Fret Not—God IS in Control

Encouraging Words with Pastor Bruce & Suzi Elman

Ever wonder if God is really in control or if life “just happens?”

I assure you, even in the midst of what seems to be swirling chaos, everything IS in “God’s providential control.” He knows every hair on your head!

And, He knows us better than we know ourselves.  Charles Spurgeon calls Gen. 37-50 a “chain of circumstances” that HAD to HAPPEN to Joseph in a specific way and timing for God’s plan to unfold exactly as He planned. Spurgeon offers us these questions:

  • Why did Jacob want to send Joseph?
  • Why were Joseph’s brothers on this particular day in a different location?
  • Why did the Ishmaelites come along at that moment?
  • Why were they in the mood to purchase a slave?
  • Why were they going to Egypt and not some other destination?
  • Why did Potiphar purchase Joseph?
  • Why did his wife have designs on Joseph?
  • Why were the baker and the cupbearer in the prison when Joseph was there?
  • Why couldn’t Pharoah understand his dream?
  • Why did the cupbearer first forget Joseph and later remember him?

Spurgeon points out that every one of these events HAD to happen in the exact way at the exact time they occurred for Joseph to be where he had to be, when he had to be, which resulted in his family going to Egypt to be preserved during the famine in Canaan.  Spurgeon goes on to say, “God is to be seen in little things”, and he says all the foregoing seemingly random details are, “minutiae of Providence.”

God cares about you more than He does about sparrows! God cares about every tiny detail of your life, He made, knows and loves every subatomic particle of you, and He shed His sin-free blood to ransom you! Oh, yes! “PTL!”

Love & Blessings,

Pastor Bruce & Suzi Elman

L’Chaim Messianic Congregation

Forgive and Be Free

Encouraging Words with Pastor Bruce & Suzi Elman

Forgiving others… probably the hardest of all the domains because it calls for the removal of all the “targets” that we have set up on the shooting range of life. It appears to be one of the hardest tasks we are called to because, all too often and for years, we have identified ourselves or allowed others to identify us by our wounds, by how we have been hurt and crippled by the acts of others against us resulting in some form of personal trauma.

To move through this doorway, we must first recognize that we, as a member of the human race, though now fallen, were created in the Image of the Tri-Une God. Through faith in Messiah , the process of having the original created Image restored begins in us. That is why we are called “new creatures”, with a “new life”, “a new purpose”, where everything is “NEW”.

Forgiveness, being the twin sister of Love, is a trait of the original Image of God that we were created with.  We are called to grow, nurture, and exercise it as a part of the new life.   The innate desire to forgive is part of the image of God that we were created with.  We simply start by asking God to restore that part of His image within us.

Why? Because deep within each of us is the desire to be free and live a life of freedom.  Free from trauma, hatred, resentments, mistrust, anger, free from being the jailer of an empty prison where we are the only one left inside.  Our life sentence has been not one of victim but rather judge, jury and jail keeper.  Those who hurt us in the past, long ago moved on.  It is time for us to do the same.  Realize your new life sentence is one of FREEDOM and move forward.

 

Love & Blessings,

Pastor Bruce and Suzi Elman

L’Chaim Messianic Congregation

God’s Realm

Encouraging Words with Pastor Bruce & Suzi Elman

“The wonderful thing about praying is that you leave a world of not being able to do something and enter God’s realm where everything is possible.

He specializes in the impossible. Nothing is too great for His almighty power. Nothing is too small for His love.”

—Corrie Ten Boom

 

Love & Blessings,

Pastor Bruce and Suzi Elman

L’Chaim Messianic Congregation

Yeshua, Our Anchor

Encouraging Words with Pastor Bruce & Suzi Elman

“YESHUA , OUR ANCHOR”.

We have been learning how to be overcomers in the storms of this life here on earth. With troubles, disappointments and heartaches, we also need an anchor to hold us steady! Scripture assures us that YESHUA is that anchor. He is a solid rock, and  He never changes ( our verse of the day). 

Our comfort is found in no other, but we have to know Him, who He is, what He does and how He works! We need to know of His life and character.

YESHUA was Deity from the very beginning (John 1:1), fully GOD and fully man. He was born of a virgin, lived 33 years on this earth, was crucified despite His innocence and then rose from the dead three days later! He is the way, truth and the life, the MESSIAH, Son of the living GOD. He cares for us. He is also merciful, loving and compassionate. And He never changes!

Hebrews 13:8. MESSIAH YESHUA  is the same yesterday, today and forever.

We can get prepared for the storms of life by learning who YESHUA  is. He is the only true shelter and solid rock that will not ever change, just as our Scripture said! 

What a wonderful Savior we serve. Let’s praise His majestic Name for ever more!

 

Love & Blessings,

Pastor Bruce and Suzi Elman

L’Chaim Messianic Congregation

A Tool for Love

Encouraging Words with Pastor Bruce & Suzi Elman

There is no one who doesn’t want to be loved, and GOD makes Himself known through His love! This is a good reason to know how important it is to the heart of GOD for us to focus on expressing His love as we are ambassadors for MESSIAH to draw others to YESHUA!

This is such an amazing truth that we are YESHUA’S personal representatives here on earth, and He is making His appeal to the lost through us.

Everyone in this dark, fallen world is looking for genuine love. And when we let the love of GOD flow through us, we are representing MESSIAH in the best way possible! 

Let the Holy Spirit guide you as you go out and encounter people in your sphere of influence, and show all the fruit of the Spirit—patience, kindness, goodness, love, just to name a few!

2 Corinthians 3:2
You yourselves are our letter of recommendation (our credentials), written in your hearts, to be known (perceived and recognized) and read by everybody.                  

Remember, everywhere you go today, you are representing YESHUA  to the people around you! Let’s do it with love!

 

Love & Blessings,

Pastor Bruce and Suzi Elman

L’Chaim Messianic Congregation

Love Them Anyhow

Encouraging Words with Pastor Bruce & Suzi Elman

As believers, we must learn to get along with one another! We are going to have to learn to put up with some things we do not like. All the people around us everyday are not going to think, speak or act the way we might want them to!

But letting offenses go is part of what we must do as members of the body of MESSIAH! Not everyone is going to be or do what we want, but we can love them anyway! 

We must have a “holy fear” of pride and be very careful of judging others and of being critical of them.      

Galatians 6:2-3
Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of MESSIAH. For if anyone thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.                              

So when we look at those around us today, let’s keep in mind that they too were created in GOD’S image, the same as you and I. 

As the Scripture today instructs us, we are to bear one another’s burdens as though they were our own! What can you do today for a fellow sister or brother in the LORD who may be hurting?

 

Love & Blessings,

Pastor Bruce and Suzi Elman

L’Chaim Messianic Congregation