by Pastor Cecil | Nov 20, 2009 | Psalm
Psalm 33:1
“Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise Him.”
What a wonderful woman. She stood less than 5 feet tall and weighed less than 100 pounds. Because of mistreatment for an eye infection when she was only a few months old, she spent the rest of her 95 years blind.
Her name was Fanny J. Crosby. This tiny dynamo wrote over 8,000 poems and hymns during her lifetime. She composed her poems and hymns entirely in her mind and then dictated them to someone else. She was said to work mentally on as many as twelve hymns at once before dictating them all out.
Fanny felt that it was God’s special gift that she should be blind all of her life and she thanked Him for that gift. She once remarked; “When I get to heaven, the first face that shall ever gladden my sight will be that of my Savior!” In 1896 she wrote this week’s hymn selection.
“Praise Him! Praise Him!“
Praise Him! Praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Sing, O Earth, His wonderful love proclaim!
Hail Him! Hail Him! Highest archangels in glory;
strength and honor give to His holy name!
Like a shepherd Jesus will guard His children,
in His arms He carries them all day long:
Refrain: Praise Him! Praise Him!
Tell of His excellent greatness;
Praise Him! Praise Him ever in joyful song!
Praise him! Praise him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
For our sins he suffered, and bled and died;
He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation,
Hail Him! Hail Him! Jesus the Crucified.
Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows,
love unbounded, wonderful deep and strong:
Refrain: Praise Him! Praise Him!
Tell of His excellent greatness;
Praise Him! Praise Him ever in joyful song!
Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Heavenly portals loud with hosannas ring!
Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever;
crown Him! crown Him! Prophet and Priest and King!
Christ is coming! over the world victorious,
power and glory unto the Lord belong.
Refrain: Praise Him! Praise Him!
Tell of His excellent greatness;
Praise Him! Praise Him ever in joyful song!
To access Praise Him! Praise Him!, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/praisehimpraisehim 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 | Nov 6, 2009 | Psalm
Psalm 104:1
“Praise the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty.”
Robert Grant lived from 1779 to 1838. Robert was elected to Parliament and was also appointed governor of Bombay. A medical college in India was named in his honor. He was knighted and became “Sir” Robert Grant.
In spite of the earthly recognition which he received, Sir Robert was very much aware that there was the true King that surpassed all human kings. In verse five he describes this King of kings as; “Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.”
“O Worship the King!“
O worship the King, all glorious above,
O gratefully sing His power and His love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.
O tell of His might, O sing of His grace,
Whose robe is the light, Whose canopy space,
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.
The earth with its store of wonders untold,
Almighty, Thy power hath founded of old;
Established it fast by a changeless decree,
And round it hath cast, like a mantle, the sea.
Thy bountiful care, what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;
It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,
And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.
Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail;
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.
O measureless might! Ineffable love!
While angels delight to worship Thee above,
The humbler creation, though feeble their lays,
With true adoration shall all sing Thy praise.
To access O Worship the King!, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/oworshiptheking 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 | Nov 3, 2009 | Psalm
Psalm 19:3-4
“The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.”
Perhaps you have heard the expression “There is nothing sure but death and taxes!” That is a cynical expression, and it is far from the truth. There are many certainties in God’s Word that are sure and never changing.
It is sad to observe some church bodies that have the audacity to legislate actions or activities that are in violation with Scripture. Let me tell you something; these votes have absolutely no standing with God. He certainly does not check with church policies to determine what is proper or improper. His Word stands!
In Luke 21:33, Jesus gives words of eternal surety—“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.” Those words, spoken by our Savior, are as true and sure as anything can ever be.
If there is ever a time in your life when you struggle for a solid rock to stand upon, it is God’s unchanging Word. Any time a question arises we should ask ourselves the question, “What does God’s Word say about it?”
Digging into Scripture to discover answers is hard work. It will require reading, searching concordances, Bible dictionaries, etc., but the result will be well worth the effort. We will find that His Word is SURE!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Oct 9, 2009 | Psalm
Psalm 100:1-3
“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.”
The Thirty Years’ War raged from 1618 to 1648, and was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history. The war was fought primarily (though not exclusively) in Germany and at various points involved most of the countries of Europe.
During this terrible conflict Martin Rinkart, served as a Lutheran minister Eilenburg, Saxony. The walled city saw a steady stream of refugees pour through its gates. The Swedish army surrounded the city, and famine and plague were rampant. Eight hundred homes were destroyed, and the people began to perish.
There was a tremendous strain on the pastors who had to conduct dozens of funerals daily. Finally, the pastors, too began to succumb. Martin Rinkart was the only one left–doing as many as 50 funerals a day.
When the Swedes demanded a huge ransom, Rinkart left the safety of the walls to plead for mercy. The Swedish commander, impressed by his faith and courage, lowered his demands. Soon afterward, the Thirty Years’ War ended, and Rinkart wrote this hymn for a grand celebration service. It is a testament to his faith that, after such misery, he was able to write a hymn of abiding trust and gratitude toward God.
“Now, Thank We All Our God“
Now thank we all our God,
with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done,
in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms
has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.
O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and
blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace,
and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills,
in this world and the next!
All praise and thanks to
God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns
with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom
earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now,
and shall be evermore.
The next time we are tempted to feel discouraged by our problems and demands, just remember what others have gone through and still maintained the joy of the Lord in the midst of the storm.
To access Now, Thank We All Our God, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/nowthankweallourgod 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 | Oct 2, 2009 | Psalm
Psalm 31:2-3
“Turn Your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me. Since You are my rock and my fortress, for the sake of Your name lead and guide me.”
My wife Joyce and I have had more than a few fiery trials in our life. We have been forced to our knees and cried out to Him to support us. When it seemed that we could not go on, the Lord has always been faithful and our Firm Foundation.
This week’s hymn was the favorite hymn of Andrew Jackson’s wife, Rachel. He requested that it be played for him in the final hours of his life. It was also a favorite of General Robert E. Lee. It was sung at the funerals of American presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.
On Christmas Eve, 1898, an entire corps of the United States Army were camped on the hills near Havana, Cuba. Almost as a man they spontaneously took up this sacred tune and words.
“How Firm a Foundation“
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To You who for refuge to Jesus for refuge have fled?
Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.
When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.
To access How Firm a Foundation, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/howfirmafoundation 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 | Oct 1, 2009 | Psalm
Psalm 84:5-6
“Blessed are those whose strength is in You, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.”
In high school I worked part-time delivering milk door to door. We had an established route and each driver had detailed instructions on what each customer was to receive. Imagine that you were on a route and the delivery book indicated that you were to deliver a gallon of milk at a particular house. Visualize a husband and wife coming to the door in tears and thanking you for coming into their lives to supply milk for them and their children.
As you walk back out to your delivery truck, you contemplate what has just taken place. Yes, you faithfully delivered the milk, but who was ultimately responsible for the delivery? I think it may be safe to conclude it was the person who hired you, trained you and supplied you with the milk to deliver. There is really no place for pride—we just delivered the milk as ordered.
Christians may take pride in being used by the Lord. They share the Gospel, offer a prayer of faith and then bask in what they have accomplished. At those times we need to recognize that we are like the one making the “milk delivery.” The One who sent us deserves the credit–we just go from door to door, person to person, little realizing how much the one needs what we are sent to deliver.
In today’s Scripture we are reminded that as we go through the valley of tears we have a delivery to make. Only God knows who is in that same valley waiting for the “milk” of God’s Word? Are you committed to deliver God’s “milk”?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
