Do Gooders

Next in importance to having a good aim is to know when to pull the trigger. – E. Leterman

In defeating the giant Goliath, David knew there was a time to shout victory for God, and a time to actually do something about it. It only took 1 stone. Amen!

Truthfully, most people have good intentions. They want to be honest, forthright, dedicated to the task and disciplined. They want to be. But wanting to be and actually being or doing are far apart. The only way to get from one to the other is to take action. Too often we miss opportunities to act for God because we tend to overanalyze situations, or try to outguess what God has in mind. The simple truth is all God has in mind is that we “love our neighbor as we love ourselves.” And he gave us hands, ears, eyes, feet, and a heart to do it with. It would be a sin to end the day with our “pouches” still fully loaded.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” – Galatians 6:10

Lose to Win

If you can’t accept losing, you can’t win. – Vince Lombardi

In the prayer war of the Pharisee and the publican, the publican won out because he was willing to lose himself to God’s mercy. Hmm!

We’re often taught only the strong survive, nobody likes a loser, etc. But losing has its place in life as a teacher of wisdom. In sports, if a team never loses they would never notice their weaknesses and work on them. The same is true of life. If we never suffered setbacks, or pain, or suffering, we would never really fully appreciate their absences; and strive to keep away from them. Losing also has its place in our salvation, for unless we are willing to ‘lose all’ for the sake of Christ, we cannot enter into his kingdom. So at times, the best way to win is to lose.

Until tomorrow….

Pastor Botts

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it” – Matthew 16:25

Getting out of the Habit

Bad habits are like comfortable beds, easy to fall into but hard to get out of. – Anon

Jesus jumped all over the Scribes, Pharisees, and religious leaders of His day because of their love for ‘the traditions of men’ rather than GOD. OUCH!

Sometimes, if we’re not careful we can easily fall into self-fulfilling acts or rituals that take us away from God’s program and think ourselves righteous. A habit doesn’t have to be sinful to be bad, but if it takes our focus off of Almighty God and places it on our own desires we need to re-evaluate our commitment. God will present situations to see who will be first in our life today!

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“I am the Lord your God….you shall have no other gods before me.” – Exodus 20:2-3

More than Regulations

God’s will is not an itinerary, but an attitude. – A. Dhuse

The Pharisee checked off his to-do-list in his prayer time to God. God was not impressed. Hmm!

It is always good to follow instructions, particularly when they are sound, just, and beneficial. And in general it is what we're supposed to do. And true, the bible is a good instruction book and has a lot of do’s and don’ts in it. But it is not just a book of regulations and instructions to follow and lists to march by, it is a letter to learn about God and how we should live. Without it, we have no idea of who God is and how to love Him. With it we know not only how to love God, but others and ourselves as well. Love is the greatest attitude. Practice sessions will be happening throughout the day.

Until Monday…..

Pastor Botts

"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” – I John 4:11-12

Blessed not Possessed

Possessions are very good at what they do – possess! – Anon

The rich young ruler who came to Jesus seeking life, could not break free from the tentacles of his blessings. Hmm!

God loves to bless us as His people and He lavishes His love upon us. But the material blessings in our lives are meant to be just that – blessings - and not possessions. But often they become the latter and begin to change and dictate into our lives in ways that interfere with our worship and pursuit of God. The account of Job shows us what it truly means to be blessed but not possessed in any manner by those blessings even including children. Job’s proclamation ‘the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord’ is recognition of the divine sovereignty of God in all things, and is really a truth we need to further integrate in our daily living. A little more of God in our lives requires a little less of something else.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” – Mark 8:36

Wake Up and make it happen!

The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up. – P. Verlery

In telling of his conversion to others Paul recounted how he had been praying and even had a vision from God, but he still had to ‘wake up’ in his life and receive God’s gift of grace. Amen!

‘AROUNTOIT! Such a strange sounding word, that really isn’t a word. But we use it often, “I’ll do this or that when I get 'arountoit’” (around to it). Meanwhile life goes on. 2018 is almost half-way over, and many of us still have those "to do list" or "bucket list" items staring us squarely in the face, and we haven't made a move, drawn a plan, or even set a date to them. Many of us are waiting on the perfect timing of God to put everything in our life together. That’s good, we should seek His guidance, but we need also remember, God has been around a lot longer than we have, and maybe, just maybe, since He's given us the gift, He’s just waiting on us to ‘wake up.’

