Look What I Can Do

One act of obedience is better than a hundred sermons preached. – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Though the apostle Paul wrote many letters to the churches he instructed them to look at his life as an example. Hmm!

When we were kids we always wanted our parents, siblings, and anyone else around to watch us when we did something we thought was extra special. Now that we are grown and knowing that we are possibly the only ‘bible’ some folks will ever read we need to ask ourselves do we still have that “watch me” mentality. Example is contagious behavior and often the only way to reach someone. And a sermon isn’t really preached until it is put into action. We need to be mindful that as instruments of God, somebody is receiving a message loud and clear, so we should pray our walk is in line with our talk.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

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

Constantly Committed to the Cause of Christ

Better to act and not be successful than never to have responded at all. – C. Ringma

Though he was unsuccessful in his attempt, Abraham at least pleaded with God for Sodom’s safety. Hmm!

Truth be told, we do want to see changes take place in our world, and in particular changes to situations which perpetuate sin, evil, or injustice. But sadly we are often slow to act because we don’t often make ourselves aware of them or because we avoid seeing things for what they really are. We often wait until the evil or injustice becomes more magnified before we respond, and then we often claim it’s too late or our little effort won’t help any. But faithfulness can never be measured in terms of successes, but only in terms of commitment. It does not matter the odds or conditions we’re up against. God has called us to be committed to the cause of Christ at all times, not just when it’s convenient or feels good, and often the cause of Christ will justify us going out into the public arena to try and help right injustice or stand up against evil. The one truth you can always say of a fighter – “at least he fought.”

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Give everyone what you owe him: if you owe taxes, pay taxes, if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor then honor.” – Romans 13:7

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

Practice the Faith

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

Yielding to Love

Christianity is not the act of man finally submitting to the power of God, but rather man fully surrendering to the love of God. – W. Barclay

Peter thought he loved Jesus until that fateful night. After that he really learned what love meant. AMEN!

“Stubborn! Obstinate! Hard-headed!” All adjectives that have possibly been applied to us sometime in our life. Those situations where we were unwilling to bend or submit for another. It’s actually a carryover from our infancy when we were shaping our personality. Unfortunately, this type of thinking is often what keeps us separated from God. We think He wants us to ‘knuckle under’ His all encompassing power and we refuse to give ourselves up. Actually, all God wants to do is love us, but for that it takes surrender or a bit of vulnerability. God never forces himself on anyone, but anyone who has truly found Him often wonders what took them so long to surrender.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” – Revelation 3:20

DO Something

You may never know what results come of your actions, but if you do nothing there will be no results! - Anon

Though the Israelites were 'given' the Promised Land, it took some 'working battles' to settle in. Hmm!

Many of us are great visionaries. We can see it all now in our minds eye. Just how perfect our life will be in 5, 10, 15 years or retirement even. Or we can see just how great a ministry/outreach serving "fill in the blank" would add value to the church or community. The only flaw here is that unless we personally do something to begin to make this a reality it will never get off the ground It may all work out as we see it, or God may adjust it along the way to improve upon it, but rest assured it will only collect dust and be forgotten if we never act upon it. We're gifted with life one day at a time, and what we DO with it makes it meaningful and purposeful. LIVE ON!

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"Jonathan said to his young armor bearer, 'Come, let's go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. PERHAPS the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few." - I Samuel 14:6

Get Those Hands Up

Submission or surrender? God's asking! - Anon

In the battle with the Amalekites as long as Aaron and Hur held up Moses' hands in prayer Joshua and the Israelites were winning the battle. Hmm!

"Come out with your hands up!" A command or order we hope to never hear issued to us. It's usually barked at someone projected to be on the wrong side of the law and is now cornered and subject to arrest. But, how did an act so beautiful become so negative. When you think of worship before God it's often a 'hands up' in the air experience. When you think of prayer it's often a 'stretching forth' of the hands, and then there's surrender or a 'throwing up of the hands' to release the issue to Almighty God. Times may have changed but the way we come before God has not. And actually, when you think it through, it really doesn't matter what reason we stand before God with our hands raised for we stand to gain. Amen!

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands." - Psalm 63:4

Flex As Necessary

Life is for one act only; improvisation is required! – Anon

Gideon and his 300 men defeated the Midianites without a sword among them. Just trumpets, empty jars, shouts, and of course – God. Hmm!

