by Pastor Cecil | Dec 16, 2016 | Isaiah
Isaiah 7:14
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.”
The name Immanuel (or Emmanuel) is interpreted “God with us.” There are many Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah. The encouragement that His coming entails is that God Himself will descend and make His appearance to save the people from their sins. Thank God He has come!
The “Day-Spring” referenced in the third stanza below is an encouragement for us as we travel through the long and dark times of our life. I am overjoyed that God has cared so much for us that He has sent salvation to us by grace through faith!
O COME, O COME EMMANUEL!
O come, O come, Emmanuel
And ransom captive Israel
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny
From depths of Hell Thy people save
And give them victory o’er the grave
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai’s height,
In ancient times did’st give the Law,
In cloud, and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” from GloryScapes.com by going to http://www.gloryscapes.com/ocomeocomeemmanuel/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 6, 2016 | Isaiah
Isaiah 42:4
“He will not grow dim or be crushed before establishing justice on the earth; the coast lands will wait in anticipation for his decrees.”
As I reflect back upon the days of my life I recall times when I was in such anticipation that I could hardly sleep. The night before our wedding I worked an extra shift at the dairy where I was employed. I kept thinking that in just a few hours my precious Joyce would become my wife.
The birth of each of our three children was equally filled with anticipation. I was on duty as a police officer when our son was born. I was allowed in the birthing room in full uniform and with my side arm. When the doctor delivered our baby boy he remarked that he was relieved it was a boy since I was armed and had told him we wanted a boy this time.
These events pale as I anticipate the return of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. In spite of the anticipation I know we must be busy about the work God has called us to perform. We need to work while there is still time.
Are you in anticipation of what the Lord wants to do in your life? There is always work to be done for Him and we need to feel the excitement of opportunities to serve. We need to feel the thrill of anticipating what He has in store for us.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 15, 2016 | Isaiah
Isaiah 55:8
“‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord.”
Many times grown people act like spoiled children. If they do not get their way they throw tantrums and make a scene. In the past week we have witnessed this happening in the streets of the US after Donald Trump was decisively elected.
It has been hard for many of us to get our head around the thought process of those people who wanted their candidate to win. The fact that the election was a clear voice of the majority does not deter their protests.
Before we get too carried away in condemning these protesters we need to look in the mirror and observe our own reactions when God does not answer our prayers. We can often act like spoiled children who do not get our way.
It is time for honesty. Are we willing to stop trying to tell God what to do and ask Him what He wants us to do? Are we willing to sacrifice our personal comfort in order to be used by Him? It is time for us to pray; “Not my way Lord, Your way!”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 19, 2016 | 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.”
What are you afraid of? I have met people who fear such things as snakes, spiders, birds, germs, or some other thing. If we do not have a fear of any of these things, we are prone to laugh at the fear others feel so deeply.
Fear almost always paralyzes. The paralysis may be very temporary or it may last for an extended period of time. Regardless of what it is, fear is a debilitating condition that afflicts and limits one’s effectiveness.
The enemy of our soul delights when we are struck with fear. He knows that we are sidelined from being on the front line of God’s army when we allow fear to take hold and dominate us.
The answer to fear is found in God’s word. There is absolute assurance that what God says is true. The answer to our fear is to read what He says: (1) He is our God. (2) He will strengthen us. (3) He will help us. (4) He will uphold us with His righteous right hand. To me that is dynamite assurance that He will make us fearless.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 21, 2016 | Isaiah
Isaiah 26:3
“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”
I have just returned from the doctor and was given a prescription for a new medication. The medication is designed to deal with a particular condition. I could take it for some other symptom and it would prove useless. This prescription has been created for a particular purpose.
Isaiah 26:3 reveals that God has given us a prescription for peace. In this war-torn world we certainly do need God’s peace, don’t we? Every attempt of man to bring about peace has failed and will continue to fail.
Are you looking for peace in your life? I urge you to take time several times each day to focus on the Lord and His precious Word. Memorize Scripture and use it to pray back to God His promises. We will find peace in the midst of life’s storms!
Not only do we discover that only God can promise peace, but it comes when we keep our mind stayed on God. As we keep our minds focused on Him, and place our trust in Him, He will keep us in His perfect peace.. There is only one prescription that promises not just peace, but perfect peace.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 20, 2016 | 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.”
It just happened again. Every so often I see reckless drivers who take their lives, as well as others, in their own hands and drive like maniacs. It seems that these impatient drivers believe they will save time by their wild driving . . . but usually save no time at all.
I was driving about two blocks behind a vehicle that made a left turn after stopping at a stop sign. When that car was about a block away, another car entered from the right behind the first car. When I stopped I heard a loud roar, which turned out to be the second car. He swerved to pass the first car and almost hit an on-coming car head on.
After following these two vehicles for about three miles, I watched the obvious impatience of the wild driver. When I finally turned off the road, the wild driver was the same distance behind as when he first started.
Sometimes we are like these wild drivers. We get so impatient that we feel we cannot wait for God’s answer to a problem. It is during these times that we tend to take the matter into our own hands, believing that we have a better idea of timing than God. That is never the case. We must always and in every situation . . . wait on the Lord!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
