Got Troubles? Trust God

Troubles are like babies, nurse them and they’ll grow. – W. C. Brumby

Saul’s insecurity led to jealousy. His jealousy led to attempted murder. Thank God David was a God-fearing man. AMEN!

Whether real or imagined all of us face troubles at times. It was a promise of our Lord. And though we often say we’re not affected by them, the time we spend worrying about them says otherwise, and only multiplies their size and impacts our actions and decisions. We serve a God who is bigger and stronger than anything we can come across, and he is expecting us to trust the matter to him. Depression, stress, anxiety, fear, and bondage all come upon us when we keep God out of our lives. Remember, don’t tell people how large your troubles are, tell your troubles how great your GOD is.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. But you, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption….” – Psalm 55:22-23

Practice for Greatness

None can be fit for the future life who has not practiced it now. – St. Augustine

Upon reflection, it is interesting to note that 2 of the greatest leaders of God’s people (Moses, David) were shepherds of animals before they became shepherds of men. Hmm!

Although we know not what the Lord is preparing us for in our future years, we must go at it with all our heart today. Trials, persecution, and heartaches may come; it is God’s way of giving us practice before the big game. So no matter what may be going on in our lives right now, whether we're right side up or upside down, just know God has even greater plans ahead for us. So we need not look at where we are today as the end result, we're still in training, and that is a reason for great hope.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Still another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good by to my family.’ Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of heaven.’” – Luke 9:61-62

A little comfort for the rough journey

God doesn’t always smooth the path, but sometimes He puts springs in the wagon. – M. Lucas

Joseph’s pathway to prominence as Pharaoh’s 2nd in command wasn’t the smoothest, but God’s hand of favor was always upon him. Amen!

Hardship is as much a part of life as the air we breathe. For if we had no hardship we really would not know the true experience of joy. Troubles may come and not seem to get better with much prayer and meditation, but God will not put more on us than we can bear, and where one area of our life may be particularly troubled, God is still blessing in other areas. That’s one of the great mysteries of ‘grace.’ If we count our blessings we’ll see it’s true.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“There was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘MY GRACE is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”’ – II Corinthians 12:7-9

Make it Through with Faith

Faith doesn’t get you around trouble, it gets you through it. – Stanley Smith

Hebrews 11 tells us of the many who made it through great sufferings and circumstances because of their faith. WOW!

Oftentimes when troubles interrupt or upset our lives we’re left questioning, “why me, I’ve prayed, read the Word, and meditated on it, so why is this happening to me. I thought I was faith-proofed for the day.” God never said we would live trouble free lives, but trouble and circumstances are there to grow us and test our faith. Remember what the psalmist David wrote in the 23rd psalm, “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,” – the key words being ‘walk through’ – not stay. When troubles come our way we must shine the light of faith upon them to get a clear path to follow.

Until Monday……

Pastor Botts

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold….may be proved genuine.” – I Peter 1:6-7

P.S. - Hope to see you at the picnic tomorrow.

Give what matters

I’ve learned that you can’t give what you’ve never received. – M. Lucado

Paul had many trials and persecutions in his life that we will never face. But of all of them he said to follow his example, for he followed Christ. Hmm!

The one constant about life is that it goes on no matter what. Circumstances, problems, and troubles seem to always be in great supply. And they always seem to include other people. The key to winning at life is how we respond to the people in these situations with us. The true mark or identity of the Christian is that they are totally willing and looking for opportunity to pass on the best gifts of God (love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, etc.) that others may know Him as we do. It’s how God often manifests Himself to others – through us. If we find it difficult or impossible to extend these great gifts maybe we need to review our relationship with the God we serve.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Freely you have received, freely give….” – Matthew 10:8

Winds of Change

The only permanent thing in life is change. – Anon

When Naaman finally changed his mind and obeyed, God changed his condition. Hmm!

All too often our lives and relationships are blown apart because we’re completely unprepared for the storms and stresses that change brings into them. But change happens; it’s a promise from God. Though it’s impossible to stop a storm in progress we can minimize the damage if we’ve prepared for it in advance. The winds of change will either give strength to your sails or stall you completely. In marriage the changes will either draw you closer together or destroy the relationship. Bodily sickness or injury will either make you stronger than before or destroy your spirit. In your career or finances, a missed opportunity can snuff out your dreams or inspire you to become more diligent. It all depends on your response. Therefore, change need not be frightening or threatening, if we look at it as an opportunity to express God’s gifts to us in new ways.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1

Transformed Tragedies

A pearl is a beautiful thing produced by an injured, interrupted life. – S. Hoeller

Nathanael thought nothing good could ever come out of Nazareth. Boy was he ever wrong. Hmm!

