by Pastor Cecil | May 1, 2009 | Psalm
Psalm 31:1-3
“In You, O LORD, I put my trust; Let me never be ashamed; Deliver me in Your righteousness. Bow down Your ear to me, Deliver me speedily; Be my rock of refuge, A fortress of defense to save me. For You are my rock and my fortress; Therefore, for Your name’s sake, Lead me and guide me.”
William O. Cushing wrote the hymn “Hiding In Thee” way back in 1876. His wife had died at an early age and his own failing health had forced him to retire from being a successful pastor in the eastern United States.
Ira Sankey, who was an active musician with D. L. Moody, knew William Cushing and a little of the ordeals he had experienced. He sensed that God may use these ordeals in William’s life to write a hymn. He urged William to pray about it.
The result of crushing disappointment and personal pain was the hymn for this week. He wanted to write words for a hymn that would glorify the Lord in the midst of the trials of life. William Cushing experienced the raging storms of life, but he also knew that there was a Savior who offered a place to hide in safety.
It is worth noting that William Cushing had serious trouble with his vocal chords and could not sing aloud the songs he wrote. He could, however, sing and make melody in his heart to the Lord.
“Hiding In Thee“
O safe to the Rock that is higher than I,
My soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly;
So sinful, so weary, Thine, Thine, would I be;
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee.
Refrain:
Hiding in Thee, hiding in Thee,
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee.
In the calm of the noontide, in sorrow’s lone hour,
In times when temptation casts o’er me its power;
In the tempests of life, on its wide, heaving sea,
Thou blest “Rock of Ages,” I’m hiding in Thee.
Refrain:
How oft in the conflict, when pressed by the foe,
I have fled to my refuge and breathed out my woe;
How often, when trials like sea billows roll,
Have I hidden in Thee, O Thou Rock of my soul.
Refrain:
To access Hiding In Thee, this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/hidinginthee 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 | Apr 2, 2009 | Psalm
Psalm 51:10-12
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
Some people seem to have the idea that children are born innocent, perfect, and with sinless little hearts. That is before they have children of their own and experience the temper tantrums which occur when they are hungry, wet, sleepy or just out of sorts. It confirms the reality that we are born of the sinful seed of our first parents, Adam and Eve.
As a little boy, I can recall some of the gigantic arguments we would get into. Each one of us wanted to be the boss of the others, so we would be barking orders which nobody seemed to want to heed. There was one expression which stands out in my mind as a true indication of rebellion: MAKE ME! Those two words very often preceded a scuffle.
I hadn’t thought much about those words until recently. I don’t know why, but I have been struck by the words we use in many of our prayers; “Lord make me—.” I wonder if we do much thinking before we phrase our prayers. When we pray; “Lord make me- – -.” Do we imply that God is to do to and for us what He tells us to do in obedience?
Let me think for a minute here. That is hard for me to do, so please be patient. When I pray, “Lord make me loving,” does that mean that the Lord is to over-ride my unloving behavior and suddenly make me loving? When I pray, “Lord make me a blessing to others,” does that mean I can remain indifferent to the needs of those around me and expect God to send a bolt of lighting from heaven to open my eyes to see the needs of others?
I hate it when I ask these types of questions. I always get the feeling that I am talking to myself and start squirming! But that is what we all need to do. We need to be in constant evaluation of our words and actions. They should be guided by the Holy Spirit to show us our inner motives.
For years I have recalled a portion of a poem by the Scottish poet, Robert Burns. I think it was in a work called “To A Louse.” Here are the words and a brief interpretation: “O wad some power the gifie gie us to see oursels as ithers see us! It wad frae mony a blunder free us, An’ foolish notion!” Cecil’s interpretation: Oh would some power the gift giver (God) give us to see ourselves as others see us! It would from many a blunder free us, and foolish notion!”
I desire that my prayers be so transparent and open that there is no hint of pride and pretense. Yes, that is what I said. It is very possible that even our prayers are areas in which too much self shows through. You may want to go back to Luke 18:10-14 and read Jesus parable of the Pharisee and Publican. Both prayed in the temple. The Pharisee had great, boasting words of his spirituality, but the Publican only looked within and saw his sinful condition and asked for God’s mercy.
What does this all mean? I think what I am trying to get across, is that we need to go beyond our words. It is not enough to merely pray that God will “MAKE US” into what we envision, but that we will act in obedience to what He says in His Word. God always wants us to be more like Him in all ways. It is not so much asking Him for what He says we are to be, but in acting on His commands.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 27, 2009 | Psalm
Psalm 139:7-10
“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.”
“O Love That Will Not Let Me Go”, was written by blind hymn writer, George Matheson, on the evening of his sister’s marriage. His entire family had departed for the wedding and had left him alone. He vividly recalled of how years before, he had been engaged until his fiancé learned that he was going blind, and there was nothing the doctors could do, and she told him that she could not go through life with a blind man.
He went blind while studying for the ministry, and his sister had been the one who had taken care of him all these years, but now she is gone. His sister’s marriage brought fresh reminder of his own heartbreak, over his fiancé’s refusal to “go through life with a blind man.” It is the midst of this circumstance and intense sadness that the Lord gives him this hymn – written he says in 5 minutes!
O Love That Will Not Let Me Go
O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee,
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.
