by Pastor Cecil | Jan 13, 2009 | Job
Job 19:25-27
“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!”
It seems like every time I officiate at a funeral service I notice something unusual. In the past two days, Saturday and Sunday, I held services that were unique. I have encountered these situations before, but not two in a row.
The situation that I am referring to is that the surviving mate of each deceased man was not able to attend the service because of Alzheimer’s disease. Both couples had been married over fifty years and were totally devoted to each other, but the mental acuity faded.
The daughter of one of these ladies told me that her mother thought her dad had just stepped out to go to the store—even though he had been dead for well over a week. He was still close in her clouded mind even though he had departed.
These old bodies of ours are on a one-way street to decay. Face lifts, body tucks, diets, exercise programs and the like may play a delaying game, but the reality is that we are going to see things go “south” that should stay put!
Before my mother went to be with the Lord she was only a shadow of her former self. Her weight had shrunk to just over seventy pounds. This little woman who was always so capable in her productive years had come to the place where she had to rely upon others to meet her needs.
That description may appear to be pessimistic and depressing except for one major truth. This world is not my mom’s home. She had a new home waiting for her in glory and loved ones eagerly expectantly prepared to welcome her home with shouts of glory!
All too often we focus our attention on the things of this world and forget the true glories which await us. It is beyond our understanding to fully comprehend eternity, but by faith we are able to grasp a glimpse of our eternal reward. In Ephesians 2:6 we are struck with an awesome reality: “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.”
Wow! I hope that statement rattles your cage as much as it did mine. This is a completed work. It says that we are seated with Christ. We have a home in glory which outshines the sun. This vale of tears through which we are now traveling is only a temporary place.
When we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior and turn from our wicked ways to follow Him, we become citizens of a new world. From that moment on we can sing with gladness the words of that old song: “This world is not my home, I’m just passing through. My treasures are laid up, somewhere beyond the blue!”
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 6, 2009 | Job
Job 19:25-27
“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me”
Have you ever thought about what you will leave behind when you leave this world? Let me phrase it in another way: What comments will people make about you when they hear you have died? A bit morbid, But worth thinking about.
Several years ago I officiated at the funeral service for a man who had been married four times and had been divorced by all four of them. The family had requested time for people to share their remembrances during the service. When I asked for remembrances, three of the man’s former wives came forward.
They cried and spoke such endearing words that people in attendance began to have amused looks as if to ask; “If he was so wonderful, why did you divorce him?” But one of the ex-wives remained seated and did not comment.
At the graveside, the ex-wife who had not made comment came up to me before the rest of the entourage had gathered. Quietly she whispered: “Did you notice I did not comment during the chapel service?” I remarked that I had noticed that. She continued: “There was nothing good I could say about the man. He was the most disgusting man I ever met. I only came to make sure he was dead and gone!” Wow! How do you respond to that kind of comment? I simply replied: “I’m very happy that you did not share that with the group in the chapel.”
In today’s Scripture we are treated to the response of a righteous man who was under intense trials. Job had lost all of his wealth, virtually all of his servants, all ten of his children. He was wracked with painful sores and finally, was surrounded by friends who accused him of hiding some secret sin that caused God to send these plagues upon him.
I marvel at the integrity of this man who had suffered such calamity. His wife was not at all understanding. She urged him to curse God and die. (Thanks for that support, Honey!)
Here is how Job responded to her: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.”
That, my dear friend, is absolute trust in God. Job did not look at the circumstances to determine whether he was being treated fairly or not—he praised the Lord in the midst of the most devastating circumstances.
How about you? Are you critical of God for the things you are going through? I would urge you to read the book of Job and discover why he was tempted and tried and how he was rewarded for his faith—then make his proclamation of faith in today’s Scripture your own.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 21, 2008 | Job
Job 10:8
“Your hands shaped me and made me. Will You now turn and destroy me? Remember that You molded me like clay. Will You now turn me to dust again?”
A few years ago I was called upon to officiate at the funeral service of a young man in his late teens. The funeral chapel was full and people were standing. Many of those in attendance were teenagers.
As I watched one after the other arrive it was like I was watching a school of guppies. They all seemed to look alike. They wore the same style of clothing, the same hair styles and had the same expression on their faces.
Before we become too critical, dig out an old photo album and look at some of your old pictures. Other than the fact you have aged, notice the old fashioned way you wore your hair and the style of your dress. Would you like to appear that way today?
Isn’t that strange—if not tragic—that we are more concerned about what others think about us than what God thinks? Remember that God made us just the way we are—warts and all. We are not an accident! We have been shaped and molded by God to fulfill His plan and purpose.
You may possibly remember a wonderful old prayer chorus called “Spirit of the Living God.” It goes something like this: “Spirit of the Living God, fall a-fresh on me. Spirit if the Living God, fall a-fresh on me. Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me. Spirit of the Living God, fall a-fresh on me.” May that ever be our prayer!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
— Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 31, 2008 | Job, Matthew
Matthew 18:21-22
“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.’ ”
One time Joyce and I were returning home and saw our next door neighbor pulling up grass in her front yard. I stopped and made some remark about how hard she was working. She snarled back, “Well it’s all thanks to you! Why didn’t you talk to me instead of complaining to the manager?”
I had not mentioned anything to anyone about her yard and was dumbfounded by her accusation. Try as I might, I was never able to convince that woman that we were not the ones who had complained.
We remained neighbors for a year or so following that episode. It made no difference what we did, we remained her enemies. It became evident that we were not the only ones who were the objects of her bitterness. The result was that she never was happy and made those around her unhappy as well.
Job was also faced with false accusations from his so-called friends. It became one of his many trials and ordeals. But there is an interesting element in the entire incident. After God had appeared and Job had confessed his questioning of God, the Lord dealt with his accusers.
In Job 42, we read that God required his accusers to make sacrifices before the Lord and then go to Job and he would pray for them. In verse 8 we read these words; “My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly.” Let’s be that type of forgiving person.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 16, 2008 | Daniel, Job
Job 2:3
“Then the LORD said to Satan, ‘Have you considered My servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited Me against him to ruin him without reason.”
Daniel 6:4-5
” – – the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, ‘We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.'”
Here are two godly men who demonstrated character and integrity in spite of trial and suffering. We are living in a day when it seems that integrity is so seldom demonstrated that we do not even know the meaning. My major professor in graduate school was a stickler on the meaning of words. In memory of Dr. Maloof, I checked in Merriam Webster’s Dictionary and found three descriptive words to describe integrity: Incorruptibility, Soundness, and Completeness. It also gave the word “honesty” as a synonym.
Job is thought to be the oldest book in the Bible. Job himself was a man who was the priest of his family and dedicated to the Lord God. Jesus especially spoke of the heart as being the important element in worship. The external customs and duties were of no value if the heart was not right with God. We might say here, that we can fool people fairly easily, but we can never fool God. When we read that God spoke words of praise to Satan concerning Job’s integrity, He knew what was in Job’s heart.
What would God say to Satan about you or me? Would He delight in reminding Satan of our heart 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 your 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.
In the passage from Daniel 6, these administrators and satraps (governors), tried everything they could to find a lack of integrity which they could use to discredit him. They could find nothing that could be the basis of accusation against him. Hey! There were over 100 of these snoops trying to find any fault in his personal life or in his official work for the king, and they could find none. They finally concluded that the only way they would find any charges against him was in connection with the law of his God.
That just leaves me breathless! If we had a pack of 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?
Is our life 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. Trust Him completely and become a real blessing.
— Pastor Cecil
