by Pastor Cecil | Jun 12, 2009 | Isaiah
Isaiah 55:1
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”
I know it may be hard to believe, but I used to be a Boy Scout. I learned how to start a fire without matches, how to tie knots, how to render first-aid and many other practical skills. We were taught that if you are thirsty you can quench your thirst by placing a clean round stone in your mouth.
We were camping in the mountains of Idaho and our Scoutmaster was taking us on a long hike up a mountain. As boys might do, we drank freely from our water canteens early in the hike and they were soon empty with many miles to go. It was then that our Scoutmaster suggested the stone in the mouth trick. Believe me—it sounds better in the Scout Manuel than in practice. We soon spit out the stones. By the way—I just had to get up and go into the kitchen for a drink of water!
There is also a spiritual thirst that the sincere believer experiences. We come to those places in our life that demand a renewal to quench our parched souls. Back in 1884, Lucy J. Meyer felt that spiritual thirst. It led her to write this week’s hymn.
“Ho! Everyone Who Is Thirsty“
Ho! every one that is thirsty in spirit,
Ho! every one that is weary and sad;
Come to the fountain, there’s fullness in Jesus,
All that you’re longing for: come and be glad!
Refrain: I will pour water on him that is thirsty,
I will pour floods upon the dry ground;
Open your hearts for the gifts I am bringing;
While ye are seeking Me, I will be found.
Child of the world, are you tired of your bondage?
Weary of earth joys, so false, so untrue?
Thirsting for God and His fullness of blessing?
List to the promise, a message for you!
Refrain:
Child of the kingdom, be filled with the Spirit!
Nothing but “fullness” thy longing can meet;
‘Tis the enduement for life and for service;
Thine is the promise, so certain, so sweet.
Refrain:
To access Ho! Everyone Who Is Thirsty, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/hoeveryonewhoisthirsty 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 | Apr 28, 2009 | 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.”
Each time I look on the wall above my desk, I can read the words of today’s Scripture. It is done in counted cross stitch, and has a very special place in my heart. You see, it was presented to me by our daughter, Brenda, back in 1991.
Brenda had been working on it for my birthday in March. She was desperately ill, which slowed down her work. But Brenda said she that even though she had not finished it for my birthday, she was determined to complete it before she went to be with the Lord. Brenda presented her gift to me just a few days before her death.
Each time I glance up to that framed scripture of Isaiah 40:31 on the wall, I remember Brenda’s labor of love. It means so much more to know that she was thinking of her Dad as she made each stitch.
This fantastic verse reminds us of one of God’s most precious promises: When we wait on the Lord, He will renew our strength. We get into trouble when we attempt to develop our own strength instead of waiting for Him.
It is noteworthy to read in God’s Word that anytime people run ahead of God and rely upon their own strength, they get into trouble. On the other hand, when people inquire of the Lord and wait for Him to lead, they are rewarded with His power.
The thought I want to leave with us today is that we need to spend our time in fellowship with the Lord. Reading His Word, speaking with Him in prayer and listening patiently for His still small voice to guide us. Not running ahead of Him or lagging behind Him, but walking close at His side.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 25, 2009 | Isaiah
Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
It is a miracle that many of the kids in the neighborhood survived to adulthood. The reason was that we tried many death-defying stunts at the instigation of the other kids who called us a “fraidy cat” if we didn’t do it.
Peer pressure is an extremely strong motivator. Unfortunately it is most often used in a negative way rather than encouraging spiritual excellence.
Today’s Scripture is one of the first verses I ever memorized. It has been with me throughout many ordeals in my life.
One thing that this verse has taught me is that I need not fear the things that lay in wait for me. Many situations that I have faced have been unpleasant and trying. I would have chosen to evade them, but there was no way around. I had to endure and persevere.
I want to testify to the faithfulness of my precious Lord and His infallible Word. Someone has written: “God said it—I believe it—that’s good enough for me!” I have found that to be true over and over again.
I encourage you to take to heart the promise in this verse. You need not fear since God has promised to be with you and never forsake you. Do not allow yourself to become depressed because He will give you His strength and hold you up with His powerful right hand. Man! That is good enough for me!!!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 13, 2009 | Isaiah
Isaiah 26:3-4
“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.”
As we come to the close of the week, we are aware of turmoil and chaos in our old sin sick world. Shootings, bombings, plague and disasters on every hand become so common that it is easy to allow them to rob us of the peace that Jesus gives.
There is a beautiful hymn that I want to share with you this week. It is not one of the better known hymns, but the words are magnificent and comforting. I hope those of you who are able, will listen and watch.
