Responses to Life

What life does to us depends on what life finds in us. – Richard Murray

In all that Joseph went through, he never lost his composure or his God. Hmm!

Insurance – most people that buy it hope they never have to use it but are glad they have it when they need it. Our faith on the other hand is a definite must-have and use daily requirement. Faith is what allows us to overcome the most difficult setbacks, hurdles, and heartaches. You or I cannot always change or control the world around us, but we can always control what happens within us. If we truly want to gauge how strong our relationship with Christ is all we need do is look at our responses to the everyday circumstances of life. The question is does life make us bitter or better, we know with Jesus it was the latter.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

He's the One That Can Make Us Better

The human race has improved everything, except the human race. – Richard Murray

Rehoboam saw God’s favor in his father Solomon’s reign. One can only wonder why he didn’t follow suit. His ways brought ruin on the people. Hmm!

We constantly live in a world of change. Everything around us and everything we use is always being made over new or improved upon. From what we eat, to what we drive, to what we watch, even to how we serve God. The only problem here is we continually look outward to make improvements and rarely look inward. This is why once the novelty has worn off the 'new' product the same old feelings and thoughts of despair arise. The only way to have true peace and inner joy is to make ourselves 'new' from within. God is in the reclamation and restoration business. He reclaims broken hearts and restores them to better than new when He’s done. If we want to be a better human, we have to defer to the MAKER, not His creation. Today’s a good day to start.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

“They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised. Amen.” – Romans 1:25

Remember to Press On

To keep proper focus always remember: From where you came; Where you are going; and to Whom you must give account. – Richard Murray

In all of his misery Job never forgot that “naked I came into the world and naked I shall depart, but the Lord is to be praised.” WOW!

With all that’s going on in the world around us and in our immediate lives sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. The number one goal of our enemy is to get us to take our focus off of God. Where we begin to major in the minor things in our life, our imperfections, failures, our losses, making them the focal point. This happens when we get caught up in self-pity, for we leave little room for God to work in us and on us. We can’t wallow in the moment, we must remember we’re on a journey for God. Progress sometimes is slow, but if we keep moving forward we will one day have a good report.

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” – Philippians 3:12

A True Treasure and Measure

When saving for old age be sure to put away a lot of good memories. – Richard Murray

As Jesus was growing and maturing his mother Mary ‘stored up’ a lot of his actions in her heart. It served her well at the cross. Hmm!

It’s no secret that life is fleeting. You finish school, work a little while and before you know it the ‘golden years’ are upon you. Those years where we spent time building and raising a family, acquiring material wealth, building a nest-egg, and finding our true self just zipped by. If we’re fortunate we learn the secret of the ‘golden years’ early on. Life is in the living not the acquiring, for what is acquired or accumulated can vanish very quickly. But good memories can never be lost or stolen and are a true treasure and measure of one’s lifetime of achievements. All the money in the world can’t erase a sad, regret-filled life, and God wants us to enjoy the life He’s given so today we need to invest in good memories.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.” – Proverbs 10:7

Your Fruit Will Always Tell On You

How we play the game shows something of our character; how we act after a loss shows all of it. – Richard 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

Boldly Go...

If we lack the courage to start, we are finished already. – Richard Murray

From the moment He came to earth in a manger, Jesus knew a ‘cross’ loomed large in His future. He set His face to go that way. Hmm!

It’s a simple truth but vastly misunderstood: “to get results you have to actually be doing something,” you can’t just sit there. God never said life would always be pleasant and pain free, but He did promise to walk with us every step of the way and make it bearable for us. And that’s the key, we have to take or make that first step. It’s the hardest thing in the world to do at times; particularly when uncertainty, doubt, fear, or apprehension cloud our thinking. Yes it’s tough to live with the weight of cancer, foreclosure, divorce, etc.; as these are sometimes the issues in our life, but they should not stop us in our walk of faith. God is a rewarder of those who have courage to live by faith, trusting Him to bring about the end results. The good thing we know is in the end it will be for our good and His glory.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“…No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” – Luke 9:62

Don't Fake the Funk

It is okay not to know, it is not okay to pretend you know, when you don’t. – Richard Murray

Even Jesus himself said He didn’t know the time His Father had set for the end of times. Hmm!

‘How To’ books – the shelves are full of them, from A to Z, on whatever suits your fancy. Most are tried and true, which is of great benefit to those of us who want to learn the ‘How’s’ of life. Unfortunately there are scores of these books that are purely fictional, theoretical, and guesswork. In this great creation of God there are some things God kept to Himself, and we should in no wise try to guess, theorize, or fill in what is missing. It’s okay for us to say “I don’t know!” The great thing is that He gave us enough to know Him and love Him, and in the end that’s all that matters.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“….The secret things belong to the Lord our God…” – Deuteronomy 29:29

Prepare for Transmission

Prayer must mean something to us if it is to mean anything to God! - Richard Murray

Daniel let nothing and no one interfere with his prayer time with God. Hmm!

