Take the time to take a look

Look ‘both ways’ is more than just good advice for crossing the street. - Anon

Jesus said a wise man would ‘count the costs’ before embarking on a major project, lest he doesn’t have enough to finish and ends up looking foolish. Hmm!

All of us know life can change in a moments time or in the blink of an eye. But for most of us that thought only applies to everyone else. For often in our haste, pride, anger, and self-centeredness we fail to look at both sides of an issue and the potential consequences to our own detriment. And usually the consequences are heavy and costly. God’s word often says we should be ‘slow’ to respond, meaning we should look both ways before crossing. The enemy tries to get us to act in haste, making rash decisions without prayer or forethought (just think Garden of Eden) knowing the consequences will be brutal. Today is a gift to us, but the circumstances that come with it are not always cut and dry.

Until Monday…..

Pastor Botts

“A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.” Proverbs 14:29

P.S. - Family Fun Night begins a t 6:30 tonight, hope you can make it!

Sow a Seed

All the blooms of all your tomorrows are in the seeds you plant today! – Anon

Haman plotted evil against the Jews. He was hung on the very gallows he built for Mordecai. Enoch walked with God and was taken. HMMM!

Whether joyous or not, the life we have today is a result of the decisions and actions we made in days and years past. We truly reap what we sow. Any farmer knows you don’t plant corn and get peas. Nor can we live a life of sin, disobedience, and unrighteousness and expect only good to happen to us all our days. God’s ways are exact and unchanging, and He “works for the good of those who love him.” As a saintly brother of ours used to say, “if you don’t like what you’ve been getting,’ think about what you’ve been giving.’ The choice is OURS!

Until tomorrow….

Pastor Botts

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” – Galatians 6:7

Procrastination made it grow

Procrastination is the fertilizer that makes difficulties grow. – J. Maxwell

Because the Israelites didn’t think they were ready to take the Promised Land it cost them 40 years in the desert wilderness. OUCH!

Small projects that have become monumental tasks. Small issues that have become mega problems filled with drama. All because we did not attack them when they first surfaced. The truth is all problems grow if we don’t focus on them immediately and plan some course of action. The first step is always to remember who we are and who we belong to. And since there’s nothing too hard for our God, we should trust Him for the strength, wisdom, knowledge, and other resources we will need. Since tomorrow is not promised today is a good day to start.

Until tomorrow….

Pastor Botts

“….and my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:19

Comfort in Time

A broken heart is what makes life so wonderful – 5 years later. - Richard Murray

The birth of her grandson Obed renewed a long dormant spirit in Naomi’s heart. Hmm!

Live long enough and you’ll learn sooner or later that life hurts sometimes. The truth of the matter is life will break our hearts a few times. God does not always give us what we want or ask for. He in His divine wisdom knows what’s best for us – but He will always, always show us or tell us why He did not answer in the way we desired if we remain faithful and give Him time to show us His much greater plan or vision. We must remember life doesn’t all happen in the here and now moment, and that God is much more concerned with our eternal destiny than our immediate temporary comforts, but even still in this, He will not put more on us that we can bear. So, no matter where we are or what we’re going through right now, we just need to hang in there and hang on to God.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts                                                

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” – Philippians 4:4

Steady Chasing After Us

The bible is not only a bleeding book but also a pleading book. – HD. Rutherford

Much prayer and concern was offered up for Sodom and Gomorrah, but to no avail. All was lost to God’s wrath. OUCH!

We call them bloodhounds, hunting dogs. They are tracking dogs; give them a ‘scent’ and off they go, and go, tirelessly seeking their prey. In that sense, Our Christ operates the same way. He refuses to be ignored, He never gives up. We have tried for over 20 centuries to escape Him, elude Him, ignore Him, discredit Him, smear Him, and yet after all our endeavors, denials, and put-downs He still pursues us. He won’t turn back. We can try like Pilate to wash our hands of Him, or like so many others to deaden our souls cry for Him through the slumbering offerings of this world, but He still seeks us. The one who bled for us and pled for us still searches for us – with open arms! Why, only to love us and save us before the one day comes when He will have to judge us. Hopefully, we’ll tire of running before that day comes.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“….For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him…” – II Chronicles 16:9

Hold Press and Push On

Whoever said anybody has a right to give up! – M. W. Edelman

Joseph, Moses, Job, Ruth, Stephen. In spite of their adversity and opposition quitting was not in their nature, but God was. They all won glory for him. Amen!

It is said that the man who is successful is just someone who held on a little longer. The greatest tool of the enemy is discouragement. He knows if discouragement is employed enough in our lives we will often quit or give up, believing the goal is unattainable or not worth the effort. The enemy will see to it that things go wrong, dreams get delayed, education gets off-track, prayer and meditation time is pushed aside, suffering and heartache come, etc. – that’s his job and he does it well – but we’re told to ‘fight’ through it all and keep the faith. God has called us to hold on until the end for He is faithful in His promises. Even if we can’t see the goal with our own eyes, we know it’s there by faith – so we press on. Is it in you?