Truth be known most of us want a simple care-free, stress-free, painless life. We want everything to go our way, on our schedule, and yield to our will. And we seek out ways and people to make this happen. Thankfully, God loves us too much to allow life to happen according to our whims and desires. He is working in us and through us to produce something far more beautiful than we could ever imagine on our own. The key for us is to not grow frustrated with His ‘interruptions’ or feel inferior because of the heartaches and setbacks. Just as the oyster coats the ‘injury’ with its tears to produce its gem, we too can always recover and produce a meaningful, inspiring offering to God. Why not start this weekend.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” – II Corinthians 12:10

Bitter or Better?

What life does to us depends on what life finds in us. – R. Murray

In all that Joseph went through, he never lost his composure or his God. Hmm!

Insurance – most people that buy it hope they never have to use it, but are glad they have it when they need it. Our faith on the other hand is a definite must have and use daily requirement. Faith is what allows us to overcome the most difficult setbacks, hurdles, and heartaches. You or I cannot always change or control the world around us but we can always control what happens within us. If we truly want to gauge how strong our relationship with Christ is all we need do is look at our responses to the everyday circumstances of life. The question is does life make us bitter or better, we know with Jesus it was the latter.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Sticking to th plan

The most difficult thing I have ever had to do is follow the guidance I prayed for. – A. Schweitzer

The Israelites prayed for over 400 years before God sent Moses to lead them to the Promised Land – and they fought him tooth and nail the whole trip. WOW!

Many of us can sometimes look back and see situations that could have turned out better if we had just taken our own advice. That being the case, how much better could our lives be if we would adhere to the advice and guidance we seek from God, and then see it through. Our problem often is not that we don’t hear God or know what He’s said, it’s just that He doesn’t always say what we want Him to, and our selfish interests take over. Even though God gives guidance to His people, He will never force us to obey Him. He looks for a willing, trusting heart and often ‘self’ occupies this throne. The only way around this is to trust that God knows more than us, and that His purposes are for our benefit and His glory.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them. The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” – Psalm 119:129-130

Wisdom in listening

Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you’d have preferred to talk. – D. Larson

It’s interesting that God gave king Solomon a ‘wise and discerning heart’ rather than a booming, commanding voice. Hmm!

Silence – it seems like the word is dead and gone. We are now a nation of talkers, not communicators, just talkers. We talk back and forth, often only surface issues, nothing deep seated. And we have to offer our opinion, give our input or the latest update; we want to explain ourselves, tell our side of the story, or just shoot the breeze. The idea of sitting alone thinking things through (meditation) or asking God and actually waiting for Him to answer (secret prayer) have all but vanished and have been replaced with talk or other ‘noise’. We’ve been duped into thinking we must be in contact or in touch with someone at all times. God gave us two ears for more than just stereo sound, that we might listen twice as much as we speak. May we all be discerning and wiser today.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“But the Lord is in His holy temple, let all the earth be silent before Him!” – Habakkuk 2:20

Digging a deeper hole or filling it up?

If you’re already in a hole, it’s no use to continue digging. – R. Walters

While in the lion’s den Daniel didn’t antagonize the lions, he prayed. Hmm!

Live long enough and life’s activities or circumstances will deal you a setback upsetting your plans (finances, school, faith, etc.) putting you in a rut or hole. It happens – but the key is to not let it stop us dead in our tracks or make us tunnel further down. A hole only remains a hole if we do nothing to fill it, and gets deeper with worry. Putting off for tomorrow what we can do today, right now, is only digging a deeper hole. Hoping things will get better without doing anything about the situation is only digging a deeper hole. Hoping someone will rescue us is a start, but still we must cry out for the help. And when the help comes we must be willing to accept the instructions and not give directions. God is standing by right now.

Until Monday….

Pastor Botts

“I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” – Psalm 40:1-2

Treasuring Shared Moments

There must be more to life than having everything! – M. Sendak

There was once a rich man who reaped even more and decided it was time for him to eat, drink, and be merry. Jesus called him FOOL! Ouch!

