you will not find this word. I have thought of this word for quite a little while now and becomes more evident all of the time.
Once I served on the staff of a large church. The senior pastor had a telephone number that ended with the digits 0202. One of the staff members commented during a staff meeting that he always felt A guilt complex when he called that number. He said all he could think about was: OUGHT TO! – OUGHT TO!
I still remember that chorus we used to sing in Sunday School: “Everybody ought to go to Sunday School, to Sunday School, to Sunday School. The men and the women and the boys and the girls, everybody ought to go to Sunday School.”
In today’s Scripture, Paul is putting himself out as an example to follow. It is not just putting people on a guilt trip, but living a life that is Christlike and righteous. He emphasizes the wanta rather than the oughta. The question I ask myself as well as passing it on to you is are we sharing guilt or desire? I hope it will be the desire to be more like Jesus because they see Him living in us.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 9, 2014 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 5:1-3
For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.
I enjoy hearing people talk about what they do. I recall listening to fighter pilots talk about the thrill of combat and how close they came to death. I have been enthralled by the stories of the deep sea fishermen in Newfoundland. Police officers share with other officers interesting, sometimes dangerous, incidents.
The apostle Paul was a tent-maker by trade. I can almost visualize his calloused fingers and hands. They would almost certainly have borne the marksfrom years of stretching and stitching the fabric to create or repair tents.
In today’s Scripture, Paul uses his profession as a tent-maker to illustrate a spiritual truth: This human body of ours is not going to survive. There are those who try to reverse the aging process in various ways, but nothing is going to keep us from coming to the end of our life and entering eternity.
It is sad that most of us spend far too much time and effort on things that will pass away. By spending so much time on earthly things, we neglect the things that really count—those things that have eternal value.
Spending time with God in prayer and reading His Word will prepare us for that heavenly home that will never pass away. Which home are you spending your time and effort to build?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 17, 2014 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 5:6-8
So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
We never know how close we are to eternity! In 1953 I had completed basic training in California and was being transported to Texas. Approximately fifty of us were flying on an older model military transport plane–an old one! It was left over from World War II.
One of the flight crew notified us that we would be making a stop in New Mexico. As we landed, one of the two propellers stopped. We were stranded there for several hours while the necessary repairs were made. One of the mechanics happened to mention we were lucky we were so close to base before the trouble hit. Yikes!
I haven’t thought about that incident for years. Thinking about it now I realize that we could very easily have crashed and I would have been ushered into eternity! I have had other close calls that reveal to me that we are just a heartbeat from eternity!
While we may have many incidents that are life threatening, it is comforting to remember that while we are here in the body we are absent from the Lord. When this life ends we will be absent from the body and praise God, we will be with Him!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 16, 2014 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 12:20
For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.
During World War II, there were colorful posters displayed in prominent places with this slogan: LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS. The intended message was to beware of unguarded talk because the enemy may be listening, and it could lead to disaster for our fighting men.
In our daily walk, we are exposed to loose lips. Another name for it is gossip. That is a horrible word. It implies spreading lies or half-truths about another person. An easy way to determine if gossip is involved is to ask if the words being spoken about a person would ever be spoken directly to that person.
Born-again believers that hold true to the faith, and have high standards of morality about many things, are sometimes guilty of having loose lips. It is certainly nothing to take lightly. I once worked for an obstinate boss and was guilty of gossiping about his actions.
The Lord convicted me of my sin and I quickly confessed it. The hard part was going to that man and asking for his forgiveness. I assured him that from that moment on I would confront him directly when I disagreed with his actions. I was promoted soon after that because he knew he could trust me. Do you have loose lips?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 30, 2013 | 2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 12:8-9
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
A story is told of a very poor man who lived in ancient times. It was a time when powerful kings dominated all who lived in their kingdoms, and who also wielded the power of life and death. It was a time when many sons and many horses were a sign of wealth and prosperity.
This poor man had only one horse and one son. As he grew older, his son used the horse to plow the fields, to haul the produce to market, and to ride from place to place on various errands. People pitied the poor man and often made disparaging remarks about his poverty.
Things went from bad to worse one day when his son was returning from the villageand was thrown off the horse to the ground, breaking the boy’s leg. The people clucked their tongues and wondered what evil thing this poor man had done to have such bad fortune to befall him. He would just smile and reply, “The Lord knows what I need. I will trust Him to give me what He wants me to have.”
Not long after the son’s accident, the king sent messengers to each village and demanded that every able-bodied young man report for battle immediately. The only one in this age group who was not conscripted was the poor man’s injured son. In a short time the sad news was relayed to the village that the battle had gone very wrong and all of the young men had died in the fray. Now the man who had once been pitied was considered to be the one who was blessed.
When we trust in God, it makes no difference what people think or say, Romans 8:28 is true in any and every circumstance: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
