The Power of a Love Song

If life is to be a song, then love has to be the music. - T.T. Crabtree

David, "a man after God's own heart," knew the value of putting his words of love and thanks to music in the Psalms. Hmm!

Everybody loves a good love song. In all probability each of us has a particular love song in our past that we often reflect on. Why, because of the nature of love. It offers hope, encouragement, the possibility of a brighter tomorrow. It reminds us that sometimes the risk must be taken to gain the greater prize. God took the risk for us. He "so loved the world" He gave the ultimate prize for us. If we're going to make any impact on the world maybe we need to change our music. People may fuss sometime, but no one can really get upset with being loved.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"....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 12:30-31

Enjoy Life!

Life is not a problem to be solved, but a gift to be enjoyed. – J. Dooley

Mary, mother of Jesus; saw amazing things in her son’s life she didn’t fully understand – but she ‘treasured’ them in her heart. AMEN!

Most of us go through life trying to “figure it out,” assuming if we do we can then somehow commandeer it and take full advantage. The only problem is it takes a lifetime to figure out life is not the problem, we are. You cannot commandeer something that is already freely given to you – and God gives us life one day at a time. His hope is that we will see His handiwork in all things and live in such a way that we reflect the very image of glory He breathed into us. Yes there are circumstances and situations we must contend with, but they only serve to help shape our character, but God left the enjoyment factor up to us. Hope you enjoy what he sends today!

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“These are the commands, decrees, and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you…so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God…..and so that you may enjoy long life.” -Deuteronomy 6:1-2

On the Brighter Side

No man has ever injured his eyesight by looking on the bright side of things. – T. T. Crabtree

Though sold in into slavery, falsely accused, imprisoned, and forgotten by man, Joseph was never down in Spirit. He knew God was still at work. Hmm!

Bad Weather, bad news, sickness, family problems, you name it; we’ve all had it at one time or another in our lives. And we’ll have it again in the future. Jesus said “in this life you will have trouble.” Our challenge is not so much the ‘trouble’ itself but how we respond to it. Maybe God wants us to learn to look at these situations and circumstances for the opportunities they bring to deepen our faith, and increase our praise and worship of Him. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain by looking at it this way, and it does make life more bearable.

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you..." I Thessalonians 5:18

No Way Around Love's Intent

Some people miss the message because they are too busy checking the spelling. – M. Carney

Though the Pharisees and religious leaders ‘handled’ God’s word, they completely missed the promise it gave – JESUS!

Loopholes – the legalists best friend. Many practicing attorneys make a great living finding ways to beat the law, scouring it to find a way around its INTENT. Many Christians, though they are not attorneys; live like they are. Scouring the word of God to see what they can get away with, wanting everything they must do spelled out ‘exactly’, and making ambiguous what is clearly seen. But that’s not the intent of a love letter. God’s word was not given to us to parse and define its terms. It was given to us that we may know Him and live our life to its fullest potential and purpose in a way that brings glory to Him. Remember, God looks on the heart, not the head.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.” – John 5:39-40

Life Lived Is Life Shared

There must be more to life than having everything! – Maurice Sendak

There was once a rich man who reaped even more and decided it was time for him to eat, drink, and be merry. Jesus called him FOOL! Ouch!

If you had everything in life you wanted would you be happy? No matter how we may try to fool ourselves into believing the answer is YES, the answer is obviously no. We know this by watching a small child with a new toy. All is right until someone with another toy comes along- the first is cast aside and immediately they want the other. Sound familiar! Things are inanimate objects that bring forth emotions we project ON them and they cannot reciprocate. Life is made up of the moments we share with others, God, and nature, the experiences and memories we gain from them. In essence, for life to actually be lived it has to be shared with others – not things.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Then [Jesus] said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’” – Luke 12:15

Finding Wonder

Before there can be wonders, there must be wonder. – Anon

Jesus did few miracles in his hometown. Small wonder, they were of little faith. OUCH!

Watch any child unwrap a new toy and you’ll see it. Genuine, wide-eyed, exhilarating excitement! When was the last time you got chill bumps or wide-eyed at what God was doing, in worship, on the job, or in your home? We often take for granted what He does, and we seldom look for the unexpected. We’ve somewhat ‘seasoned’ ourselves to planned response from God. But He can not be put in a box nor be expected to answer or act according to our preconceived ideas. If we truly believe God to be AWESOME, then every thing He does should be cause us to wonder. Maybe its time to reassess our relationship with Him.

Until tomorrow….

Pastor Botts

“The Lord answered Job……Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! – Job 38:1, 4-5

TLC (The Lord's Chosen) "Total Praise"

Check out the latest MusicPops featuring Southside's TLC (The Lord's Chosen) singing "Total Praise"! Premiers today at 10am via YouTube! SouthsideSunday iSouthsideCC

https://bit.ly/3oALdx9

Who Do You Serve?

You’ve got to be a servant to somebody – or something! – C. Kettering

Paul, in all his letters to the churches left no doubt whom he served. He was either a servant or prisoner of Christ. Not a bad way to go.

