by Pastor Cecil | Jul 15, 2016 | Luke
Luke 15:19-20
“So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.”
One of my most pleasurable jobs as a pastor has been helping families restore broken relationships. I recall being asked to officiate at a funeral service for a family that I did not know. The son of the deceased told me that he had not spoken to his sister for years and wanted me to reconcile them before the service. Right! Just like that! What other miracle would you like me to perform?!
Less than an hour before the service I met with the two and their families. Each of them had children, spouses and others on their side. This son and his family were on one side of the aisle and his sister and her family on the other side. I had prayed for just the right words. I just started reading a Scripture. To this day cannot recall what I used. I had just finished reading when the brother stood and walked across the aisle and hugged his sister. The two families merged with great joy.
Fanny J. Crosby lived from 1820 to 1915. This remarkable lady never let problems keep her away from the Lord. Her blindness as an infant meant that she spent her entire life without physical sight, but was blessed with a keen spiritual sight.
When she was only eight years old she wrote the following poem: Oh, what a happy child I am, although I cannot see! I am resolved that in this world contented I will be! How many blessings I enjoy that other people do not! So weep or sigh because I am blind, I cannot – nor I will not. The hymn, Draw Me Nearer expresses her desire to draw nearer to her blessed Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Draw Me Nearer
I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord,
By the pow’r of grace divine;
Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,
And my will be lost in Thine.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
Oh, the pure delight of a single hour
That before Thy throne I spend,
When I kneel in prayer, and with Thee, my God
I commune as friend with friend!
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
There are depths of love that I cannot know
Till I cross the narrow sea;
There are heights of joy that I may not reach
Till I rest in peace with Thee.
Refrain:
Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died;
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessed Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.
To access Draw Me Nearer, go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/drawmenearer/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 3, 2016 | Luke
Luke 24:29
“But they constrained Him, saying, ‘Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.’ And He went in to tarry with them.”
There are days when it seems we have more need for the Lord abide with us. July 10th is one of those days for me. It was on July 10, 1952 that Joyce Elaine Harper became Mrs. Cecil Adrain Thompson. If you are counting, that was 63 years ago. My precious wife is not with me to celebrate our anniversary this year since she went to be with the Lord on January 13th of this year.
In 1991 it was just one day after our anniversary, July 11th that our dear daughter Brenda Joy made her journey to be with the Lord. I know they are rejoicing in the presence of our Jesus right now, but for those of us who are left behind, (for this old pastor), there is a need for the Lord to abide with us. I want the words of this old hymn to be our prayer and bring comfort.
Abide With Me
Abide with me—fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens—Lord, with me abide;
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me!
Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me!
I need Thy presence every passing hour;
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who like Thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me.
Hold Thou Thy word before my closing eyes,
Shine thru the gloom and point me to the skies;
Heaven’s morning breaks and earth’s vain shadows flee
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me!
Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video from Gloryscapes.com. To access Abide With Me, this free inspirational video from GloryScapes™, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/abidewithme/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 4, 2016 | Luke
Luke 9:24-25
“For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?”
I am not an accountant by any stretch of the imagination. A series of numbers is enough to send me into a panic. However, I do know enough about business to realize that one’s profit has to exceed the losses in order to be solvent. I cannot even imagine someone making a statement like, “Well, we really did fantastic this month — we only lost $3,000!”
There is a spiritual profit and loss statement as well. Each and every one of us will face a day of accounting. Unlike Hollywood movies, there is no angel or saint sitting at the gate of heaven to calculate our good deeds versus our bad deeds to determine whether we are admitted to heaven or sent to hell.
Our determination of eternal profit and loss is made by how we respond to the still, small voice that calls us to accept Christ. There were two thieves crucified next to Christ. Only one moved from the loss column to the eternal profit column that day. I look forward to speaking with him in heaven and asking him what it was like passing from death into that Paradise with Jesus. What a profit!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 11, 2016 | Luke
Luke 15:15-16
“Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.”
Sometimes I feel as if I repeat things over and over. In a way that is good because it’s only fresh in my mind. In a way it’s bad because people think I’m just getting old and repeating myself.
Once again I look across the room at my birdcage and watch as my two parakeets work away at the seeds I have given them. Countless times as I have emptied the seed cup and replaced the seeds with new feed I think of a tragic incident. A friend had just purchased birds for the first time and in a few weeks they died. When he went back to the pet store they determined that the seeds were nothing more than husks. The birds had opened the seeds taken out the center portion which contained the nutrients. With nothing left to eat they died.
Spiritually many people are fed nothing but empty husks. Ministers who should be disseminating strong spiritual food are dishing out nothing more than empty husks. They do not even train their people how to find food in God’s word for themselves. How sad it is that there is a form of godliness but it is nothing but empty husks!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 31, 2015 | Luke
Luke 24:31-32
“Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?’”
It is that time of year when I rely on my trusty little wood stove to supply heat to the house. It has a glass front so I am able to observe the combustion process. From time to time I put a large chunk of wood in and almost always marvel at how resistant it is to burn.
I have learned you never can put large chunks of wood in when a fire is first starting. It requires a hot bed of coals in order to begin the process of combustion. After lying on the bed of coals for a little while things began to happen. Slowly flames began to come up alongside the log and before long it begins to glow.
Not only does the log glow but soon it becomes coals that serve to ignite other chunks of wood that I place in the fire. This process repeats itself over and over as the day progresses. The entire house is warmed!
In the spiritual realm we must be aware that as we come in contact with burning coals of spirituality, we stopped for being a chunk of earthly wood. As we spend time next to spiritual coals, we will begin to glow and provide coals for others!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 25, 2015 | Luke
Luke 2:11-14
“‘Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests.’”
Most of us have grown up singing the carols of Christmas. One of the most loved of all the carols is The First Noel. While the origin of the melody we sing today is uncertain, the lyrics date back to the 17th century. It is thought to originate in France as far back as the fifteenth century. We do know that the word Noel is a French word originating from Latin meaning “birthday.”
Think what it must have been like for those shepherds who were guarding their sheep on a quiet night when suddenly their lives were changed forever. Of all the people on the earth that could have received the announcement of the birth of the Messiah, it was to them! They reacted with awe, went to see the Baby, and then spread the wonderful word of His birth.
The First Noel
The first Noel the angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields where they lay tending their sheep,
On a cold winter’s night that was so deep.Refrain: Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
They lookèd up and saw a star
Shining in the east, beyond them far;
And to the earth it gave great light,
And so it continued both day and night.
Refrain: Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
And by the light of that same star
Three Wise Men came from country far;
To seek for a King was their intent,
And to follow the star wherever it went.
Refrain: Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
Then entered in those Wise Men three,
Full reverently upon the knee,
And offered there, in His presence,
Their gold and myrrh and frankincense.
Refrain: Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
Then let us all with one accord
Sing praises to our heavenly Lord;
That hath made Heaven and earth of naught,
And with His blood mankind hath bought.
Refrain: Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
WISE MEN (AND WOMEN, AND BOYS, AND GIRLS) STILL SEEK HIM!
To access The First Noel, this week’s inspirational video fromGloryScapes.com, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/thefirstnoel2/ in your browser or click on the image below.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
