Faithful to BEing

Men climb great mountains but yet stumble over pebbles. – E. Cady

Peter preached a sermon that brought 3,000 new souls to Christ, yet he found it hard to get over his prejudice of Gentiles. Hmm!

Without a doubt, most of us would have no problem signing up to do something great or noteworthy; it’s what we live for. The big job, the special assignment, the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – count us in. We love being able to deliver the goods for everyone’s praise. But God never asks us to climb great mountains, or seek fame and fortune or praise; He only asks us to be faithful to Him each day, and for some reason it seems to be the hardest thing to do. Maybe therein lies the problem – we want to DO, we’re good at doing - but God says BE. If we realize that being faithful is the greatest thing we can DO maybe we can somewhat cure our stumbling problems.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight;…..Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble.” – Proverbs 3:21,23

Trusting God's Care

The optimist says the cup is half full, the pessimist says its half empty, the child of God says, “my cup runneth over.” – Anon

Paul traveled all over the country on a tentmaker’s salary. How? He trusted in a God who had unlimited resources. Hmm!

So far as I know, no bird ever tried to build more nests than his neighbor, no fox ever fretted over having only 1 lair in which to lay, and no dog ever lost sleep over not having enough bones buried for retirement. Often, we as people of God put emphasis on the wrong things, and worry needlessly over things beyond our control. If God does truly care for the sparrow, will he not care for us? He’s asking us to trust Him and see!

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet our heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?...But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew 6:26, 33

Shout Now!

"Don't wait til' the battle is over to shout now....." - song refrain

David put his victory over Goliath in the hands of God before he even picked up a stone to sling. Hmm!

Praising God is ALWAYS in order. There is NEVER a time when it is out of order. However, we often only offer true praise after the battle or victory is won. God had the Israelites shout choruses of praise BEFORE the walls of Jericho came down. He had Gideon and his rag-tag band of 100 cry out "for the Lord and Gideon" prior to engaging the battle. Could there be a lesson here? I think so. NO matter where we are in life - up/down, joyful/sorrow, etc., - God is worthy of praise. And in that praise we never know just how He might respond, but one thing for sure is certain, He WILL respond. Either by bringing victory over the situation or strength/patience to bear with it until He's ready to take us through it. Now that's something worthy of praise.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory, but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame." - Psalm 44:6-7

Pay Attention to the Signs

The untended garden will soon be run over with weeds. - A.W. Tozer

When Paul traveled from city to city the first thing he often looked for was the 'gathering' place. If they didn't have one he often started it. Hmm!

Medical research has revealed that though heart attacks are 'silent', the body gives of a host of warning signs in the early preventable stages if we would only pay attention. Be that as it may I know a host of people who have ignored the warnings of a much more serious type of heart trouble. I know you know some as well, or maybe you're one yourself. Who are they: 'Christians' who loosely live by the name. I say loosely because they may have been to the church, even baptized, but have not been seen at the church often since then. They know they should be in attendance but quiet their conscience by saying missing church services is really not a serious matter. Or they fail to tithe/give, convincing themselves that God would want them to have whatever pleasure they spend the money on. They fail to get involved in any study, ministry, or outreach, and then blame the church for being cold or impersonal. Just as doctors would tell us not to ignore the warning signs of heart trouble, so does God's Word. We are told 'not to forsake the assembly' we're told to 'love the fellowship' to 'prefer one another' and on and on. These are truths we should give serious consideration to, for to neglect them has far worse consequences than a heart attack.

Until tomorrow.......

Pastor Botts

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." - Matthew 10:28

Blessings on Blessings

The more we thank God for what we have, the more we have to thank God for. – Anon

When Jesus gave thanks over a few loaves and fish it suddenly became enough to feed 5,000+, with leftovers. Hmm!

Count your blessings, name them one by one….so the song goes. The underlying theme is we could never really get to a final tally of just how much God has truly blessed us. We tend to be thankful for only those blessings we can quantify or tangibly note - like family, homes, jobs, etc. - but there is much more. Our freedom, our rights, our government just to name a few. Not to mention all that God through His divine providence put in place and keeps in place – sun, moon, stars, atmospheric conditions, ecosystems, food systems, etc., before we came on the scene. What he asked Job (Where we you when I created......?) still resonates today, and we would be just as foolish to think we can tally up all He’s done for us.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil: my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life….” – Psalm 23:5-6

Necessary Breaks

The world working in overdrive and overtime was NEVER God's idea. - Anon

David, the mighty warrior king, often gave his men breaks to tend the homefires. Hmm!

In the sport of weightlifting the goal is to build up your strength to lift as much as you can while remaining balanced and under control, and generally you have a 'spotter' to assist you. But eventually you get to put the weight down and rest. Life itself can sometimes be a comparison. We bear great weights (family, job, finances, etc.) on our shoulders, though we often call them responsibilities. Truthfully, these are all blessings God has given us to help fulfill our purposes here on earth in preparation for eternity. Still there should be a time when we can lay these down to focus on Him, take a break, a sabbath rest. It is when we refuse to lay these aside to honor God that they become almost unbearable or overwhelming for us, for the strength we need to bear them comes from Him as well. Burdens are only heavy when we try to bear them ourselves. God is ready to assist if we're ready to ask.

Until tomorrow.....

Pastor Botts

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." - Psalm 73:26

Is it Over Yet?

