by Pastor Cecil | Jun 16, 2015 | Romans
Romans 6:4
“Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
Have you ever met people who claimed to have accepted the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior and Lord, yet they continued to live the same hollow lives they did before? Some may call them carnal Christians, but in reality they may not be Christians at all.
In today’s Scripture Paul was writing to believers in Rome about how they should live. One day he would be there in person to live out what he was telling them. It is one thing to preach, but another thing to live it!
If Paul were to suddenly appear in your home, your work place, or your church, what do you think he would find? Let me take that another step further. What if Jesus would appear in those places? Does that make you a little uncomfortable?
Let me be so bold as to rattle your cage even more. If you truly have given your heart to the Lord Jesus and accepted Him as Lord of your life, the Holy Spirit is always with you. When you do those questionable things that you think no one sees . . . the Holy Spirit sees! Wherever you go and whatever you do is known to the Lord. How then should we live our life? “Walk in newness of life.”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 14, 2015 | Romans
Romans 13:11-12
“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.”
When our oldest daughter, Brenda, was six years old, she became very nauseated and vomited everything she ate or drank for over two days. We took her to our family doctor who prescribed medication. There were four doses of the medication, but we were only able to get the last one to remain in her body. (Thank the Lord!)
We learned that the pharmacist had mis-filled the prescription — instead of the prescribed 2.5 mg., he had filled 25 mg. It was a huge difference for a small child. Within an hour Brenda was in a coma. We had no emergency room and the doctor came and sat beside her for several hours. The prognosis was very bleak.
After thirty-six hours at about 3:30 a.m., Brenda woke up. It was a time of rejoicing for us. The first thing she said was, “I’m hungry!” We asked her what she wanted and her request was for a hamburger. The only place open that hour of the morning was a grungy tavern/café that always stayed open to serve the railroad workers. I made a beeline for the place and returned with a burger and fries. She kept the food down and the long ordeal was over.
Sometimes I feel that many believers are like Brenda. They are in a spiritual coma and while they are not dead, they are lifeless. Do you find yourself in that condition right now? “ . . . let us put on the armor of light.”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Apr 1, 2015 | Romans
Romans 8:28-30
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.”
It is fantastic the way the Lord is able to work in ways that we cannot explain to touch a life that may not be open to traditional methods. Such was the case many years ago in Nampa, Idaho. At the time I was on the staff of a large church. The captain of our prayer chain was Blanche McBee. My wife, Joyce worked at an attorney firm in the city.
One of the young women who worked in the same office with Joyce was cynical to anything spiritual. There seemed to be no way of breaking through her barrier to the claims of the gospel. That is until God stepped in.
One morning this young woman returned from a trip to the post office. She had a thick notebook and started reading in it every chance she had. The next day she asked Joyce if she knew a woman named Blanche McBee, who attended our church. Joyce immediately said she did and that Blanche was the captain of our prayer chain. “That explains it!” she said. You see Blanche had listed the specific prayer requests and then documented when the prayer was answered.
It turned things around for the cynical young lady. She was now open to the things of God. On the other end, Blanche was ecstatic that her lost notebook had been found. Never feel that things are out of control. God is in control!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 6, 2014 | Romans
Romans 8:26-27
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.
Several years ago I read a newspaper article about a popular baseball player who had a very ill daughter. Her condition was extremely critical and immediate care was necessary. This loving father held his daughter in his arms as the technicians attempted to start an IV.
They tried one arm but could not get a vein. They tried the other arm with the same negative results. As a last resort they started one of her feet. The pain was terrible for both the little girl and her father. She looked up at him as if to ask why he was allowing them to hurt me like this.
The father was John Olerud. As a dedicated Christian he gave a profoundly wise and spiritual comment. “She had to trust me. It’s the same situation we’re in with God. We have to trust what we don’t understand, and even if He explained it, we might not understand. Our plan was to have healthy kids. God planned something else.”
It is inevitable that we will go through painful ordeals in this life. All too often when we pass through these times of pain, we waste our energies attempting to understand why. Listen! If God wants us to know why, He will let us know. Until then, let’s just keep on fully trusting God!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Nov 4, 2014 | Romans
Romans 5:17
For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
My wife, Joyce, once worked as a Legislative Aide for the Washington House of Representatives. One day another Aide brought her grandson to the office so that her co-workers could meet him. (Isn’t it strange how grandmothers seem to be proud of their grandchildren?!)
Joyce wanted to give the little boy a treat and rummaged through her purse (which, by the way, has a bottomless pit!) until she found a small package of peanuts left over from an airline flight. From that day on, every time the little boy came with his grandmother for a visit, he would shyly slip up to Joyce’s desk and ask if she had any more peanuts. On one visit he said he was not feeling well. When Joyce expressed sympathy, he told her that he thought some peanuts would help.
Brenda, our oldest daughter, died when she was 35. Our youngest daughter, Lori, was facing death with a failed kidney and pancreas. The kidney was graciously donated by our granddaughter Jenna, and the pancreas from a cadaver.
Lori was given the ultimate gift of life, but she received a far more precious gift when she accepted Jesus Christ into her heart. We can give and receive gifts in this world, but we need to remember that the ULTIMATE GIFT was provided by Jesus when He died on the cross to give us eternal life!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil
by Pastor Cecil | Jul 22, 2014 | Romans
Romans 5:1-4
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.
Several years ago I began to experience pain on my side that was so excruciating I could hardly bear it. It turned out to be shingles, but I did not have the external sores that are usually associated with shingles. Instead, it attacked the nerve in my left leg and, within a week, I could not move my leg. I was forced to use crutches for over a month.
There is not a day that passes without us being exposed to those who are suffering. At times we might even be the ones who feel the agonizing grip of pain. Since pain is so much a part of our human experience, we need to seek God’s answer for how to endure suffering.
It is strange that Paul writes that we are to glory in our sufferings. Remember that Paul himself had a thorn in the flesh that he prayed for God to remove. Three times he prayed, and three times God refused and reminded Paul that His grace was sufficient.
Paul learned to glory in his suffering. The reason was that through suffering he could allow God to produce perseverance, which prompted character, and finally hope. This type of hope is a confident expectation that God is in control. It is my desire to live in such a way that my suffering will lead me closer to my Lord!
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
– – – Pastor Cecil
