Diligent Or Disinterested ?

Doing nothing gets exactly that: nothing. – Anon

Ruth refused to just sit idly by and do nothing for herself and Naomi. God rewarded her greatly. Hmm!

Today is here. What do you expect from it? Are you expecting God to do some wonderful things, or are you living with doubt, apprehension, or anxiety. Well, the return of the day will depend on precisely how much faith, energy, and activity we put into the situations God brings our way. For us as believers every day should begin and end with God and His promises. If we’ve greeted the day in God’s presence and asked Him to do great things, then we should be doing all we can to bring those things to fruition. This is not to say we can force God’s hand, because we can’t; but after our prayers we need to work like we believe God is going to answer. Remember, diligently exercised faith gets rewarded.

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…” – Matthew 7:7

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

Diverting from the Dictatorship of the Daily Drill

The greatest challenge of any day is how to bring about a revolution in the heart for God. – Anon

In OT times the enemy that threatened God’s people most was not other nations but the ‘dictatorship’ of the daily routine! Hmm.

Truthfully sometimes, most of us operate by routine or rote. Each morning, we arise and go pretty much through the same motions. We’ve come to the place where everything in our lives can be almost predicted, and we really don’t expect or seek after anything new or unusual from God. Prayers are said but not really 'prayed', bible reading is done but not really 'digested' and often church attendance is there but without any real 'worship'. Maybe it's time for us to look up to the heavens with “fresh” eyes and an open heart today. God is into new things and always ready to show us something!

Pastor Botts

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not see perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” – Isaiah 43:18-19

Opportunities Abound

We are all continually faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems. – J. W. Gardner

Moses, as leader of the Israelites, is the prime example of developing faith on the job. AMEN!

The internet. A great tool of invention that opens us up to a host of opportunities to communicate, research, do media, and even do commerce. However, it is also a tool fraught with pitfalls and danger. It requires a little work to “surf” the web successfully. Similarly, every day and moment God grants us is an opportunity to bring glory to Him. Every individual we meet is an opportunity to share Christ’s love with them. Yes, opportunities abound, but like the internet they require a little effort or “work” to be beneficial. That’s how we grow.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.” – I Corinthians 16:8-9

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

The Happy State

There is no key to happiness, the door is always open. – Anon

Governor Festus thought all of Paul’s ‘learning’ made him a mad man. Paul was just happy to share the gospel, even while in chains. Hmm!

Blaring car horns, glaring facial scowls, grumpy greetings – it’s enough to make one think this world is full of mad, angry, unfulfilled people – and often its us, we’re the unhappy campers in the mix. Maybe that’s because we have the wrong idea or assumption. We often think happiness is tied to achieving certain stations in life or particular blessings. But in truth happiness is a state of mind or attitude we can willingly choose anytime, no matter what is going on around us or in our immediate lives. God’s Word does actually tell us to ‘rejoice in all situations’ which is an indication of the attitude we should have at all times. Maybe life would be much more bearable and enjoyable if we tried it God’s way.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God…” Ecclesiastes 2:26

Opening Our Eyes

Vision is the art of seeing things invisible. - Jonathan Swift

God gave Elisha’s servant ‘spiritual’ eyes to show He was already on the move against the enemy. ..... Hmm!

God is often much closer than we think. The answers to our many questions and healing for our hurts are not as far away as we sometimes think. Our difficulty comes when we look in the wrong place, or we are too fretful or anxiety ridden to see what is right there; and still other times when we just plain fail to see Him working because we cannot possibly believe God would be kind enough to care about us in such a small minute issue. We only need to open our eyes. Seeing eyes are eyes of faith, where we can see beyond the problem, see beyond our own unworthiness, and have confidence that He is the God of all grace and mercy. Knowing and trusting God is ever near means our seeds of hope are already present, we just need to water them through faithful obedience and perseverance. He will make the end results known.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

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

God Will Take Care of You

The day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit. - Anon

When they finally entered the Promised Land the Israelites found it was even more bountiful than God had promised. Amen!

I remember very vividly the house I grew up in. It was spacious and had a nice big yard for us kids (7) to play in. It also had five fruit trees. I think this was one of the selling points to my parents. A way to cut down on the food budget and get us kids to eat fresh fruit. But as I think back over all those years we lived there and enjoyed the fruit, we rarely had to tend the trees. Yeah, we raked up leaves every now and then, but God kept those trees in great condition, producing not only fruit for us kids, neighbors, and friends; but shade, shelter, and resting places for the birds. His sustaining of the tree is just one of many of His simple acts of grace. Just like the Hebrew children God led into the Promised Land I'm sure if we all look over our lives, we too can say He has given us 'prosperity' we didn't really work for. And that is worthy of High Praise!

