New for Today

Our 'Age of Anxiety' is, in great part, the result of trying to live today’s circumstances with yesterday’s faith. – M. McLuhan

Though Rachel believed in her husband Jacob’s God, she still kept the gods of her father Laban. Hmm!

One of the great things about scientific discovery is that it is always open to new ideas and realities – oh that our faith were so. For most people their faith is clearly defined, limited and tangible, and if circumstances don’t fit within the parameters they determine and define they won’t move forward. But we serve a God who is ever unpredictable in His ways as He works things out in our lives. His expectation is that we trust Him in all things and truly believe that He will never place us in any situation where His grace is not sufficient, His provision is not more than enough, or His strength will not prevail. The whole idea is that God is trying to ‘grow’ our faith not our fears. Today will require more from us than yesterday.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” – II Corinthians 5:17

P.S. - Make sure you vote TODAY, and remember no matter what happens GOD IS STILL IN CONTROL!

No Doubt He's Glorious

Doubt is a part of religion. All the great believers before us were doubters. – I. B. Singer

Moses and the burning bush. Gideon and the fleece. Thomas and the disciples. All these doubted at first, but fully believed later. AMEN!

It can be strongly argued that the beginning of faith and wisdom is found in doubting; for by doubting we come to the question: “can it truly be so?”. And by seeking the answer we come upon the truth. But we must distinguish between doubt and unbelief. God will forgive us our doubts, for doubt is a condition of the mind, but He will not excuse our unbelief, for that is a condition of the heart. Though God need not prove Himself to anyone; He ‘delights’ in those who seek after Him and His ways, lovingly revealing more and more of His character to them. As we grow into maturity our doubting should began to cease and our marvels increase as we gain a firmer understanding of who God truly is and how He loves us. May we all learn to trust Him a little more today!

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them, Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.” – Psalm 111:2-3

Future Hope

Whatever the future holds, what we invest in today will be a part of it. - Anon

The people often asked God 'how long O' Lord?' Every time He answered it was rather glorious. Amen!

Ahh, the future. The 'as yet' to happen! Everybody I know looks forward to a better tomorrow than today. A better future than the present. Nobody really wants their life to be bleak, dreary, unforgiving and without joy. They want better. And though God has not promised us 'tomorrow', He has already graced us with more tomorrows than we can count and has promised us a 'hope and a future.' Today should be a great day to think about what we're doing to help prepare for that future. Life is like a savings account: you only get out of it what you put into it. The great thing about God's promise though is not so much what it will bring, but the fact that God Himself will be there in the midst of it. And that is what should give us great hope and anticipation.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"The revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end.....Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay." - Habakkuk 2:3

Being YOU-nique

The first part of winning is just showing up. - Anon

A nation was saved because Esther was willing to risk standing outside the king's hall. Hmm!

On the job – come payday everyone likes to show up and get paid, and get paid for what THEY did, and that’s completely understandable. Well, God made you – YOU! He didn’t make anyone else like you. He made you to be the YOU the world needs, not to hide behind an ‘identity’ or mask, nor to be a shape-shifter living to please everyone around. YOU are a unique creation of God, made for a specific purpose in His story of love and redemption for all of mankind, and our God knows all about YOU. He knows your comings and your goings, your lying down and rising up; yes, even your inner most thoughts. So, if He’s okay with you, why not be the YOU He made you to be. The choice is yours!

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“….it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” – John 12:27-28

What's Done In the Dark...

The nice part of living in a small town is that when I don’t know what I’m doing, someone else does. – Anon

When Lot was in trouble down in Sodom & Gomorrah, someone told Abram; and he came to his rescue. AMEN!

One of the truths we come to realize as we grow older is that the world isn’t as big as we once thought it to be. With the current technology and innovations anything can be brought to light almost instantly, and unfortunately it often is. We often think we can get away with or hide our ‘habits,’ ‘dirty deeds,’ or non-Christian behaviors, but in reality, we can’t. Someone is always looking, and generally it is someone we know or who knows about us. True, sin is a part of all our lives, but habitual, behavioral sin is what Christ frees us from. In a day and age where a lie can go around the world before truth has an opportunity to tie its shoes, we need to be mindful of whom we belong to at all times.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.” – Romans 16:19

An Invitation to Join In

My favorite part of the game is the opportunity to play – Mike Singletary

When the disciples asked Jesus what he was doing, he said “come and see.” Later he said "Go and Do!" Amen.

Plain and simple, God is on a mission to make His story known to all mankind. Man may not believe in God, but God believes in man. And he is inviting each of us to join Him in this great mission. And each day God manifests Himself in some new and awesome manner to show us He cares. And regardless of what we may or may not have done, or the ability we may or may not have He’s inviting us each again today to join Him. And in spite of the economy, in spite of social conditions, and in spite of our own current situation, it’s great to be alive, and though life is not a game, it can and should be enjoyable for us.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father." - John 14:12

No Better Time Than NOW To Get Started

The most important part of any work is – the beginning. – Plato

Noah had never heard of or seen rain when God commanded him to build the ark. Good thing he didn’t wait until he saw the first rain drop.

