The Pastor's Pocket

Remember when you first began to read the Word of God? It was fresh – filled with promises, and you could not wait to hear the Pastor preach from it again. You fell in love with the scriptures that told you about Jesus and all that He did for people. Wait! Was that you who was sleeping through the sermon last Sunday?   I have some good news. A loss of wonder and amazement is a condition that can be remedied. Not only can we get it back, but we can consistently maintain it. The question is this; are you willing to admit you have lost the wonder? Do you find yourself just going through the motions in your worship, your Bible reading and witnessing efforts? Has your relationship with the Lord grown cold, dull and you feel a thousand miles from God? If this describes you my friend, you have lost the wonder of your faith. So how do you get that back? Let me offer a few suggestions: ·          Renew your focus on Jesus. Read Hebrews 12:1-2. Get your eyes back on Him. He will never disappoint

Acts 3:10 says, “And they were filled with wonder and amazement”. Most of these people had never seen a miracle like this before. A man, crippled since birth, now jumping around, and walking all by himself. No doubt about it – he was healed. Their reaction? The Bible says they were all amazed and “filled with wonder” – meaning they were overwhelmed, blown away, overjoyed, for this man’s good fortune.  I think one of the great tragedies of our day, is the number of Christians who have lost the wonder of their faith. They no longer believe God can do great things, amazing things, and this has affected their prayer life, their worship, their soul-winning efforts, and their consistent time in personal Bible study.  Over the years, I have observed this problem grow worse and worse. Many churches have lost their shout. There seems to be a lack of joy in the camp.  The enthusiasm is gone. A spirit of heaviness hangs over the congregation like a wet blanket. Pastors are discouraged. Many have

  Only God never changes (Malachi 3:6). Everything else in your life and mine changes.   Nothing stays the same. The weather, our bodies, the company you work for, the church you attend, your marriage, your children, the country you live in, the town where you reside; all of these things and a hundred more go through changes.   It’s part of life.   We all tend to resist change; we are comfortable when things stay the same.   But life teaches us that change occurs – it just does. Christians seem resistant to change as much as anyone else.   When change occurs for the better, we need to accept it, even embrace it!   I’ve been around people that long for “the good ol’ days”. But life on earth brings change and some of it is an improvement over the old.   For example, would you really want to return to the days without air conditioning? I doubt it.   How about trading your car in for a horse and buggy? I doubt you would go for that either. Don’t decry change my friend. Like it or not,

  The great prophet Isaiah once spoke these words, “Here I am Lord”. What is involved in saying that?   It means; all I have Lord; I place at your disposal.   Perhaps you think you have nothing to offer the Almighty, but how can you think that if you are created in the image of God?   Hear me friend, when you give to God what you have, He gives to you what He has!   Power, wisdom, discernment, His anointing, gifts, talent; it all comes freely your way when you give yourself to Him.   Too many Christians are convinced they don’t have anything to offer to the Kingdom.   Benjamin Franklin, remember him from History Class?   “Old Ben” had less than 2 years of formal education and yet he founded America’s first library.   At age 30, he started the first fire department. At age 36, he designed a heating stove that is still used to this day.   At age 40, he harnessed the power of electricity. At age 45, he launched the nation’s first university, and at age 79, he invented bifocals.   He was

  There is a powerful lesson about prayer in Exodus 17:8-16.   Verse 8 says, “Then came Amalek…” These bands of raiders in the desert were the Israelites first adversaries in the wilderness after they left Egypt.   The Amalekites were descendants of Esau (Genesis 36:12).   They attacked Israel from the rear and were a thorn in their side for many years to come. Amalekites could represent any number of things: problems, troubles, adversaries, headaches – anything that drives us crazy!   Joshua was instructed to gather men to fight while Moses went up on top of a hill to pray and intercede for them.   Aaron and Hur went with him.   As it turned out, the real battle was not with those fighting in the desert, but rather with the intercessors on the mountain.   God gave the victory while Moses prayed and Aaron and Hur held up his arms.   Why does it take us so long to learn that intercessory prayer is far more important than organization, programs, armies, money, or even education? Ther

  The highest level an athlete can attain in just about any sport is Pro (professional). Huge numbers of people play a sport in high school. Very few, however, ever make it to the professional level.   For example, in baseball, if an athlete is good enough in high school, he may go on to the college level. He may be noticed and sign with a team that sends him to the minor league level.   Eventually, if he works hard and develops his skills, he may make it to the “Big Leagues”. Only a handful ever make it that far.   In golf, only 2% of all the people around the world who play the game will ever attain the professional level and make a living playing golf.   In the Christian life, it is the desire of God for every believer to reach full maturity.   This requires effort and growth.   Ephesians 1:4 says, “…that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.”   To attain this goal, we must “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18)

Joel 2:25a, “and I will restore”. Our God is a God of restoration. Yes, He will chasten us for disobedience and bad behavior, but because of His grace and mercy, He is eager to restore His children to fellowship, and a place of blessing. He does this over and over in our lives. Paul wrote in Romans 5:20, “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound”.  Everyone makes mistakes in life. There is the seed of rebellion in each of us. Paul said in Romans l7, “in my flesh dwelleth no good thing”. There is a 100% chance we will fail the Lord over and over again, not because we want to, but because “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). When you read the Old Testament, you will discover that the Israelites failed to follow God’s instructions repeatedly. They were chastened by the Lord for their rebellious ways, but when the prophets prophesied against them, they gave them a message of HOPE as well. Read Joel 2:23-27, the context for our text today, “I will restore”.