What Do You Desire?

The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want. – Ben Stein

All Solomon wanted was wisdom to rule God’s people righteously. He got that and more from God. AMEN!

The story of the dog who starts out on a foxhunt and ends up chasing his tail fits a lot of people. We are often distracted by what we see others enjoying and sometimes we begin to secretly covet. The fact is most of us really don’t know what we truly want. We say we want happiness, joy, peace, etc. but yet we refuse to come to the only one who can give it – Christ. The more we try to achieve the things of life our way, the more frustrating our life will become. To have the things we truly want, we must decide what they are and then be willing to sacrifice all other things to have them. The key to remember is if God is not in the plan our decisions are essentially empty.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” – Proverbs 14:12, 16:25

Bitter to Better

The fruit of the Spirit does not include sour grapes. – S. Stone

When Martha complained about the ‘lack of support’ from Mary in preparing dinner, Jesus reminded her who chose what! Hmm!

One of the first things you learn in your faith walk is ‘it is not about you,’ it’s about God. With a good understanding of that we should get along just fine, knowing that things are not going to go the way we want them to all the time, they’ll go the way God wants them to. Now generally, when you know what’s coming, even if it’s not what you would have wanted; you don’t get upset or bent out of shape. But with us it’s sometimes amazing how we go on griping and complaining about the troubles in our life when the one we live for told us we would have them, "in this world you will have troubles". The idea is not to become bitter by our trials but better by them. To gripe and complain is like adding more fuel to an existing fire. Sour grapes will only ruin the rest of the fruit.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another…” – Ephesians 4:30-32

Through It All He Is There

True defeat occurs only when YOU totally give up and quit. - Anon

Peter’s great message on the Day of Pentecost was fueled somewhat by the memory of his earlier betrayal of Jesus. Hmm!

The occasional disappointments and heartaches of life are not in the least discriminatory, they befall all of us, no matter age or status. They are born out of our desire and willingness to take a risk at loving someone, or being willing to pursue a goal or dream. Even though we may suffer upsets, we’ve not really lost; we’ve gained a rich experience to draw upon that should help us further mold our faith. God gifted us with the ability to learn and discern no matter what the situation, if we are willing. And God Himself was there with us the whole time, and He is true to His promises to heal, restore, refresh, replenish, and love endlessly. And knowing this, should only serve as inspiration to spur us on to risk even more for God.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“…..I have loved you with an everlasting love, I have drawn you out with loving-kindness…” – Jeremiah 31:3

Worthy Conduct

The smaller we are the more room God has. - Anon

Though Jacob was deceived with Leah after working 7 years for a wife, his love for Rachel kept him tempered. Hmm!

The world has win/lose standards, and we're expected to measure up and carry ourselves by these standards. It can be a major task and stress inducer, leading us into actions we may want to reconsider. Why, because in Christ, it's not win/lose, but 'worth'. No matter the game, circumstance, tone of conversation, etc., the question is did we conduct ourselves worthy of the one who lives in us. Yes, the situation or person before us may perplex or frustrate us, may even get the better of us, our response is ours. Though it may be fueled by our bruised ego, insulted intellect, or stance on the truth; is it worthy of the Jesus we died unto and who now lives in us.

Until Monday...

Pastor Botts

"...whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit..." - Philippians 1:27

Minimizing To Perfection

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Paul said he looked not for profit but considered ‘everything loss’ for the sake of Christ. Hmm!

In the fashion world perfection is a fully matching outfit with all the accessories (shoes, purse, gloves, belt, tie, etc.). And amazingly, we take those same criteria for perfection into our view of life. We seem to believe that with all the proper accoutrements or attachments we will be complete and whole, ready to take on the world. But God’s idea of perfection is quite the opposite and our road to spiritual maturity is not in the acquisition of attachments but the elimination of our carnal habits and sinful nature. Since God is perfection, sin and carnality cannot dwell with Him. He will not wrestle these desires from us, but He gently tries to ‘love’ us away from them. It’s our choice!

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Then [Jesus] said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” – Luke 9:23

Actions In Asking

I prayed for 20 years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs. – Frederick Douglass

Paul’s desire to build and strengthen churches were not mere words of prayer, they were fantastic journeys. AMEN!

