by Pastor Cecil | Apr 24, 2014 | John
John 4:14
Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
I have read that the human need for water is far greater than the need for bread. Just try going for one day without water and you will find yourself yearning for just a sip to ease the burning thirst.
I just watched an interview that featured Olympic Gold medalist Apolo Ohno. He is now training to compete in the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. The race is a triathlon: 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, ending with a 26.2 mile marathon. (I am exhausted just typing it!)
One of the things that Apolo mentioned was the critical need of water. Before, during, and following the race, it is essential for the competitors to keep hydrated. I am sure that many of us have watched marathon races or bike races where the athletes’ supporters stood along the race route passing out bottles of water to the passing racers.
As we run the race for Christ, it is vital that we keep spiritually hydrated. Our physical bodies may be doing fine, but we may be withering spiritually. The Lord has promised us that He is always with us and beside us. When Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised that the Holy Spirit would come to be with us. As we open God’s Word and ask the Spirit to guide our eyes, we will begin to feel the cool, refreshing, and satisfying water of Truth. Stay hydrated, my friend!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 23, 2014 | John
John 6:33-35
For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘always give us this bread.’ Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty.’
The aroma of freshly baked bread is so appealing that it draws people from far and near to sample some of it. I often think of the disciples who had been out fishing all night with no luck. As they approached the shore they must have been struck by the aroma of baked bread and roasted fish. It was Jesus who waited there by the fire, and the One who had prepared it. What a meal it must have been!
Jesus was born in the small village of Bethlehem. The meaning of “Bethlehem” is “house of bread.” Isn’t it interesting that the Bread of Life was born into this world in a town with that meaning?
When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, the first temptation was to turn stones into bread. After 40 days without food or water, His body must have been crying out for nourishment, and bread would have met that need. But it would have meant yielding to Satan’s tempting offer.
Now is the time to make an application to our own lives. Do we take the time to stop and inhale the sweet aroma of the One who is the Bread of Life? The alternative is to listen to the siren call of the enemy who tries to feed us on his bread that will never satisfy and will lead us to destruction. I choose the Living Bread of Life!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 11, 2014 | John
John 4:13-14
“Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’”
The author of this week’s hymn is William Cowper. He was born in England in the year 1731. He suffered many personal losses during his early years that caused him much mental anguish. Loss after loss of those that were close brought him to the brink of despair.
Through all of his ordeals the Lord kept drawing him. He finally received Jesus as his personal Savior and began writing hymns and poetry. It is fascinating that he lived in a small house just behind the home of his pastor, John Newton, who wrote the wonderful hymn, Amazing Grace.
As we draw near to the Passion Week of our Lord, it is well and good for us to pause and be thankful for the fountain of redeeming blood that cleanses us from all of our sin.
There Is A Fountain
There is a fountain filled with blood
drawn from Immanuel’s veins
And sinners plunged beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty stains
The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there may I, though vile as he
Wash all my sins away
Dear dying Lamb, thy precious blood
Shall never lose its power
Till all the ransomed church of God
Are saved, to sin no more
For since by faith I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply
Redeeming love has been my theme
and shall be till I die
When this poor lisping,
stammering tongue
Lies silent in the grave
Then in a nobler, sweeter song
I’ll sing thy power to save
To access There is a Fountain, this week’s inspirational video fromGloryScapes.com, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/thereisafountain/ in your browser or click on the image below.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 10, 2014 | John
John 6:12-13
Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.’ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
Have you ever thought about the Israelite mother who packed a small lunch for her son before he left to see the miracle worker of Galilee? She had no idea that the five small barley loaves and two small fish would be transformed into a miracle. It was just a lunch from a concerned mother for her son.
Friday, my wife Joyce, was scheduled to have an MRI at 7:10 A.M. I was not allowed to go with her and had to wait in the car. It was fascinating to watch as the many employees at this large medical facility arrived at work. Almost all of them had lunches. Some were in plastic bags directly from stores while others had bags or pails. They were prepared for meal time.
In many other instances we observe individuals preparing for what lies ahead. It may not be for lunch, but it may well be for college, marriage, retirement, or some other thing that seems important to them.
The critical question is . . . Are we preparing for eternity? Eternity is a certainty for each and every one of us. Mortality is 100%. Each and every one of us will die unless we experience the rapture of the church. Is your heart right with God?!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 19, 2014 | John
John 15:13-15
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
One of my all time favorite teachers and speakers is Dr. Howard Hendricks who taught at Dallas Theological Seminary. One of the personal experiences that he shared needs to be engraved in our minds. Early in his life said he spent much of his time and effort in trying to change his wife, his children and his students. The harder he tried the less change he saw. (Isn’t that strange?!)
It suddenly dawned on him that he was going about it all wrong. He came to realize that he needed to change his wife’s husband, his children’s father, and his student’s professor. It reminds me of that old song, “It’s me, it’s me, it’s me, oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer.” He began to pray for the Lord to make him a better husband, father and teacher. His wife changed, his children changed and his students changed! What had happened? He had stopped preaching and had started living his faith.
It may be easy for us to intellectually agree with this concept, so why is it so hard to put it into practice? It is simply that we live by the flesh and not by the Spirit. I know that comes as a crushing blow to your delicate psyche, but like it or not, we all too easily fall into the sinful habit of doing things ourselves rather than asking the Lord to direct our actions. We must live in constant relationship with the Lord and allow Him to show us what to do–then how and when to do it.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 27, 2014 | John
John 14:1-3
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.
What would you say if you knew it would be the last words you will ever speak this side of eternity? Not only what would you say, but who would you say it to? Would it be a family member or a business associate?
If you knew it would be the last time you ever had to share the gospel with a lost person, would you have the courage to do so? Many times the hesitance in sharing is more procrastination than anything else. But what if our hesitance cost that loved an eternity in heaven?
I had a high school classmate who became very successful. He was a bank manager of a small town bank. I was traveling on business to that town and we met for lunch. With tears in his eyes he shared how he had been intending to witness to the high school football coach. They met every week, but he had postponed sharing the gospel. A few days before we shared our lunch, the coach had a heart attack and died.
His sorrow was not in simply losing a friend, but due to his never giving the man an opportunity to receive Jesus before it was too late. Are there individuals in your life who need to hear the gospel or just to hear a word of encouragement? We never know how near eternity is. What will your last words be?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