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this." - Psalm 37:3-5

Who do you love?

When money is in your hand, that’s good, when it’s in your heart, that’s bad. –W. Smith

The rich young ruler came oh so close to salvation and missed it only because he didn’t know what ‘riches’ truly were. Hmm!

Resource or lifesource? Tool or trademark? Oftentimes, for many of us we get the 2 issues confused, particularly when it comes to money. Money and wealth in and of itself, is not a bad thing. God wants of all people his children to enjoy His blessings, however when money captures our heart, is our only motivating factor, and we will stop at nothing to have more of it; it replaces the very God who gave it as our 'lord and master.' And God said, “thou shalt not have ANY other gods before ME!” I pray you master it before it masters you.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food, and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” – I Timothy 6:6-10

Set an Example

Preach the gospel, and if necessary use words. - St. Francis of Assisi

God spoke very highly of Job not because of his words and sacrifices, but because  of his heart and deeds. AMEN!

If it is true that 'a picture is worth a thousand words', (and I believe it is) then the message we preach by what we do comes through loud and clear to all those around us. Though most of us would rather speak of our 'Christianity' most people prefer to see it in action, and God most of all. The deeds we do today may be the only sermon some people will hear this week. The setting God has placed us in today is just perfect for the occasion.

Until tomorrow.....

Pastor Botts

"Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks, or the church of God.....Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." - I Corinthians 10:32

Let's do this Together

If God loves best in community, who are we to set ourselves up as spiritual loners. – J.M. Pope

When Jesus walked the earth even He surrounded himself with 11 ‘faithful’ friends, and then He built for them the church. Hmm!

Nostalgia – we all seem to suffer from it in some form, particularly when it comes to the good-guy or hero, or savior. We buy into the solo act or Lone Ranger attitude. Just look around, we live in a society that teaches and even praises individual independence and freedoms, but that is not by God’s design. From the very beginning God said, “it is not good that man should be alone,” meaning we were created for relationship. Church attendance and fellowship with the brethren may not be important to some, but to God’s people it is a command. I pray you agree.

Until Monday…..

Pastor Botts

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:23-25.

Choose Change

It’s choice – NOT CHANCE – that determines your destiny. – J. Nidetch

Moses refused to be known as Pharaoh’s son, choosing to be with his people. God made him more famous than Pharaoh ever was. Amen!

We live in a world where people believe many things about how they arrive at certain critical situations in life (Karma, Fate, Kismet, Déjà vu, etc.). The reality of life is all of our situations are based on the choices or decisions we made along the way. It was not Fate, Karma, Kismet or any other thing that put us in a bad relationship, bad health,  or a financial bind, nor put us on easy street if that's where we are; it was choices we made. The good news is regardless of where we are now, God is offering us the opportunity to make changes in our current situation and make our eternal destiny secure. We must make sure we choose wisely from today’s activities.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” – Deuteronomy 30:19

Faith in the Faithful One

God can handle it even when we don’t see how! – Richard Murray

The Red Sea parting was a physical impossibility in the eyes of the Israelites and Egyptians – but God works outside physical limitations. Hmm!

If we take a minute to think about it, the sun rose this morning like clockwork and we had nothing to do with it. And it will eventually pass through the day and nightfall will come and we can’t prevent it. God has been doing this and many other miraculous things since the beginning of time. And not only is He involved in nature, but He wants to be involved in every detail of our lives as well. We often say “I know who holds tomorrow/future” referring to God, but the proof of our faith is in our ‘casting all of our cares on Him.” God has been in the ‘delivery’ business since He put man on the earth, so though we may not see how our situation can be worked out, it can; we need to just trust Him a bit longer.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” – Hebrews 10:23

For a time like TODAY!

That we are alive today is proof positive that God has something for us to do TODAY! – A.R. Lindsay

Mordecai had to persuade Queen Esther that God had delivered her for “such a time as this” that she may deliver her people. He was right. Amen!

