by Pastor Cecil | Oct 30, 2014 | Luke
Luke 12:16-18
And He told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain.’
A close friend of ours was an insurance agent. Among other types of insurance, he represented a company that insured against storm damage. He once shared with a group of us that one man who had the insurance called him in the middle of a hailstorm to say that his metal patio cover was about to collapse and he should get right over and shovel it off. RIGHT!
Well sure enough the hail was heavy enough that the cover finally came down. The man called the insurance agent and said he was not going to pay his deductible part of the policy because he had notified him and he did not come over to remove the hail.
How very much like that we are like that homeowner. It seems as if we treat the Lord in much the same manner. God has given us His great and precious promises that will ultimately be fulfilled in heaven.
Instead of trusting in the Lord (our divine insurance policy), we pester the Lord to do it for us. It just does not work that way. Let Proverbs 3:5-6 be our watch word and song: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 13, 2014 | Luke
Luke 8:23-25
As they sailed, He fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke Him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we’re going to drown!’ He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ‘Where is your faith?’ He asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, ‘Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.’
For a land lubber like me, a few wavelets cause me to head for shore. One day I was fishing with my dad on a lake in Idaho. His small aluminum boat was not meant for any sort of wave action. We were on the far side of the lake from our camp when the weather looked threatening. It was time to head for home!
About halfway across the lake the wind picked up and the water, which had been smooth and calm, now suddenly began to threaten. The waves grew to the point they were sloshing over the sides of our boat. We were fortunate to come under the protection of a piece of land that jutted out into the lake. We were saved! Yeah!
I make no apologies to the fact that I watch the Weather Channel. The reports are primarily focused on the US, but when major storms threaten other parts of the globe they report them as well. Currently there is a threat to Japan and India.
As I have mentioned before, we have encountered storms in our life. I can say with confidence that you also have encountered storms, are going through them right now, or you will face them in the future. As the disciples have always done—call for Jesus to calm the storm!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 25, 2014 | Luke
Luke 12:54-56
He said to the crowd: ‘When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?’
I really enjoy watching the Weather Channel. It is amazing to see the eye of a hurricane or typhoon from outer space. Modern technology is able to predict the path of storms long before they actually arrive. Teams of experts study data collected from a multitude of sources to predict violent weather such as hurricanes and tornadoes. Many of the pictures will be sent back to the Weather Channel and shown live.
Jesus seemed to have something like this in mind when He spoke about people knowing how to predict weather patterns, but failing to understand what is happening in fulfillment of the prophecy given in God’s Word.
In Matthew 24, Jesus gives us over twenty signs that mark His second coming. If you go there and read that chapter you will see a description of what is happening in our world at the present time. If you are feeling overwhelmed in your walk with the Lord, there is hope and comfort in knowing that the time is near.
So what does this mean to us? It means that there is a lost and dying world around us facing an eternity in hell unless they repent and accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. We have work to do while we remain, so let us be faithful to rescue the perishing.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 29, 2014 | 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 is helping families restore broken relationships. I once was called upon to officiate at a funeral service. 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!
Less than an hour before the service I met with the two and their families. Each of them had ten or fifteen children, spouses and others on their side. He and his family were on one side and she and her family on the other side of the aisle. I had prayed for just the right words and to this day cannot recall what Scripture I used. I had just finished 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, this week’s inspirational video fromGloryScapes™ Christian Music Hymns & Songs, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/drawmenearer/ 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 | Aug 22, 2014 | 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 | Aug 5, 2014 | Luke
Luke 7:3-6
Then Jesus told them this parable: ‘Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’
When our oldest daughter, who has since gone to be with the Lord, was in high school she had problems with her teeth. To correct the problem the dentist had fitted her with a retainer. It was an expense that really stretched our limited budget.
Our hearts sank when she came home one day to announce that she had lost her retainer. The shock was followed by an examination of where she could have lost it. The only place she could remember taking it out was in the lunch room. We were filled with hope and dread. Hope of finding it and dread at having to dig through a messy dumpster that held all of the kitchen waste.
Looking for a needle in a haystack may have been harder, but it certainly would have smelled sweeter. Hour after hour we searched and even after dark we used lights, but found nothing. It was the next day that our daughter found the retainer in her purse. That was over 50 years ago and I still recall the joy at finding the lost.
Sometimes we have friends and family that are lost. We watch and pray for some way to reach them. What joy we feel when a lost soul is found. It is worth all of our effort to seek the lost. Only eternity will reveal the significance.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