Until Monday...

Pastor Botts

"....see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." - Malachi 3:10

P.S. - Don't forget our 24-hour fast begins at 10:30am and ends tomorrow after Prayer Breakfast. Remember to seek God's guidance during the fasting time. Hope you can participate.

Strange Math

The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings. – E. Hoffer

David had the kingdom and wanted more (Bathsheba). The widow gave her all (mites) and was satisfied. Strange math. Hmmn!

Often, because we don’t have unlimited resources or palatial residences, we feel we’re on the short end of life. We tend to look only at what we can physically put our hands on – materialism – as blessings from God, but this is such a narrow view. Life itself is the greatest blessings one can have, whether healthy or with a few ailments. Family and friends who care about us is another great blessing. The country we live in, the freedoms we have, the opportunities before us – all great blessings that take not a cent to purchase or enjoy. Our ancestors were led to the Promised Land ‘flowing with milk and honey’ and we’ve inherited far greater. We need only open our eyes to see what God has wrought.

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers…a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant – then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the Lord who brought you out of Egypt out of the land of slavery.” – Deuteronomy 6:10-12

Always Watching Over

God is the true Prodigal Father, His house is always open to hope. - Anon

The Prodigal son's journey just made the light in his father's heart burn brighter. Hmm!

We see them and kind of chuckle. At one time we were just like them. The over-protective parent, hovering over their child's every move, eyes darting every which way to make sure everything and everyone in the surrounding area is safe. We know how tiring that is and feel for them. Do we ever think of God in light of this? We should. In truth He is just like that parent with us, ever present, ever checking on us, making preparations up ahead for us. Always trying to keep us safe, saved, and secure, even in our stubbornness. The great thing is He will never grow weary, tired, or frustrated watching over us. Not only is that good to know, it's also worthy of praise and thanksgiving.

Until Monday...

Pastor Botts

"....indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep......the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." - Psalm 121:4,8

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

Get Off To A Good Start

I always make sure the lid over the keyboard is open before I start to play. – A. Schnabel

Job always started his mornings with a sacrifice offering to God. God said there was no one like him on earth. WOW!

The average person will stretch or warm up before a workout or game, study for an exam, warm up their car, and even prepare for a date. We know the benefits of such advance preparations. But yet we often barge right into God’s creation – TODAY – with no time or thought given to the Creator. If God has filled each day with purpose, and we know He has; it would be wise of us to check in with Him first thing before we go off on the wrong tangent. A day hemmed in prayer won’t soon unravel.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

“In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.” – Psalm 5:3

Open Our Eyes Lord

If all you see is what you see, you do not see all there is to be seen. - Tony Evans

God gave Elisha’s servant ‘spiritual’ eyes to show He was already on the move against the enemy. ..... Hmm!

God is often much closer than we think. He is also at work in many ways that pass right before our eyes that we miss. The answers to our many questions and healing for our hurts are not as far away as we sometimes think. Our difficulty comes when we look in the wrong place, or we are too fretful or anxiety ridden to see what is right there; and still other times when we just plain fail to see Him working because we cannot possibly believe God would be kind enough to care about us in such a small minute issue. We only need to open our eyes. Seeing eyes are eyes of faith, where we can see beyond the problem, see beyond our own unworthiness, and have confidence that He is the God of all grace and mercy. Knowing and trusting God is ever near means our seeds of hope are already present, we just need to water them through faithful obedience and perseverance. He will make the end results known.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

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

Open Up!

To understand the bible requires openness; first you open it, then you open you. – Anon

When Jesus taught them from the ‘scriptures’ of old they wondered where did he get such wisdom. Hmm!

The bible is a priceless gift, a tool for Christians to live by. It’s a love letter from God. The reason we so often get ‘love’ all mixed up and confused is because we search for it in every other thing and every other place, not understanding that we can never fully know love until we understand it from God’s perspective, the giver of the gift. And because we often keep this great tool closed and/or out of sight we mutter through life unfulfilled. The world is filled with hungering folks who have exactly what they need at their fingertips. We cannot truly love God and live fully unless we know Him, and He wants to be known. God’s Holy Word is indeed, a priceless, one-of-a-kind treasure. Yes, it needs to be handled with care, but more importantly, we need to handle it every day. Today’s great day to start.

Until Monday…..

Pastor Botts

“…Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God…” – Matthew 4:4

Endings As Beginnings

Life is filled with endings, but every ending is also a new beginning. – Anon

Adam & Eve were ushered out of God’s Garden after the fall ending their special relationship, but by then God had purposed to send Jesus. Marvelous!