Felt needs, fleshly desires, God, – all of these desire servitude. Every last one of us has been created with a searching soul. We’ve all been hard wired to find something worthy of OUR service and worship. Though God should be the object of service and worship for all, He does not force the issue on us, He leaves the choice to every individual. As you go through today you might consistently ask yourself who or what am I serving. If it’s all about you or some other individual or object it’s time to redirect your attention to God.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable for you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." - Joshua 24:15

P.S. - Prayer Breakfast meeting tomorrow morning at 9:30am ON CAMPUS. Hope you can join us.

Is This A Convenient Time?

Living by faith is never convenient! – Anon

The Good Samaritan just somehow knew he should do something. Hmm!

We like safe! We like tidy! We like comfort! And admittedly these are all good things to pursue in life, for no one really likes those who live with reckless abandon, nor seem to care for themselves or others. To walk and live by faith doesn’t call us to live with reckless abandon, but it does put us on notice that a convenient tidy life that is “all about me” is no longer appropriate. Godly faith challenges us to go beyond the norms we’ve set for ourselves. To consider others, to assist, care for, help others in their time of need, not necessarily ‘our time’ of convenience or when it’s not taxing us. Godly faith requires us to think like and let Jesus live through us to love, touch, embrace, edify, encourage, and respect others as the person God made them to be. Yes, actually to live by faith is to let Jesus – the one who died for us – live through us.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, a stranger, or naked, or in prison {and minister to you?} The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” – Matthew 25:37-40

Shine in Obedience

God does not expect instant spiritual perfection in you, just obedience. – Anon

God called scrawny little Gideon to lead His army over the Midianites. Gideon didn’t know how to pick an army nor really lead one, but the key is he obeyed, and God was victorious. AMEN!

Too often, many of us sit on the sidelines or in the pews of life and church very much aware of or in the “know” of what needs to be done. But yet we feel we can’t do it because we’ve not mastered it yet. God has never looked for the ‘spiritually perfect’ soul (He provided His own – Jesus), only the perfectly ‘willing’ heart; who is obedient to Him. As our opportunity to shine for God comes along this week may we all be obedient to Spirit’s promptings.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.” Titus 3:1-2

God or Self Centered?

My great concern is not whether God is on my side; my great concern is to be on God’s side. – Abraham Lincoln

Even though David knew God was for him, he always sought God’s direction before his battles. Hmm!

History (which is God’s story) is written by God through the activity of those he chooses to work through. But oftentimes, we are so busy trying to bring God into our activity that we fail to recognize Him at work all around us. He seeks to redirect our attention so that we may join HIM – not the other way around – but we tend to be very self-centered, evaluating everything by how it affects or impacts only us. We must remember: the servant never sets the agenda – the MASTER does. If we are confused in life’s decisions maybe we need to revisit our role.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Jesus answered: ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself, he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.’” – John 5:19

Maintaining Your Inward Joy

True enough, misery may love company; but no one said it had to be you. – Sparks

The rich man died and opened his eyes in hell, then wanted the company of Lazarus to ‘wet’ his parched tongue. Abraham said sorry, no can do. AMEN!

There is a big difference between being comforting and just wallowing in misery. One is borne of love the other selfishness. Misery is a tool of the enemy that melts the heart. The real reason many of us often wind up in the company of misery is we fail to acknowledge the power of the Spirit within us to just say ‘NO,’ I will not be a part of this. The Word tells us ‘do not quench the Spirit.’ When we do, we’re on our own. We are each responsible for maintaining the inward joy Jesus brings to us, and SHARING that joy wherever we go. Go for it!

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” – Proverbs 17:22

Whose Child Are You?

We honor God’s name when we call Him Father, and actually live like we’re his children. – Anon

Before he started his ministry Jesus was actually known as ‘the carpenter’s’ son. Hmm!

In every family there’s at least one, if not all; of the children, who, when outsiders see or hear them they immediately know this is so and so's child. Every parent loves to hear good things about their children, whether it be about their attitude, appearance, dependability or even their thoughtfulness. It makes their heart joyful. God as our Father is no different. He takes great pride in us when we reflect His character, His nature, and His spirit in such a way others might notice. As the day unfolds before us may we remember to whom we belong!

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” – Luke 6:46

Out Of Sight Faith

Sight is a faculty. Seeing is a gift. – R. Gilbert

Hebrews 11 commends many for their faith. They didn’t physically see with their eyes what God had promised but their hearts did. They were REWARDED. Amen!

Bob Cousy, Pete Maravich, Magic Johnson, Steve Nash. Guys who did amazing things with a basketball and their team. It was as if they had eyes in the back of their heads at times. It wasn’t so much that they did, they just had faith and trust in their teammates to be where they should be at the appointed time. Our God has promised us this and more. He will always be there, on time – if we have the faith. Though we often say we have faith, we generally base it only on the tangible stimuli we can see and touch, but true faith sees things that are out of sight and knows God is ever-present if we would just open our eyes and truly see Him. His revelation won’t always be what we expect, but He will make himself known.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” – Psalm 119:18

Honoring Your Vows

A commitment is doing what you said you would do long after the feeling you said it in has passed. – R. Gilbert

When summoned by the king, Uriah the Hittite even refused to go home and be with his wife because of his commitment to protecting his king in battle. AMEN!

