Faithful to BEing

Men climb great mountains but yet stumble over pebbles. – E. Cady

Peter preached a sermon that brought 3,000 new souls to Christ, yet he found it hard to get over his prejudice of Gentiles. Hmm!

Without a doubt, most of us would have no problem signing up to do something great or noteworthy; it’s what we live for. The big job, the special assignment, the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – count us in. We love being able to deliver the goods for everyone’s praise. But God never asks us to climb great mountains, or seek fame and fortune or praise; He only asks us to be faithful to Him each day, and for some reason it seems to be the hardest thing to do. Maybe therein lies the problem – we want to DO, we’re good at doing - but God says BE. If we realize that being faithful is the greatest thing we can DO maybe we can somewhat cure our stumbling problems.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight;…..Then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble.” – Proverbs 3:21,23

Feel the Breeze

The winds of God are always blowing, but you must set the sails. – Anon

Though Abraham did not know with certainty where he was going, he knew he was being led there by God. AMEN!

Basic science has taught us that the earth makes one complete rotation on its axis every 24 hours. We readily accept that fact, but if you ever stopped to ponder the math, it means we’re moving at a very rapid pace although we feel nothing. It’s the same way with God. Though His nature is unchanging, He is ever present, ever moving, ever desiring to draw us closer to Him. When we can’t feel His presence or nearness, or when it seems we’re heading into the wind, maybe we need to adjust the set of our sails. I pray you feel His breeze today.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“The wind blows where it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” – John 3:8

Seeking Silence

"Stop children, what's that sound? Everybody look what's going round..." -The Muppets "For What It's Worth" 

On the mount, God showed Elijah a lot of noisy events before He spoke to him in a whisper. Whoa!

Shhh! Be quiet! Hush! Familiar words to us all. It's the request for silence. Generally, the only time we seek it is when we want to be heard or we want to go to sleep. From the moment we wake our days are filled with noise. From early morning TV/Radio checks for news or weather, to cell phones ringing or pinging, even to gospel music filling our ears, we're taking in some input. Then it's off to work/school, etc., with the noises of the day. We're on the go until we return home late, tired and worn out, our minds still trying to sort through all the days noisy inputs. Maybe we need to add more silence to our day - not for speaking or sleeping - but listening for God. The psalmist wrote "Be still and know that I am God!" a reminder that we should willfully and intentionally seek quiet moments with God throughout the day. Thinking along these lines I can see why Daniel did it at least 3 times a day. It's a reminder of who we are and WHO GOD IS, but it is also very refreshing. Pray on!

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"But the Lord is in his holy temple, let all the earth be silent before him." - Habakkuk 2:20

Pray for Your Enemies

Worrying about your enemies is wasted time. Praying for them is a sound investment. – Anon

In the Psalms it seems

David was sometimes almost hostile toward his enemies in his prayer time with

God. But, God heard him. Hmm!

It’s a fact of life that

anyone who tries to live a righteous, holy life will have enemies. We have an

adversary who is wise and knows how to manipulate the hearts and minds of those

we interact with – so we will have enemies. But giving them all our attention

by continual worrying is not wise. Just as the bible tells us that not one of

us can make ourselves grow another inch or add another hour to the day by

worry, the same is true of our enemies. We cannot make them do anything by

worrying about them, but we can put our heart at ease by praying for them. It’s

an amazing truth but you really can’t grow to love someone until you begin to

pray for them, asking God’s blessing in their lives. Be prepared to pray and

pray often today!

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless

those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you…” – Matthew 5:44

Catch the Breeze

The winds of God are always blowing, but you must set the sails. – Anon

Though Abraham did not know with certainty where he was going, he knew he was being led there by God. AMEN!

Basic science has taught us that the earth makes one complete rotation on its axis every 24 hours. We readily accept that fact, but if you ever stopped to ponder the math, it means we’re moving at a very rapid pace although we feel nothing. It’s the same way with God. Though His nature is unchanging, He is ever present, ever moving, ever desiring to draw us closer to Him. When we can’t feel His presence or nearness, or when it seems we’re heading into the wind, maybe we need to adjust the set of our sails. I pray you feel His breeze today.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“The wind blows where it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” – John 3:8