No Matter How You Slice It...

I haven’t committed a crime, what I did was fail to comply with the law. – Anon

Saul thought he did nothing wrong in not completely destroying the Amalekites as God commanded, it only cost him a kingdom. Hmm!

We often look at life and try to categorize it into big and little issues. And in the big issues we assign more weight to doing right or being obedient than we do in the smaller issues. In these so often we like to think its all in how you look at things, keep them in a shade of ‘grey’ to satisfy our inner self that we are okay with God. But God’s Word has no shade of ‘grey,’ and with Him there are no big or little issues. He means exactly what He says and when we fail to heed and obey in the least bit, no matter how we twist things to suit our situation, in His eyes it is sin plain and simple. And no, it may not be a big deal in the way we look at things, but then again in the final analysis; our standing before Him and giving an account won’t be viewed in the way we look at things, but in the way He has already set forward.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“…Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, SINS.” – James 4:17

Yet Praise Him

You cannot make yourself feel something you do not feel, but you can make yourself do right in spite of your feelings. – Pearl S. Buck

Job lost everything he had, including his health. His wife wanted him to curse God. He just couldn’t do it. AMEN!

At times in life it seems like everything we’re involved in is collapsing or going bad. Investments go south, friendships go stale, careers get sidetracked, etc. Difficult as these times are they are good opportunities to stop and examine what is truly important to us; our relationship with our Heavenly Father. In spite of all that is happening He is still worthy of praise. It might not come easily but it should come. Without God we would be totally lost. Our praise for Him does not depend on our success but on His goodness, grace, mercy, and faithfulness. No matter what happens to us in life we can always choose to praise Him.

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

“Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; Though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; Though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls – Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” - Habakkuk 3:17-18

Curves Ahead

A bend in the road is not the end of the road - unless you fail to make the turn. - Anon

From the belly of the great fish Jonah suddenly had time to think and repent. WOW!

'Smooth sailin'!' 'Nothing but the open road, baby!' 'Puttin' the pedal to the metal!' All phrases we're familiar with that paint a picture of someone just movin' through traffic (life) with no cares or problems. However, sometimes there are curves to navigate and even turns to negotiate, which when traveling at the appropriate speed are easily manageable. If the curves and turns of life are upsetting to you maybe it's time to slow down a bit, and always remember God does allow U-turns.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me." - Psalm 119:133

Seeing What Is

Never spend so much time looking for what isn’t there that you fail to see what is. – Anon

The religious leaders of the day were so deeply engrossed in their own version of the God they thought they were waiting for, that when God in the flesh actually walked amongst them, they were blind. HOW SAD!

Crosswords, Word Search, Sudokus - great challenging puzzles with ready answers. Life is not as fulfilling with answers at times, but often if we’re not careful we become like our predecessors here. Many of us often look long and deep at situations and circumstances in our life trying to make heads or tails out of them and make them more than they are. Some circumstances are just circumstances that happen, not because we didn’t send the chain letter or e-mail on, or we didn’t pray hard enough, etc. We can go stir crazy behind this, but the reassuring truth is that no matter what befalls us, God’s mercy, compassion, forgiveness, grace, and love is always ready and available. He’s standing right in front of us patiently waiting.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you return to the Lord your God and obey Him. For the Lord your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers which He confirmed to them by oath.” – Deuteronomy 4:29-31

Opportunity to Start Fresh

If you don't fail you're not even trying. - Denzel Washington

Even though the disciples couldn't drive the demon from the little boy, they at least tried. Hmm!

Learning to walk, ride a bike, tie our shoes - not a one of us succeeded the first few tries. But we kept at it and look at us now! What pushed us - determination! The desire to do what we believed we could do. Though it took a few tries we were not ashamed to keep at it. Those early lessons of failure were a precursor for the life ahead of us. The shame is not in failure. We all fail from time to time. It's a fact of life. The shame is in not learning from or moving on from it. Is it necessary at times to grieve over our failures? Sometimes yes, most times no. But whether we grieve or not, we cannot let that failure hold us hostage or paint our future with the same hue. Just as life moves on we must too. And each new day God grants us is full of opportunity to start fresh. So remember, Today is not yesterday, that's gone, today is waiting for a tryout!

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." - Luke 22:31-32

Constant Change

Life is a process of continually becoming, a combination of stages we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. That is death. - Anais Nin

Joseph, Abraham, David, Paul – men who suffered mightily but were changed by it, and helped change the world for God. Hmm!

When we were young we couldn’t wait to grow up. Oh the ideas we had back then on how we would live our life out. And now here we are trying like the dickens to just keep the ‘status quo.’ We say things like “I’m too old to change,” or “I like my life just as it is.” But change we must, for we serve a God who is ever working out his purposes in our lives. And just as nature has its 4 seasons, there are seasons for us as well. We will never be twenty-something again, but thirty, forty, fifty-plus can’t be bad because God has prepared us for it. We cannot truly grasp the present and presence of God unless we let go of the past.