Though you may hate to admit it, every morning you wake up and look in the mirror of your soul you realize ‘it’s not about you.’ Though God did grant life to you this day, He fully expects you to bring glory to Him. TODAY! He’s prepared you for his glory. TODAY! Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, so it’s TODAY! Whatever comes your way TODAY God expects you to shine for Him. Whoever comes your way TODAY God expects you share Jesus with him. If you’re awake, you’ve already been prepped.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” – Hebrews 3:12-13

Following God's Lead

If you haven’t learned to follow, you can’t lead. – H.C. Mears

What made Jesus such a great leader was that he followed His Father’s will. Hmm!

King, Prince, Monarch, etc. – they are all born to rule or lead. But the fact of the matter is history has shown us being 'born to lead' does not necessarily make one a good leader. Noble leadership is learned, and learned through the model of servitude – God’s model. To trust someone with such great responsibility, he should be tested with small responsibilities first, to prove himself worthy of the honor. The hardest lesson in life to learn- though it is also the simplest lesson- is to follow instructions. Following God’s instructions is submitting our will to His, then we can lead. God has called us to be leaders in our own way, that we should point others to Christ.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” – I Samuel 13:14

Not what you may expect

Blessings come in all shapes and sizes just as we need them, but rarely how we expect them. - Anon

Paul wanted a natural ‘physical healing’ until God told him just how “GRACED” he already was. AMEN!

Holidays, birthdays, weddings, graduations; the dates of gift-giving, and often even before the gifts are opened; the giver is somewhat measured by the size or shape of the gift. We often say “it’s the thought that counts” but many times that’s not true – it’s the gift. So we want big packages, expensive wrappings and so forth. But such an attitude begs the question: How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected? He is the giver of “every good and perfect gift,” so it really should not matter in its size or presentation. And best of all God delivers them to us everyday at just the right moment. This should make every day exciting for us.

Until Monday…..

Pastor Botts

“I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” – Psalm 27:13

Faith Looks Up

Sorry looks back, Worry looks around, Faith looks up! – Anon

Paul had a laundry list of persecutions and afflictions he suffered personally, but he always looked up to Christ. AMEN!

Our outlook on life is based on our attitude within. The issues and circumstances of life happen upon us all for the purpose of perfecting our character here on earth. How we respond is based upon what we have within. We can blame the world and everyone else and feel sorry for ourselves, we can cry conspiracy and believe everyone and the system is out to get us, or we can believe God and trust that everything that comes upon us can and will be worked out for our good and His glory. The decision is purely ours.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” – Isaiah 12:2

Neighborly Assistance

You can stand tall without standing on someone, and you can be a victor without having victims. – H. Woods

Jesus said “there is none greater in heaven than John the Baptist,” and all he did was preach and baptize. Hmm!

One of the worldly perspectives we digest early on in life is that there is always a winner and a loser, that someone has to come out on top; and at all costs we’re to make sure that someone is us. And in truth we spend an inordinate amount of time trying to ‘scratch and claw’ our way up the ladder of success, for success requires the type of thinking and action where one must fight for all they get. In the search for significance, however; one seeks how they may best benefit society and those around them. Their way of thinking is not self-fulfillment but the enrichment of others, which is wholly in line with God’s desires, for we never stand taller than when we reach down to help someone else up.

Until tomorrow….

Pastor Botts

“Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For even Christ did not please himself….” – Romans 15:2-3

From the Inside Out

We may be better than our reputation, but we are never better than our principles. – Anon

Biblically speaking, most people refer to Job as a man with a reputation for enduring great suffering. Actually he was a man of great principle – he never doubted God! Amen.

It happens every morning. It happens pretty much the same every morning. We get up, wash up, and spend time in the mirror preparing the external outlook of the person the world will see that day. We want to look our best for much is at stake. But no matter how good we look externally we can we can never be greater than what we have within. Life is lived from the inside out, which is why God is so adamant about transforming the heart of man, for it is the seat of all living. Man may know us by our reputation, but God would have us known by our principles.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” – Luke 6:45

Potential Utilized

You lose with potential. You win with performance! - Bill Parcells

When Peter was miraculously set free from prison, it wasn't because they had a great big church that knew about prayer, it was because the church prayed. WOW!

