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

First, Best and Thoughtful

Give not from the top of your purse, but from the bottom of your heart. – Anon

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and teachers of the law often for their traditions of men which adhered to the 'letter' of the law but ignored the 'spiritual intent' of the law. He said they should do both. Hmm!

Often, in terms of what we give to God; whether it be praise, worship, offering, service, etc.; is done without much thought and preparation, but out of a sense of duty or obligation. God wants neither. He is seeking our love for Him, and our respect for His will. Just as we would never really want to be an 'afterthought' in people's dealings, God should not be in ours. If He is truly KING of Kings and LORD of Lords then only our best, as we have prepared ourselves will do. Remember you can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving. As we embark upon today may our God led heart be our guide.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“The Lord says; These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.” – Isaiah 29:13

Tremble at His Awesomeness

"Perish the thought!" - Anon

When Job's wife told him to 'curse God and die..." he pretty much said "NO WAY!" - Hmm!

Does the name of God, the thought of God, or the mention of His name cause us to adjust our lives at all? Does it cause us any spiritual or emotional reaction at all, like the mention of other names might? Honestly, if you're like me you sometimes get a little too comfortable with God, forgetting He is not only the Creator of the Universe, but the Very One who gives life and breath to you, sustains you, and keeps you. Though we do want to be intimately connected to Him, we should never forget who He is and what He's done. Maybe we need to remind ourselves of the song we sang as children: "Were you there when they crucified My Lord, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble....." May we remember His presence always requires a certain decorum on our part. TREMBLE indeed!

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them." - Psalm 34:7

 

Be Kind

The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good. – S. Johnson

David set a cripple named Mephibosheth at his table. The Good Samaritan bandaged up, nursed, and paid for the care of his enemy. Ulterior motives? Yes – LOVE. Hmm!

Regrettably, in this work-a-day, do all you can to get ahead world, we tend to focus our efforts only on those who can be of benefit to us somehow. Most of our actions are calculated on a risk/return basis. The homeless, the parking lot attendant, the janitor, tend to become transparent or get the short shrift of our goodness. But if God showers His love on us unconditionally our goal should be to do the same with all men. To be like Jesus we must be willing to give proper respect to everyone we meet. God is expecting us to make an impact on the world TODAY for Him.

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

“If you love those who love you; what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners; expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting anything back. Then your reward will be great; and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” – Luke 6:32-36

Called to Be Witnesses

Never let the desire to influence be replaced with the need to control. – Anon

The Sanhedrin Council was the 'religious' right of the time, but Jesus was the 'go to' guy and ANSWERman. HMMM!

The Great Commission was a command given to one and all believers and followers of Christ. We are called to tell the “good news.” But oftentimes the message of grace and love is missed because the messenger has overwhelmed the receiver or overshadowed the message. We must be careful in our zealousness to never try to be the central point (it’s not about us) or “commanding” in our sharing. We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” – I Peter 3:15

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

Live Your Moment

The 2 most important days

in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why? - Mark Twain

Contrary to popular thinking, Esther

wasn't the only one born for 'such a time as this!' AMEN!

Though we all say "I just want

to do God's will," truth be told we wouldn't mind if it also got us some

recognition by others, a little respect, or even a handclap of admiration -

we're human after all. We all want our moment to be on a grand scale, with much

fanfare. But in the big picture of God, Esther's moment was only known by her

people. It wasn't a world televised event, nor did it make the newspapers, we

have it recorded for our posterity. It was however a grand moment in God's

story, the redemption of mankind. And if we abide in Him the same can and will

be said of us as we live out whatever our 'moment' may be in His great story.

Can't you kind of hear it now. "Good and faithful servant, you've been

faithful........."

Until Monday......

Pastor Botts

"For we are God's workmanship, created

in Christ Jesus to do good works....." - Ephesians 2:10

Properly Respect Everyone

The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good. – S. Johnson

David set a cripple named Mephibosheth at his table. The Good Samaritan bandaged up, nursed, and paid for the care of his enemy. Ulterior motives? Yes – LOVE. Hmm!

Regrettably, in this work-a-day, do all you can to get ahead world, we tend to focus our efforts only on those who can be of benefit to us somehow. Most of our actions are calculated on a risk/return basis. The homeless, the parking lot attendant, the janitor, tend to become transparent or get the short shrift of our goodness. But if God showers His love on us unconditionally our goal should be to do the same with all men. To be like Jesus we must be willing to give proper respect to everyone we meet. God is expecting us to make an impact on the world TODAY for Him.

Until Monday…….

Pastor Botts

“If you love those who love you; what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners; expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting anything back. Then your reward will be great; and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” – Luke 6:32-36

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.