Until tomorrow….

Pastor Botts

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1

God had a different idea

Huge failures are often divine redirections. – D. Harvey

Paul thought he was cut out to be a Pharisee, but 'Oh,' what a fisherman he became. Hmm! 

We sing a song entitled ‘God Never Fails,’ and firmly know that to be true. The scriptures even bear it out that God cannot fail. But we are often heart broken and ready to give up our faith when something we think we’re doing for God goes awry or flat out fails. While God does not fail, it was never promised that all we strive to do for Him would succeed. He himself knows the purpose for which He created each and every one of us, and He will bring it about in His time. So though we may fail at one thing and suffer a little heartache, it is not final. Life is not defined by one or two events, but the sum total of all we do. And God can and will bring it all together for us if we allow Him some ‘wiggle room.’ If things aren’t the way we want them, maybe we should look to God's design. 

Until tomorrow….. 

Pastor Botts 

“And we know that in all things God works for

the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

– Romans 8:28

Today's scripture reading: Proverbs 28

Today's scripture reading question: Regarding verse 9, which 'law' is he referring to, God's law, government laws, or both?

Ready, Prep, Go!

Goals are dreams with deadlines! - Anon

The Jews of Jesus’ time were looking for the return of Elijah. Jesus told his disciples Elijah (John the Baptist) had already come. They weren’t ready and ‘missed’ him. WOW!

Many of us look forward to certain dates (payday, birthday, anniversary, vacation, Christmas, etc.) often marking them on our calendars, making detailed plans and telling everyone we can about it. But in the case of our Savior’s return we do little or nothing in terms of planning and preparation. If the Word of God is true and He could return at any moment; shouldn’t our lives be in order, our relationships set right, and our actions motivated purely by love and not selfish gain? This is not to say that we don’t plan to enjoy life, but if Heaven is our goal and we fail to plan, then we plan to fail. Why not began preparing TODAY!

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“But understand this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” – Luke 12:39-40

Today's scripture reading: Proverbs 14

Today's scripture question: Where might verse 12 apply in your life now?

Navigating and Negotiation the Curves

A bend in the road is not the end of the road - unless you fail to make the turn. - Anon

From the belly of the great fish Jonah suddenly had time to think and repent. WOW!

'Smooth sailin'!'  'Nothing but the open road, baby!' 'Puttin' the pedal to the metal!' All phrases we're familiar with that paint a picture of someone just movin' through traffic (life) with no cares or problems. However, sometimes there are curves to navigate and even turns to negotiate, which when traveling at the appropriate speed are easily manageable. If the curves and turns of life are upsetting to you maybe it's time to slow down a bit, and always remember God does allow U-turns.

Until tomorrow....

Pastor Botts

"Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me." - Psalm 119:133

Watch the Apophenia

Never spend so much time looking for what isn’t there that you fail to see what is. – Anon

The religious leaders of the day were so deeply engrossed in their own version of the God they thought they were waiting for, that when God in the flesh actually walked amongst them they were blind. HOW SAD!

Crosswords, Word Search, Sudokus - great challenging puzzles with ready answers. Life is not as fulfilling with answers at times, but often if we’re not careful we become like our predecessors here. Many of us often look long and deep at situations and circumstances in our life trying to make heads or tails out of them and make them more than they are. Some circumstances are just circumstances that happen, not because we didn’t send the chain letter or e-mail on, or we didn’t pray hard enough, etc. We can go stir crazy behind this, but the reassuring truth is that no matter what befalls us, God’s mercy, compassion, forgiveness, grace, and love is always ready and available. He’s standing right in front of us patiently waiting.

Until Monday……

Pastor Botts

“But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you return to the Lord your God and obey Him. For the Lord your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers which He confirmed to them by oath.” – Deuteronomy 4:29-31

Just Do Right

I haven’t committed a crime, what I did was fail to comply with the law. – Anon

Saul thought he did nothing wrong in not completely destroying the Amalekites as God commanded, it only cost him a kingdom. Hmm!

We often look at life and try to categorize it into big and little issues. And in the big issues we assign more weight to doing right or being obedient than we do in the smaller issues. In these so often we like to think its all in how you look at things, keep them in a shade of ‘grey’ to satisfy our inner self that we are okay with God. But God’s Word has no shade of ‘grey,’ and with Him there are no big or little issues. He means exactly what He says and when we fail to heed and obey in the least bit, no matter how we twist things to suit our situation, in His eyes it is sin plain and simple. And no, it may not be a big deal in the way we look at things, but then again in the final analysis; our standing before Him and giving an account won’t be viewed in the way we look at things, but in the way He has already set forward.

Until tomorrow….

