by Pastor Cecil | Mar 9, 2015 | Luke
Luke 6:32
“If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them!”
From time to time I hear stories of people who visit a church and are never greeted or made to feel welcome. In fact I have heard of visitors being asked to move as they were sitting in someone’s pew. (That’s right—I think it stinks!) Perhaps it would be safe to say that most of us would like to be considered loving people. It is very easy to love our friends and family. We laugh and visit while just a few steps away are those who are left out.
Years ago Joyce and I were at one end of a long hallway. At the far end was a side door that was seldom used. One of our friends was a greeter at the door to welcome people as they came in and give them a bulletin. Two older ladies had just entered and were walking our way. Bob waved at us in an exaggerated manner. My usually timid wife waved back in the same manner.
That was just the beginning. The two little ladies waved back at Joyce in the same way. They almost ran up to her and began to talk and share. They seemed to have found someone who cared about them. They went from being lonely and neglected senior citizens to individuals who someone cared about.
I have tried to make it a point from that day on to look for those lonely souls that seem to be on the periphery. They just need a little love and attention to make them feel that someone cares about them. I would like to challenge you to look around you and share your love with them.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 21, 2015 | Luke
Luke 14:28-30
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’”
My wife, Joyce, always enjoyed entertaining. Among the many guests we hosted over the years, there were church leaders, seminary professors, and returned missionaries. Today I was recalling the dinner we once had with a General Superintendent who had just returned from his mission assignment in a very politically explosive region. That evening he began to talk about what it meant to count the cost.
Church growth in his mission field had been slow and difficult; people just did not seem to be interested in giving themselves to Christ. He related how a communist regime took power and forced the missionaries out. Not only that, they made it a crime to become a Christian and join a church. It seemed that all of the labor for Christ was at an end. If the people would not join the church in the good times, what would happen in the times of trial?
It was several years before the communists were ousted and the missionaries returned. To their amazement the churches had more than doubled in size — not just in attendance, but in spiritual depth. When the new believers were questioned, they said that they saw believers willing to die for their faith and wanted to be a part of something that real. There was a cost, but it bore fruit. Are you willing to pay the cost in your own life?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 9, 2015 | 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”
I wonder how eager we are for the presence of the Lord to abide with us. Do we yearn for His presence in our life to the extent that we grieve when we cannot feel Him near us?
Henry F. Lyte was a man who greatly loved the Lord with his whole being. He coined the saying, “It is better to wear out than to rust out.” That phrase perfectly described his life. During the last 23 years of his life he was the pastor of a poor church in England. He always suffered from poor health but during this time his health started to decline even more. When he finally preached his last sermon on September 4, 1847, it is reported that he practically had to crawl to the pulpit.
Shortly before preaching his last sermon he wrote the words and tune to the hymn, Abide With Me. He based his hymn on today’s Scripture that tells the story of Jesus walking with two disciples on the way to Emmaus and their statement, “Abide with us: for it is toward evening and the day is far spent.” He went to be with the Lord shortly after writing the hymn. Later William Monk wrote a new tune for the hymn. During a time of personal sorrow, he was inspired by the beauty of a magnificent sunset.
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 | Dec 19, 2014 | Luke
Luke 2:8-11
“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 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.”
Most of us have watched Christmas pageants depicting shepherds with long staffs huddled near a fire. Whether that picture would be accurate or not, we know they were out there on a lonely hillside doing their job.
Shepherds would have been considered pretty low on the social scale and yet it was to these simple shepherds that the announcement of the birth of Jesus was proclaimed. There was no star to lead them to find Jesus they were simply told to go into Bethlehem and look for Him in a manger where He would be wrapped in cloths.
The words of this beloved Christmas Carol have a deep meaning. The shepherds would find Jesus when they searched for Him. It is just as true today. When we search for Him we will find Him when we seek Him with all of our heart.
While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night
While shepherds watched their flocks by night, all seated on the ground; the angel of the Lord came down, and glory shone around, and glory shone around.
“Fear not!” said he, for mighty dread had seized their troubled mind. “Glad tidings of great joy I bring to all of humankind, to all of humankind.”
“To you, in David’s town, this day is born of David’s line a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, and this shall be the sign, and this shall be the sign:”
“The heavenly babe you there shall find to human view displayed, all meanly wrapped in swathing bands, and in a manger laid, and in a manger laid.”
Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video, “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night” from Gloryscapes.com by going to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/whileshepherdswatchedtheirflocksbynight/
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 5, 2014 | Luke
Luke 2:15
“When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.'”
The beloved Carol “O Come, All Ye Faithful” was originally written in Latin (Adeste Fideles). The words were written by an Englishman, John Wade who had intended it as a hymn. The music to “O Come, All Ye Faithful” was composed by fellow Englishman John Reading in the early 1700s. In 1841, Rev. Frederick Oakley revised the lyrics of “Adeste Fideles.”
While it would be an appropriate hymn at any time of the year, it has become a cherished Christmas Carol. Let us all come and adore, Christ the Lord.
O Come, All Ye Faithful
Oh Come All Ye Faithful
Joyful and triumphant,
Oh come ye, Oh come ye to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him,
Born the King of Angels
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
Oh Sing, choirs of angels,
Sing in exultation,
Sing all that hear in heaven God’s holy word.
Give to our Father glory in the Highest;
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
All Hail Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning,
Oh Jesus for evermore be Thy name adored.
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing;
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Oh come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.
To access O Come, All Ye Faithful, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Inspirational Music Videos, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/ocomeallyefaithful/ 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 | Nov 28, 2014 | 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