TO YOU BEFORE THE CLOSE OF DAY
To You before the close of day,
Creator of all things,
we pray that in Your constant clemency
our guard and keeper You would be.
Save us from troubled, restless sleep,
from all ill dreams Your children keep;
so calm our minds that fears may cease
and rested bodies wake in peace.
A healthy life we ask of You,
the fire of love in us renew,
and when the dawn’s new light will bring
Your praise and glory we will sing.
Almighty Father, hear our cry
through Jesus Christ, our Lord most high,
whom with the Spirit we adore
forever and forever more.
To access To You Before Close of Day, this week’s free inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/toyoubeforethecloseofday 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 | Mar 10, 2009 | Isaiah
Isaiah 41:10
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Sometimes, when life is hectic and demanding, we feel like we would like some “alone” time. Have you ever felt that way? For several years, Public Television has chronicled the story of Dick Proenneke, who lived alone in the wilderness for over thirty years.
I have to confess that I love watching this program over and over again. It is not that I would like to be alone like Dick, but to see the creative manner in which he used the resources around him to survive.
In addition to being impressed by Dick’s resourcefulness, I also became aware of something else—he was not totally isolated. There was a bush pilot who made trips into Dick’s remote cabin to bring supplies and mail. I can only imagine the joy he must have felt in receiving mail from his family in California.
We do not have to be isolated in a wilderness like Dick Proenneke to feel alone. We can feel alone even when we are surrounded by a multitude of people. Just look at a picture of people walking down the street of a large city. One person in that huge crowd may feel more alone than actually being alone in the wilderness.
Regardless of where we might be or who might be around us, according to our Scripture for today, we are never alone. Not only is the Lord with us at all times, but He has promised to give us strength and to uphold us with His righteous right hand. Our part is to trust in Him with all our heart. Praise the Lord!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 22, 2009 | Isaiah
Isaiah 55:6-9
“Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him, and to our God, for He will freely pardon. ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.'”
Having a practical nature, I usually try to consider spiritual reality on the basis of illustrations which provide meaning. Consider two fleas on a huge Saint Bernard dog trying to describe to the other the vastness of their world. Not only have they never been off the dog, they have never ventured beyond the dog’s hind leg. There is no way they could do it!
We are very much like those two fleas. We can talk a good talk and argue a good case for our view of things, but we have never seen the whole picture. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul describes our limitations as, “- – looking through a glass darkly,” the NIV interprets it, “- – we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror.” We are limited by our human knowledge or lack of it.
I once heard a sermon by Dr. W. A. Criswell of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. I cannot for the life of me recall the sermon, but I do recall an illustration. He was trying to illustrate the heart of deceitful man, and to show how we will go to great lengths to appear smarter than we really are. Here is his illustration:
Two drunks in a bar were arguing over anything that came to mind. They eventually came to the topic of religion and began a loud boisterous debate over which of them was the most religious. In utter frustration, Bill said to Fred, “You don’t know anything about the Bible! I will bet you $10 that you can’t recite the Lord’s Prayer!” Fred stared back through an alcoholic haze and said, “I’ll take that bet! Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. And if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.'” Bill stared at him in amazement, reached in his billfold for a $10 bill, gave it to Fred and replied, “I had no idea you knew it!”
Oh how sad the lack of knowledge about God and His ways. We can bluff our way past those who have even less knowledge of the Bible than we do, but God knows all about us. There is no way we can fool Him. He knows every thought before we think it and every word before it comes from our lips. That fact should sober us to the reality of cleaning up our act and preparing our heart so that we are acceptable in His sight.
Isaiah was inspired by God to reveal to us the fact that our ways are far removed from His ways and our thoughts from His thoughts. Isaiah urges us to seek God when He may be found and to call upon Him while he is near. There will come a time when it will be too late. The Lord may come at any moment. Then it will be too late to go to Him for mercy. An accident or sudden health incident can prevent our brain from functioning. Then it will be too late to call upon His name. Our hearts can become so callous to the prompting of the Holy Spirit that we are spiritually deaf. Then it is too late to seek the Lord.
I can recall as though it was yesterday, being in the last service of an old time camp meeting. I was sitting with a group of teens, one of which was my cousin, Wayne. Across the aisle from us sat his Dad. We could see tears rolling down his Dad’s cheeks. Wayne and I walked over to him and begged him to go forward and give his heart to the Lord while there was still time. He shook his head and you could almost see him dig his heels in. He made no move, and the service ended without him responding.
That was the last time anyone could remember him showing a softness toward God. His life on this earth ended in hardness of heart and bitterness of soul. Sad, sad the bitter wail, almost, but lost. We need to draw near to God, not only for salvation, but for peace and usefulness. What change is needed in your life? Make it now!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