One of the more convenient tools of the enemy is procrastination. Particularly when it comes to doing the things that help build up and strengthen us and God’s kingdom. Why, because there can never be progress nor a completion of assignment without a beginning first. There can never be perfection attained without a beginning of practice. It sounds simple enough but often more things are put off than started not so much do to lack of desire, but due to an expectation that there is plenty of time. Today is all we’re promised. But Today as it is called is enough of an opportunity to begin again.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” – James 1:22

Doubt vs. Unbelief

Doubt is a part of religion. All the great believers before us were doubters. – I. B. Singer

Moses and the burning bush. Gideon and the fleece. Thomas and the disciples. All these doubted at first, but fully believed later. AMEN!

It can be strongly argued that the beginning of faith and wisdom is found in doubting; for by doubting we come to the question: “can it truly be so?”. And by seeking the answer we come upon the truth. But we must distinguish between doubt and unbelief. God will forgive us our doubts, for doubt is a condition of the mind, but He will not excuse our unbelief, for that is a condition of the heart. Though God need not prove Himself to anyone; He ‘delights’ in those who seek after Him and His ways, lovingly revealing more and more of His character to them. As we grow into maturity our doubting should began to cease and our marvels increase as we gain a firmer understanding of who God truly is and how He loves us. May we all learn to trust Him a little more today!

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them, Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.” – Psalm 111:2-3

Limitless Dynamic Faith

Our 'Age of Anxiety' is, in great part, the result of trying to live today’s circumstances with yesterday’s faith. – M. McLuhan

Though Rachel believed in her husband Jacob’s God, she still kept the gods of her father Laban. Hmm!

One of the great things about scientific discovery is that it is always open to new ideas and realities – oh that our faith were so. For most people their faith is clearly defined, limited and tangible, and if circumstances don’t fit within the parameters they determine and define they won’t move forward. But we serve a God who is ever unpredictable in His ways as He works things out in our lives. His expectation is that we trust Him in all things and truly believe that He will never place us in any situation where His grace is not sufficient, His provision is not more than enough, or His strength will not prevail. The whole idea is that God is trying to ‘grow’ our faith not our fears. Today will require more from us than yesterday.

Until Monday…….

Pastor Botts

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” – II Corinthians 5:17

Prayer Answers

A most important part of prayer is a willingness to be part of the answer. – Anon

Naaman really wanted to be healed by God’s man; he just didn’t want to have to do anything to receive it. – Hmm!

Prayer is a marvelous venue, to talk things over with the Creator. To seek His will in our lives. But often, because God is all powerful we give Him marching orders, edicts, or demands in our prayer time with Him, expecting Him to fully carry out our desires without any assistance or concern on our part. Prayer changes things because it changes us – our heart. If we refuse to change or allow God to change us we’re in essence saying we’re perfect as we are, and in reality we know that is not true. God works in us, on us, and through us to perfect us and those around us. If we’re not a part of the solution then we’re part of the problem.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ‘Go gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me….I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.’” – Esther 4:16

Model Behavior

The nice part of living in a small town is that when I don’t know what I’m doing, someone else does. – Anon

When Lot was in trouble down in Sodom & Gomorrah, someone told Abram; and he came to his rescue. AMEN!

One of the truths we come to realize as we grow older is that the world isn’t as big as we once thought it to be. With the current technology and innovations anything can be brought to light almost instantly, and unfortunately it often is. We often think we can get away with or hide our ‘habits,’ ‘dirty deeds,’ or non-Christian behaviors, but in reality we can’t. Someone is always looking, and generally it is someone we know or who knows about us. True, sin is a part of all our lives, but habitual, behavioral sin is what Christ frees us from. In a day and age where a lie can go around the world before truth has an opportunity to tie its shoes, we need to be mindful of whom we belong to at all times.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.” – Romans 16:19

Angel Disguised

True angels rarely dress the part. – Anon

When Jesus walked along with them on the road to Emmaus, the 2 men had no idea who He was. They later found out. AMEN!

We often say “you can’t judge a book by its cover,” but we so often do. We pass judgment on individuals because of the way they look, dress, smell, or even speak; believing they have no point interrupting our life. While it’s true we are to be careful about ourselves, it’s equally true God may be trying to intervene in someone’s life at these chance meetings. Sometimes the angel in question may be you, sometimes it may be the other individual, but unless the encounter takes place we will never know. In any event, we are called to treat all of humanity, the successful as well as the downtrodden with the respect of personhood that God gave them. They may not be at their best, but still God loves them and uses them. We need be aware today, for God will be sending out angels.

