Pastor Bruce’s blog

I do know one thing; the Lord was very clear about possessions.  After being asked to deal with an inheritance dispute, and refusing to get involved, Jesus said this:  “A man’s life does not consist of the things which he possesses.”  Think about that for a few minutes.  What do we associate with most of the people we know?  We associate them with their house, their job, the kind of car they drive and where we perceive them to be on the earnings scale.  Sure, we then think of the broader qualities of their lives, but don’t we start with the temporal?  Most often we do.  Jesus said by implication that our lives, the quality and richness of our lives, has everything to do with our character and how we live from the inside, the heart.  And so it’s very likely that a rich man could have a life that consists of very little, even a negative, while a very poor person could have a life which holds a great deal of value.  Do you find yourself jealous of someone who has much of this world’s goods?  Refocus your attention on the value of a person of godly character and be provoked by them!  The bank accounts, the toys, will all disappear one day….PB

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It’s an amazing idea, that God Himself actually thinks of us.  Psalm 40.5 says “Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works which you have done.  And Your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to You in order.  If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.”  In Psalm 139.17, again God gives us this revelation.  “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!  How great is the sum of them!”  Did you know that right now, the Almighty is thinking of you?  Yes, He can handle thinking of 6.5 billion souls all at once and knowing each soul intimately.  And He has His eye on you.  For some, that’s too scary, that God might notice everything wrong about us and be thinking not-so-happy thoughts toward us.  For others who are convinced of His mercy, the idea that God is thinking of them brings the warm sense of His gracious favor to bear on their inner man.  The fact is that God is angry toward the sinner, the one who continually rebels.  But when someone is willing to admit their wrongs and come to Him, He is merciful.  Really merciful.  So that when He thinks of one who is humble enough to cry out to Jesus for forgiveness and make a change, He thinks new thoughts toward them.  Jeremiah 29.11 reveals “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”  If you’ve humbled yourself, He thinks of you in ways that build your life.  His anger is gone and His favor is in His thoughts toward you.  You won’t ever be acceptable in yourself, able to do right and good, but you will be able to humble yourself.  And when God thinks about you, He doesn’t just leave His thoughts in His head like we often do.  He always acts upon them.  Be encouraged, He thinks about you!  PB

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I was thrilled at what happened as a result of Bless Brockport this week!  Hundreds of people were served in some way over the last week and over 100 CCC’rs gave out something to those folks.  It’s a rare thing that an event or series of events could be so good for both giver and recipient!  Great big thanks to Mark Rennie and all the event leaders and participants.  Thank the Lord for good weather and the resources to pull this off.  May it be an annual event for many years to come!  PB

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