Until Monday…..

Pastor Botts

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross….Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” – Hebrews 12:2,3

P.S. - Don't forget to bring your Voting Ballots back this Sunday!

Opportunities to Grow

What we call adversity, God gives as opportunity. – Anon

Jesus once asked Philip if they had enough to ‘feed’ all the people. Philip begrudgingly calculated how much it would cost them. It wasn’t about money but faith.

Rise AND shine, hope AND pray, rejoice in ALL circumstances. Sometimes admittedly we seem to do okay on the front end, but not the other. We wonder why do we have to be cordial, why should I pray one more time or why should I be happy this is happening to me. It is then we need to take off our ‘glasses’ and put away our ‘thoughts’ and seek what God is trying to work out in our lives. He never wastes an opportunity for us to grow into maturity, for in so doing we give Him even greater glory. So today is the day, may we not miss the opportunities.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“As you know, we consider blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” – James 5:11

How's Everything Coming Along?

No matter what the game is, there is always a scoreboard! - Anon

When Hezekiah showed off his kingdom to the king of Babylon, Isaiah let him know it was not just a simple gesture. OUCH!

As kids we played games for fun, exercise, and to pass the time. And though they offered all these things the one often overlooked benefit was they taught us rules and conduct. Every 'game' has its own rules and its own definition of what it means to win, whether it be points scored, profits made, course completed, etc. And no matter what the game was there was a scoreboard. To know if your game plan was working and where you stood you had to look at things in light of that scoreboard. Why, because our game plan was what we wanted to happen, but the scoreboard tells us what is happening. God has given us His Word and His Spirit to live by, to be Jesus with skin on, that's our game plan. Godliness and our impact on the world, that's the scoreboard. The question we each need to ask ourselves is 'how are we doing, and can we do better?'

Until tomorrow.....

Pastor Botts

"....But godliness with contentment is great gain...." - I Timothy 6:6

What Road Are You On?

If we keep heading in the same direction, we are likely to get where we are headed. – Rick Rusaw

The Israelites were in constant rebellion toward God’s leadings. If memory serves correctly, they were in constant bondage as well. Hmmm!

Maps are great tools to assist us in getting to our point of destination. Follow the map route and you’re assured of reaching your end point. God gave us a map – The Bible – that we might get to know Him and make it to heaven. It too, has very specific directions but with two destinations. God is EXACT in His directions, and there is no “wiggle room.” If sin is “heading” our lives, now is the time to very seriously stop and take a look at the path we are on and make any necessary course corrections. And though we may feel okay with our current relationship with God, remember He does not like “lukewarmness” either.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” – Matthew 7:13-14

Getting Into Practice

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

Limitless Dynamic Faith

Our 'Age of Anxiety' is, in great part, the result of trying to live today’s circumstances with yesterday’s faith. – M. McLuhan

Though Rachel believed in her husband Jacob’s God, she still kept the gods of her father Laban. Hmm!

One of the great things about scientific discovery is that it is always open to new ideas and realities – oh that our faith were so. For most people their faith is clearly defined, limited and tangible, and if circumstances don’t fit within the parameters they determine and define they won’t move forward. But we serve a God who is ever unpredictable in His ways as He works things out in our lives. His expectation is that we trust Him in all things and truly believe that He will never place us in any situation where His grace is not sufficient, His provision is not more than enough, or His strength will not prevail. The whole idea is that God is trying to ‘grow’ our faith not our fears. Today will require more from us than yesterday.

Until Monday…….

Pastor Botts

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” – II Corinthians 5:17

Progress Beyond the Hindrance

What seems a hindrance often becomes a way of progress. – Henry Nouwen

Paul said his ‘chains’ (prisoner status) actually aided him in furthering the gospel message. AMEN!

Admittedly, we seldom do well in difficulty. Hindrances and difficulties seem to frustrate us, make us angry with others, even God at times. And because we are self-centered more than we ought to be, hindrances and difficulties often make us feel victimized, “why me?” And our natural response is to try and sidestep them if at all possible. In truth, difficulties can and do tell us much about ourselves, and they are an important factor in change. God knows this and He creatively often uses hindrances and difficulty to get our attention or focus on what’s really important. The truth of the matter is when we take time to pray, be still, and face the hindrance or difficulty head on, we’ll discover that it was not what it first seemed – a hindrance – but in fact a way to a new experience with God. And in the end, isn’t that what we’re after?

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“….Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance…” – James 1:2-3

Hope For Tomorrow

Yesterday is experience. Tomorrow is hope. Today is getting from one to the other as best we can. – J. M. Henry

While they were in the fiery furnace, the three Hebrew boys reflected on where they came from and who they believed in, and barely noticed the consuming flames. Hmm!

