by Pastor Cecil | Feb 25, 2014 | Psalm
Psalm 39:4
Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.
In a few weeks I will be celebrating my 80th birthday. There is a saying that, at this age, you do not celebrate your birthdays, you just endure them. That sounds more than a little pessimistic, but I cannot disagree too much.
It seems such a very short time ago when Joyce and I were considered part of the youth group. There was no defined time when we stopped being “young people” and advanced on to the next age bracket–whatever that is.
So as time flies by, does age really count? Many of the most-productive minds had their finest years into their 80’s and 90’s. Yeah! There is hope for us yet!
Rather than sitting around and bemoaning the fact that we are getting older, we need to tighten our belts and ask the Lord what our next assignment is. Look for new opportunities to reach out and impact our world for Jesus Christ. We need to forget where our youth went and get busy spending our golden years!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 21, 2014 | Psalm
Psalm 103:1-5
Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
I would dare to say that almost all of us experienced some sort of trial in our life. It could be the loss of health, a financial meltdown, death of a mate or child or any number of catastrophic events. It is not whether or not we will encounter these trials, but rather what we will do when they arise.
The phrase, “Praise to the Lord” occurs in at least 155 verses in the Bible. That indicates to me that we need to spend far more time praising the Lord than we do. It would be well to replace our complaints with words of praise to the Lord.
Over 300 years ago, Joachim Neander was a hymn writer for the German Reform church. He was going through a time of trial and testing in his life. He would take long walks and pour his heart out to the Lord. It was on one of these walks that he came to the realization that it was not his strength that would give him victory and peace, but rather the powerful God he served. It was in that state of mind that he composed this week’s featured hymn.
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear, Now to His temple draw near;
Join me in glad adoration!
Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,
Shelters thee under His wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen how thy desires e’er have been
Granted in what He ordaineth?
Praise to the Lord, who with marvelous wisdom hath made thee!
Decked thee with health, and with loving hand guided and stayed thee;
How oft in grief hath not He bought thee relief,
Spreading His wings for to shade thee!
Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore Him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before Him!
Let the Amen sound from His people again;
Gladly for aye we adore Him.
To access Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes™ Inspirational Music Videos, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/praisetothelordthealmighty/ in your browser or click on the image below.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 31, 2014 | 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.
O God, Our Help in Ages Past is a hymn by Isaac Watts and paraphrases Psalm 90. It originally consisted of nine stanzas. In present 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. It was sung in 1941, at a religious service on board HMS Prince of Wales attended by Winston Churchill and Franklin Delano Roosevelt as part of the conference creating the Atlantic Charter. It was also sung at the funeral of Winston Churchill in 1965.
Later composers subsequently incorporated the tune in their own works. For example, George Handel used the tune in an anthem entitled, O Praise the Lord.
Oh 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 access Oh God, Our Help In Ages Past, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to:http://www.gloryscapes.com/ogodourhelpinagespast in your browser or click on the image below.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 23, 2014 | Psalm
Psalm 119:103-105
How sweet are Thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through Thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way therefore I hate every false way. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
As I write this, we are under a temperature inversion for our area. Just what is a temperature inversion? I am not a meteorologist, but as I understand it, it is when the temperature is warmer at higher elevations than it is on the ground. This produces air stagnation and often very foggy conditions.
Years ago, when we were living in Idaho, Joyce and I were on our way to call on a couple who lived on the edge of town. The closer we got to their house, the denser the fog. It became so thick that I had to use the edge of the road to see where I was going. Fortunately, I had been to the house before and, by following the posted signs, we safely arrived at the destination.
I see a striking parallel with the phenomenon of temperature inversion to our walk with the Lord. Naturally, it is warmer the higher we ascend to the heart of God. The lower we descend into our own sinful ways, the more we experience a spiritual inversion. The path is blurred and we grope in the fog of our own self will.
I am not sure what the weather is like in your area, but I pray that your spiritual life may be free of any sort of inversion. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you and lead you to His perfect day!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 20, 2014 | Psalm
Psalm 139:7-10
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.
Over the years I have had the privilege of experiencing a variety of professions. One of the most enjoyable was working as a County Juvenile Officer. I had come into the position directly from serving as a city police officer, so I was well acquainted with the patrol officers who worked the night shift.
Frequently, I rode around with one of the officers as he made his rounds and, from time to time, would spot a juvenile who was part of my caseload. I would note the time, location, and who else was present. Many times, the probationer was on a court-ordered curfew.
The next time that individual came in to report, I would ask if they were adhering to their curfew. The response was usually that they were. Then I would then ask about the day and time I had observed them. The look of astonishment was priceless. I would then proceed to take the necessary action that was merited. It wasn’t long before the probationers felt like I was everywhere, and they had better keep on the straight and narrow.
In today’s Scripture we see that the Lord is everywhere, and He knows all about us. There are no time-outs when it comes to living for the Lord. He knows each and everything about us. That is not a bad thing, but a constant reminder that He is always there when we call. Praise the Lord!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jan 15, 2014 | Psalm
Psalm 20:6
Now this I know: The LORD gives victory to His anointed. He answers him from His heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of His right hand.
There was a time when sporting events were just that. But now that time seems to be a distant memory. The world of sports has become such big business that even university sports coaches are often paid more than the presidents of those same universities. Getting that bone out of my teeth, let me proceed.
Raucous cheering erupts from spectators when a score is made, and especially when a game is won. Even without sound, it’s easy to tell which team is victorious by the reaction of players and fans. The winning side is happy and jubilant, while the losers are sad and dejected. I have never seen jubilation over a team that has lost.
In this season of playoffs and championship games, you can see supporters wearing jerseys of their favorite team and even painting themselves with their team’s colors. They shout, “We can do it!” even though they themselves are weak and incompetent. They just identify with their team and want to feel a part of the team.
God has allowed us the blessing of being a part of His winning team. No matter how strong the opponents may be, with God in control we are assured of victory. The trials of this life may seem to be crashing down around us, but we need to go back to the Word of God and see who wins. VICTORY is ours! Jesus wins!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
