by Pastor Cecil | Sep 12, 2016 | Romans
Romans 7:19
“For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.”
Sometimes I have every intention of doing a particular thing, but before long I realize that my best intentions remain just that . . . BEST INTENTIONS. It was not that I did not intend to do something, the opportunity just slipped by and it was too late.
Paul is very candid about confessing his failure to do the right thing in his own strength. I am so glad he did not try to picture himself as some super saint that was able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. In his own strength he could do nothing. That honesty speaks to me of true humility.
His honesty encourages us to readily admit that often what we intend to do is far different than what we actually end up doing. We may have the best intentions of doing something for the Lord, but we become distracted by other things. Before long our best intention is nothing but a faded memory.
The way to insure that our best intentions are fulfilled is to prayerfully make a list to schedule our meaningful activities. When we do this we will see that we have more time to do for the Lord and can say: BEST INTENTIONS FULFILLED!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 21, 2016 | Romans
Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
There once was an expression; “A day’s wages for a day’s work.” I am not sure if that is still modern day thinking. It seems to be more like; “You can afford it so give me a wage whether I earn it or not.” It seems to be proper to cheat our employers by not giving our all on the job.
In today’s Scripture we have two contrasting words; wages and gift. Immediately we are struck by the differences. Wages come as a result of what we do. A gift is given as an expression of favor from by another. It is what they do.
Immediately I think we can see the difference. It is almost like Satan being our harsh task master. When we yield to sin we are promised wages. It reminds me of the old mining towns where the company owned everything. The wage was not in currency, but in company tokens. They could only be used to pay for company housing, food in the company store and medicine from the company clinic. The wage was death!
On the opposite side of the coin, so to speak, God has offered us a gift. It is a free gift. It is an eternal gift of never ending life. It was paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross. As with any other gift, it must be accepted. Have you received your gift yet?
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 13, 2016 | Romans
Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Over the years I have officiated at hundreds of funeral services, some of them for members of my own family, others for members of my congregation. There are others where I officiated at the request of the funeral home. The small church that I pastor even holds services at a local funeral home.
Several weeks ago I was entering the funeral home through the employee’s door and happened to glance up to the alcove above the door. I could see a bird’s nest and the head of a small swallow. It was a mother hatching her clutch of eggs. The following week there were several tiny heads visible in the nest. Her eggs had hatched! In a few days they were all gone.
Last Sunday I was entering through that door again and looked up to the nest. There was the mother swallow’s head again. Another clutch of eggs were soon to be hatched to enter the world of soaring high and catching insects.
The swallows have made me aware that in this funeral home that has witnessed many tears at the passing of loved ones, there is also new birth and life. For those of us who have been born again, a funeral home is not just a place of death, but a time to celebrate the entry into a life that will never end. Life among death!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 4, 2016 | Romans
Romans 12:18
“If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”
Those of us who have raised children, and even those of us who have ever been around children, have no doubt heard the words, “I do it myself!” It does not matter that the little one may be completely incompetent, he or she wants to do it by themselves.
When my precious wife began to demonstrate signs of dementia, we had to make many decisions for her welfare. I still remember her declaring, “I know my own body!” The problem was that she didn’t. In many ways it was like dealing with a young child all over again.
Spiritually speaking, we are very much the same way. We think we know more than God when it comes to running our own lives. Let’s get serious! There is no way we can even come close to understanding what lies ahead for us. God knows!
On this date we celebrate Independence Day here in the United States. Many nations celebrate a certain day when their country became independent. I want to celebrate this day as a day when I proclaim my utter Dependence on the Lord. I can’t. He can! That’s all I need to know! LET’S GO!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 14, 2016 | Romans
Romans 3:23
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
In the U.S., as in most other nations, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This has produced a mentality that demands that we be proven guilty before we actually are adjudged guilty. As kids we may be accused of some minor indiscretion and cry out, “Prove it!”
When we look into God’s Word we discover that we have all been born into sin and are sinners by nature. That means we are not the innocent little creatures that some picture infants to be until they are contaminated by a sinful world.
The fact that we are guilty from the beginning, as a result of Adam’s sin, reveals that we need to be redeemed. Redemption must be provided by a totally sinless human. The only sinless human was and is Jesus Christ.
We are guilty until our sins are confessed and we invite Jesus to come into our heart and become our Savior. He was both God and man and He was not guilty from the beginning, but He became sin that we might have redemption. We are guilty until His blood is applied to our life. Praise the Lord!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jun 2, 2016 | Romans
Romans 12:10
“Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer.”
I am so glad I grew up in an era when kids were taught to behave. I did not appreciate it at the time, but the consistent discipline of my parents helped shape me into the man I became. Countless times I heard that stern word — BEHAVE!
Somewhere along the line I learned that I could bring joy to my parents if I would simply behave on my own. That was especially true when I was left unattended. It resulted in satisfaction for them as well as for the Lord.
As we read the words of today’s Scripture, we find instruction to help us behave regardless of where we are. In hope … we rejoice! In tribulation … we are patient! In prayer … we are steadfast.
Where are you at this moment? Wherever you are or wherever you find yourself in the future, remember Romans 12:12. We have a confidence the world can never know. It is the assurance that what God has given us by the blood of Jesus Christ gives us the power and will to BEHAVE!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
