by Pastor Cecil | Nov 17, 2014 | Matthew
Matthew 6:19-21
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Recently I saw an ad on TV in which a woman was walking toward the camera. She boasted that she was in her 50’s and had many more years left to live. That may sound good to the company she was representing, but it just isn’t always so.
Take time to peruse the obituary column in your local newspaper. You will be amazed at the significant number of deaths of young people. We lost our oldest daughter at age 34, so we are well aware that life is fleeting.
As we read today’s Scripture, we find that the things of this world are not certain. In other words, they pass away. In Luke 16, Jesus tells the parable of the rich man and a beggar named Lazarus. Here on earth the rich man seemed to scorn the lowly beggar who survived on the scraps from his table. But things changed when they both died. Lazarus was now experiencing eternal bliss while the former rich man suffered excruciating agony. (And it would never end.)
We never know when the Lord will call us home. We may have many years to live or we may die this week. The important thing is that we make every effort to store up our treasures in heaven. Where is your heart?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 12, 2014 | Matthew
Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
There are so many times in life when you wonder where to turn. It may be your own difficulties, or it may be what someone else is going through, but it is just beyond our human ability to come up with the answer. I want to let you in on a little secret–It isn’t necessary to have the answer, but it is to have the Savior!
The disciples who followed our Lord were human, just as we are human. They were like sheep without a shepherd. The religious leaders of their day had perverted the truth of the Word of God and now they had seen the Truth in human flesh giving them the answer they needed for the dismal future they faced: COME TO ME!
Notice the different categories of individuals that Christ called to come to Him. There were those who were weary and burdened. If you are in that condition at this moment, or if you find yourself in that condition in the future, you can be assured that you know where to go: COME UNTO ME! Those words of invitation are your answer.
Jesus told His disciples that it was the Father who enabled them to come to Him. That still applies today. If you feel a tug in your heart drawing you to: COME UNTO ME, you know it is the Holy Spirit being sent from the Father. I urge you never to resist, but rush into His arms!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Sep 16, 2014 | Matthew
Matthew 25:10-13
But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘Open the door for us!’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.
More and more people are being killed and injured in highway accidents because they were using their cell phones. Just today I heard of a young woman who was texting and driving. A car in front of her signaled and slowed to make a left turn, the woman who was texting struck her car at full speed. The innocent driver of the car that was turning was killed. WATCH OUT!
When we are wide awake and alert it is much easier to react quickly and appropriately. When we become preoccupied with other things we lose focus and the result can be catastrophic. WATCH OUT!
In our spiritual walk we never know when the enemy will mount an attack. We can almost be certain that this attack will occur when we are weary, worn, and inattentive to the things that are really vital. WATCH OUT!
If we have not spent the time in self examination, prayer, and Bible study, we will be very vulnerable to the attack. There is one thing we can be sure about—we will meet our Lord face to face. It may be at the moment our eyes close in death or it may be when the trumpet sounds and we are called up to meet the Lord in the air. Either way, we must be on the alert with our lamps burning bright. WATCH OUT!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 23, 2014 | Matthew
Matthew 5:17-18
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
I recently received a card from my dentist reminding me of an appointment. The card was in the form of a comic strip favorite of our, Pickles by Brian Crane. The elderly couple were sitting on a porch swing and the husband complimented his wife by observing, “In the moonlight your teeth look like pearls.”
The wife replied, “Who is Pearl and what were you doing in the moonlight with her?” The difference was a small punctuation mark – an apostrophe (’) to indicate that the noun pearls became Pearl’s. Wow!
Back when I was a teenager there was a popular misquote of Scripture that was intended to be humorous and justified suicide. It went something like this; “Judas went out and hanged himself. Go thou and do likewise. And whatsoever thou doest, do quickly.”
There have been many attempts to change the meaning of Scripture to fit a particular lifestyle. Many have ignored the importance of the Old Testament and for that matter, they have denied the power of God’s Word to direct the affairs of mankind. How tragically sad! May God keep our minds ever alert to deception!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 14, 2014 | Matthew
Matthew 5:14-16
You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Perhaps rudeness has been around for thousands of years, but it certainly seems to have peaked in our generation. People seem to be so self-absorbed that they become churlish or at best withdrawn around others.
Recently I was able to watch a man sitting at a table in a fine restaurant with his wife and her parents. I was close enough to hear the comment that the young couple was celebrating their wedding anniversary. The husband had his cell phone out and was more absorbed in texting than he was in celebrating. It was like a slap in the face of his wife and her parents. He was JUST PLAIN RUDE!
The next day I was driving on the freeway when a car swerved into my lane of traffic at the last moment to make the exit ramp. I was thinking about his rude action when another car from two lanes away swerved in front of him to exit. The action of these two drivers demonstrated to me that they were JUST PLAIN RUDE!
The Lord tenderly calls us to stay near to Him and search His Holy Word. All too often we tend to ignore His call and do our own thing. It’s JUST PLAIN RUDE!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 10, 2014 | Matthew
Matthew 19:4-6
‘Haven’t you read,’ He replied, ‘that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female, and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’
It was 62 years ago, July 10, 1952 to be exact, that Joyce and I became one flesh. It was a blazing hot day in Nampa, Idaho, and there was no such thing as air conditioning in the church. As a matter of fact there was not even a fan.
Joyce and I were both eighteen. We had first met when we were fourteen and had been sweethearts all through high school. People had a tendency to smirk and say we were too young. In fact there was a song back in the 50’s, They Tried to Tell Us We’re Too Young. People thought they knew best, but they did not know how level of devotion to each other.
While we were indeed quite young, we were totally committed to Jesus first and then to each other. Without apology we were both virgins and our decision to wait made our wedding day special.
When we recited our vows in the presence of our family and friends, we were uniting our very being. We could actually feel that we had become one flesh. Across these 62 years we have grown old together. Becoming one flesh is a blessing we would pray for each married husband and wife.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
