Come and get this Work

Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need. – Voltaire

The bible tells us God worked 6 days creating the heavens and the earth. I think we can take a hint from this!

Though we may not be thrilled with what we do, and though we may not like the hour we have to arise, or the time we spend commuting back and forth, honest work is in itself a blessing from God. Not only from the standpoint that there are many who cannot do it, but from the point of view that it teaches us temperance, self-control, diligence and a hundred other virtues the idle will never know, besides allowing us to provide for our families and the needy. The secret is to find something you like doing, and you’ll never work a day in your life.

Until tomorrow…….

Pastor Botts

“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor is not in vain.” – I Corinthians 15:58

Unstuck

You are not stuck where you are unless you decide to be. – W. Dyer

Joseph went from prisoner to Prime Minister because he kept his eyes on God, not his surroundings. Hmm!

“It’s just my lot in life.” “That’s just the way it’s going to be.” "It is what it is!" How often have we heard or even used such language. Hope is one of our greatest assets in our faith walk, but oftentimes it seems buried under the issues or cares of life. We often tend to think presently that “this is all life has to offer”, or “this is who we will always be,” so we give up on trying to move forward (educationally, spiritually, financially, physically, etc.) and begin to give less than our best effort. But each day God grants us is a new opportunity to get better, move forward, draw closer to Him. If we’ve resigned ourselves to the fact that we’re stuck with who we are and where we’re at, it’s only because we’ve allowed the enemy to change our focus and steal our desire. Refocus on God, I guarantee you’ll like the vision much better.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Come, follow me, Jesus said, and I will make you fishers of men.” – Matthew 4:19

Nothing at All

Doing nothing gets exactly that:  nothing. – Anon

Ruth refused to just sit idly by and do nothing for herself and Naomi. God rewarded her greatly. Hmm!

Today is here. What do you expect from it? Are you expecting God to do some wonderful things, or are you living with doubt, apprehension, or anxiety. Well, the return of the day will depend on precisely how much faith, energy, and activity we put into the situations God brings our way. For us as believers every day should begin and end with God and His promises.  If we’ve greeted the day in God’s presence and asked Him to do great things, then we should be doing all we can to bring those things to fruition. This is not to say we can force God’s hand, because we can’t; but after our prayers we need to work like we believe God is going to answer. Remember, diligently exercised faith gets rewarded.

Until tomorrow…….

Pastor Botts

“….Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you…” – Matthew 7:7

As we need, not as we want

God only wants for us what we would want for ourselves if we were smart enough to want it. – A. Rogers

God set opportunity before the Israelites and even told them to choose ‘life.’ He’s been busy trying to give it to us all since. WOW!

More of this, less of that, more of those, none of those. If we had it to do ourselves this is precisely how we would set our life to run. It would be a life of all joy, excitement, unlimited resources, and unlimited time. Everything would go our way and no one would tell us NO! But that’s not how it goes and not how it should go. We would never know true joy if we never experienced sorrow or grief. We would never know what plenty meant if we never experienced lack. God knows what’s best for us which is why life isn’t as we want but it is as we need it, that we may be perfected in His righteousness. The key is to try and think like God or have a heart after God – this makes it much easier to bear and quite enjoyable.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us….” – Romans 8:26

Reevaluate the Emergency

It’s amazing how quickly an emergency arises the moment you start saving for one. – Sparks

After healing Peter’s mother-in-law and many others, Jesus slipped away to pray. Or so he thought he did! Hmm!

Good intentions –the road to hell is paved with them. We all get started on them and often find ourselves falling short. And it’s truly amazing what things, issues, circumstances, or situations appear when we try to do right by God. These are not by chance, they are designed schemes of the enemy to keep us out of contact with Almighty God. Jobs that take us away from church and/or bible study. Sunday morning doldrums that keep us home or make us late, interruptions that keep us out of the Word or our prayer closet. These are all tools of Satan to keep us from ‘storing up treasure in heaven,’ where we're doing what may be good but not what's best for us.  But God expects us to be wise to the deceptive practices of our enemy, and not lose focus. God will never put a hindrance to us coming to Him, so maybe we need to re-evaluate the emergency.

Until tomorrow…….