Yes, God does answer prayer. Our problem is that we often expect the miraculous/magical answer (i.e., parting of the Red Sea). It’s not wrong to have such expectations, but remember Moses still had to stretch forth his staff, and the Israelites still had to fight the battles. God will often require something of us in answer to our prayers, meaning we should be ready to take action when He responds. Prayer requires belief, and belief requires action. We must remember even though God is good to us, He often works through us to bring about change in the world and others. When the things we’re asking of God require someone for Him to work through, we should be ready to step to it.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.” – Acts 13:3

Eyes Forward

To hold fast to one’s goals means to dismiss many others. – Richard Murray

No matter the number of miracles he performed, Jesus constantly reminded his disciples his goal was the cross. WOW!

It is so easy to become distracted in the Christian life! The moment we seem to grasp what God wants or calls us to do, it seems as though everything and everyone around us requires our time and attention. It takes a strong resolve not to lose focus or get sidetracked by the issues or cares of life, and the enemy is crafty at bringing such things in our periphery. Discipline or dedication is a very, very hard thing. Like Jesus, our resolve to go where God is calling us ought to be clearly evident to those around us. We should never let temptation or ‘opportunity’ keep us from obedience to God’s calling.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.” – Proverbs 4:25-27

Yielding to Love

Christianity is not the act of man finally submitting to the power of God, but rather man fully surrendering to the love of God. – W. Barclay

Peter thought he loved Jesus until that fateful night. After that he really learned what love meant. AMEN!

“Stubborn! Obstinate! Hard-headed!” All adjectives that have possibly been applied to us sometime in our life. Those situations where we were unwilling to bend or submit for another. It’s actually a carryover from our infancy when we were shaping our personality. Unfortunately, this type of thinking is often what keeps us separated from God. We think He wants us to ‘knuckle under’ His all encompassing power and we refuse to give ourselves up. Actually, all God wants to do is love us, but for that it takes surrender or a bit of vulnerability. God never forces himself on anyone, but anyone who has truly found Him often wonders what took them so long to surrender.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” – Revelation 3:20

Yet Praise Him

You cannot make yourself feel something you do not feel, but you can make yourself do right in spite of your feelings. – Pearl S. Buck

Job lost everything he had, including his health. His wife wanted him to curse God. He just couldn’t do it. AMEN!

At times in life it seems like everything we’re involved in is collapsing or going bad. Investments go south, friendships go stale, careers get sidetracked, etc. Difficult as these times are they are good opportunities to stop and examine what is truly important to us; our relationship with our Heavenly Father. In spite of all that is happening He is still worthy of praise. It might not come easily but it should come. Without God we would be totally lost. Our praise for Him does not depend on our success but on His goodness, grace, mercy, and faithfulness. No matter what happens to us in life we can always choose to praise Him.

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

“Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls – Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” - Habakkuk 3:17-18

Cleaning House

A trip to nostalgia now and then is good for the spirit, so long as you don’t set up housekeeping. – D. Bartolovic

After witnessing Jesus' transfiguration, Peter wanted to stay there and build altars. God said no, follow My Son. AMEN!

Closets, attics, trunks, garages, refrigerators. What do they all have in common - they are storage spaces. But the other thing they have in common is every so often they need to be cleaned, purged of old useless, spoiled, outdated items. True, some of these items carry great memories, but yet and still they must go to make room for new ones. Even God told His people "forget the past, behold I'm doing a new thing...." All too often our holding on to items, relics, etc., make us complacent and unable to move forward. But move on we must, and the truth is we will experience even greater marvels of God's glory in our lives. So maybe it's time we do a little housecleaning in eager expectation that something good is on the way.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"....But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me......" - Philippians 3:13-14

Now's the Time

You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

When Jairus asked Jesus to help with his daughter, they immediately set out to go. Though sidetracked and late, Jesus got the job done. WOW!

We all have good intentions and plans to help others – often telling ourselves we’ll do it just as soon as we get our lives in order or our business straight. But life keeps interrupting; just as soon as one area is in order another area flares up. Like our Lord and Master, we must learn to be very intentional about our acts and deeds, for time is a great thief; stealing more than it brings. The time for kindness, gentleness, sharing, caring, comforting is always now, not tomorrow. God has granted this day that we may show kindness to some and be shown kindness by some. Ours is not to pick and choose but to give ourselves.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” – Romans 5:6