Until Monday…..

Pastor Botts

“…..Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it….” – Genesis 28:16

P.S. - Hope you can make our Sunday School Devotional this week at 9AM.

The You the World Needs

The first part of winning is just showing up. - Anon

David said he could not fight Goliath in Saul’s armor for it wasn’t his style. He later ‘rocked’ Goliath to sleep. Hmm!

On the job – come payday everyone likes to show up and get paid, and get paid for what THEY did, and that’s completely understandable. Well, God made you – YOU! He didn’t make any one else like you. He made you to be the YOU the world needs, not to hide behind an ‘identity’ or mask, nor to be a shape-shifter living to please everyone around. YOU are a unique creation of God, made for a specific  purpose in His story of love and redemption  for all of mankind, and our God knows all about YOU. He knows your comings and your goings, your lying down and rising up; yes, even your inner most thoughts. So if He’s okay with you, why not be the YOU He made you to be. The choice is yours!

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“….it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” – John 12:27-28

YOUR Part

It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because we can only do a little. – S. Smith

Aaron helping Moses lift his arms in prayer during the battle was a small thing, but not to Joshua. Amen!

Every ant colony or beehive is so built, established and run with efficiency because each one does their part. It is not so much that it is a small part to play, it’s the fact that it is a necessary role to be filled. Without it, the whole cannot be completed, so each ant or bee works diligently without complete knowledge of the others doing their part, but with conviction the task they themselves  are doing is beneficial to the cause leading to greater benefits. God in His wisdom has never asked us to do it all, He only asks us to do what we know needs to be done. He can work around us, but He would rather Jesus live in us and work through us, than in spite of us. We just need remember ‘inch by inch it’s a cinch!

Until tomorrow….

Pastor Botts

“…greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world….” - I John 4:4

Beginning is the end to Procrastination

The most important part of any work is – the beginning.  – Plato

Noah had never heard of or seen rain when God commanded him to build the ark.  Good thing he didn’t wait until he saw the first rain drop.

One of the more convenient tools of the enemy is procrastination. Particularly when it comes to doing the things that help build up and strengthen us and God’s kingdom. Why, because there can never be progress nor a completion of assignment without a beginning first. There can never be perfection attained without a beginning of practice. It sounds simple enough but often more things are put off than started not so much do to lack of desire, but due to an expectation that there is plenty of time. Today is all we’re promised. But Today as it is called is enough of an opportunity to begin again.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” – James 1:22

Just A Little Bingo

A walk is as good as a hit! - Anon (maybe Bro. A. Salyard)

All Aaron and Hur did was 'help' Moses hold his hands up in prayer for Joshua in battle. It was more than enough. Hmm!

The objective of baseball is to get on base and score. Yes, homeruns are a grand event, but most runs scored in a game occur without the ball ever leaving the ballpark. Runners get on base by way of a base hit OR walk, and are moved around the bases and brought home to score by the batters after them. It's a team effort. It's the same in our work of kingdom building. We all have a part to play in building up Christ's kingdom or church, and no role is too small to be overlooked or thought unimportant. Just as it often takes more than one player to score a run, it often takes many 'touches' from many different disciples of Jesus before a sinner is convinced they need what Jesus offers. So today, as we stand in the batter's box, remember a walk is as good as a hit.

Until tomorrow......  

Pastor Botts

"I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some..." - I Corinthians 9:22

THAT Part. Our Part.

God’s part we cannot do. Our part God does not do. – R. Murray

God told Moses He would set His people free. All He needed was for Moses to go to Pharaoh, and the rest is HIStory.

The Creation Account tells us God created everything necessary for man’s existence in six days, then He created man. Man was not consulted in the creation account but he was given charge to manage it for God. Regardless of what has happened since then, the fact is we still have a responsibility to God. He has expectations that we conduct ourselves in a manner that is proper for a ‘manager.’ Adam’s sin does not let us off the hook, for God has already provided a redeemer, but He will not force us to accept Him, nor force us to live for Him. That is still our part. Today matters to God so it should matter to us.

Until Monday

Pastor Botts

“Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.” – I Peter 3:10-11

It's your part. Play it!

If you don’t do your part, who will? – C. Swindoll

All Andrew gets noted for was bringing his brother Peter to Christ. But still it was a big role to fill. Hmm!

In this current socio-economic crazed, overpopulated, and impersonal world, it is easy sometimes to underestimate the significance of one deed, act, or kindness. After all, we often feel someone else more important or capable than our self can do it much better. We must remember though, that we serve a God who has always understood the power of one. Think of all the examples given in His word: Moses, the Good Samaritan, or Esther just to name a few. And God still believes in the power of one. Today is a gift granted to each of us that we might make a difference for His kingdom. And we must keep this in mind, with God excuses don’t count, only results!

Until Monday…..

Pastor Botts

“….And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” – Esther 4:14