Living in the Today

Best exercise for stress relief – release your grip on tomorrow. – M. Barroso

Jesus told his disciples he didn’t even know where he would lay his head to sleep. But you know, that didn’t bother him one bit. Hmm!

Tomorrow! A simple word meaning ‘the next day.’ Doesn’t sound ominous, overbearing, or threatening in any form of fashion. But yet it brings great anxiety to us. Why? Simply because we try to bring all of its anticipated cares, issues, and needs into today. We begin to worry if we’ll have enough strength, resources, ability, etc., to meet the needs of it, often forgetting that tomorrow is not even promised to us. We need to relax and remember that if indeed it does come we have a God who promised to meet our needs for the day. And He’s never failed us yet, for it’s an impossibility for God to fail. So, it’s far better for us to just live in the TODAY God has granted and do all we can leaving the rest up to Him.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34

P.S. - Please join us on campus today at 5:30pm for our monthly prayer gathering.

Worthy Conduct

The smaller we are the more room God has. - Anon

Though Jacob was deceived with Leah after working 7 years for a wife, his love for Rachel kept him tempered. Hmm!

The world has win/lose standards, and we're expected to measure up and carry ourselves by these standards. It can be a major task and stress inducer, leading us into actions we may want to reconsider. Why, because in Christ, it's not win/lose, but 'worth'. No matter the game, circumstance, tone of conversation, etc., the question is did we conduct ourselves worthy of the one who lives in us. Yes, the situation or person before us may perplex or frustrate us, may even get the better of us, our response is ours. Though it may be fueled by our bruised ego, insulted intellect, or stance on the truth; is it worthy of the Jesus we died unto and who now lives in us.

Until Monday...

Pastor Botts

"...whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit..." - Philippians 1:27

A Key to Easing Stress

Patience! The windmill never strays in search of the wind! - A. Sklivis

Throughout the whole bible there was never a time God or His Son was in a hurry. Hmm!

Haste makes more than waste; it makes folks tired. There is almost an inverse relationship when you really think about it. The more patient we are, the more accepting we will be of what is, rather than insisting that life be exactly as we would like it to be. Without patience, life is extremely frustrating. We become easily annoyed, bothered, and irritated. Patience adds a degree of ease and acceptance to life, and it’s essential for inner peace. One key to having this patience is learning to look for and see the innocence in the situations that arise that test us. People interrupt us or situations arise not out of conspiracy but because life happens. Our loved ones show up unexpectedly, street lights slow us up, long lines crop up, not because of a vendetta against us; but because life was never supposed to be catered to us but lived by us. To try and hurry it along only brings stress, and I imagine it makes God laugh a bit too!

Until Monday...

Pastor Botts

"....But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience...." - Galatians 5:22

He'll Be There Right On Time

Time is relative! To what, is your choice. - Anon

No matter the number of years in exile God was always with His people. Hmm!

Flare guns! Often used to send up a signal to denote location or signal for help. Mary and Martha sent up a flare signal for Jesus when their brother Lazarus was ill. Yet, Jesus when he received it stayed put two more days, hence their statement when he finally came: ‘Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.” We are often like them, always praying and expecting immediate answers from God. And as the stress of unanswered prayer wears on we begin to question God’s love for us. We forget God doesn’t answer according to our will or timing, but according to His purposes. Though He may not respond immediately He is always mindful of our needs and will answer in time. After all, it’s His glory on display, not our comfort.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“….the Lord you God goes with you, he will never leave you nor forsake you.” – Deuteronomy 31:6

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Life is a given, the destination and how is a choice! - Anon

The good thing about the Prodigal Son is that he wound up back at his beginning, his father's house. Hmm!

Rollercoasters! In our prime we loved them. The speed, the jerks and turns, and of course the 'stomach in your throat' downhill runs. It was a somewhat scary thrill but we did it again and again with eager expectations. When considered, daily life is just like that, a rollercoaster ride with all the effects. Truthfully, none of us asked to be here, but we were blessed with life by God, and even told by Him which rollercoaster to choose 'blessing or cursing, life or death....choose - LIFE' for the best results, but He left the final decision to us. So if we're not enjoying life, if it has too many thrills that 'stress us out' or leave us 'broken' God will allow you to change. Remember Jesus' words "I am come that they might have life to the fullest..." I think He expects us to enjoy the ride.

Until tomorrow.....

Pastor Botts

”...anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." - James 4:4

No Nega-Prayers

Why worry when you can pray for free? – Anon

Though Sanballat and Tobiah were openly hostile to Nehemiah, he left it in God’s hands and continued to work on rebuilding the wall. He had great success. AMEN!

