Isaiah 40:3-5

A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’

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“I Wonder As I Wander” is a hymn written by folklorist John Jacob Niles (1892-1980), based on a song fragment he heard while traveling in the southern Appalachians.

Niles derived the germ of the song from Annie Morgan, the young daughter of a traveling evangelist, in Murphy, North Carolina, in 1933. He then composed a complete folk song that he performed while accompanying himself on the dulcimer.

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I Wonder As I Wander by John Jacob Niles

I wonder as I wander out under the sky,
How Jesus the Savior did come for to die.
For poor on’ry people like you and like I…
I wonder as I wander out under the sky.

When Mary birthed Jesus ’twas in a cow’s stall,
With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all.
But high from God’s heaven a star’s light did fall,
And the promise of ages it then did recall.

If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing,
A star in the sky, or a bird on the wing,
Or all of God’s angels in heav’n for to sing,
He surely could have it, ’cause he was the King.

I wonder as I wander out under the sky,
How Jesus the Savior did come for to die.
For poor on’ry people like you and like I…
I wonder as I wander out under the sky.

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You can enjoy this week’s inspirational video from GloryScapes by going to https://gloryscapes.com/iwonderasiwander/

May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!

– – – Pastor Cecil

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths..

There is an old joke that I heard years ago. It seems that a chicken and a pig were discussing what they could do to show their appreciation to farmer Brown. The chicken suggested that they should honor him by providing a breakfast of ham and eggs. The pig snorted that for the chicken it would just be giving an offering — for him it would be a total commitment.

What a silly story… yet it becomes all too appropriate when we relate it to our spiritual walk with the Lord. There are many Christians who are satisfied with only giving a token offering. They do not want to be associated with those they consider to be wild eyed religious fanatics.

As I study the lives of the Old Testament and New Testament saints, I find that they were far sighted and solid in faith. They looked beyond the frothy things of this world and saw the reality of eternity with the Lord.

In today’s Scripture, we have a road map for our life. When we place our complete trust in the Lord we have the confident assurance that He will direct our paths. I choose to have the Lord of the universe direct my life. I trust in Him!

Blessings dear heart! Walk with God today and be a blessing!

– – – Pastor Cecil

James 1:17

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

I must confess that when it comes to selecting gifts, I am a complete and utter failure. My wife, Joyce was the one who always seemed to be able to select just the right gift for each and every person.

In today’s Scripture, James introduces us to the ultimate and perfect gift. It is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. James was the earthly half-brother of Jesus and did not come to faith until after the resurrection of our Lord. But the time was not what was important, but that he received the good and perfect gift!

We who have been born again have the privilege of offering this supernatural gift to a lost and dying world. People around us may scoff and belittle the claims of Christ, but the truth stands firm and true, Jesus Christ is the One and only answer to the sin problem.

God’s gift is good and perfect, but like every other gift, it only has value when it is received and opened. Share this priceless gift with others in order that they might discover that it is the ultimate gift that will last for all eternity!

Blessings dear hearts walk with God today and become a blessing!

– – – Pastor Cecil

Isaiah 59:1

Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear.

As fallen sinners we often eagerly accept God’s forgiveness of our sins and faults. All too often we hold grudges and resentments against those who have done something to cause us pain or inconvenience. (Recall your reaction when someone cut in line ahead of you rather than waiting their turn!)

It is easy to feel justified in our sinful reactions to the irritations others cause us. The only way that I can think of in dealing with the painful situations of life is to ask ourselves; WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?

When we feel resentment when we are insulted and offended, remember that Jesus always forgave when He was treated with cruelty and abuse. Jesus was quick to defend the repentant sinner while just as quick to chastise the self-righteous accusers.

As followers of Jesus we need to be willing to endure insults and hardships in the name of Jesus. That does not mean that we are to be obnoxious pains to those around us and then claim that we are suffering for Jesus. No, we can easily be suffering because we are a pain! Jesus hears and saves. We must be like Him!

Blessings dear hearts walk with God today and become a blessing!

– – – Pastor Cecil

Ephesians 2:8-10

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Today I was listening to a local radio station that plays only music from the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s. One of the songs was unfamiliar to me and I was struck by the message that it conveyed.

The lyrics said that you have to live right to get to heaven. That false message has been around for generations. IT IS WRONG! The stuff Hollywood has been dishing out for years is false.

No bells ring and we do not become angels. We are a separate creation from the angels and God has graciously given us the opportunity to become the bride of Christ. I think it is natural for us to feel that we have to do something in order to earn our salvation, but it just is not so.

When I was in the U.S. Air Force I served as a Minuteman Missile Launch Officer. There were weeks of schooling followed by hours spent in a simulator.

Every step we took was under the careful scrutiny of our instructors. After successfully completing the required work we received our Missile Combat Officer’s pin. QUALIFIED!

There is no such requirement in the spiritual realm.

There are no classes to take, tests to pass, or evaluations to be made. It is a sincere decision to confess that we are sinners in need of a savior and invite Jesus to come into our heart.

From that very moment we are qualified!

Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today and be a blessing!

– – – Pastor Cecil

1 Corinthians 10:13

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

Listen to today’s Message of the Week, “Our Way of Escape!” by clicking above on the play button.

Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today and be a blessing!

– – – Pastor Cecil

Matthew 5:11-12

“Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

Listen to today’s Message of the Week, “Endure Persecution!” by clicking above on the play button.

Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today and be a blessing!

– – – Pastor Cecil

Ephesians 3:20

Our God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.

It is a miracle that I am still alive today. Food safety guidelines require that certain foods, such as chicken and potato salad, be stored at cold temperatures. My dear old Grandma Shubert lived in another era.

My family would often travel from the state of Washington to the Oklahoma Panhandle to visit my grandparents and other relatives. Many times when we were ready to leave, Grandma would prepare fried chicken and potato salad, put them in a paper grocery bag and send it with us for our lunch on the road. Being summertime, the temperature was very warm and we traveled several hours before stopping for lunch — it was still very hot.

We would open up that grocery bag and thank the Lord for His provision, then dive in. I can never remember a time when any of us got sick from it. I guess it would land us in the hospital if we ate that way today!

Jesus is our ultimate provider. I love the way Paul expresses it: “. . . abundantly above all that we ask or think.” That is the kind of provision that the world will never be able to provide. If you have never received that type of provision, bow your head right now and ask the Lord to give it to you.

May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!

– – – Pastor Cecil