God's Love Notes

Love’s greatest gift is its ability to make everything it touches sacred. - B. De Angelis

Hagar thought she was unloved, so she hid. God found her and made her smile. Amen!

A few years ago there was a hit song 'Lookin for Love In All the Wrong Places..' While I don't know all the words, I do know the title spoke to the truth that we all long to be loved, and openly search for it. The problem is our definition is often skewed and wrong, based on a worldly point of view. God himself is the definition of true, pure, unconditional love. And He passes out 'love notes' to us each and every day, but as is often, our attention is focused elsewhere when He hands them out. We're so worried or distracted by life's cares, family situations, financial issues, etc., we fail to see the new sunrise He paints blazing "I love you!" Or the rain falling to refresh and replenish the earth again saying "I love you!" Or even the many times in our misery where He carries us in silence from grief to praise simply because "He loves us!" Yes, He knows we need it and readily supplies it, we just need to know HOW to receive it. His 'love notes' are new EVERY morning and EVERY day if we just slow down a bit and take the time to stop and read them.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"The Lord appeared to us in the past saying: I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness." - Jeremiah 31:3

Love: The Main Component

Love’s greatest gift is its ability to make everything it touches sacred. - B. De Angelis

Jesus crying out from the cross "it is finished" is one of the greatest acts of love ever. AMEN!

Puzzles! Model kits! Furniture! Toys! You buy them, open them and sort out all the pieces only to find 1 piece missing not allowing you to complete the assembly. Frustrating, to say the least. Without the missing 'vital' piece the end product is basically useless. This same thing happens often in our spiritual life. Paul told the Corinthian believers that though they had spiritual gifts, they lacked the main component - LOVE! It didn't matter what length they went to show/share their gift, if love wasn't the impetus, the act itself was shallow or hollow. God's design for us in sharing is always based on LOVE. It is the very essence of who God is. As we go forth this day may love lead and complete our efforts.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"If I give all that I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." - I Corinthians 13:3

Refreshing Rest

Work is not always required. There is such a thing as sacred idleness. – G. MacDonald

The Israelites were not allowed to plow or plant their fields every 7th year. They were to trust that God would provide. He did!

Though money is not required to buy one necessity of the soul, we often work like it is. The work week stretches from 40 to 50 or 60+ hours a week. We often look for extra hours or weekends to pad the paycheck. This is not necessarily bad, but it often interferes with or cuts time we could spend replenishing body, mind and spirit, particularly the time God set aside for us to visit His house. It’s important to remember that when God made us He made us human, not machines.

Until Monday…….

Pastor Botts

“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from ALLHIS WORK.” – Genesis 2:2

P.S. - Hope you can make our Family/Friends Game Night tonight at 6:30pm.

Don't forget this Sunday's Devotional time at 9AM - we're looking at the book of Philemon.

Take a Chill Pill

Work is not always required. There is such a thing as sacred idleness. – G. MacDonald

The Israelites were not allowed to plow or plant their fields every 7th year. They were to trust that God would provide. He did!

Though money is not required to buy one necessity of the soul, we often work like it is. The work week stretches from 40 to 50 or 60+ hours a week. We often look for extra hours or weekends to pad the paycheck. This is not necessarily bad, but it often interferes with or cuts time we could spend replenishing body, mind and spirit, particularly the time God set aside for us to visit His house. It’s important to remember that when God made us he made us human, not machines.

Until tomorrow…….

Pastor Botts

“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from ALLHIS WORK.” – Genesis 2:2