by Pastor Cecil | Aug 3, 2016 | Psalm
Psalm 37:4
“Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.”
Yesterday I wrote about an accident that occurred when I was riding with a Deputy Sheriff in Canyon County, Idaho. I remember another time when I was riding along with the same Deputy when we received an emergency call for a car that had broken through the ice on a local lake.
When we responded to the scene we found the car broken through the thin ice and a teenage girl trapped in the front passenger seat. The icy water was almost up to her shoulders. Fortunately, the car was on the bottom and not in danger of submerging any further, but the girl was close to hypothermia.
There were three other teens standing around the car, but they were almost in a state of shock and were not able to help. Deputy Edwards immediately entered the water and after five or ten minutes was able to free her from the wreckage. Soon an ambulance arrived and the girl was saved – cold, but out of danger.
That particular day the car was driven by a young man who thought the ice was thick enough to support the weight of his car. He was wrong! He relied on his faulty judgment instead of the reality of the situation. Many people today are skating on the thin ice of human reasoning instead of the infallible Word of God. That, my dear friend, is relying on very THIN ICE indeed! Don’t risk eternity!
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Aug 1, 2016 | Psalm
Psalm 23:4
“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
One day last week I was returning home from an appointment. I was a block from my house and gliding along at about ten miles per hour when I noticed an eight-inch long shadow gliding along the pavement. It was then that I saw a two-inch long insect flying closer to me. The sun was at just the right angle to magnify the shadow of the tiny insect.
When I replay that scene in my mind, I am reminded that shadows are always larger than real life. The Psalmist reminds us that we travel through the valley of the shadow of death, not the valley of death.
What is the difference? The difference is that shadows are magnified. That means things we fear appear to be larger than life. Not only that, we have our Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ, who carries a rod and staff to rescue and protect us.
The next time you encounter the shadow of fear in your life, remember who is walking beside you. He knows how big the threat really is and He alone is able to shield and protect you.
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 22, 2016 | Psalm
Psalm 90:1-2
“Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”
This week’s hymn by Isaac Watts is a paraphrase of Psalm 90. It originally consisted of nine stanzas. In present day usage, however, the hymn is usually limited to stanzas; one, two, three, five, and nine.
The hymn was originally part of; The Psalms of David Imitated in the language of the New Testament, published by Watts in 1719.
It has often been sung for special occasions in England. For instance it was sung in 1941, at a religious service on board HMS Prince of Wales, attended by Sir Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt as part of the conference creating the Atlantic Charter. It was also sung at the Funeral service for Winston Churchill in 1965.
O God, Our Help In Ages Past
Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.
Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.
A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And lost in following years.
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guide while troubles last,
And our eternal home.
To enjoy this free inspirational video: O God, Our Help in Ages Past, go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/ogodourhelpinagespast/
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 8, 2016 | Psalm
“He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and He guided them to their desired haven” (Psalm 107:29-30).
It seems that each of us is called upon to face storms in our life. It may be physical infirmity, financial reversals or the loss of a loved one. It is not the storm that matters, but how we react to the storm.
Back in 1873, Horatio Spafford and his family were scheduled to sail on the French steamer ‘Ville de Havre’ from New York to England where he was to assist the great evangelist, D.L. Moody. Because of a last minute business crisis Mr. Spafford sent his family on ahead and he would follow on a later ship.
Unfortunately the ship his family was on collided with another ship and sank. There was a terrible loss of life. Spafford and his wife lost their four daughters. Nine days later Horatio Spafford received a cable from his wife that simply said, “Saved alone.” What poignant words.
Later, as he was sailing to meet his wife, he asked the captain to let him know when they were near where the accident had occurred. It was there that he penned the words of this week’s hymn, “It Is Well with My Soul.”
It Is Well With My Soul
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well (it is well),
with my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with my soul.
My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Refrain:
It is well (it is well),
with my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with my soul.
And Lord haste the day, when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well (it is well),
with my soul (with my soul),
It is well, it is well with my soul.
To access Liebestraum & It Is Well With My Soul, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/liebestraum/ 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
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 7, 2016 | Psalm
Psalm 51:10
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Careful, your attitude is showing! Many times I have had to remind myself of that spiritual truth. It seems that every time I stop to consider my attitude, Psalm 51:10 comes to mind.
It is not an easy process for us to change our attitude. We may know what the Bible says about living a Christ-like life, but it is not so easy to put it into practice. There always seems to be too much of “us” and too little of Christ in us.
How do we move from knowing about a Christ-like life to putting it into practice? I think the answer is to be found in today’s Scripture. It is not what we do, but what Christ has done for us. Too many times we struggle and strain trying to be good enough to change. It does not work!
There is only one way to have a RIGHT SPIRIT. That is to acknowledge that we are incapable of making the change in ourselves and yield our self will to His will. Jesus paid the price for our salvation, and He also has sent the Holy Spirit to do what we can never do. So what is our part? YIELDING!
The next time we sense our self-centered attitude rising, let’s commit ourselves to admitting that it is only by the Lord’s help that we can change.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 29, 2016 | Psalm
Psalm 118:24
“This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.“
Today’s scripture is familiar to many people. It calls us to rejoice instead of gripe or complain. I know you never do anything of that sort, but there are people who do. Cough! Cough!
You may look around you and only see strife, contention, and failure. You may have a debilitating physical condition that prevents you from doing things that other people do with no difficulty. You may be the victim of any number of things that you feel prevent you from rejoicing.
So … do you have a reason to rejoice? Absolutely! First of all, we are to rejoice because God’s Word tells us to rejoice. But there is something that we may be prone to overlook. It is the reason to rejoice. It is found in the two verses that precede today’s scripture passage: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.”
That Chief Cornerstone is none other than our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. We are always to rejoice because this world is not our home and we have a mansion that is being prepared for us in glory. Now that is something to rejoice about!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