Wherever we are in life, be it tolerable, comfortable, or even grand; it is probably not the best it could be, which is why tomorrow beckons. There is hope for a turnaround, improvement, come-back, step-up or whatever we desire, and we should use all of yesterday’s and yesteryear’s experiences to make the best moves possible TODAY. Today, with all of its possibilities is all we have to work with right now, and depending on how we spend/invest it, we will either welcome tomorrow with open arms or try to hide from it. God has done His part by giving us all we need this day to make it, the rest is up to us, but He is willing to assist in the decisions we make if we are willing to ask. It couldn’t hurt.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” – Matthew 6:34 (NLT)

Stick to It

Be like a postage stamp – stick to one thing until you get there. – M. Carty

Though Elijah called down fire from heaven and spectacularly destroyed Baal’s prophets, his original commission was just to announce the coming rain. He REMEMBERED!

Success is great but it can also be distracting as we seek to follow God. Often when something spectacular happens in our lives we tend to dwell there. We tend to prefer the dramatic and good far more than the mundane. If we aren’t careful, we may become distracted by the successes we experience in our life so much that we never complete what God originally assigned us to do. May we be careful that our successes today do not get in the way of obedience tomorrow.

Until tomorrow…….

Pastor Botts

“And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you; When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” – Exodus 3:12

The Sense to use Common Sense

Nothing is more fairly distributed than common sense; sadly, no one thinks he need more of it than he already has. – R. Descartes

Solomon was the wisest man we know but he also surrounded himself with those who kept him grounded and humble. Hmm!

Getting a good education is important – no doubt. It will aid us all in life for the many days that lie ahead. And the more education, the better equipped one will be to be productive in society. The problem we encounter though is when we let book learning replace good ol’ common sense. God gives it to each of us equally, but like most things in life it seems the more obvious or common something is the more it is neglected or ignored. Common sense can save us from a lot of accidents and mishaps, and ‘drama’ in life, if we would not be so prideful and use it.  Education may make us employable, but common sense makes us practical and easier to live with.

Until Monday……

Pastor Botts

“Wisdom is the principal thing, therefore get wisdom; and with all your getting get an understanding.” – Proverbs 4:7

What did YOU do?

When you find yourself in a hole of your own making, it is a good time to examine the quality of the workmanship. – J. Remmerde

After Saul met Christ on the Damascus road, he had three days in ‘darkness’ to review his life’s journey. Hmm!

It’s a given that life has its ups and downs. But God is not always testing us with trials, nor is Satan always responsible for our ills. Sometimes it’s just our own ingenuity that lands us in a place or situation we’d rather not be. Now the good thing is we serve a God who can bring good out of any situation or circumstance, however; often before He responds He expects us to reflect on where WE went wrong, why WE went wrong, and how WE can prevent it from occurring again. Holding fast to and practicing His Word will keep us from many holes, ditches, and pits that are completely unnecessary in life. So unless we just like digging maybe it’s time we took a look in the mirror.

Until tomorrow….

Pastor Botts

“Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.” – Lamentations 3:40

Bad Seeds

No garden is without its weeds. – T. Fuller

Even in the 12 Jesus personally chose after praying all night, there was one bad seed. Hmm!

Floral arrangements are truly beautiful, but they are just that – arrangements. Pre-picked and pre-arranged for their beauty. Life is not pre-picked or pre-arranged, and much to our dismay it can’t be. Even in our homes, on our jobs, in our relationships, churches and organizations; no matter where we go we will find that all is not picture perfect. Weeds (problems or issues) are a fact of life. It’s difficult sometime to determine how the weeds get in our garden, but suffice it to say that we deal with imperfect people and we ourselves are imperfect. Often, we need the weeds in our life to force us to grow stronger in our foundations and principles of righteousness for the kingdom’s sake. The key is not to get ‘choked’ out by them but to hold on until harvest.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares……when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared…” – Matthew 13:35

Not an Afterthought

Give not from the top of your purse, but from the bottom of your heart. – Anon

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and teachers of the law often for their traditions of men which adhered to the 'letter' of the law but ignored the 'spiritual intent' of the law. He said they should do both. Hmm!

Often, in terms of what we give to God; whether it be praise, worship, offering, service, etc.; is done without much thought and preparation, but out of a sense of duty or obligation. God wants neither. He is seeking our love for Him, and our respect of His will. Just as we would never really want to be an 'afterthought' in people's dealings, God should not be in ours. If He is truly KING of Kings and LORD of Lords then only our best, as we have prepared ourselves will do. Remember you can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving. As we embark upon today may our heart be our guide.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“The Lord says; These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” – Isaiah 29:13

Worry Made Them Grow

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