by Pastor Cecil | Oct 29, 2019 | Job
Job 10:10
“Hast thou not poured me out as milk, and curdled me like cheese?”
Accidents happen―and usually at the most inconvenient time. Often it is only a glass of spilled milk that causes an immediate change of plans. In our family it seemed that spilled milk always occurred just as we were about to leave the house, and somehow it resulted in an immediate revision of our schedule.
The fact of the matter is that we need to always be ready to adjust our schedules to the plans that the Lord has for us. I am sure that the Lord uses those inconvenient accidents to direct us in the way He has prepared for us.
I want to be open to receive the direction the Lord has for me rather than trying to persuade Him to bless the direction I have plotted out for myself. That means I must spend much more time in His word and bowing before Him in prayer seeking His will and way.
As I look back over all the “spilled milk” in my life, I become aware that the Lord’s hand was in it. What I felt that I had to accomplish was not worth considering when I became aware that His plans were good and perfect. It is always good to trust the Lord, even when we have to stop to wipe up some spilled milk now and then!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 18, 2019 | Job
Job 38:1-2
“Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said: ‘Who is this that obscures My plans with words without knowledge?’”
Sometimes we, like Job, spend too much time dwelling on our misfortunes instead of asking the Lord to show us the plans He has for us. Paul learned that the Lord allowed his “thorn in the flesh” to remain in order to teach him to be used of God in the midst of his pain.
I have always enjoyed the comic strip Hagar the Horrible by Chris Browne. Years ago Chris depicted Hagar standing on the top of a high mountain peak with his battered old sword raised high over his head. There high aloft the mere mortals below, Hagar declared that he had reached the top after all of these years!
Hagar declares that this is what every man wants, but he is the only one to have achieved! He proclaims: “I am invincible! I am indestructible! No one can challenge me! I am the greatest! I’m number one!” Suddenly a bolt of lightning flashes and thunder rumbles. Hagar ducks, looks toward heaven and meekly asks, “Okay — how about the second greatest?”
Pride goes before a fall. When subjected to proud boasts, the only one who is impressed is the braggart. Humility is our constant awareness of our need of the Lord at all times in our life, not just in the emergencies.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 6, 2019 | Job
Job 3:5
“May darkness and the shadow of death claim it; may a cloud settle on it; may the blackness of the day terrify it.”
It has been 75 years since the military invasion at Normandy, an event that has become known and commemorated as D-Day. June 6, 1944 was a day highly anticipated on both sides of the English Channel. Hitler had been tricked into believing that it was merely a feint to distract his forces from the real landing that he presumed would be at another location. Thank the Lord he was wrong! Casualties could have been even higher than the estimated 20,000 from both sides.
Most of those men who fought and died that day would much rather have been back home with their loved ones. They were there because they were either forced into service or because they felt a call to serve their country.
Each of us regularly finds ourselves in the ultimate battle with the enemy of our souls. Satan is a crafty enemy and will try every means to stop God from having His will in our life. We have a secret weapon against this powerful enemy . . . it is the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised to send after He ascended back to heaven. We know that event as Pentecost, which we will commemorate this Sunday, June 9.
When we hit the beaches to battle the enemy, remember that we have this powerful weapon that is there with us. Many of the service members of Christ have died on the beaches, but we are promised victory! God’s D-Day is the defeat of Satan for all eternity.
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | May 30, 2019 | Job
Job 19:26
“And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God.”
I am stunned by the morbid preoccupation of people trying to reverse the aging process. Television ads tout expensive products that are guaranteed to make you look years younger. More and more people are having surgery to nip and tuck the sagging parts into what is supposed to be younger looking flesh. Cosmetic surgery often makes one look like they are wearing a mask and they can hardly smile.
Can I let you in on a little secret? None of us are getting younger. It seems like more and more of my friends and former members of congregations that I served as pastor have slipped into eternity. Those that remain are showing their age! A quick peek into a mirror shocks me at my aging process. I don’t mind. I have a new body waiting for me!
It is sad that with all of the energy and money being spent to prolong the life span that will soon pass away, many give little thought to preparing for a life that will last forever. Job had it right when he says that his skin will be destroyed. His encouragement was that he was going to receive a new and glorified body.
I for one want to devote my few days of this life in serving the Lord who has promised me that He has a new and improved body prepared for me. That is the ultimate way to reverse the aging process. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 13, 2019 | Job
Job 2:3
“Then the Lord said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.’”
What would God say to Satan about you or me? Would He delight in reminding Satan of our hearts being blameless and upright? Would He say that we have a reverential fear of Him that pleases Him? Would He say that we shun the evil that is so prevalent all around us? What would God say about our integrity? When no one is watching — when we are away from the prying eyes of family and friends — what is the level of our integrity?
Daniel was taken into captivity as a young man. He demonstrated integrity by not wanting to eat and drink that which Nebuchadnezzar’s stewards served. He was never known to compromise his beliefs, even when it may have seemed easier to go with the flow. He was answerable to the God of the universe, and that was far more important than any earthly monarch. If we had a pack of “integrity” investigators going through every scrap of paper in our wastebasket, our computer memory, the words that we spoke, actions that we took, or the people we saw, would they find incriminating evidence against us?
Do we live a life of integrity? Do we live in a way that is pleasing to God and without violating moral absolutes as presented in the Word of God? The word is integrity!
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 28, 2019 | Job
Job 19:25
“I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth”
Have you ever experienced separation from your home and family? Having spent a year’s tour of duty separated from my family, I know the pain of separation for an extended period. Special days such as birthdays or holidays were the hardest. There were many wonderful experiences during that year, but I always knew that I was there temporarily and it was not home. I was homesick for my family and home. I longed to return to my wife and three precious children.
I once went to a hospital in Bend, Oregon, to visit a member of our church who was a returned missionary. The medical reports indicated that she was in very serious condition and may not be long for this world. I intended to read a few passages of Scripture to her in order to cheer her up.
When I entered her hospital room, it was like an entryway into heaven. This precious saint was so excited about being with her Lord in a few short days that she could hardly contain herself. In the time I spent at her bedside she showered me with praise and hope. I had gone to lift her spirits, but I walked out of that hospital with such a feeling of joy that I almost wished it was me standing on the doorstep of eternity.
I want to encourage all of us to take time and think about being ushered into the presence of our loved ones who have gone on before us and hearing them tell about our new home that will last eternally. Our day is coming – – – soon!
Blessings dear hearts! Walk with God today and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