Pastor Botts

“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” – Matthew 6:20

Who made you do it?

No power can make us do wrong without our consent. – Anon

Eve did not force the forbidden fruit upon Adam, he was a willing accomplice. It cost him and us dearly. OUCH!

Flip Wilson popularized the line “the devil made me do it”. But in reality we know though Satan is real, he only has the power of suggestion, he needs our consent to carry out his schemes and ungodly behaviors. This is why the Word of God tells us to “resist the devil and he will flee” from us. The moment we try to debate or outwit him we lose, for he is the craftiest of them all. We must also realize that sometimes our silence or refusal to “flee” the presence of evil is indeed implied consent. As you journey today remember who you are, to WHOM you belong, and the POWER you have.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger of sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” – Romans 8:35-37

Prepare to Conquer

The will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare to win. – Anon

David often sought out God before he went into battle. A wise strategy that often paid dividends. Hmm!

We see it in sports all the time. The great big high ranking university takes it for granted they can beat the little puny unranked, unknown college and BAM – major upset. We see it in God’s word as Goliath knew the victory was in the bag because of his size and history, however little ruddy David had been preparing his “heart” with God.  Many times in our lives sin gets the best of us and we often settle saying “I guess it was a lesson I needed to learn anyway.” But that’s not necessarily true. Often it’s just because we were not willing to properly “discipline” ourselves to be alert, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led people of God. To be a conqueror takes more than just talent, it takes a “prepared heart.” I pray in Christ you will be a winner everyday.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“As it is written: ‘for your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him [Jesus] who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:36-39

So Much Good Stuff

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

Don't give up yet

It’s always too early to quit. – Peale

At the first sign of rejection from Pharaoh, Moses was ready to give up. God was just getting started. Hmm!

Buzzer beaters, Last minute heroics, Miraculous saves! We often say with conviction that “God is always on time. Never early, never late, but always right on time.” If we truly believe this then whatever battle we’re fighting, whatever circumstances we’re facing, whatever challenge we’re up against, no matter where we are at this stage of life; it’s still early in the game. Deliverance will come, maybe not how we expect it, but it will come. Remember the ‘conqueror’ whom we have on our side.

Until Monday…..

Pastor Botts

“…..fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” – Psalm 50:15

Character: What's in you?

How we play the game shows something of our character; how we lose shows all of it. – R. Murray

Saul was happy David had slain the giant Goliath. But when the people praised David ‘more’ than him, all bets were off. Hmm!

Chair throwing, running into the stands after a fan, obscene gestures, etc. We’ve all seen or heard of this behavior in sports and rightly detest it. We make statements like “he should know better,” or “come on, get a grip,” or “it’s not that serious!” But often in our daily living we’re not much better. Minor incidents – we curse or swear like a sailor. Delays or setbacks – we blow our top. Unrequited respect – we burn a hole in them with our glare. As people of the Word, we are not called to always be nice but we are called to be holy and righteous in all we do. The good thing about it is God is a God of second and third chances, so today is another gift.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” – Matthew 7:20

Golden Truth

As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand.  – J. Billings

Pilate ‘claimed’ he really wanted to know what truth was. Jesus was standing right in front of him. Hmm!

Ask anyone what they prefer, truth or fiction; and inevitably they all choose the truth. The sad thing is we only want that portion of truth that coincides with our lives. However, truth is either absolute or it is no truth at all.  We all know 99% truth and 1% falsehood makes the entire statement false. And it’s not so much in the knowing of the truth as it is the showing of the truth in our daily living. Truth has no special time; its hour is now- ALWAYS! Remember, even if no one else is watching – God is.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“Sanctify them by the truth, your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.” – John 17:17-18

The Theme of Freedom

The best things in life aren’t “things.”

Remember as you gather with family and friends to celebrate the theme of the day it’s the relationships that make it special, not the meals, fireworks, games, etc. And let us remember those who gave their life and are giving their time now to ensure we continue to enjoy such freedoms.   Also remember Jesus came for the same purpose. While we enjoy the theme of today, let's keep our eyes focused on the "THEME" of our life. Make sure to take some time to strengthen your relationship with Christ today!

Until tomorrow….

Pastor Botts