Complacency, conformity, and rigidity are too common in our lives. We love being where we are, who we are; and will fight anyone tooth and nail to keep things the way they are. We forget we serve a God who manifested Himself in many diverse ways. He’s the master of improvisation. He made even ‘devout’ folks like Elijah and Peter eat things they considered unclean, or go places they felt beneath them, just to bring glory to His name. So we, though confident in our faith; should never feel God won’t ‘stretch’ us in ways that require us to improvise. We need remember that though God loves us as we are, He’s making us into what He wants us to be, and that may require us being ‘bent out of shape’ by Him and for Him. Here’s hoping we’re all somewhat flexible.

I'll be taking a few days off.....so until next week…

Pastor Botts

“….I can do everything through Him who gives me strength…” – Philippians 4:13

Lay Your Fears To Rest

To fight fear - act; to increase fear - wait. – D. Schwartz

In the parable of the talents, the servant given one talent not only feared when his master was away, but cowered before him when he returned. OUCH!

Remember the things you feared as a child? Eventually as we grew older and wiser we overcame such silliness, hopefully. But fear is still a great tool of the enemy to keep us enslaved. We tend to fear those things we’re unsure of. But God has told us in His word we need not fear the enemy or any of his schemes if we put our faith and trust in HIM, for HE is the ‘great overcomer!’ There is nothing and no one greater than God. And, He’s still the same God today that He was yesteryear. Let Him put all your fears to rest.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” – I John 4:18

Reminder: Today is the National Day of Prayer. May you add this to your prayer time. The theme for this year is “Lord, Pour Out Your Love, Life, and Liberty,” taken from 2 Corinthians 3:17.

Love Takes Surrender

Christianity is not the act of man finally submitting to the power of God, but rather man fully surrendering to the love of God. – W. Barclay

Peter thought he loved Jesus until that fateful night. After that he really learned what love meant. AMEN!

“Stubborn!, Obstinate!, Hard-headed!” All adjectives that have possibly been applied to us sometime in our life. Those situations where we were unwilling to bend or submit for another. It’s actually a carryover from our infancy when we were shaping our personality. Unfortunately, this type of thinking is often what keeps us separated from God. We think He wants us to ‘knuckle under’ His all encompassing power and we refuse to give ourselves up. Actually, all God wants to do is love us, but for that it takes surrender. God never forces himself on anyone, but anyone who has truly found Him often wonders what took them so long to surrender.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” – Revelation 3:20

The Character in a Loss

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

Greater Prayer Workings

Wishing will never be a substitute for prayer. – E. Cole

The persistent widow got relief because she kept on personally ‘troubling’ the ungodly magistrate, not just wishing and hoping he would do something. Hmm!

Most people live life in the ‘wishing’ phase. They wish for this change or that possession, they wish life wasn’t so bad, or for just a little more. Unfortunately, most of us Christians practice prayer the same way - we don’t actually pray we just wish it would be so. But God is a prayer answering God, and takes delight when His children confide in Him and truly seek His intervention. But we must remember prayer is hard work and there is no substitute for the dedication, perseverance, and discipline it requires. Thinking something over is not the same as praying. God expects us to put in the work. Though Jesus was the Son of God he never assumed His Father would just act on his behalf, he ALWAYS prayed first.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” – II Chronicles 7:14

Measure Faithfulness By Commitment

Better to act and not be successful than never to have responded at all. – C. Ringma

Though he was unsuccessful in his attempt, Abraham at least pleaded with God for Sodom’s safety. Hmm!

Truth be told, we do want to see changes take place in our world, and in particular changes to situations which perpetuate sin, evil, or injustice. But sadly we are often slow to act because we don’t often make ourselves aware of them or because we avoid seeing things for what they really are. We often wait until the evil or injustice becomes more magnified before we respond, and then we often claim it’s too late or our little effort won’t help any. But faithfulness can never be measured in terms of successes, but only in terms of commitment. It does not matter the odds or conditions we’re up against, God has called us to be committed to the cause of Christ at all times, not just when it’s convenient or feels good, and often the cause of Christ will justify us going out into the public arena to try and help right injustice or stand up against evil. The one truth you can always say of a fighter – “at least he fought.”

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Give everyone what you owe him: if you owe taxes, pay taxes, if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor then honor.” – Romans 13:7

Don't Put It Off

One of the devils most successful wiles is “wait awhile.” – Anon

The foolish virgins waited until the bridegroom came to go out and get oil for their lamps. They missed out on everything. OUCH!