It should not surprise anyone that all of us have great potential. And we should know this, for we serve an onmipotent God. But untapped and unused it does us no good. Problems and circumstances seem to often overwhelm us because we never realize or utilize the potential within to overcome them. It's good to know God, but until we truly begin to trust Him and live by the faith we profess, we'll never overcome and be victorious. God wants us all to shine today.

Until tomorrow.....

Pastor Botts

"The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' His master replied 'Well done, good and faithful servant!' Come and share your master's happiness." - Matthew 25:20-21

Faithful Love

Love is an act of faith, therefore whoever is of little faith is also of little love. – Erich Fromm

Though she was looked upon with contempt and even called a dog, the Canaanite woman’s faith impressed Jesus. It was motivated by love for her daughter, not herself. Hmm!

It’s a true statement: What the world needs now is love! The scriptures bear it out loud and clear many, many times, “God is love” (I John 4:8), “for God so loved the world” (John 3:16). The point is He’s asked us to show it by our faith. We extend love to others not because we expect love in return, but because it is Christ within us reaching out to man. If we cannot love all men, we cannot truly love God. In our chance encounters and circumstances today we're expected to practice the faith.

Until Monday……

Pastor Botts

“Hear , O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 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 12:29-31

P.S. - Don't forget our Sunday School Devotional this week at 9AM.

Reality: The Results of Life

We can ignore reality, but we cannot ignore the consequences of ignoring reality. - Ayn Rand

The Garden of Eden in the presence of God is where mankind started, but look at us now. Hmm!

The statement 'results count, excuses don't' will always be true. And the real results of life (reality) stare us in the face every day, but somehow we manage to put them off for another day. The realities of our unhealthy diets and eating binges and/or not getting enough exercise (weight gain, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.); the realities of our not budgeting, planning, or being economical with our finances (bad credit, no savings, living paycheck to paycheck, etc.); and the realities of our inconsistent faith practice (sporadic church attendance, little or no prayer/bible study/giving). We often wonder why 'life' isn't better but in truth we know, we just don't want to admit it, accept it, and then apply ourselves to change it. If we're waiting for that 'one day' to make a change, TODAY is the gift God has given.

Until tomorrow.....

Pastor Botts

"...Then you will know the truth, and the TRUTH will set you free..." - John 8:32

REMINDER: today is the National Day of Prayer!

Techno Crush

There is more to life than increasing its speed. – Gandhi

James says a good farmer “patiently waits” for the rain and seasons for his crops. What a novel concept.

Technology! Instant access! We’re now available 24/7, 365 days a year, never out of reach or touch. We’re multi-tasking, multi-relational, multi-dimensional, and dead-tired. Most studies show for every efficiency we gain in technology, we lose time and touch with humanity (we’re on the phone or PC more, hooked up to music earplugs more, etc.) missing intimate conversation and God’s greatness all around us. Though we may be “up to speed” God’s pace is still the same.

Until tomorrow…….

Pastor Botts

“The apostles gathered around Jesus….then because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” – Mark 6:30-31

Good Lending Practice

Debt is our way of giving ourselves what God hasn't given yet. - B. Cameron

Every time the Israelites stepped away from God's commands, oppression seemed to set upon them. Hmm!

"The high cost of living!" It's a phrase bandied about by us working folk who are trying to survive down here on earth. It's our way of somewhat consoling ourselves when we tend to go overboard on our spending. We all know the basic economic principle that says we should NEVER spend more than we have/make, and we actually should NEVER spend all we have/make, but the "high cost of living" seems to make this impossible to achieve, so we go into debt. It's not really the "high cost of living" but our living choices. If it's true God supplies more than enough, then it is up to us to make it be just that - more than enough. We must learn the art of contentment that Paul spoke of and refrain from trying to live up to others standards and expectations.

Until tomorrow......

Pastor Botts

"....You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day....." - Deuteronomy 28:12-13