by Pastor Cecil | Nov 7, 2014 | 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 | Oct 15, 2014 | Ephesians
Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Today I was listening to a local radio station that plays only music of the 30’s 40’s and 50’s. One of the songs was unfamiliar to me and I was struck by the message that it portrayed. The lyrics said that you have to live right to get to heaven. That false message has been around for generations. IT IS WRONG!
The stuff Hollywood has been dishing out for years is false. No bells ring and we do not become angels. We are a separate creation from the angels and God has graciously given us the opportunity to become the bride of Christ. I think it is natural for us to feel that we have to do something in order to earn our salvation, but it just is not so.
When I was in the US Air Force I served as a Minuteman Missile Launch Officer. There were weeks of schooling followed by hours spent in a simulator. Every step we took was under the scrutiny of our instructors. After successfully completing the required work we received our Missile Combat Officer’s pin. QUALIFIED!
There is no such requirement in the spiritual realm. There are no classes to take, tests to pass, or evaluations to be made. It is a sincere decision to confess that we sinners in need of a Savior and invite Jesus to come into our heart. From that very moment we are QUALIFIED! Growth follows, but we now wear His name!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 26, 2014 | Ephesians
Ephesians 6:4 and Colossians 3:21
Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.” — “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Over and over I meet children with fathers that have provoked them to the point of anger and despair. One young teen’s father would make the boy stand at attention while he screamed in his face for committing some minor infraction. The son became withdrawn and depressed.
I have used two passages of Scripture for today. Each one cautions fathers about the way they discipline their children. In Ephesians, Paul cautions fathers not to embitter their children. In the Colossians they are instructed not to exasperate them. The fact that Paul warns fathers twice in this manner suggests to me that we fathers are prone to do that.
The Greek word for embitter in Ephesians 6:4 is parorgizo. It means to rouse to wrath, exasperate, provoke or anger. The word exasperate as found in Colossians 3:21 is erethizo. It means stirup, stimulate or provoke.
Now is the time for Christian fathers to open their eyes to how much damage they can do to their children by their behavior. My prayer is that we will learn to live by the example in Proverbs 22:6: “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
Hey dad, have you started yet?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 11, 2014 | Ephesians
Ephesians 5:18-21
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.
I love to sing. There is just one problem — my voice will not cooperate! I know the note, but my vocal chords warble and waffle without allowing the melody I want to sing to come from my throat. Over these many years I have come to realize it is not how well I sing that matters, but that I have the melody of Jesus in my heart.
When I was young we used to sing a chorus that expresses the love for Jesus. Sadly, I can recall people singing the words, but their faces looked like they had just been baptized in vinegar. Here is the first verse and chorus of In My Heart There Rings A Melody:
(1) I have a song that Jesus gave me,
It was sent from heaven above;
There never was a sweeter melody,
‘Tis a melody of love.
Chorus:
In my heart there rings a melody,
There rings a melody with heaven’s harmony;
In my heart there rings a melody;
There rings a melody of love!
The ultimate question for each of us is can we honestly say: “In my heart there rings a melody?” If the answer is YES, then we need to let our face show that joy!
God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 5, 2014 | Ephesians
Ephesians 6:1-3
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—‘so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.’
“SHOW ME SOME RESPECT!” How frequently do we hear that harsh demand? Even some criminals who have just committed a horrible crime and are being taken into custody snarl out those words. They seem to think that their tough behavior earns them the right to be worthy of respect.
I see in our modern society a tragic breakdown in respect. It begins in the early years of a child’s life. They are not taught the importance of giving honor and respect to their parents. As a result of this lack of instruction, they do not feel the need to show respect to anyone.
It is significant that the pattern for respect begins back in the home. If children do not see an example of respect demonstrated by their parents, it is hard for them to learn to show respect. This negative pattern can be broken by coming before the Lord in humility and making a covenant to show respect to everyone around us.
Some may argue that if a person is not worthy of respect, we do not need to show them respect. I disagree with this line of thinking. The more we show a servant spirit in respecting people, the more the spirit of Jesus will be seen in us. I challenge you to put this teaching into practice.
God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 29, 2014 | Ephesians
Ephesians 2:8-10
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
We are fortunate to have a radio station in our area that plays old time music. It is hard for me to say “old time” since it seems so many of these songs are fresh in my mind even though they are from the “dark ages.”
The other day I heard a song that I had not thought about for years — a song that many recording artists had sung back in the day — “Ghost Riders In the Sky.” As I listened, I was struck by one line that had never impacted me before.
Here is the line: “As the riders loped on by him, he heard one call his name, ‘if you wanna save your soul from hell a-ridin on our range, then, Cowboy, change your ways today or with us you will ride, tryin to catch the devil’s herd across these endless skies.’”
We have been deceived into believing that we merit entrance into God’s heaven by the good life we live here on earth. There is absolutely no way this cowboy or any other can change our ways and get into heaven. Today’s Scripture gives us the one and only way. Be sure to let others know the secret to salvation!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