It’s often been said that if it weren’t for the last minute nothing would ever get done. There is a lot of truth in this. We by nature are people who push the ‘snooze button’ on life. Even though we know tomorrow is not promised to us we often assume it is by our inaction. True, we can’t get everything done in one day, but we could and should do those things we know God has required of us. When we put off what we know to be right it is essentially sin, and Satan wins. This is not just in our Christian duty, but in daily life situations as well. In doing good and righteous acts we don’t need to pray and wait, God has already commanded us to GO!

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” – John 9:4-5

Go for it... with God!

TODAY is that tomorrow you’ve been putting things off for. - Anon

The 5 foolish virgins thought someone would alert them before the bridegroom came so they could get oil for their lamps. OOPS!

As much as we watch clock and calendar, there is never an ideal time to do anything, and if we waited for such a time we would never move forward. God grants us the day, we have to seize it and the opportunities it brings, making the best of the good times and the bad times. And at times we must go with reckless abandon, trusting God will sort it all out. Though God’s Word tells us we should ‘count the costs’ before acting, we cannot always tally our resources before ‘charging the hill of Philistines’ ala Jonathan; we must sometimes leave room for God to act. God is always at the ready, the question is: Are we prepared for Today?

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“…Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  - Joshua 1:9

Flexibility

Life is for one act only; improvisation is required! – Anon

Gideon and his 300 men defeated the Midianites without a sword among them. Just trumpets, empty jars, shouts, and of course – God. Hmm!

Complacency, conformity, and rigidity are too common in our lives. We love being where we are, who we are; and will fight anyone tooth and nail to keep things the way they are. We forget we serve a God who manifested Himself in many diverse ways. He’s the master of improvisation. He made even ‘devout’ folks like Elijah and Peter eat things they considered unclean, or go places they felt beneath them, just to bring glory to His name. So we, though confident in our faith; should never feel God won’t ‘stretch’ us in ways that require us to improvise. We need remember that though God loves us as we are, He’s making us into what He wants us to be, and that may require us being ‘bent out of shape’ by Him and for Him. Here’s hoping we’re all somewhat flexible.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“….I can do everything through Him who gives me strength…” – Philippians 4:13

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.

With great Rank comes great Responsibility

Rank does not confer privilege or give power. It imposes responsibility. – Peter Drucker

Though Jesus was God in the flesh, Savior, Redeemer, and Lord – he was a SERVANT! Hmm!

Our government is mired in a power struggle. If you listen to any elected official they’ll tell you they have a ‘responsibility’ to honor the wishes of those who put them in office, and uphold the laws on the books - but we all know it is as it suits them. But Jesus did exactly what His Father asked of him in his earthly ministry, carrying out the complete will of his Father to the point of sacrificing his life on a cross. You and I, as believers have achieved the rank of CHRISTIAN, and have a great responsibility to Our Lord, to wear the name well. So no matter what situation or circumstances may come about today, and regardless of what others may or may not do, we must remember the name we wear and act accordingly.

Until tomorrow…….

Pastor Botts

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded, and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” – Luke 12:48

Watch Me

One act of obedience is better than a hundred sermons preached. – Dietrich  Bonhoeffer

Though the apostle Paul wrote many letters to the churches he instructed them to look at his life as an example. Hmm!

When we were kids we always wanted our parents, siblings, and anyone else around to watch us when we did something we thought was extra special. Now that we are grown and knowing that we are possibly the only ‘bible’ some folks will ever read we need to ask ourselves do we still have that “watch me” mentality. Example is contagious behavior and often the only way to reach someone. And a sermon isn’t really preached until it is put into action. We need to be mindful that as instruments of God, somebody is receiving a message loud and clear, so we should pray our walk is in line with our talk.

Until tomorrow…….

Pastor Botts

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

Committed to the Cause

Better to act and not be successful than never to have responded at all. – C. Ringma

Though he was unsuccessful in his attempt, Abraham at least pleaded with God for Sodom’s safety. Hmm!

Truth be told, we do want to see changes take place in our world, and in particular changes to situations which perpetuate sin, evil, or injustice. But sadly we are often slow to act because we don’t often make ourselves aware of them or because we avoid seeing things for what they really are. We often wait until the evil or injustice becomes more magnified before we respond, and then we often claim it’s too late or our little effort won’t help any. But faithfulness can never be measured in terms of successes, but only in terms of commitment. It does not matter the odds or conditions we’re up against, God has called us to be committed to the cause of Christ at all times, not just when it’s convenient or feels good, and often the cause of Christ will justify us going out into the public arena to try and help right injustice or stand up against evil. The one truth you can always say of a fighter – “at least he fought.”

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Give everyone what you owe him: if you owe taxes, pay taxes, if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor then honor.” – Romans 13:7