It’s true if we really think about it, the one constant in life is change. Every day, whether good or bad comes to an end and there is precious little we can do about it. We can however, thank God that He brought us through it, and begin to look with eager anticipation and expectation upon the next new beginning. This also applies in our relationships, friendships, jobs, and other areas. When God closes one door of opportunity He opens another. May you find His leadings. Today is Friday, the week-end. But praise God – Sunday’s comin.’

Until Monday…….

Pastor Botts

“Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” – Hebrews 10:25

Rich Beyond Measure

No one is poor who can by prayer open up the storehouse of God. – Anon

Solomon prayed asking God for guidance and wisdom to rule his people. He got that and every other blessing God could muster. Amen!

When it comes to living on this earth most of us are poor because we live on “fixed” incomes. Fixed by what WE see, what WE can do, and by what WE are. But we serve a God who is the Creator of all things and is able to “do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine.” Yet we live as paupers. God is ready to open the storehouse of heaven for us if only we would ask. The key however, is not only praying in God’s will, but in making God’s will OUR will – then all of heaven is at our disposal. I’m not advocating the ‘prosperity gospel’ some preach but the truth that a Christian in any situation knows they are rich beyond measure.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” – James 4:2-3

The Key to happiness...

There is no key to happiness, the door is always open. – Anon

Governor Festus thought all of Paul’s ‘learning’ made him a mad man. Paul was just happy to share the gospel, even while in chains. Hmm!

Blaring car horns, glaring facial scowls, grumpy greetings – it’s enough to make one think this world is full of mad, angry, unfulfilled people – and often its us, we’re the unhappy campers in the mix. Maybe that’s because we have the wrong idea or assumption. We often think happiness is tied to achieving certain stations in life or particular blessings. But in truth happiness is a state of mind or attitude we can willingly choose anytime, no matter what is going on around us or in our immediate lives. God’s word does actually tell us to ‘rejoice in all situations’ which is an indication of the attitude we should have at all times. Maybe life would be much more bearable and enjoyable if we tried it God’s way.

Until tomorrow….

Pastor Botts

“To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God…” Ecclesiastes 2:26

P.S. -Don't forget to bring your sermon notes to bible study tonight!

See the unseen

Vision is the art of seeing things invisible. - Jonathan Swift

God gave Elisha’s servant ‘spiritual’ eyes to show He was already on the move against the enemy. ..... Hmm!

God is often much closer than we think. The answers to our many questions and healing for our hurts are not as far away as we sometimes think. Our difficulty comes when we look in the wrong place, or we are too fretful or anxiety ridden to see what is right there; and still other times when we just plain fail to see Him working because we cannot possibly believe God would be kind enough to care about us in such a small minute issue. We only need to open our eyes. Seeing eyes are eyes of faith, where we can see beyond the problem, see beyond our own unworthiness, and have confidence that He is the God of all grace and mercy. Knowing and trusting God is ever near means our seeds of hope are already present, we just need to water them through faithful obedience and perseverance. He will make the end results known.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

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

May the Lord Watch

God is the true Prodigal Father, His house is always open to hope. - Anon

The Prodigal son's journey just made the light in his father's heart burn brighter. Hmm!

We see them and kind of chuckle. At one time we were just like them. The over-protective parent, hovering over their child's every move, eyes darting every which way to make sure everything and everyone in the surrounding area is safe. We know how tiring that is and feel for them. Do we ever think of God in light of this? We should. In truth He is just like that parent with us, ever present, ever checking on us, making preparations up ahead for us. Always trying to keep us safe, saved, and secure, even in our stubbornness. The great thing is He will never grow weary, tired, or frustrated watching over us. Not only is that good to know, it's also worthy of praise and thanksgiving.

Until tomorrow.......

Pastor Botts

"....indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep......the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." - Psalm 121:4,8

Voicing Complaints

The complaint department is NOW OPEN! – God

Every time Moses cried out to God about these “stiff-necked, hard-hearted people” God had a ready and workable solution. WOW!

It’s a truth in life that we are not going to be happy with all that happens, that sometimes we might feel short-changed, or even get angry and upset with those we love, making us want to complain, complain, complain. But rather than complaining to friends who may form a ‘jaded’ opinion of us or even worse, spread our unhappiness to unwanted ears, why not just let our Heavenly Father know all about it. He’s big enough to bear the brunt of our charges, hear us out without making any judgments, and keep it just between us. Not only that, other than we ourself, He’s the only other party that can do anything about it. And judging from what He says in His Word, He’s just waiting for the chance. The next move is ours!

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“Cast all your anxiety on him, because He cares for you…” – I Peter 5:7