by Pastor Cecil | Dec 18, 2019 | Jeremiah
Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Many people have an erroneous view of the Lord. They see Him as a God that is vindictive and anxious to find a fault in our lives for which to punish us. They fail to see the love of God and the provision of God. Like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, they hide from God rather than running to Him for salvation and comfort.
It is important to pause and reflect on the many times when God has stepped in and revealed Himself in a way that resolved our problems. Sadly we frequently within a very short time try to handle problems in our own strength instead of allowing Him to meet our need.
Only the Lord knows what lies ahead for us. Not only that, He will never leave us nor forsake us. In the most disastrous times of our life He is always there beside us to give us a future and a hope, regardless of how hopeless the situation may seem.
What is the greatest ordeal you are facing? Are you trying to deal with it in your own strength? God promises us that He is the One who gives us strength for each and every day. He loves us and has a wonderful plan for our life. Are you actively seeking to discover that plan and purpose that He has designed just for you?
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 23, 2019 | Jeremiah
Jeremiah 6:10
“To whom shall I speak and give warning that they may hear? – – Behold, the word of the Lord is a reproach to them; they have no delight in it.”
Over the years I have had many heart-to-heart talks with individuals and couples. As I poured my heart out to them I was sure they had received the message. Often, however, it would be only a short time before it was evident that they had not been listening — or had possibly simply rejected my counsel.
Perhaps you have encountered similar situations. You may want to share your wise counsel with someone in the hopes that they would benefit by it. You may have hoped to prevent them from continuing actions that could be detrimental to them, their families, or others.
Working as a Juvenile Probation Officer, I sometimes gave my heart-to-heart talk with a delinquent who I felt was heading for disaster. I can still recall their look of feigned interest. A short time later they would be arrested for another offense, and I realized that my heart-to-heart had fallen on deaf ears.
Hold on just a minute. Before we become discouraged about the responses of others, take hope. There have been many instances where the little open-hearted discussions I have had with people (that seemingly fell on deaf ears) have suddenly produced fruit. More than once I have had people express thanks for something I had said months or years before. God is in control! His timing is perfect.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 15, 2019 | Jeremiah
Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Do you know that God thinks about each of us? His thoughts are always good and full of hope. Our thoughts are sometimes disjointed and confusing, but His thoughts are always with a purpose.
We are told in 1 Corinthians 2:16 that we have the mind of Christ. That certainly does not imply that our mental faculties equate to being on a level with the Lord, but rather it does give us the assurance that we have spiritual discernment to better understand the ways of the Lord.
God never intends for His children to lack an understanding of His ways and His purposes. He has given us His precious directions for godliness in this old sin-sick world that we live in. Those directions are to be found in His precious Word.
We need to evaluate how faithful we are in seeking God’s thoughts that are so richly supplied in our Bibles. Make it a habit to begin and end each day by reading a meaningful portion from your Bible. Take notes and ask yourself three questions: What does it say? What does it mean? How do I apply it to my life?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 27, 2019 | Jeremiah
Jeremiah 29:11-13
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
I would dare to say that almost all of us experienced some sort of trial in our life. It could be the loss of health, a financial meltdown, death of a mate or child or any number of catastrophic events. It is not whether or not we will encounter these trials, but rather what we will do when they arise.
The phrase, “Praise to the Lord” occurs in at least 155 verses in the Bible. That indicates to me that we need to spend far more time praising the Lord than we do. It would be well to replace our complaints with words of praise to the Lord.
Over 300 years ago, Joachim Neander was a hymn writer for the German Reform church. He was going through a time of trial and testing in his life. He would take long walks and pour his heart out to the Lord. It was on one of these walks that he came to the realization that it was not his strength that would give him victory and peace, but rather the powerful God he served. It was in that state of mind that he composed this week’s featured hymn.
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, Now to His temple draw near;
Join me in glad adoration!
Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires e’er have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?
Praise to the Lord, who with marvelous wisdom hath made thee!
Decked thee with health, and with loving hand guided and stayed thee;
How oft in grief hath not He bought thee relief,
Spreading His wings for to shade thee!
Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him!
Let the Amen sound from His people again;
Gladly for aye we adore Him.
Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video from Gloryscapes.com. You may also access it by going to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/praisetothelordthealmighty/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 5, 2019 | Jeremiah
Jeremiah 17:10
“I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”
I have heard people from many religious persuasions (even atheists) take the Lord’s name in vain. It blows my mind that they profane the name of Jesus or God. Why do they not profane their own supposed god or one they deny? I think that they know the truth but refuse to admit it.
Perhaps you have heard the joke about a church that fasted and prayed for lightning to strike a tavern that was scheduled to open next door to the church. Sure enough, the night before the tavern was due to open it was struck by lightning and burned to the ground.
The tavern owner sued the church, claiming that they were responsible for his business being destroyed. The church argued that they were not responsible for the destruction. In his deliberation the judge said that he was confounded. He was dealing with a tavern owner who believed in the power of prayer and, on the other hand, a church congregation that didn’t! Ouch!!
Tragedies are a very real part of the human experience. It may be a personal or family tragedy or it may be something that impacts a community or even a nation. It is then that people call out to the One true God and Jesus Christ His Son.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 19, 2019 | Jeremiah
Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
This morning I had the delight of speaking with a dear friend who was once the Senior Pastor at a church where I served as his associate. He is now 94 and still maintains his unique sense of humor and deep love of the Lord. Words are a little harder for him to express, but that did not matter, I knew what he was trying to say.
There are many times we try to express some idea but are just not able to put it into words. As a wise person once said: “It is better felt than telt!” Even though there is no such word as “telt” we get the meaning. God knows everything about us and it is His thoughts on our behalf that matter.
The Lord knows what lies ahead for us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. In the most disastrous times of our life He is there beside us giving us a future and a hope, regardless of how hopeless the situation may seem.
What is the greatest ordeal in your future? Will you try to deal with it in your own strength? God promises us that He is the One who gives us strength for each and every day. He loves us and has a wonderful plan for our life. Are you actively seeking to discover that plan and purpose that He has designed just for you?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
