by Pastor Cecil | Aug 23, 2016 | Ephesians
Ephesians 3:14-15
“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.”
A few weeks ago my granddaughter’s husband was quizzing me on our family history. Off the top of my head, I was able to share what I could remember back several generations. That started me thinking about spiritual families.
To me, a spiritual family is more important than a physical family. It is not that our earthly / biological families do not matter, but they are temporal and exist for only a short period of time. Our spiritual family is from God and will remain for all of eternity.
Our spiritual family tree goes back to God Himself. We are not the result of some primordial sludge that somehow evolved. Our roots go back to the hand of God who is the Creator of all things and for Whom all things are named.
Since we have such a noble family tree, we need to live in such a manner that will bring honor to the family. We do that by spending quality time with other members of the family and encouraging each other to keep on keeping on until we reach that wonderful family reunion in heaven!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 11, 2016 | Ephesians
Ephesians 6:13
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
When we hear the words, “at least,” it is easy to think that some anticipated goal had not been met. For instance; “We had hoped to harvest 300 acres this week, but at least we did harvest 200 acres.” That same sentiment could be applied to any number of goals that were set but not met. We had hoped to do one thing but at least we did something.
In a way that is not bad. In fact there is some merit to it. While many people would give up and do nothing, individuals with purpose do the best they can and accomplish everything that is within their power to accomplish.
Life is filled with challenges to our way of thinking. It is so easy to become discouraged and do nothing. People with a spirit of discouragement are not even capable of saying; at least this much was accomplished.
I want to give you a word of encouragement. With God’s help, do the best you are capable of doing for Him. We may not be able to do everything ourselves, but; at least we can do our best for the Lord and leave the rest up to Him.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 9, 2016 | Ephesians
Ephesians 3:14-15
“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.”
Saturday a week ago, I was blessed to be surrounded by my family. Most of my grandkids and all eight of my great-grandkids were there. It was a special time with family and one I will not soon forget. The following day I was again blessed to be surrounded by my church family.
Since then I have been thinking a lot about the importance of family. While that is true, the fact is that some people do not have the blessing of a warm and accepting physical family.
It breaks my heart to realize just how many dysfunctional families we have around us. As a result, I have tried to make a conscious effort to step into the role of dad, or granddad. I hope it takes away some of the pain in the lives of those that have felt isolated and alone.
Family is important and I want to encourage as many of you as possible to open your heart to those who may be feeling alone. On the other side of the coin, I encourage those of you who feel alone to seek out a warm and welcoming church family.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 11, 2016 | Ephesians
Ephesians 5:20
“Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Sometimes people listen and act when you are least expecting it. One Sunday morning I preached a sermon on the attitude of gratitude. I tried to stress the need to be thankful for everything. I am not sure where I came up with the illustration, but I suggested that it would really show how thankful we were if we were thankful for a gift of zucchini squash.
That evening when I arrived for the evening service there were bags surrounding the pulpit area. You guessed it ― the phone had been busy and all of our amateur gardeners unloaded their excess zucchinis on the pastor.
I had to say “thank you” and really mean it, but it was a strain to graciously share the wealth with others. It seems that when nothing else will grow, zucchinis will.
It taught me a valuable lesson — all too often we choose what to be thankful for and what not to. We searched out new recipes and sought out friends who could use a bag full.
What has God given you that you feel is more trouble than it is worth? Please do not try to take it into your own hands to determine what is good and what is not good. Even calamity can be used of the Lord when we thank Him for it and seek to see how He can use it for His good and our blessing.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 21, 2016 | Ephesians
Ephesians 3:14-15
“For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.”
Family is an interesting concept. Sometimes families are close, but at other times they are at odds with each other and relationships are strained. Back in the mid 60’s I was in the U.S. Air Force stationed in Missouri. Joyce’s aunt and uncle lived in nearby Illinois with their two boys and one daughter. We only visited their farm once but had a wonderful time together. Joyce’s cousin, Millie, was a few years younger and that was the only time I had met her and her husband, David, and the last time Joyce had seen them.
Several years ago, Millie and David were traveling north on I-5 toward the San Juan Islands on the Puget Sound. They called and asked if we could spend some time with them — we could and did!
Joyce and Millie immediately began talking up a storm and going through the family relationships. It was a great time of closeness. After they left to continue their trip, Joyce made a profound observation. She said that even though she had never lived close to Millie, and even though it had been some thirty years since she had last seen her, as they talked they drew close because of the family of which they were a part.
While these two cousins were bonding, David and I were discovering that we, too, were related. Can you believe that?! What a discovery! Not only were we related, but we were brothers! No, we did not have the same mother and father, but were part of the much closer family of God!
There is a new name written down in glory the moment we become born again. We become “blood” relatives of all those who have been born into the family of God. All of the difficulties and trials of this world will seem as nothing when we are finally all together. Talk about a family reunion!
Joyce and Millie had laughed as they recalled Millie’s dad going to the deep freeze and taking out large containers of ice cream and asking the kids what flavor they wanted. That sight will be nothing compared to the sweet dessert which will be spread out before God’s family at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 8, 2016 | Ephesians
Ephesians 4:1-3
“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
When I was ordained as a minister of the Gospel, I was in a group who had completed years of study and had also held a pastoral position long enough to know what the rigors of the ministry were.
We were challenged that night to walk worthy of our calling. Perhaps we had not experienced the rigors of life long enough to know what that entailed — the times when we would deal with broken hearts and broken lives — but what about our own walk with the Lord? Would we be WORTHY WALKERS?
Paul makes it very clear in this letter to the church at Ephesus what it means to be worthy of the calling of the Lord. Listen to the adjectives he uses: LOWLINESS, GENTLENESS, LONGSUFFERING, BEARING WITH ONE ANOTHER, TRYING TO KEEP THE PEACE.
I think it is important for me as well as you to make it a practice to read these verses on a regular basis and see how we measure up. As for me, I know that I want to be considered a worthy walker for the Lord!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