O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee,
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.
O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee,
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.
O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee,
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.
Enjoy this week’s free inspirational video from Gloryscapes.com. To access: Oh Love That will not Let Me Go, this week’s free inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/ohlovethatwillnotletmego.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 11, 2009 | Psalm
Psalm 57:7-11
“My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. I will praise You, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of You among the peoples. For great is Your love, reaching to the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth.”
Just because a person has a radiant testimony does not insure a steadfast walk with the Lord. I have known some yo-yo Christians. Do you know what I mean? They are on fire for the Lord one time and cold as a cucumber the next. If I can see that spiritual instability, I can assure you that non-Christians will see it.
Having spent many years in the criminal justice field as well as a military career, I have heard the comments of the world crowd. Believe me they did not candy coat their feelings! Hypocritical (or on and off Christians) were called names I do not intend to mention.
The problem with yo-yo Christians is that they make witnessing difficult for the faithful Christian. That is why it sometimes is essential to spend years of steadfast living before certain non-Christians will be willing to listen to the gospel message.
Steadfast! The Hebrew word is Niphal. It means: to be set up, be established, be fixed, to be firmly established, be stable, be secure, be enduring, securely determined, to be directed aright, be fixed aright, be steadfast in the (moral sense).
Does that describe you? Would you describe yourself as a steadfast Christian or a yo-yo Christian? If you desire to have a steadfast walk with the Lord, start right now by making a covenant to be faithful and true to the Lord in all that you do.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 25, 2009 | Psalm
Psalm 23:4-6
“Even 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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
I have carried a yellowed clipping around for many years. I just ran across it as I was praying about what to write for today. I hope it has as much of an impact upon you as it does on me each time I read it.
Harry Rimmer (1890-1952) was an American creationist, itinerant evangelist and writer of anti-evolution pamphlets. He used science to prove the veracity of the Bible. The following is a remarkable letter he wrote to Charles E. Fuller of the Old Fashioned Revival Hour, shortly before his death:
“Next Sunday you are to talk about Heaven. I am interested in that land because I have held a clear title to a bit of property there for over fifty years. I did not buy it. It was given to me without money and without price; but the donor purchased it for me at a tremendous sacrifice.
I am not holding it for speculation. It is not a vacant lot. For more than half a century I have been sending materials out of which the greatest Architect of the Universe has been building a home for me, which will never need remodeling or repairs because it will suit me perfectly, individually, and will never grow old.
Termites can never undermine its foundation for it rests upon the Rock of Ages. Fire cannot destroy it, floods cannot wash it away. No lock or bolts will ever be placed upon the doors, for no vicious person can ever enter that land, where my dwelling stands, now almost completed and almost ready for me to enter in and abide in peace eternally, without fear of being rejected.
There is a valley of deep shadow between this place where I now live, and that to which I shall journey in a very short time. I cannot reach my home in that city without passing through this valley. But I am not afraid because the best Friend I ever had went through the same valley long, long ago and drove away all its gloom.
He stuck with me through thick and thin since we first became acquainted fifty-five years ago, and I hold His promise in printed form, never to forsake me or leave me alone. He will be with me as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and I shall not lose my way because He is with me.
I hope to hear your sermon on Heaven next Sunday, but I have no assurance I shall be able to do so. My ticket to Heaven has no date marked for the journey, no return coupon and no permit for baggage. Yes, I am ready to go and I may not be here while you are talking next Sunday evening, but I will meet you there someday.”
All I can say is, “Praise the Lord!” I can hardly wait for that day! Until then I will do everything I can to show men, women, boys and girls the way to glory.
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 20, 2009 | Psalm
Psalm 46:1-3
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah”
How do you react when the bottom drops out of your life? Have you, or someone you know, experienced a heart wrenching catastrophe? Joyce and I have lost both sets of our parents and also our oldest daughter. I officiated at the funeral service for our daughter and my mother. I know we will see them again, but it still aches.
Back in 1871 a Christian lawyer by the name of Horatio Spafford invested heavily in real estate in Chicago, Illinois. On October 8th of that year a great fire swept across the city and burned for three days. Mr. Spafford had lost a son and now the fire dealt him a horrible financial blow.
In spite of the loss, Horatio, his wife and four daughters planned to go to London and assist D. L. Moody and Ira Sankey in their evangelistic crusade. Just before they were to leave, an unexpected business matter arose that prevented Horatio from sailing as scheduled. He persuaded his wife and the four daughters to go on ahead and he would follow in a few days.
On November 22nd, the ship they were sailing on collided with another vessel and sank in a very short period of time. All four of his daughters perished at sea. As this heartsick father sailed to be with his wife, he was notified by the captain when he neared the spot where his daughters had drowned.
Alone on the deck he gazed out across the billowing waves. In that moment he realized that his daughters were with the Lord and his Lord was with him. Picture him as he penned the first verse of the song, 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.”
I can visualize this man who had lost so much resting his faith and trust in the Lord he had chosen as his personal Savior. The second verse continues his total trust and dependence on his Lord:
“Though Satan should buffet,
though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.”
To access It Is Well With My Soul, this week’s free inspirational video from GloryScapes.com, please go to: http://www.gloryscapes.com/itiswellwithmysoul 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