Everything works out in the end. If it hasn’t worked out yet, it’s not the end. – Richard Murray

God gave Joseph a ‘dream.’ He gave David a ‘promise.’ He said there was ‘none’ like Job on the earth. They all had major issues in life, but God made the end result worth it. AMEN!

We’re all familiar with the cliché “it’s not over till it’s over.” Though a tiresome phrase, the truth and veracity of it are ever true. And this is refreshing news. It gives us great hope that God is not finished with us yet. The dreams He gave us, promises in His Word, or blessings He's ascribed are still available to us. Life may have us in a headlock at the moment, our vision may be somewhat blurred right now, or a relationship may have soured today, but it’s not the end, God’s purposes will be worked out in life. It’s not for us to know the when and the how, ours is just to wait and be faithful.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 1:6

Real Victorious Marks

God will not look you over for medals, degrees, certificates, or diplomas, but for scars. – E. Hubbard

John the Baptist, a man of prayer; was affectionately known to some as 'camel knees'. Hmm!

Paul the apostle we know as one of the hardest working missionaries ever in helping to build the church.  Everything he had achieved in life he counted “loss” for Christ’s sake, yet he was proud of one thing; his marks of warfare. “Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.” Recognition is great for this world, but we must remember there is nothing we can do that will WOW God, and no credential we can earn that will IMPRESS God. The one thing we can do that will PLEASE God is to obey His will, and that may mean taking it on the ‘cheek’ a few times, or ‘kneeling’ on prayer calloused knees. Don’t worry, the VICTORY is already assured. We only need to stay in the fight.

Until Monday…..

Pastor Botts

“Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” –Jude 3

P.S. - REMINDER, the Sound Tech will be here Saturday at 9AM for a refresher AND any additional training needed. All those who work in the booth are asked to attend.

Regular Maintenance

The untended garden will soon be run over with weeds. - A.W. Tozer

When Paul traveled from city to city the first thing he often looked for was the 'gathering' place. If they didn't have one he often started it. Hmm!

Medical research has revealed that though heart attacks are 'silent', the body gives of a host of warning signs in the early preventable stages if we would only pay attention. Be that as it may I know a host of people who have ignored the warnings of a much more serious type of heart trouble. I know you know some as well, or maybe you're one yourself. Who are they: 'Christians' who loosely live by the name. I say loosely because they may have been to the church, even baptized, but have not been seen at the church often since then. They know they should be in attendance but quiet their conscience by saying missing church services is really not a serious matter. Or they fail to tithe/give, convincing themselves that God would want them to have whatever pleasure they spend the money on. They fail to get involved in any study, ministry, or outreach, and then blame the church for being cold or impersonal. Just as doctors would tell us not to ignore the warning signs of heart trouble, so does God's Word. We are told 'not to forsake the assembly' we're told to 'love the fellowship' to 'prefer one another' and on and on. These are truths we should give serious consideration to, for to neglect them has far worse consequences than a heart attack.

Until tomorrow.......

Pastor Botts

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." - Matthew 10:28

Past memories future events

We cannot change our memories, but we can change their meaning and the power they have over us. – D. Seamans

Joseph let God erase all the hatred from his heart against his brothers for what they had done. He even ‘cried’ when he saw them again. The reunion was all good. AMEN!

The thing about life is it throws many events our way, some good; some bad. The things that have happened to us cannot be undone. We cannot go back and change it but we should not fear it either, nor let it hold us prisoner. One can only truly fear future events. And since our future is not set in stone, fear is just a head trip. Oftentimes we get stuck in a way of thinking, in a behavior, or in our expectations because we have been hurt before and we have not truly brought the situation to God. From God’s perspective events from our past (good and bad) are stepping stones to move forward in righteousness and faith, for He can bring good out of any situation. Pain is sometimes inevitable, but allowing a memory to keep us in suffering is a choice. God can adjust our attitudes if we allow him.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him….” – Romans 8:28

More Blessings More Thanks

The more we thank God for what we have, the more we have to thank God for. – Anon

When Jesus gave thanks over a few loaves and fish it suddenly became enough to feed 5,000+, with leftovers. Hmm!

Count your blessings, name them one by one….so the song goes. The underlying theme is we could never really get to a final tally of just how much God has truly blessed us. We tend to be thankful for only those blessings we can quantify or tangibly note - like family, homes, jobs, etc. - but there is much more. Our freedom, our rights, our government just to name a few. Not to mention all that God through His divine providence put in place and keeps in place – sun, moon, stars, atmospheric conditions, ecosystems, food systems, etc., before we came on the scene. What he asked Job (Where we you when I created......?) still resonates today, and we would be just as foolish to think we can tally up all he’s done for us.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil: my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life….” – Psalm 23:5-6

Been around the world

A man travels all over the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it. – G. Moore

When he 'came to himself' The Prodigal son knew exactly where he needed to go. Hmm!

One of our persistent difficulties is that we are always looking to find meaning, purpose, and satisfaction elsewhere than the place where we should be looking, reflecting just how restless we are. We come home and then need to go out. We come to the fountain of life (Jesus) and take small sips rather than drinking deeply, looking for other ways to be satiated. We even come to the truth (God’s Word) and then look for meanin

g elsewhere in the world. We “give” our lives to Christ and then live as if there is something important to be found outside of Him. The reason for this is somewhat geometrical. Yes we are God trusting people, but if He is not the center-point of focus in our lives, we will look elsewhere and be drawn away. The rest we seek, the peace we want, and the joy we desire all up to one person – Christ.

Until tomorrow….

Pastor Botts

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.” – Isaiah 26:3