Friends: A Gift From God

You do have a right to pick your friends, but not to pieces – Anon

When the people of a small Samaritan village didn’t show themselves friendly and open to Jesus and His message, the disciples were ready to call down fire and destroy them. OUCH!

"Shooting the messenger!" "Crucifying the one closest to us." We've all done it before, often without forethought when life stacks up against us. Even still, we must be careful to keep our heart, minds, and EGO’s in check. When friends disagree with us or disappoint us, it does not declare them “open for hunting or hurting.” We need to remember that true friends are a gift from God, to help us make it through this thing called life. Yes, family matters greatly, but those you don't get to choose. God gives us the opportunity to choose those we call friends. I pray you will reconcile an old friendship today.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift 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

Church like Jesus

Most people don’t really have a problem with Jesus, just the ‘church’ that claims to represent him. – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Israelites loved being God’s chosen nation, but His laws and commands left a lot to be desired. Hmm!

Things aren’t always as they appear. It's a truth I’m sure we’re all somewhat familiar with, and one we need to make sure does not apply to us. In our proclaiming the relevance of Christ for today’s world, we need to make sure that it is Christ’s message we are sharing and living and not simply our convenient version of it. Yes the world is as sinful today as it was in the time that Jesus walked the earth physically, and though we do ‘hate the sin’ they practice; we must not project that hatred on to them, lest we will never reach out to them. Jesus ate and communed with sinners and looked for every opportunity to mingle with them in hopes to cleanse, purify and save them. Our challenge is not to ‘condemn’ anyone but to try and love them to repentance just as Jesus did. God will be testing us all in some measure today.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus sake.” – II Corinthians 4:5