by Pastor Cecil | May 2, 2016 | Philippians
Philippians 3:13-14
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
If Paul were a coach of some modern-day athletic team, we might have heard him exclaim to his players: “Keep your eye on the ball!” Or he might have said: “Remember, Team, we are playing for the championship!”
The fact that Paul used athletic references in his letters does not diminish in any way the importance of what he is sharing. In a way, it was similar to Jesus using parables to teach spiritual truth.
As we go through life, it is easy to be distracted by things that might be interesting but are not important. At least they are not important when compared to eternal values. That is why it is so important to spend quality time reading God’s word. No matter how many times we may have read the Bible, it will always have new and fresh meaning for us.
Let us take time to evaluate our own actions. Are we focusing our attention on the high prize that Paul speaks about? If we were to stand before Jesus right now, would we be satisfied that we had done all for Him? SEEK THE PRIZE!
Blessings dear hearts!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 28, 2016 | Philippians
Philippians 4:19
“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
You may have heard the story of the young woman who was hired by an uppity socialite to care for her small son. The nanny was told to give the child anything he wanted because he was going to be raised in an affluent society.
Shortly after she was hired, the young woman was watching the boy in the backyard and chided him for misbehaving. The boy’s mother rushed out and demanded that the nanny never speak that way to her son again.
It was only a short time later that the boy screamed out. His mother again rushed out in a rage and demanded why the nanny could not follow orders. The nanny replied, “Ma’am, I was following orders. The boy wanted to play with a bumblebee and I was prevented from stopping him.”
That is a silly story, but there are many times we are like that little boy. We want to play with things that are dangerous and will hurt us — and we do not want to be told to stay away from them.
God has promised us to take care of our needs. The problem all too often is that we have a list of wants that we feel we are entitled to. When we feel entitled to something, it is easy to make it a need rather than a want. Just trust God!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 10, 2016 | Philippians
Philippians 2:14:15
“Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.”
If you are anything like me, you have a hard time with people who have an attitude problem. It is sad to see someone acting like they have a chip on their shoulder just daring you to knock it off. Others simply act as if they are too good to communicate with the people around them.
Unfortunately, there are some Christians who have an attitude problem. They may act superior or even treat others with indifference or scorn. They backbite and gossip with indifference to God’s warning against such behavior.
Paul writes to the church at Philippi and gives a fantastic pattern of how we are to behave. We are to do things cheerfully and without conflict. We are to treat others with respect and the way Jesus would treat them.
Here is the big question of the day: HOW IS YOUR ATTITUDE? Let us take it one step further: How would people around you answer that question? In order to please the Lord, WATCH YOUR ATTITUDE!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 7, 2016 | Philippians
Philippians 3:13-14
“Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
If we do not have a goal we will never know if we achieved it or not. It will be like going around and around in a circle, but never reaching a destination. I think of cyclists in a cage that have sufficient speed to remain glued to the screen wall. They travel parallel to the ground, but because of their momentum, they do not fall. The other reality is that they never get anywhere.
NASCAR drivers, on the other hand, drive around and around in a circle, but they achieve a reward for the order in which they finish the race. Jeff Gordon, who retired from racing last year, established a record of starting in 796 races. He only won 93 of those races but is considered a champion.
You see, it is not necessary for us to win every race to be considered a champion. We need to have a goal in mind and strive to reach that goal. Paul tells us that he does not worry about calling himself a champion — he keeps his eye on the prize of pleasing his Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. That is the goal I want to strive to achieve!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 11, 2016 | Philippians
Philippians 4:4-6
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
If you were to score yourself on the basis of rejoicing, how well would you do? That is an embarrassing question, isn’t it? It should not be. Christians in the early church were known for their love for one another, but also for their rejoicing.
Paul urges the church at Philippi to rejoice always. I’m not sure what always means to you but to me it means at all times and under all circumstances. The reason is that we rejoice in the Lord! That means we look beyond the circumstance and try to see what God is planning to do next.
Rejoicing carries with it an element of expectation. If God says it and we believe it, we need to open our eyes to the power of God at work in and around us. Paul goes on and says that we are to let our gentleness be known to everyone. We can do that when we rejoice in the Lord always.
Next, Paul says that we are to get rid of our anxious thoughts and replace them with prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving. That is where rejoicing is the greatest testimony that a Christian can possess. Are you rejoicing?!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 12, 2016 | Philippians
Philippians 3:20-21
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”
Coming from a law enforcement background, I am familiar with certain procedures. One of them is to identify the individual you are investigating. One of the first things an officer requires when someone is questioned is their identification.
Identification reveals a person’s previous criminal activity, or the fact that there are no records indicating that this person may be a danger. Many times an individual may be questioned for a very minor traffic infraction, but when identification is checked that individual may be wanted for a far more serious offense.
Proper identification is not just a matter of concern for law enforcement. Often a person may give lip service to the Lord, but there is no evidence to substantiate they have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We might say that they give phony identification!
In Matthew 7:20 Jesus says: “Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” A wise man has said that God calls us to be fruit inspectors. That is the proper identification to let us know who we are in contact with. Do you have your ID?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