Pastor Botts

“…Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, SINS.” – James 4:17

Disciplined Choices

Those who would play with kittens must expect to be scratched. – Cervantes

The Israelites gave their daughters in marriage and took other nations daughters in marriage in direct violation of God’s word. Though marriage was honorable in this case it was wrong. They later felt God’s wrath. Hmm!

Often in life, the easiest choices carry heavy consequences that can mar and scar our lives deeply. Our choice of friends, entertainment, and recreation will impact the way we think and act. Our choice of intellectual stimulation, lack of continued disciplined spiritual development will impact our morals, values, and contribution to life. In essence, what we take in will most definitely make an indelible mark on our conscience. Satan often presents sin as something rather glamorous, adoring, and necessary. It is only after we’re entangled that we realize it’s not for us. The good news is that God is willing and able to forgive us of such transgressions, but he expects us to knowingly avoid such temptations. Actions and decisions have results, and life is full of both, but our ultimate aim should be to please God in all we do.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.” – Numbers 32:23

Not Always An L

There are victories of the soul and spirit. So sometimes, even if you lose, you win. – Elie Wiesel

Peter walked on water, then failed. Peter claimed he would die for Jesus, then denied him. But after each time he came back stronger. Hmm!

Playing ball as a kid against my dad I rarely won the game. But my father was helpful in showing me how to get better and the time we spent together was precious. God works along the same lines. There will be some times when we fail. There will be other times when we just don’t understand or get what God is trying to do ‘through’ us to get ‘to us.’ He has ways we do not fully understand and at times it takes us being beaten or ‘giving in’ before He can teach us what we need to now. So even in times of stern discipline or heartache we are the winners because He is working it out for our good. Don’t bemoan today’s lessons; just know He’s at His work in you.

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

P.S. - Don't forget this Sunday's Panel Discussion at 9AM in Parmes Hall.

Going Somewhere

You’ll never achieve the goals you don’t set.  – M. Batterson

Moses always wanted to help his people, he just had to wait 40 years to learn to do it God’s way. Amen!

“How did this happen to me?” It’s a question we sometimes ask ourselves in life when things look bleak or failure occurs. The hard truth of the matter is though most of us don’t plan to fail, we often fail to plan. Hence our finances are askew, our homes or autos are in disrepair, our education is incomplete, and our lives are nowhere near where we dreamed or envisioned them to be at this stage. The God we serve is a Master Planner, He had our redemption worked out the moment sin entered in the Garden; and as we are made so wondrously in His ‘creative’ image we should be able to with His help draw out and achieve goals our good and His glory. Instead of letting things happen, goals help us make them happen. Instead of living by default (whatever happens), plans help us live by design. Plans or goals are ‘dreams’ with deadlines, and they give us traction, direction, and inspiration in our prayers; and who knows, with God you can’t never always sometimes tell. Here’s hoping today we’re all one step closer to our goal(s).

Until Monday…..

Pastor Botts

“…..Where there is no vision, the people perish…..” – Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

It's right there!

Never spend so much time looking for what isn’t there that you fail to see what is. – Anon

The religious leaders of the day were so deeply engrossed in their own version of the God they thought they were waiting for, that when God in the flesh actually walked amongst them they were blind. HOW SAD!

Often if we’re not careful we become like our predecessors here. Many of us often look long and deep at situations and circumstances in our life trying to make heads or tails out of them and make them more than they are. Some circumstances are just circumstances that happen, not because we didn’t send the chain letter or e-mail on, or we didn’t pray hard enough, etc. We can go stir crazy behind this, but the reassuring truth is that no matter what befalls us, God’s mercy, compassion, forgiveness, grace, and love is always ready and available. He’s standing right in front of us patiently waiting.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you look for Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you return to the Lord your God and obey Him. For the Lord your God is a merciful God; He will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers which He confirmed to them by oath.” – Deuteronomy 4:29-31

No matter how you look at it

I haven’t committed a crime, what I did was fail to comply with the law. – Anon  

Saul thought he did nothing wrong in not completely destroying the Amalekites as God commanded, it only cost him a kingdom. Hmm!  

We often look at life and try to categorize it into big and little issues. And in the big issues we assign more weight to doing right or being obedient than we do in the smaller issues. In these so often we like to think its all in how you look at things, keep them in a shade of ‘grey’ to satisfy our inner self that we are okay with God. But God’s Word has no shade of ‘grey,’ and with Him there are no big or little issues. He means exactly what He says and when we fail to heed and obey in the least bit, no matter how we twist things to suit our situation, in His eyes its sin plain and simple. And no, it may not be a big deal in the way we look at things, but then again in the final analysis; our standing before Him and giving an account won’t be viewed in the way we look at things, but in the way He has already set forward.  

Until tomorrow….  

Pastor Botts  

“…Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, SINS.” – James 4:17