As long as we live there will always be something going on that begs to get our attention, that seeks to get our focus and energies diverted there – to worry about. When you think about it, worry is really just a negative way of praying. Worry really is just ‘you’ talking to yourself in your head, and allowing the doubts, fears, and unknowns to escape and impact your health. This leads to stress, anxiety, restlessness, lack of focus, and distrust. God invites us to come freely before Him to make our pleas and petitions known, tell Him the desires of our heart; and He will gladly bear our burdens. If your life seems heavy, anxiety filled, or unfocused, maybe you need some ‘closet’ time.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“…..Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life….” – Matthew 6:27

Creation from the Chaotic

There is no situation so chaotic that God cannot from that situation, create something that is surpassingly good. He did it at creation, he did it at the cross, and he’ll be doing it today. – H. C. G. Moule

 

The parting of the Red Sea, water from a rock, manna from heaven, feeding 5,000 - you get the idea here!

 

Oftentimes when we’re up against life, and our circumstances or relationships are overbearing and taxing us, or our resources are thread-bare and stressing us, we forget about the God who has brought us thus far, or we feel like He can’t handle this one. But if earth has no problems heaven can’t solve we must keep trusting Him in all situations, and see things from His perspective and purpose, knowing that His purposes are always for our good.

 

Until tomorrow..….

 

Pastor Botts

 

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28

Make It Easier Saints

Saints are persons who make it easier for others to believe in God. – N. Soderblom

Before she met Jesus at the well she was a woman of ill repute. After she met Jesus at the well she helped a whole town to the faith. WOW!

Monday, and though it’s the toughest day of the week for most; the assignment gets no easier. The agenda and theme never change. God has blessed each one of us to be a saint TODAY. There will be people brought into our immediate circle of influence and God needs us to somehow inform them of His love. There will be others who watch how we handle the stresses and drama of the day and God wants us to “visually” preach to them. As heavens cameras roll today, remember it’s not about us, but God.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me…..whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” – Matthew 25:35-36, 40

In a Hurry? Relax.

Patience! The windmill never strays in search of the wind! - A. Sklivis

Throughout the whole bible there was never a time God or His Son was in a hurry. Hmm!

Haste makes more than waste, it makes folks tired. There is almost an inverse relationship when you really think about it. The more patient we are, the more accepting we will be of what is, rather than insisting that life be exactly as we would like it to be. Without patience, life is extremely frustrating. We become easily annoyed, bothered, and irritated. Patience adds a degree of ease and acceptance to life, and it’s essential for inner peace. One key to having this patience is learning to look for and see the innocence in the situations that arise that test us. People interrupt us or situations arise not out of conspiracy but because life happens. Our loved ones show up unexpectedly, street lights slow us up, long lines crop up, not because of a vendetta against us; but because life was never supposed to be catered to us but lived by us. To try and hurry it along only brings stress, and I imagine it makes God laugh a bit too!

Until Monday......

Pastor Botts

"....But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience...." - Galatians 5:22

Hope you can make it out for our Sunday School Devotional this week at 9am!

Worry Made Them Grow

Troubles are like babies, nurse them and they’ll grow. – W. C. Brumby

Saul’s insecurity led to jealousy. His jealousy led to attempted murder. Thank God David was a God-fearing man. AMEN!

Whether real or imagined all of us face troubles at times. It was a promise of our Lord. And though we often say we’re not affected by them, the time we spend worrying about them says otherwise, and only multiplies their size and impacts our actions and decisions. We serve a God who is bigger and stronger than anything we can come across, and He is expecting us to trust the matter to Him. Depression, stress, anxiety, fear, and bondage all come upon us when we keep God out of our lives. Remember, don’t tell people how large your troubles are, tell your troubles how great your GOD is.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. But you, O God, will bring down the wicked into the pit of corruption….” – Psalm 55:22-23

In face of the everyday

Any idiot can face a crisis; it’s this day-to-day living that wears you out. – A. Chekhov

Elijah threw up his hands and said to God “I’ve had enough! Take my life….” God said “let me show you something Elijah…” He was forever a changed man. Hmm!

Demands at work! Rush hour traffic! Family pressures! Daily stress! It’s enough to drive your blood pressure up, put your temper on edge, and take the joy out of life. We all face such things in life. Yet, notice how some cheerful souls seem to never be fazed, they just seem to roll with the punches and keep on smiling. They have an ability to put a positive spin on every situation or circumstance. They seem able to see the humor in life even when things go way wrong. It seems like life never gets a good hit on them to knock them down or steal their joy. Generally these are the folks who have put their faith and trust in God and don’t take themselves too seriously. They’ve learned that laughter is a great medicine, actually a gift from God; and that faith is the greatest preserver and encourager known to man. So depending on the situation they can face any fiasco, handle any hassle, find sunshine on a rainy day, and still enjoy the blessing of life. May we all be so blessed!

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance….” – James 1:1

Nega Prayer

Why worry when you can pray for free? – Anon

Though Sanballat and Tobiah were openly hostile to Nehemiah, he left it in God’s hands and continued to work on rebuilding the wall. He had great success. AMEN!