Just as a man and woman in Christian marriage are committed to one another ‘until death,’ our relationship with God is the same. And the reality is there can be no adjustment in our commitment or vow with God. Anything short of honoring what we vowed is sin. Its true God is forgiving, however we should not “put Him to the test.” The blessings that God puts into our lives such as family, work, hobbies, education, etc. are never given to supplant Him as having first place in our heart and lives, or change the commitments we made to Him and His church. Emotions come and go, but commitment is based on our own will. Just as God faithfully keeps His promises to us He expects the same from us. Today's a good day to start.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.” – Ecclesiastes 5:4-5

P.S. - We will be packing gift boxes for Samaritan's Purse after services Sunday morning. If you would like to participate please email info@isschristian.org. THANKS!

To Really Know God

It’s better to know the Rock of Ages than to know the age of the rocks. – Anon

Pharaoh thought his gods were invincible, that is until he met the God of Gods. WOW!

Archeological expeditions. Pre-historic fossils. Carbon dated rocks. We live in a world of science and wonder where man is determined to “know” every little detail and fact about his home, planet earth. But such knowledge will always pale in comparison to personally “knowing” the God who created it all and is still waiting and wanting to be known by all men. May we all meet with Him today and be able to somehow share the Good News.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands,…..From one man He made every nation of men; that they should inhabit the whole earth……God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.” Acts 17:24-27

Get Going

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. 2021 is about over, with the year-end staring us squarely in the face - and though it wasn't what we expected it was still a gift from Almighty God. 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

The Standard Measure

A man with one watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure. – Sparks

The people of Athens had more gods than you could shake a stick at. Paul tried to introduce them to the only GOD they needed. Hmm!

We live in a world where everyone has an opinion or belief about life and the way it is supposed to be lived, with a bit of this and a dash of that. And we live in a world where everyone often feels compelled to share their ideas and opinions freely. Words like truth, morality, justice - are often debated and assigned different values depending on who is speaking (alternate facts), or the need for the day. And what is true today may not be true tomorrow. We must be careful to weigh the views of these ‘well-intentioned’ folk against the standard measure. There is only one standard of truth – God’s Word.

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

“Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: so that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” – Romans 3:4

P.S. - Don't forget that Daylight Savings Time ends this Saturday night, so set your clocks BACK 1 hour.

Don't Snowball

When things go wrong, don’t go with them. – Anon

David's one act of adultery eventually led him to murder. OUCH!

Try as we might to avoid it through prayer, meditation, scripture reading and study, sometimes Satan trips us up and we sin. However, we should immediately confess it and repent before Almighty God, and not try to conceal it with further lies and other sinful acts. This allows Satan to build his fortress in our hearts and surround it with walls of our silence and shame, bringing further calamity. God is ready and quick to forgive those who seek Him and ask it, and restore them to Himself, that you may continue to walk upright with Him. I pray we will be conquerors today.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody…….Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” – Romans 12:17, 21

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

Revisit the Word

The worst thing about new books is that they often keep us from reading the old ones. - John Wooden

Though the Pharisees and scribes of Jesus' day had the 'Law of Moses', (God's Word) they felt the 'Traditions of Men' were much better reads. They were wrong. Hmm!

Kindle, E-books, on-line magazines, etc. You could spend virtually hours on end reading the latest authors, catching up on the latest news, or researching the latest trends. Of the list of books and topics there is no end. Reading is a great pastime and invaluable source for information and learning. Many new authors are great in their perspective and presentation, still; nothing compares to the Word of God. It is the only book that speaks to all areas of our lives, gives clear, truthful insight on how to live with our fellow man, gives us purpose, and tells us what life is all about. Should we fail to read God's Word we will eventually lose touch with Him. So, sometimes it's good to often revisit the old ways and means.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." - II Timothy 4:3-4

Mind Body Truth Connection

Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains taken to bring it to light. - George Washington

David said because of his unconfessed transgression with Bathsheba his very bones ached. OUCH!

A study of scripture reveals to us that folks believed and taught that physical pain, sickness, or stress were caused by the direct result of SIN! I think this is David's state of mind. It's called psychosomatic illness - the belief that 'perceived' illness/pain exists with the body. Today, there is an entire field of study given to it. This is how the practice of giving plain sugar/salt tablets (placebos) to individuals who thought they were really sick came about. That being the case we do know that our mental, emotional, and spiritual state can impact our physical wellness. That's why it's good for us to repent and ask God for forgiveness daily, that we might not give any infraction the possibility of growing into a situation that can impact our well-being. If our parents often knew we were guilty of something without us telling them, how much more so with God, from whom nothing is hidden.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." - Proverbs 28:13