Growing up in our home, we as kids all learned that the phone was not a toy. It was to be used to conduct business, stay in touch, and pass along information. So when you picked it up to dial someone you had a purpose for doing so. The idea of 'just talking loud and saying nothing,' where the conversation was meaningless, pointless, and without purpose or conviction was not tolerated. Truth is, nobody likes conversation like that. Not even God. And though He has inclined His ears to hear our every call, we should always prepare our hearts before we call on Him, and we should have something worthwhile to chat about when we call Him. Even if it's just to tell Him we love Him there should be some conviction in our tone, or if it's to praise Him there should be some passion in our voice. Remember, as we talk He's looking at our heart.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart......" - Psalm 24:3-4

Given Not Deserved

God loves us not because of who we are, but because of who He is. – Richard Murray

After his denials of Christ, Peter went out and wept. After his resurrection, Jesus went to Peter and ‘reinstated’ him. WOW!

The world gives adulation to its own. Movie stars, star athletes, writers, politicians, etc. are heaped great praise and adoration for their actions, and often begin to believe they deserve such. It’s easy for us to get caught up into the mode of thinking we deserve God’s love because of what we’ve accomplished for Him, how long we’ve been faithful, or even because we can see the ‘change’ in our lives. The truth of the matter is God loved us from the very beginning, when we weren’t the people we are now, when we had not accomplished the things we’ve accomplished now. He even loved us when we went astray, and rejected Him. Aside from His holiness, love is His nature. There is nothing we can really do to earn His love, for He freely gives it to all. May you feel loved today!

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

God Assisted Aspirations

If it doesn’t scare you a little, you are dreaming way too small! – Richard Murray

Moses said to God “who am I to go before Pharaoh?” God reminded him with “I’m going!” Amen!

They’re called big events! Life-changers. The ‘wedding’ day! The ‘home purchase’ day. The ‘baby comes’ day. Yes, these and others like them cause you to pause and wonder, with some trepidation about your readiness and ability to succeed. The challenge that lies ahead. Can you meet it alone? That’s the reality of dreams and aspirations for life. If they aren’t challenging enough for us to be dependent on someone greater than ourselves – GOD – then they really aren’t big enough. God walks with us every step of the way, but He will not do for us what He knows we can do for ourselves. But when it comes to the ‘impossible’ that’s His domain, and He remains at the ready if only we are willing to ask, for He wants to bring us good and glory to His name. If you have the dream you also have the means.

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. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” – Matthew 7:7-8

Life According to The Master's Plan

Our task is not to do the master planning, but the planning of the Master. – Richard Murray

God gave Noah exact measurements on the ark, it worked. Jesus gave two of the disciples exact instructions on preparing for the last supper, it was just as he said. Maybe we should just listen and obey. Hmm!

Midlife crises! Biological clocks ticking! Lifetime achievements. It’s truly amazing how many lives are impacted by such events, and the great strides we take and hurdles we leap to make such inroads to the life we dream about. Dreams and aspirations caused by our own man-made thinking and desires, often cause us to cast aside the purposes of God for our own. True, life as it is now may not have panned out the way we planned it, but it may be going just the way the Lord planned it. The great thing is our life is still going, so the sky is still the limit and untold blessings are still possible. When it comes to God’s plan maybe we need to try it His way, on His terms. History has proven Him right every time.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm.” – Psalm 37:23

Do Good In Spite Of

It is not possible for us to be what we ought to be until we do what we ought to be doing. – Richard Murray

Jesus had to ask Peter three times “Do you love me?” before it finally dawned on Peter what Jesus was after. Hmm!

Growing up most of us did the things we were supposed to do (diet, exercise, education, etc.) to reach adulthood. The problem is a lot of us stopped here. God’s plan was for us to grow into mature, productive, kingdom building individuals. Many of us have an idea of who we really should be by now for we know the truth, and we know how to apply the truth to our lives, but yet we refuse because of what we perceive others to be doing. Jesus told Peter to take his eyes ‘off’ of John and focus on his own relationship with God. What others do in their life should not impact the righteous life we are called to live. And we can never be all that God wants of us unless we do all that He asks of us. True faith doesn’t depend on others actions, it’s active alone.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9

Perfection Takes Time

Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid of only standing still. – Richard Murray

Jesus was twelve when he stymied the teachers of his day, but didn’t start his ministry until he was 30 – he needed the time. Hmm!

When it comes to change, too often we want it now, in the dramatic, miraculous fashion; and we grow weary and ready to give up when it doesn’t happen that way. But if we look around and understand God and His nature He always takes His time in developing or growing plans. He made man on the 6th day, not the first. Christ came as a ‘baby in a manger’ not a full-grown man. God is always at work, ‘He neither slumbers nor sleeps,’ so He is working on us. Our role is to be patient, steady, and persevere under the circumstances in which He has placed us. None of us are where we truly want to be maturity wise, but if we look back we should see a steady pattern or progression of betterment in our lives and with that - REJOICE!

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

Lighten Your Load Today

There will always be enough for today, without taking on yesterday or tomorrow. – Richard Murray

God rained down manna on a daily basis for the Israelites to eat. In their craftiness they tried to save some of it for the next day. It only created other problems. Hmm!

