by Pastor Cecil | Jan 14, 2016 | Matthew
Matthew 10:39
“ He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”
You may have heard the humorous anecdote of the man who commented, “I now must admit that I believe in the hereafter. It seems like every time I go from one room to another, I stop and ask myself, ‘What am I here after?’” Ouch! That hits pretty close to home!
Have you ever lost something that has special significance to you? Sometimes it is not the monetary value of a item which makes it precious, but the memories that are associated with it. I recently lost about 20 DVD’s of favorite Christian music that I played before services each Sunday. The only thing I can conclude is that they were accidentally thrown away in the trash after a potluck dinner.
Let’s face it — the most precious things in this world will someday be lost in one way or another. If we base our happiness and contentment on the things of this world, we will experience disappointment when they are lost, as eventually they will be.
Today’s Scripture tells us that if we grasp and hold on to the things of this life, we will lose them. But when we lose our life and the things of this life, we will find LIFE … real life. That is what I want to seek and hold onto!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 28, 2015 | Matthew
Matthew 8:9
“For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
Back in the 50’s when I worked for the Nampa, Idaho Police Department, there was no such thing as an emergency call center. You had to dial a number for the fire, police, ambulance, or just dial 0 and the operator would connect you with the service appropriate for the call (fights, drunkenness, domestic disturbances, etc. etc, etc!)
For the most part I was the dispatcher on the graveyard shift (11 pm to 7 am). Any calls that I received I would respond by dispatching one of our patrol officers. Through my own frequent work as a patrol officer I knew what information they needed to receive from the dispatcher.
At certain times of the year we experienced some confusion on the graveyard shift when we would get “skips” in the atmosphere. Radio communications from the Lakeland, Florida Police Department sounded as clear and strong as our calls. Not only that, their cars had the same call signs. If you received a call to remove an alligator from someone’s back yard, you knew it was not from Nampa, Idaho!
The Holy Spirit is our “Dispatcher!” We need to keep our spiritual ears tuned in so we will be able to hear where we are needed. This requires having our spiritual antenna tuned in to station BIBLE! When He calls we need to respond immediately!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 17, 2015 | Matthew
Matthew 11:28-29
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
This is the time of year when many invitations are given. Some of them are restricted to employees or family members. In order to respond to the invitation you must in some way be related to the one giving the invitation. Some invitations come with an RSVP that requires a response of your intention to accept or decline.
There are other invitations that may be described as open invitations. Congregations often have Christmas programs that are announced as “Every One Is Welcome!”
Today’s Scripture from Matthew 11 is an invitation from Jesus. In a way it is restrictive, and yet it is an open invitation. I think each of us would qualify as going through times of labor and being heavy laden. We are invited to join Him by taking His yoke. It may seem like we are adding more load, but it is Jesus who will be bearing the burden that we are now carrying alone.
The promise is that we will find rest for our souls. In the midst of the pressures of life, we vitally need rest for our souls. We will find it in accepting His open invitation.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 2, 2015 | Matthew
Matthew 7:24-25
“Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.”
As I sit here writing today’s, BLESSINGS FROM THE HEART, I can hear the rain falling outside my window.
Yesterday as I watched the weather channel I was amazed at the excessive amounts of rain that had fallen in various parts of the world. The State of Texas went from extreme drought to no drought in one week’s time. In some areas there was over 20 inches of rain. The streets of Bagdad were running like rivers. It makes our soft rain seem as nothing.
Into every life rain will fall at one time or another. Sometimes the “rain” will be soft and gentle, while at other times it will be a deluge. Sometimes an umbrella will protect us from the rain, but if the storms of life beat too heavily, we need to seek the shelter.
Our shelter from the “rain” in our life is our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. He is the only One who knows when the “rains” will come and will not only give us protection from them, but will allow us to provide protection for those around us. It is time to start singing in the rain!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 20, 2015 | Matthew
Matthew 11:28-29
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Over the years we receive many invitations. Some of them come with the notation; RSVP. Those four letters indicate that you are to respond as to whether you will attend or not. God gives us an invitation and no RSVP is required. We might call it an open invitation.
I can recall a family member who once lived near Disneyland relating about people who had arrived without an invitation. They were friends or family members who expected to be housed and fed and also to be guided through Disneyland. It quickly became such a financial hardship that they had to say no.
God’s invitations cost the life of His dear Son. When we read the invitation that Jesus gives us in today’s Scripture we see that what He promises He is able to deliver. The only requirement is for us to take His yoke and learn from Him.
Are you burdened with a heavy load? If so Jesus invites you allow Him to take that load and give you His rest. Do not carry the burdens of this life any longer. Yield your load to Him and begin to live the life He desires.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 28, 2015 | Matthew
Matthew 13:15
“For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.”
When I was a junior in high school several of us journeyed a few hundred miles from home to work in the harvest. That summer the weather delayed the harvest, however we were able to secure temporary employment at an insecticide processing company.
There was a large platform approximately 10 feet off the floor where various bags of a powder-like product were dumped into a large hopper. To keep the powder from blowing all over, a piece of ½ inch 6’x8’ plywood would be lowered down. When it was open there were chains on either side to prevent it from falling over. An older man who had worked there for quite a while supervised our activities.
The bags weighed anywhere from 50 to 75 pounds. The idea was to empty the product in the center of the opening away from the chains. If a heavy bag hit against the chain it would slam the plywood down striking your head. We quickly learned the process, but that old veteran never seemed to get it through his head. I recall that he was almost bald and his head was covered with sores from where the plywood and hit him so many times. It seemed like it happened several times each shift. As he staggered around, most of us could not contain the laughter.
As I have thought about this incident, it brings to mind how many people know that the wages of sin produce bitter dividends. But in spite of knowing the consequences, they will not be taught. May we all be teachable!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
