by Pastor Cecil | Feb 25, 2015 | Psalm
Psalm 19:14
“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.”
When I was in graduate school I always dreaded tests or submitting papers. We were expected to do more than undergraduates and so the professors seemed to be very critical of every mistake. At the end of my required classes I had to submit my thesis and sit before a panel of professors for an oral examination. Ouch! It was a tremendous relief to discover that I was ACCEPTABLE and was awarded my Master of Arts degree.
There is no human individual or groups that can ever compare with finding favor with God. Let me be very quick to say that our actions will never earn our salvation. It does not come from our own merits but by the shed blood of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Being found acceptable before the Lord comes from what we say and what we do. It may sound strange to put our words before our thoughts, but when we read Psalm 139:4 it shows that God knows our heart and words simultaneously; “For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.”
The Psalmist is yielding his mind and actions to the Lord and praying for the strength to make his words and thoughts compatible with the will of God for his life. Over and over I make this prayer my own. In those areas where I am weak I ask the Lord to find me ACCEPTIBLE in His sight.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 10, 2015 | Psalm
Psalm 84:5-7
“Blessed are those whose strength is in You, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.”
This world is not my home, I’m just passing through –
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue…
Anyone remember that old gospel hymn? How easy it is to get our eyes so focused on the cares and concerns of this world that we forget our real home is waiting for us in heaven.
A family once shared with me how they had moved from Kansas to Washington state in the 1930’s, driving an old car that was barely able to run. They had very little money and were forced to travel from town to town where they would work at hard labor for 10 cents an hour.
They stayed at motor camps that were not much more than four walls, perhaps a sink, and hopefully close to the public restrooms. Even though they would stay there for several days, or even a couple of weeks, to earn enough money to move on to the next stopping place, it was in no way home. They had no interest in fixing up the dilapidated shack because it was not their final destination, but only a stopping place until they reached home.
Why do we spend so much time, energy, and effort to fix up something that is going to pass away? It is so much better to devote ourselves to making this vale of tears a little more bearable for others as we are on our journey to our eternal home.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 19, 2015 | Psalm
Psalm 51:5-6
“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.”
I hold in my hand (did before I started typing) a small black and white photo. It is a little creased, wrinkled and faded (so am I). The photograph shows a very young boy dressed in shorts and casual shirt, standing on a wooden porch. It is a photograph of me at about age 4.
After some seventy six years I remember the porch. I recall a day when I had slipped a butcher knife out of the kitchen drawer and sat on the porch whittling away on a piece of wood. Mom saw me and yelled for me to get that knife back in the house. I said I would, but I didn’t. After the second warning I quietly took the knife back into the kitchen and then returned to the porch. I took a piece of shingle that was about the same size as the knife and acted like I was still carving.
Suddenly the cloud descended and a mother’s wrath poured down on me. I acted innocent and showed her that it was just a piece of shingle and I was doing nothing wrong. I was wrong and the seat of my pants felt the wrath of a mother who should have been obeyed.
Even as adults we may try to act innocent when we sin, but in our heart of hearts we know that we have sinned and need forgiveness. The heart of everyone is bent toward evil and in need of cleansing. Rather than whittling away at something that is just an imitation, we need to confess our sin and receive newness of life.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 16, 2015 | Psalm
“I stand silently before the Lord, waiting for him to rescue me. For salvation comes from him alone” (Psalm 62:1, TLB).
May this video devotional speak to your heart today.
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 | Jan 2, 2015 | Psalm
Psalm 145:9-12
“The LORD is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made. All You have made will praise You, O LORD; Your saints will extol You. They will tell of the glory of Your kingdom and speak of Your might, so that all men may know of Your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom.”
The older I get (and I am getting up there), the more disturbed I am about senseless killing. This is true of attacks on other people, but also on killing animals just for the sport of it. In my hunting days I did shoot game, but it was for food not for sport. Now there are many that hunt for bragging rights, not for food. God meant for us to be keepers and protectors, not killers.
In 1225, when he was feeling ill and losing his sight, Francis of Assisi wrote about what was always on his heart: the praise of God. In All Creatures of Our God and King, Francis’ love for God and the world He made comes out very strongly.
Probably because he lived such a simple life, he “noticed” things that we, in our busy-ness, overlook. Francis believed that all earth’s creatures get their life from God and that we all depend on Him for our continual existence.
All Creatures of Our God and King
1. All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing
O, praise Him, Alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam
Thou silver moon with softer gleam
O praise Him, O praise Him, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
2. Thou rushing wind that art so strong,
Ye clouds that sail in heav’n along,
O, praise Him! Alleluia!
Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice,
Ye lights of evening, find a voice!
O praise Him, O praise Him, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
3. Let all things their creator bless
And worship Him in humbleness
O, praise Him! Alleluia!
Praise, the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, Three in One!
O praise Him, O praise Him, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
4. And all ye men of tender heart,
Forgiving others, take your part,
O, praise Him! Alleluia!
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
Praise God and on Him cast your care!
O praise Him, O praise Him, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
To access All Creatures of Our God and King, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Inspirational Music Videos, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/allcreaturesofourgodandking/ 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 | Jan 1, 2015 | Psalm
Psalm 119:9
“How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to Your word.”
Working as a police officer, I especially dreaded investigating accidents — even more so when there were injuries or deaths. We always wished that the accident could have been avoided. That was sometimes the case.
I remember being called to the scene where a vehicle had broken through the ice of a local lake. The car was full of teenagers who thought the ice was thick enough to drive on. It was for a little while, but then it became too thin and they began to sink. One girl was trapped inside and the icy water was making her hypothermic. It was a close call but we finally got her out and into a waiting ambulance.
It would be foolish to post a sign on the windshield of every car stating that it was going to be in an accident, but not to worry because emergency personnel would be standing by. While that may be true at a demolition derby, most passenger cars will not suffer a major accident.
There is a false notion that it is normal to go through major conflicts in a marriage. There is also a false teaching that every believer will fall along the wayside at sometime in his or her spiritual life. Our Scripture for today debunks that idea. We can have victory, but it is not in our doing — the victory lies in trusting the Lord and His precious Word. Listen again to Proverbs 3:5-6: “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.” That is the way we avoid the snares of the enemy.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
