by Pastor Cecil | Oct 31, 2017 | Isaiah
Isaiah 61:3
“To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
A grave site is not the usual place for a happy reunion, but it was just that last Friday. As I approached the graveside a young woman greeted me and introduced herself. It turned out that I had officiated at her wedding over seventeen years ago.
From that first introduction I was soon surrounded by others I had known before. The somber occasion quickly became a rather joyous time of meeting and greeting several young women who had been children or even not yet born way back then.
As we took the time to honor the memory of the woman who was being laid to rest, it struck us all that life does pass by quickly — and because this life will soon pass, it is important to live our life for Christ.
Since we have been blessed with a new life in Christ, in our times of sadness there can and should be a joy in the ashes. We truly do not grieve as do those who have no hope. Our hope and joy is in the Lord!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 28, 2017 | 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.”
Through the years I have often found my thoughts going back to today’s verse. It was one of the first verses I ever memorized. Come to think about it, it may very well be the reason that I am known as more optimistic than pessimistic. It is not me, but the Lord that makes the difference.
God gives us a tremendous promise in this verse. He promises to strengthen us, to help us and to uphold us. Do you realize what that promise should mean to each of us in our daily walk? It means that we can claim victory over every situation.
As I read this verse again, I see that our requirement is very minimal. We are not called upon to do great and mighty works. We do not even have to possess super human abilities.
So what is our part? “Fear not” and “Be not dismayed.” The reason the Lord gives us for not fearing or being dismayed is that He is with us and He is our God. With God in control we are free to praise Him and give Him the glory.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 12, 2017 | Isaiah
Isaiah 1:18
“‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’”
If there is anyone who is without sin it is certainly not me. As a matter of fact, in Romans 3 the Bible tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. If you try to convince yourself or others that you are without sin, you have just contradicted the Word.
The reality is that we live in a fallen world. Beginning with Adam and Eve, every single person has been imprinted with sin. It is part of our human DNA. The only remedy for this fatal condition was for a perfect substitute — Jesus!
There is no way anyone can be good enough or do enough good deeds to merit salvation. Isaiah 64:6 reminds us that all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags. That is how God views our efforts to justify ourselves.
But, thank God, there is hope for us. It is not in what we do for ourselves, but what God has done for us by sending Jesus to redeem us from our sin. There is only one way to be cleansed from our sin, and that WAY is JESUS!
Blessings dear hearts!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 21, 2017 | Isaiah
Isaiah 60:19
“The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; but the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory.”
There has been a flurry of activity leading up to the total solar eclipse that is scheduled to occur today across much of the United States. One of the areas of total darkness will pass over the small community of Burns, Oregon.
If you are to look at a globe you will no doubt be able to find Burns which is located in the center of Oregon. Much larger cities will not be shown, but Burns is there. The reason is that there are no other towns or cities near there.
I am told that the population of small towns like Burns, Oregon, have swollen to huge sizes because people want to experience the total darkness of the eclipse. In John 3:19 Jesus revealed a sad truth: “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
There is nothing wrong about wanting to see a total solar eclipse, but there is something horribly wrong with a desire to seek spiritual darkness when God offers us the LIGHT OF THE WORLD. Let this event remind us of His eternal light.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 10, 2017 | Isaiah
Isaiah 1:18
“‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’”
I am sure that all of us have had a time or two when we had to plead with someone else to be reasonable. The word reason is one that calls for rational and calculated action — to play with fire leads to a painful burn; therefore, I will not play with fire! Right!
The Hebrew word for reason is yakach. Pronounced yä·kahh’, it means to be rational and calculated before coming to a final decision. All too often we react rather than use reason to determine how we respond to things.
We usually fail to reason because of our propensity to react (more commonly known as the knee jerk response). Instead of taking the time to use reason, we mindlessly take the path of least resistance and then pay the price of our rash actions.
The Lord stands ready to show us His perfect plan for our life. It is true that we are all sinners by nature, but because of His graciousness He has sent our Savior Jesus Christ to provide His shed blood to make us white as snow. Trading our inky black sinfulness for His pure white righteousness is a no-brainer. All we need to do is use REASON to come to a right decision!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 26, 2017 | 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.”
When I was a small boy (many years ago), Isaiah 41:10 was one of the first verses that I ever memorized. Now over seventy-five years later, I find it remarkable that I can still recall the words. They have been brought to my mind many times through the years — words that have been a true guide for my life.
There are two instructions the Lord gives us to operate our lives by: DO NOT FEAR and BE NOT DISMAYED. That immediately warns me that there is danger for each and every believer who allows fear and depression to dominate our life.
Over the years I have come to the realization that many people are crippled by the debilitating grip of fear, depression, or both. Counselors have been providing so-called answers to these issues from a humanistic point of view, but more often than not they have failed.
The true answer is to be found with the Lord Himself. The answer He provides for fear is that He is with us — WE ARE NEVER ALONE! The answer to depression is God’s promise TO STRENGTHEN US AND UPHOLD US WITH HIS RIGHTEOUS RIGHT HAND!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