It has often been said that “worry is the interest paid on tomorrow’s trouble - today.” Yet even knowing this we still have a habit of carrying this excess weight with us, and it impacts our lives and testimony for God. The truth of the matter is when we agonize over yesterday’s decisions or fret over tomorrow’s possibilities, we show a lack of trust and faith in our Heavenly Father. He is so willing to forgive us our past mistakes, and He is so willing to help us with tomorrow when it comes. What He wants though, is for us to just live for Him in the current moment. As 'His mercies, grace, provisions, are new every morning' today is our turn to represent Him as light and life in a dark world.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” -Matthew 6:34

Days of Future Beauty

Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it. – Richard Murray

Through a ‘harsh’ vision God let Peter know that Gentiles were just as acceptable as the Jews were in His sight. Hmm!

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!” How true, but how misapplied. We give the right to determine what is beautiful to imperfect individuals like ourselves. It was God actually, who created everything and called it “good,” (beautiful) the highest honor that could be bestowed upon the creation. And everyone created in His image is still beautiful to Him. He sees us very differently than we do ourselves. And though He loves us just as we are right now, His perfect love will not allow us to remain this way forever, for He sees a far more glorious person in us than we could ever imagine, and He will work to bring it about. Our lot is just to admire His handiwork in ourselves and others around us. So, in truth there really are no ugly ducklings.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“…He has made everything beautiful in its time…” – Ecclesiastes 3:11

Don't Miss the Heart

When we detach the Word of God from the heart of God, we miss the point of God. - Richard Murray

Jesus chastised the religious rulers of his day because they 'made the Word of God something it should never be - burdensome. AMEN!

Truth be told, a lot of folks - many of them 'Christians' - just see the Word of God as a lot of commands. Do's and don'ts to live by with little or no relational attachment to Almighty God himself. It's as if He just says "here you go, live by these rules and I'll check in on you every so often." But God is 'Spirit' and His Word is infused with that 'Spirit' which make it alive and very relatable to our current issues and circumstances in life. Unlike our Supreme Court who hasn't a clue what 'democracy' is all about and seems to be changing it decision by decision, God's Word does not change. It is given to us in love, containing His heart's desire for us. The faith God seeks of us was NEVER meant to be burdensome, but joyful, enlightening, and inviting. When we go about our lives living by rote commands or rituals to 'placate' God we're the losers, not Him. And to miss the very heart of God is to really miss everything else in life. Here's hoping you can fall in love with the author a little more.

Until Monday...

Pastor Botts

" People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people." - II Timothy 3:2-5

Eyes Forward

To hold fast to one’s goals means to dismiss many others. – Richard Murray

No matter the number of miracles he performed, Jesus constantly reminded his disciples his goal was the cross. WOW!

It is so easy to become distracted in the Christian life! The moment we seem to grasp what God wants or calls us to do, it seems as though everything and everyone around us requires our time and attention. It takes a strong resolve not to lose focus or get sidetracked by the issues or cares of life, and the enemy is crafty at bringing such things in our periphery. Discipline or dedication is a very, very hard thing. Like Jesus, our resolve to go where God is calling us ought to be clearly evident to those around us. We should never let temptation or ‘opportunity’ keep us from obedience to God’s calling.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.” – Proverbs 4:25-27

Ready For The Answer?

It is dangerous to pray if you are not ready to accept the answer. – Richard Murray

Gideon was okay with God answering the prayers to come and help his people, he just wasn’t keen on the idea that God wanted him to help out. Hmm!

We’ve all heard the phrase “be careful of what you ask for, because you just might get it.” Well in prayer that phrase is truly applicable. God is a prayer hearing and prayer answering God. Whenever God speaks to us, it will immediately require an adjustment in our life, and our reaction will reflect what we truly believe about Him. We will either be drawn closer to Him or move further away – but we will not remain where we are. Essentially, each time we read our bible and/or pray to God we must be prepared to either obey or be disobedient, for God will speak into our life. But though He speaks, He will leave the choice, and its consequences solely up to us. So today may be bringing answers to yesterday’s prayers.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“….Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me; ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness….” – II Corinthians 12:8-9

Not Over. Not Finished.

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 specifics, ours is just to wait and be faithful.

Until Monday…

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

Patience with Progression

Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid of only standing still. - Richard Murray

Jesus was 12 when he stymied the teachers of his day but didn't start his ministry until he was 30 - he needed the time. Hmm!

When it comes to change all too often we want it yesterday, in the dramatic miraculous fashion. And we grow weary and ready to give up when it doesn't happen that way. But if we look around and understand God and His nature, He always takes His time in developing or growing plans. He made man on the 6th day, not the first. Christ came as a 'babe in a manger' not a full-grown redeemer. God is always at work for He never rests, therefore He is still at work in us. Our role is to be patient, steady, and persevere under the circumstances and conditions in which He has placed us. None of us are where we truly want to be maturity wise, but if we look back we should see a steady pattern of progression or improvement in our lives and with that we can rejoice.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

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