by Pastor Cecil | Dec 12, 2018 | Psalm
Psalm 103:1
“Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!”
When my wife Joyce and I were high school seniors, Joyce was crowned Homecoming Queen. I can still picture her sitting in the gymnasium on a makeshift throne along with her court. The crown on her head signified that she had been voted Queen of our student body.
The position carried no monetary rewards and on the following Monday the other students did not bow to her. She was just the same Joyce Harper as she had been before the coronation.
Our present-day society suffers from a short supply of love and mercy (compassion). It seems more and more that we live in a dog-eat-dog world. Even Christians seem to be caught up in the struggle to get ahead regardless of the needs of others.
My sweet “Homecoming Queen” might have surrendered her crown after that night so long ago, but she has received a far greater crown from the Lord. She had the qualities of love and mercy as a gift from God and went to be with Him almost four years ago. She now has a crown that will last for eternity!
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Dec 4, 2018 | Psalm
Psalm 51:10
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
Have you ever wondered who you count on to do what they have promised to do? Let me ask another, more penetrating question. Have you ever made a commitment to someone and after days, weeks, or even months later realize that you have failed to follow through? You have betrayed your trust, my friend!
It is a serious thing to violate your promises to those around you. But what about promises to the Lord? What promises have you made to Him that you have failed to keep? This is a question that I try to apply to myself as often as possible. I must confess that there have been times I have had to hang my head in shame and ask the Lord to forgive my failure.
It is easy to see the faults of others while at the same time ignoring my own short comings. I think that the more easily we find fault in others, the easier it is to overlook the lack of trust in our own lives.
There have been many times that people have disappointed me by promising one thing and then doing another. It has hurt and made me to feel betrayed. At times they have renewed their commitment and once again demonstrated faithfulness. It is important that we live in such a manner that others can count on us!
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 27, 2018 | Psalm
Psalm 42:1
“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God.”
Thirst is something that cannot be ignored. The dehydration of the body can quickly lead to death, as we have seen with the tragic deaths of athletes who over exerted themselves in hot temperatures.
What about spiritual dehydration in believers? Let’s try to imagine what that looks like to see if you may be suffering from the ailment.
One of the symptoms of spiritual dehydration is prolonged absence from assembling in the house of the Lord. It leads to isolation and vulnerability to the temptations of the flesh.
Another symptom of spiritual dehydration is not spending time with God in personal communion, praying in the power of the Holy Spirit and reading His Word to hear Him speak to us.
Is that a choking sound I hear? How long has it been since you and God met for a visit?
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 26, 2018 | Psalm
Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
Do you need a quiet place, a place far away from the stress and turmoil of life? Such a quiet place is more of a spiritual state of mind than a physical location. We can experience quietness and peace even in the battles of life.
We can hear the Lord call to us from today’s passage of Scripture: “Be still, and know that I am God.” If we fail to take the time to be still in the presence of the Lord we will never experience the knowledge of His Lordship in our life. Failure to be still before Him will lead to our own efforts to work out our own solutions.
The quiet, healing, intimate presence of God is to be found only as we consciously make an effort to be alone with Him. Ask the Lord to show you a time that you may be able to devote time alone with Him: Early mornings before the rest of the family rises; at noon when you may be alone in your office; when the kids are down for a nap; after everyone has retired for the night; parked in your car beside a lake … I think you get the picture.
As you come to the quiet place, spend more time listening than speaking. You may read a verse or two, but then stop and meditate on what you have read. Wait in silence to hear the quiet voice of the Lord whispering peace and blessing within your inner being. Ahhhhh! How sweet the quiet!
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 20, 2018 | Psalm
Psalm 118:24
“Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.”
One cold winter morning I stepped outside for a moment and noticed a mist near the full moon. As I stood silently watching, it quickly vanished away. When I returned to my warm living room, I reflected on the way the mist had so quickly vanished. It reminded me of just how quickly life vanishes away.
Almost every day I read of the rich and famous, as well as the poor and unknown, who have come to the end of their lives on this earth and entered eternity. It is a reality that the death rate for humans is 100%, unless we are destined to depart in the rapture.
Along with this vaporous existence that we know as our life comes a vivid reality: How do we invest the days we have been allotted? Are they lived for the Lord in a way that will count for eternity, or do we waste our time on the here and now that will vanish away like the mist near a full moon?
I want my life to count for the Lord! I want my actions to draw people to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. On Christ the solid rock I stand and lift His holy name as that which will never vanish like the vapor.
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 19, 2018 | Psalm
Psalm 118:24
“This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Are you happy in the Lord? Do you anticipate the great and mighty things God has prepared for you to accomplish today? If you say you are happy in your heart, has your heart told your face about it?
There is something about a new day which gives us a hope of a bright new future. The Psalmist in today’s passage looked forward to a day when Messiah, Jesus our Lord, would come and establish a bright new day. He was so much committed to the coming of the Messiah that he chose to rejoice just in the anticipation of what the Lord was going to do.
The word “day” appears 1,732 times in the Bible and it is interesting to read some of the passages. Let me just give you the first and last. Genesis 1:5 is the first: God called the light DAY. The last use of the word is in Revelation 21:25: On no day will its (the New Jerusalem) gates ever be shut, for there shall be no night there.
That is our reason for rejoicing! There is a day in which there will be no night! There is a day when all our tears and sorrows will be a thing of the past. It will be such a day that we will not even be able to recall any of our pain and longing! It will be a day that will be unlike any day before — a day which will never end!
Blessings dear hearts! May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