If you had everything in life you wanted would you be happy? No matter how we may try to fool ourselves into believing the answer is YES, the answer is obviously no. We know this by watching a small child with a new toy. All is right until someone with another toy comes along- the first is cast aside and immediately they want the other. Sound familiar! Things are inanimate objects that bring forth emotions we project ON them and they cannot reciprocate. Life is made up of the moments we share with others, God, and nature, the experiences and memories we gain from them. In essence, for life to actually be lived it has to be shared with others – not things.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“Then [Jesus] said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’”
– Luke 12:15

Anger & Pride

Temper is what gets most of us into trouble. Pride is what keeps us there. – R. Murray

Cain was so upset with how God perceived his offering, he went out and killed his brother Abel. WOW!

There’s no denying that we are emotional beings, God made us that way. But he also made us with the ability to overcome our emotions with sound, rational, thinking and spiritual wisdom. It’s when we refuse to engage in the latter that we find ourselves in more trouble than we often bargained for. It’s not a sin to get angry or upset, but it should never result in sinful behavior. The problem is it is so easy to cross the line, then feel compelled that we must prevail for the sake of ‘principle.’ We must remember our calling is not so much for the sake of principle as it is for righteousness and holy living.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control.” – Proverbs 25:28

Headed the right way?

The Christian is not one who has gone all the way with Christ. None of us has. The Christian is the one who has found the right road. – C.L. Allen

Paul told the people of Philippi he had not yet obtained “the Prize” but he was definitely on the right road and nothing or no one was going to deter him. Amen!

Frustration. It’s something we all face, sometimes more often than we’d like. And like it or not when faced with it enough our human nature often wants to change directions, paths, or programs because we begin to think this one may not be the right one to connect us with our goal. But if our goal is Christ and His righteousness then frustration, opposition, despair, and many other roadblocks or offramps will appear on the horizon. That’s why we are called to live life through the Spirit, He knows the path or road God has laid out for us. He will keep the miscues, offramps,  and wrong-turns to a minimum, redirect us when we do get off course, and keep our temperament in check. If you’re traveling unfamiliar territory right now give the steering wheel over to Him.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Jesus replied, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.’” – Luke 9:62

God Time

He who waits on God loses no time. – V. Havner

While the disciples were waiting for the ‘promise’ of Pentecost, they became avid prayer warriors. AMEN!

The art of waiting may have been lost by man but not by God; He has not changed. He moves not according to the watch we wear or the clock we look at, but according to His own schedule. We say “God is in control” but our actions often reflect otherwise as we try to push, prod, and pull Him into action when we deem it best. All of us have at one time or another been a personal recipient of God’s timeliness, which should serve as a constant reminder that we need to be patient. The world gives the illusion today that it moves faster than it did years ago but we must remember it’s the same world, and He’s the same God. Waiting on Him is one of the greatest acts of trust and obedience.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“My times are in your hands; deliver me from my enemies and from those who pursue me.” – Psalm 31:15

Don't let it go to your head

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. – Abraham Lincoln

Solomon was considered the wisest king ever and a man of good character, but his son Rehoboam let the power of being king go to his head. OUCH!

It is said that power corrupts and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. And though most of us would say we would never be drunk with power as we see in most tyrants, in reality we are that way in some areas of our lives. We have the power to submit to God’s will or not, and more often than not we choose not to submit. Circumstances, resources, timing, happen to us all; and we can try to excuse ourselves from submission or obedience because of them, but it doesn’t get us off the hook. The whole idea and understanding of power can be gleaned from our Heavenly Father. He is omnipotent but yet He is full of love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness. And if God sets the example for us, who are we to try something different?

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“The most important one, answered Jesus, is this…..Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:30-31

Consider Others

The entire population of the world, with one minor exception, is composed of others. – J. #Maxwell

In the midst of all his persecutions and troubles Paul never lost his love or concern for “all the churches.” WOW!

It goes without saying that we often need to be reminded that it’s not just us nor is it actually about us. It is about God living and working through us. We tend to get narrow minded in our focus and outlook often looking at life only as to how it can benefit us individually – ‘What’s in it for me?’ But God asks us to look at life as to how we can benefit others. Just as He lets the rain or sun fall on the just and unjust, He expects and asks us to extend such common courtesy to all who come our way. As we go through each day we must remember others are dealing with problems as well.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others” – Philippians 2:3-4