by Pastor Cecil | Jul 31, 2013 | Romans
Romans 5:6-7
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.
One of the men from our church family had major surgery today. I have spoken with his wife several times following the successful surgery to get updates on his progress. Recovering from major surgery is a mess! I think it may be harder on the family who watch than the patient who recovers.
I have had several major surgeries in my life, but one stands out in my mind. It was at a hospital in Boise, Idaho. For some reason I regained awareness in the operating room. I felt no pain, but I was fully aware of the conversations and being wheeled down the hall to the intensive care unit.
They had a breathing apparatus taped to my face and some type of petroleum jelly in my eyes. I had absolutely no way of communicating with others, but I was fully aware of my surroundings.
Joyce and my mom came into the recovery room and almost passed out. It was such a shock to them that they were certain I was done for! I can still remember my sweet wife reading passages from the Book of Psalms to me. She was not sure I was going to last much longer. Thankfully one of our friends was a surgeon. When he came in and saw her concern, he apologized that they had not explained the recovery process.
There are times in our life (many of them) when we are powerless. One of the most significant comes in being born into the family of God. We are powerless to earn our salvation. It is only by grace through faith. Thank God that our blessed Jesus came into the world and paid the price. It is only by His shed blood that we are saved! We might be powerless, but He is all powerful!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 22, 2013 | Romans
Romans 8:28
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
I spend much of my driving time watching my rear-view mirror. It prevents being surprised by what may be over-taking me. The older I get the more I recall things from the past. I guess you might call it looking in the rear-view mirror of my life.
When I mention looking in the rear-view of my life, I do not mean that I long for the good old days. There have been many experiences that I did not consider good at the time and would not have chosen if I had the choice. Yet it has been many of these situations that God has used to bring about His work in my life.
Joyce and I know what it is to stand by the bedside of a daughter who has only a brief time to live. We have waited expectantly outside the operating room while our granddaughter donated one of her kidneys to her aunt (our youngest daughter). We have spent hours in a hospital with our son who almost lost his arm in a horrible automobile accident.
In these, as well as other incidents, God has given us an opportunity to stand beside others who were passing through the deep valleys of their life. We can honestly say that Romans 8:28 rings true—God uses everything for His good and glory!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 11, 2013 | Romans
Romans 5:1-5
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Back during my college days I was carrying a heavy load. We had two children at the time. I was working 48 hours each week and carry a full college load of 18 hours. It just seemed as if there was never enough time to study and prepare. When I took a test I always HOPED I would get a passing grade. (I finally graduated!)
The word hope is an interesting word in scripture. It is the Greek word elpis. It means a joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation. That means when we read passages with the word hope, it is not a stab in the dark and wistfully hoping it will come out okay. It is the strong and confident assurance that our home is an eternal home. This world is going to pass away and what we do for Christ is the most vital task we can accomplish.
Read Romans 5:1-5 once again. In fact, read it over and over. Allow Him to show you that He knows your needs far better than you do and you can place your hope in Him with confidence!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Mar 4, 2013 | Romans
Romans 7:19-20
For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
My wife Joyce and I were enjoying a breakfast at a local breakfast restaurant. Across from us was a young father with his 14 month old daughter. She was seated in a booster chair, but insisted on standing up. Over and over he asked her to sit down and then would have to pick her up and sit her back down, only to have her pop back up.
This scenario went on for several more times before he finally took the time to fasten the safety belt that prevented her from standing. At the same time their order arrived so there was not a fuss made by the little one.
It made me think of the story about a small boy that was driving his mother crazy with his antics (It may have been me). His mother reached the end of her patience and placed him on a footstool with the threat of a spanking if he got up. The boy commented that he may be sitting down on the outside, but he was standing up on the inside!
Many people read the Word of God faithfully and understand what it says. They even know the consequences for failure to obey. They finally yield and sit in obedience to the Lord to God on the outside, but they are still standing up on the inside. God has a special blessing for those who not only obey on the outside, but also on the inside. Which are you?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Feb 18, 2013 | Romans
Romans 15:30-31
Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me, that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints.
It may just be bad vibes from the past, but recently my mind went back to my high school days and a process known as the bench. I call it a process for lack of a better term.
Let me explain what I mean when I use the term in this issue of the Daily-E. It was a penalty for not maintaining a passing average in all of the classes being taken in school. If you dropped below a C average, you were placed on the bench.
Being on the bench prevented a person from being able to participate in any and all extracurricular activities. That is a fancy term that means you are banned from athletic teams, band, drama or any other fun stuff that high school kids live for. I must confess that my academic achievements were not what they should have been back then and each week I dreaded looking on the board to see if I had been benched. It happened a few times.
I cannot relive those days of yesteryear, but I can strive to be all that God wants me to be for Him today. That is why I eagerly greet each day with anticipation of being the very best servant the Lord calls me to be. No bench for me please!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 29, 2012 | Romans
Romans 10:14
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
This week I received a call from my sister-in-law. In the conversation she asked if I had heard that Floyd had died. Floyd is my cousin’s husband and a special man in my life. He tirelessly visited my mother when she was in an assisted living center. It was hundreds of miles from where we live and his visits were a God send. I told her that I had no idea that he had died. It stunned me even further when she said that he had died over a month ago. I could not believe that I was not informed that he had gone to be with the Lord.
As I mentioned the fact of his passing to other members of the family, it seemed that almost everyone knew about it except me. The comment that I heard was: I figured someone had told you, so I never called.
All around us are people who are lost and on their way to an eternity of suffering beyond our wildest imagination. It is a sad commentary that we all too often convince ourselves that someone has already told them about Jesus and the salvation that is theirs as a free gift at Christ’s expense. How do we know?
If the opportunity arises, we may be the one and only opportunity that some person will hear the gospel message. Please do not take the easy way out and hope that someone has shared, or will share, the hope of salvation. What a tragedy to think that someone was lost saying: NO ONE TOLD ME!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
