by Pastor Cecil | Nov 10, 2015 | Ephesians
Ephesians 3:20-21
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
It is a miracle that I am still alive today. Food safety guidelines require that certain foods, such as chicken and potato salad, be stored at cold temperatures. My dear old Grandma Shubert lived in another era.
My family would often travel from the State of Washington to the Oklahoma Panhandle to visit my grandparents and other relatives. Many times when we were ready to leave, Grandma would prepare fried chicken and potato salad, put them in a paper grocery bag and send it with us for our lunch on the road. Being summertime, the temperature was very warm and we traveled several hours before stopping for lunch — it was still very hot.
We would open up that grocery bag and thank the Lord for His provision, then dive in. I can never remember a time when any of us got sick from it. I guess it would land us in the hospital if we ate that way today!
Jesus is our ultimate provider. I love the way Paul expresses it: “…abundantly above all that we ask or think.” That is the kind of provision that the world will never be able to provide. If you have never received that type of provision, bow your head right now and ask the Lord to give it to you.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 30, 2015 | Ephesians
Ephesians 2:8-9
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
I suppose many of us have heard humorous stories about someone approaching the gates of heaven and being required to prove that their actions on earth merited entry into God’s heavenly kingdom. Beep! Wrong answer!
A person may do amazingly good works here on earth and still miss heaven. It is not what we do for God that determines where we will spend eternity—it is what He has done for us. When we repent of our sins and accept Him as Savior and Lord then—and only then—is our name is written down in glory.
The writer of this week’s hymn, Charlotte Elliot, was offended when someone asked her if she was a Christian. She told him to mind his own business. Later as she was contemplating his question, she began to wonder what it took to become a Christian. She called him and he explained to her the plan of salvation which she accepted. It was then that she wrote this hymn, “Just As I Am.”
Just As I Am
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Hath broken every barrier down;
Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, of that free love
The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
Here for a season, then above,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
To access Just As I Am, this week’s inspirational video fromGloryScapes.com, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/justasiam 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 | Sep 2, 2015 | Ephesians
Ephesians 3:14-15
“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom His whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being.”
Back in the mid 60’s I was in the US Air Force, stationed in Missouri. Joyce had an aunt and uncle who lived in nearby Illinois. Joyce’s cousin, Millie, was a few years younger and that was the only time I had met her and her husband, David.
We did not see them again until 2002. They called and said they were travelling near our home and wanted to stop by. Joyce and Millie talked up a storm, laughing over 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 the 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 a much closer family – the family of God!
If you have not found that intimate family relationship with other members of God’s family, I urge you to seek out a church that seeks to be a loving family of believers.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 28, 2015 | Ephesians
Ephesians 6:2-4
“Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise: that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth. And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.”
We have often been told that it is important to read the instructions before assembling. I must confess that most of us men have a tendency to feel that we know more than those who have written the instructions and so we charge full steam ahead without reading the instructions. How frustrating it is when we run into a conflict and realize we have taken the wrong steps or taken them out of order.
I once had purchased two pieces of furniture that required some assembly. For once I read the instructions and begin assembling one of the pieces. I was getting more and more confused and frustrated when I realized I had picked up the wrong instructions and what I was reading was for the opposite piece. Rats!
In today’s Scripture there instructions for children but also for fathers. Children are to obey their parents. That goes back to the 10 Commandments and were told it is the first commandment with promise. The one for fathers is a little more difficult. By the very wording I think it indicates that fathers have a tendency to provoke their children. How sad that is. I would like to share just a portion of a letter that I just received of how a grandfather, Tom impacted his three year old grandson, Fischer.
Yesterday, we had Fischer for a few hours while Jamie gave piano lessons. I had gotten Fischer one of those little beginner fishing poles awhile ago and I thought this might be the time for him to try it out. I asked Tom to walk with Fischer and I to a little stream not far from our house so Fischer could practice with his fishing pole. He had so much fun playing with the pole and throwing rocks and sticks into the stream. He did not want to leave. On the walk back, I told Tom “to Fischer, this experience was better than going to Disneyland.” Fischer said “Yep.”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 20, 2015 | Ephesians
Ephesians 2:8-9
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
I suppose many of us have heard humorous stories about someone approaching the gates of heaven and being required to prove that their actions on earth merited entry into God’s heavenly kingdom. Beep! Wrong answer!
A person may do amazingly good works here on earth and still miss heaven. It is not what we do for God that determines where we will spend eternity—it is what He has done for us. When we repent of our sins and accept Him as Savior and Lord then—and only then—is our name is written down in glory.
The writer of this week’s hymn, Charlotte Elliot, was offended when someone asked her if she was a Christian. She told him to mind his own business. Later as she was contemplating his question, she began to wonder what it took to become a Christian. She called him and he explained to her the plan of salvation which she accepted. It was then that she wrote this hymn, “Just As I Am.”
“Just As I Am“
Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind;
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, Thy love unknown
Hath broken every barrier down;
Now, to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, of that free love
The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove,
Here for a season, then above,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come!
To access Just As I Am, this week’s inspirational video fromGloryScapes.com, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/justasiam 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 | Dec 8, 2014 | Ephesians
Ephesians 5:31-33
“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”
Joyce and I met as high school freshmen and immediately knew that we belonged together. Of course, it is not reasonable for fifteen-year olds to get married (or even sixteen or seventeen year olds). When we were eighteen and had just graduated from high school, we were married. That was July 10, 1952.
That same year, hundreds of miles away, there was another couple who had only known each other for two weeks when they were married. In both instances our marriages have been blessed by the Lord.
Still other couples were living in societies where their life mates were chosen for them. They were arranged marriages. I have come to realize that it is not the length of courtship that determines a healthy marriage — it is following the mandate of Scripture and becoming one flesh.
Earlier in Ephesians five, the husband is told to love his wife in the same way that Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her. That means loving sacrificially. Here at the close of the chapter, Paul tells husbands to love their wives as they love themselves. Husbands, we are the ones to initiate pure love in the marriage. We say we love our wife and we are the one to die for her. That is something for the wife to respect! That is what being one flesh is all about. How do you measure up?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
