The Pastor's Pocket

  “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name forever.” Psalm 34:3 Magnify the Lord…how do we do that?  God is already “huge” in every way.  He is greater in His wisdom, His power; nothing is too hard for Him!  The idea is to expand our thinking about Him.  For example, when you put something under a microscope and then look at it, it’s not that what you’re observing through the microscope is actually any larger, but it appears bigger to you because of the lens. The truth is, our God is Great; truly Awesome and Glorious; and it’s time we saw Him “bigger” in our mind and in our spirit.  He’s bigger than your problem, bigger than the Doctor’s report, bigger than your enemies, bigger than your burdens, bigger than your financial troubles, bigger than your pain, bigger than your failures, and yes, bigger than your sin (Romans 5:20). Learn to see God bigger than anything or anyone and it will lift your heavy heart and increase your faith! The Pastor’s Pocket Pastor Bruce Freeman

  Our God is an awesome God! Has anyone reminded you of this truth lately? I Chronicles 29:11-13 says, “Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.” David penned these words after God’s people had freely given a huge offering for the temple.  He was overwhelmed by the generosity of His people and their love for the Lord, and yet, the King knew it was God who was responsible for this offering and so he offered up praise to Him.  “It’s not about us, it’s all about Him”?  I have declared this many, many times, and it is so true.  We have nothing to boast in except in the God

  There’s no doubt about it, we live today at a frantic pace.  Our whole culture seems caught up in the life-in-the-fast-lane.  It is like everybody has A.D.D.!  The danger though is that we are so busy, we don’t take time to slow down and listen for God’s “small still voice”. Rare is the Christian or the Church that takes the time to seek God’s face.  I’m always somewhat stunned when I read God’s message to the churches in Revelation 2 and 3.  When He repeatedly says, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches”. How can we hear what God is trying to say to us if there is so much noise and busyness in our lives and His voice is drowned out? Jesus was one of the busiest people who ever lived!  He constantly had people approaching Him with their problems, sicknesses and disease, and yet He often withdrew to quiet places to get alone with His Father (Luke 5:16, Matthew 14:23, Mark 6:46). If Jesus saw the need to slow down and get alone with the Father and l

  We all have a life to live out, and we must take responsibility for the way we choose to live it.  Influences come from all directions; family, friends, the media, etc.  But in the end, we are all accountable for how we live our lives (Romans 14:12). We who know Christ as our Savior, often stumble and fall, but we have a Shepherd (John 10:11).  One who seeks to guide us, protect us and comfort us as we travel along our journey.  Only the Christian can claim the mercy and forgiveness offered by the Shepherd to those who fall. What is the alternative to the Christian life and the journey of faith?  It is not pretty! It is a crowded path, a path of darkness (John 3:19). A path that is filled with peril and danger and at any time the unbeliever can step into eternity without Christ. You have a choice! You can go with God and enjoy a path of blessing, unconditional love and forgiveness, or you can go it on your own, walk in darkness, and risk stumbling into a Christ-less eternity.  It’s a

  Are you moving forward in your faith? Unless we make a conscious effort to keep growing in our faith and moving forward in the Lord, we have a tendency to drift, stagnate, weaken, and even grow complacent and lazy. In the natural world, if you buy a nice bunch of bananas at the grocery story, bring them home and put them on the kitchen counter, if you haven’t eaten those bananas in several days, take a good look at them and what do you see?  It’s a reality we can’t ignore. Things left to themselves tend to go downhill. For every Christian there are spiritual forces at work to weaken us.  The pressures of life, the attacks of Satan, the forces of this world system, all these things will hinder our walk with God if we don’t make an effort to stay “fresh” and in-touch with our Savior. Pay attention to your spiritual condition!  Feed your “inner man” this week.  Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:14-16, “for this cause, I bow my knees unto the Father”. He prayed that the Christians in Ephesus wou

 We must learn to trust God with everything, even when what He’s doing doesn’t make sense to us.  Trusting Him brings Him great pleasure! Abraham followed God not knowing where he was going. Hannah waited on God’s timing, not knowing when her baby would come.  Mary expected a miracle not knowing how it would come about. Joseph trusted God’s purpose, not knowing why things happened as they did. God wants to be in control of every area of our lives it we will just let him.  Many Christians have not learned to trust God with their money, so they don’t tithe.  Some believers fail to trust the Lord in their relationships, so they push and try to manipulate people in their life. Let’s just LET GO! Quit trying to control every situation and let God work His sovereign plan.  It’s His purpose that matters! Trust the Lord my friend, and remember this: nothing under His control is ever out of control. The Pastor’s Pocket Pastor Bruce Freeman

  Satan hates finishers! He loves quitters however. This is why we must determine to be faithful believers and complete the things God calls us to do.  If the devil can discourage us and influence us to give up on the things God has assigned us to do, the tasks will go unfinished. Consider this; Jesus was a finisher (John 19:30, 17:4, Hebrews 12:2). The Apostle Paul was a finisher (2 Timothy 4:7).  These examples encourage us and help us realize that even though the temptation to quit on God is always there, we can complete the tasks that the Lord has given us. No matter where you are in your Christian journey; near the beginning of your walk with God, near the end, or somewhere in the middle; determine to be a finisher!  Work hard, run well, and never, ever, ever, ever give up.  The Pastor’s Pocket Pastor Bruce Freeman