by Pastor Cecil | Jan 7, 2015 | Isaiah
Isaiah 40:31
“But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”
As I write this it is a Sunday evening and a storm front has arrived with torrents of rain. (Hey, it’s Washington, what else is new?) This heavy rain takes me back to a time over 70 years ago.
We were returning home from church and my dad noticed a car stopped ahead of us. The driver was gesturing out his window so he would not have to get out and be drenched with the rain.
Dad eased up to his bumper and began to push him so his engine would start. (Back when we had stick shift drives you could do that. Almost immediately the man began to wave more frantically. He got out into the rain and came up to explain that he was out of gas and was trying to roll back into town so he could get to a filling station. Ooops! Dad had good intentions, but wrong assistance.
Isaiah 40:31 is one of the first verses I ever memorized. It has always been a reminder to me that it is necessary to wait on the Lord. I often like to run ahead of the Lord and that leads to frustration and exhaustion. When the Lord calls me He also gives me the strength for the task.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 31, 2014 | Isaiah
Isaiah 55:6-7
“Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on them, and to our God, for He will freely pardon.”
Charles Thomas “C.T.” Studd, was a missionary ministering in China, India, and Africa in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. His devotion to serve God in the far flung areas of the world can be summed up by one of his quotes: “Forward ever, Backward never! Some wish to live within the sound of Church or Chapel bell; I want to run a Rescue Shop within a yard of hell.”
One of his quotes has frequently been mistaken from scripture. It actually is from one of his poems.
Only One Life ‘Twill Soon Be Past
Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgment seat;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave, And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, a few brief years, Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill, living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
When this bright world would tempt me sore, When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way, Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, “twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, ”Thy will be done”;
And when at last I’ll hear the call, I know I’ll say “twas worth it all”;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.
We have a new year stretching out before us. My prayer is that this year I may make this phrase a reality in my life. Have a blessed 2015!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 31, 2014 | Isaiah
Isaiah 55:6-7
Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.
It was the final service of our annual Camp Meeting. The old tabernacle was crowded on a warm summer evening. The evangelist had been delivered a message outlining clearly the plan of salvation and the penalty that faced anyone who failed to accept the Lord Jesus as personal Savior.
I was sitting with my cousin and across the aisle from us was his dad. We knew that Uncle Harold had rejected the Lord, but were hopeful that this would be the time he would open his heart. The congregation was led in the old invitation hymn, Softly and Tenderly.
Wayne and I could see his dad weeping with conviction. We went over to him and pleaded with him to go forward and invite Jesus into his heart. Even though tears were flowing, he shook his head and refused to be moved. As far as we know he never made that choice. How sad that God’s free gift of eternal life was rejected. How about you? Have you honestly and sincerely invited Jesus Christ to be the Lord of your life? He is calling, O sinner, come home. All you have to do is open your heart and invite Him to come in.
Softly and Tenderly
Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
watching for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading;
pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not His mercies;
mercies for you and for me?
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
passing from you and for me.
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
coming for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
O, for the wonderful love He has promised,
promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
pardon for you and for me.
Refrain: Come home, come home.
You who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
calling, O sinner, come home.
To access Softly and Tenderly, this week’s inspirational video fromGloryScapes™ Christian Music Hymns & Songs, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/softlyandtenderly/ 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 17, 2014 | Isaiah
Isaiah 34:15
The owl will nest there and lay eggs, she will hatch them, and care for her young under the shadow of her wings; there also the falcons will gather, each with its mate.
One day Joyce and I were driving along when a Killdeer Plover suddenly flew across the road ahead of our car. Immediately we were reminded of the amazing antics we had previously observed killdeers demonstrate. We once owned a house and had not yet planted grass. It was flat with very little vegetation. We noticed that a mother killdeer had made a nest in a very shallow depression, which seemed foolish since the eggs would be so vulnerable. It was then that we witnessed the remarkable defensive tactics of this bird.
Anytime a threat approached the nest—man, bird, or beast—the mother killdeer would suddenly go into a remarkable bit of acting. She would begin to flutter and flop as if wounded. When the intruder began to follow the “wounded” bird, she flopped further and further away from the nest while making the characteristic call that gives this bird its name, “Kill-deer, kill-deer, kill-deer.” Once the threat had been lured far away from the nest, the “wounded” killdeer would suddenly take wing and fly away to safety. When everything was safe, she would return to continue the task of hatching her eggs.
It is wonderful to realize that God has created these seemingly defenseless killdeer with such unique instinctive methods of protecting their eggs. He also has unique ways of defending us. When we place our trust in Him, He will care for us. In Matthew 6, where we read the prayer our Lord taught His disciples to pray, we find these wonderful words of promise in verse 13: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” He will answer our prayer!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 11, 2014 | Isaiah
Isaiah 61:3
And provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor.
I would like to share an important secret with you: JOY IS A CHOICE! But some people seem to think that one is joyful by nature. In other words, we are born with either a ray of sunlight over our head or a thundercloud.
It is also thought that the circumstances of life determine joy or sorrow. As we read the words of today’s Scripture, we quickly notice that it is directed to those who grieve in Zion.
Think of that! For those who are experiencing grief, the Lord promises the oil of joy. Not only that, He provides a garment of praise in place of a spirit of despair. I think that James might have been thinking of this when he wrote: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds” (James 1:2).
What are you experiencing in your life at this moment? It really does not matter what the circumstances are, but it does matter whether you are appropriating the joy of the Lord in order to display His splendor.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 8, 2014 | Isaiah
Isaiah 6:8-94
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ He said, ‘Go and tell this people:‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
Not long ago I was in a coffee shop when I noticed two men sitting fairly close to me. One was speaking to the other, but there was no response. The lack of response was due to the other man texting on his cell phone.
It seems that this scene is repeated over and over again. AT & T once had a slogan, “Reach Out and Touch.” Those were hopeful words created to draw people closer and closer together. Unfortunately we seem to have grown further and further apart. Rarely do we even know the names of our neighbors.
There are groups of “Plain People” who do not use modern communication devices. In fact, to make emergency phone calls they must go to a small phone building separate from their house. The amazing thing is that they have more good and meaningful friendships than the rest of us. THEY ACTUALLY TAKE TIME TO SPEAK TO EACH OTHER AND LISTEN TO WHAT IS BEING SAID!
God wants to speak to us in our inner-most being. I wonder how many times we are so busy with our social networking or whatever to hear His voice. Here is my message to each of us (myself included). Tune out to the noise of the world and tune in to the voice of God. Speak to me Lord!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