As long as we live there will always be something going on that begs to get our attention, that seeks to get our focus and energies diverted there – to worry about. When you think about it, worry is really just a negative way of praying. Worry really is just ‘you’ talking to yourself in your head, and allowing the doubts, fears, and unknowns to escape and impact your health. This leads to stress, anxiety, restlessness, lack of focus, and distrust. God invites us to come freely before Him to make our pleas and petitions known, tell Him the desires of our heart; and He will gladly bear our burdens. If your life seems heavy, anxiety filled, or unfocused, maybe you need some ‘closet’ time.

Until Monday…..

Pastor Botts

“…..Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life….” – Matthew 6:27

NOTE: We will not be having Vesper Services this Sunday evening, therefore the Men's Bible Study Group will meet Sunday morning at 9:15am.

Worry, No Good. Prayer, All Good!

Anything worth worrying about is worth praying about. – Anon

In the midst of hostility and deceit, Nehemiah worked and prayed, prayed and worked. God answered. WOW!

Stressed out, worried sick, anxiety-laden, or just plain fearful. These are emotional states to avoid for we know no good thing can arise from them. But yet we often find ourselves going through these emotions over some of the smallest matters (an unreturned phone call, a non-existent rumor, a friend’s strange stare or non-stare, etc.). It is a testament to what we believe about our God in terms of what we will take before Him in prayer, and how soon we’ll take it there. Worry does nothing good for us and it keeps us from fully trusting in God. There will always be uncertainties in life and things we just can’t know at the time, but God doesn’t want them to interfere with us fully enjoying what He has given us right here, right now, so pray if you must.

Until tomorrow.....

Pastor Botts

“Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.” – Psalm 55:22

You get out what you put in

It takes as much stress to be a success as it does to be a failure. – E. Trujillo

After meeting Jesus, the apostle Paul worked just as hard or harder to build up the church as he did beforehand when he tried to destroy it. Hmm!

There is a common saying that “you get out of life what you put into it.” The thought behind it being that you get to determine how far you want to go in life. The common denominator in life is not intelligence, money, race, or chance; its effort and discipline. And no matter one’ s station in life it takes effort and discipline to maintain it. No one fails because they have to, it’s generally because they were not willing to do all necessary to have success. God grants us all we need for an abundant life here and offers us second and third chances that we may be overcomers. The question is what’s holding you back?

Until tomorrow….

Pastor Botts

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” – Galatians 6:7

Those little irritants...

If there are irritations in your life, remember the oyster; who uses them to make a pearl. – Anon

Joseph had brothers who sold him into slavery. But he later saved them and his people. Moses had the Israelites who continually vexed him. But he led them to become a great nation. Hmm!

If there is one thing true of this life it is we all have irritations, crises, stress, and bad-timed events happen to us that sometimes seem to “chafe” at our spirit. Surprise – Jesus said it would happen! And whether it’s the work of the enemy, or God trying to grow our faith, the key is to focus on the ‘positives’ these circumstances create and use this to still bring about a good work for God. If God can work ‘all things for our good’ shouldn’t we try the same. Here’s praying our ‘presentation’ be pleasing today.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers; whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything.” – James 1:2-4

Winds of Change

The only permanent thing in life is change. – Anon

When Naaman finally changed his mind and obeyed, God changed his condition. Hmm!

All too often our lives and relationships are blown apart because we’re completely unprepared for the storms and stresses that change brings into them. But change happens; it’s a promise from God. Though it’s impossible to stop a storm in progress we can minimize the damage if we’ve prepared for it in advance. The winds of change will either give strength to your sails or stall you completely. In marriage the changes will either draw you closer together or destroy the relationship. Bodily sickness or injury will either make you stronger than before or destroy your spirit. In your career or finances, a missed opportunity can snuff out your dreams or inspire you to become more diligent. It all depends on your response. Therefore, change need not be frightening or threatening, if we look at it as an opportunity to express God’s gifts to us in new ways.

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1

Contentment: Focus on what's important

The optimist says the cup is half full, the pessimist says its half empty, the child of God says, “my cup runneth over.” – Anon

Paul traveled all over the country on a tentmaker’s salary. How?  He trusted in a God who had unlimited resources. Hmm!

So far as I know, no bird ever tried to build more nests than his neighbor, no fox ever fretted over having only 1 lair in which to lay, and no dog ever lost sleep over not having enough bones buried for retirement. Though important to them, these things in and of themselves caused them no grief, gray hair, or stressing out. But often, we as people of God put emphasis on the wrong things, and worry needlessly over things beyond our control. If God does truly care for the sparrow that falls to the ground, will he not care for us? He’s asking us to trust Him and see!

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet our heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?...But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” – Matthew 6:26, 33