The Many Speeds of Life

Life is like a 10-speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use. – Charles M. Schultz

James and John wanted to ‘call down fire’ on the Samaritans because they didn’t welcome Jesus. Jesus got them to relax and later on faith won the day. HMMM!

Look on any freeway at any time and you’ll see them – Porsche’s, Maserati’s, Ferrari’s – built for excessive speed yet limited by the law, sheer pictures of frustration. Most of us live life that way as if we have only 1 speed. It is either a blistering race to the finish line (which we have no idea is where or when), or a scenic snails pace stopping at every turn (not making any progress). The life Jesus calls us to requires us to be very flexible – sometimes waiting and fasting, sometimes stealing away quickly, and sometimes taking long journeys – to experience the ‘abundance’ He promised. The idea is to take it 1 day at a time using all the gifts God has given us at the pace God sets, for He gives ‘grace sufficient for the day.’

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” – Romans 12:1

Applyling Your Heart

In worship, we would rather our heart be without words, than our words without heart. – L. Broschman

God’s prophet Jeremiah flat out called the priests of the day liars and arrogant men practicing before God – and the people seemed to love it. GOD FORBID!

For the average Christian, Sunday is the day of worship where we go to God’s house and sing, pray, and even say a few “hallelujah’s" or "Amen’s.” But God is not relegated to the church house and worship is not restricted to a once-a-week occurrence, it is a way of life that flows from the heart in all we do. God is looking for more than lip service, He wants life application. Our prayer should be that our worship during the work week will be as “charged and passion-filled” as it was in His house on Sunday.

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

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

God's Omnipresent Glory

A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him, than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word ‘darkness’ on a wall. – C. S. Lewis

The religious leaders heaped all the darkest insults, derogatory remarks, shame and reproach they could muster upon Jesus while He was on the cross. But, His GLORY still leaked out. AMEN!

It has been scientifically proven that a single drop of liquid can contain thousands, if not millions of living organisms. Though we cannot see it with the naked eye, under a microscope it comes to life. The glory of God defies all logic, and is vividly seen in every detail of life to the person who has eyes of faith and a spirit of understanding. He’s there all the time, friend.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory, and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” – Hebrews 1:3

Those Pesky Charming Foreign gods

Not all idols sit on a mantle or hang on a wall. - Anon

It wasn't hard to see what Judas 'loved' most. Ouch!

Most Christians will say without wavering "they love God with all their heart....." In truth we 'feel' that way about God, but our lives say something different. And that's the problem with feelings - they are fleeting, they fluctuate almost like the weather. For example, no sooner had God freed them from bondage in Egypt our ancestors set themselves up another god - a golden calf. And even after God Himself instructed them from the mountaintop "you shall have no other gods before me....." they soon went after the gods of their foreign countrymen. We read the scriptures on this often and shake our heads at such pitiful behavior, but even today we often struggle with the same attitude. We don't want to be totally without God, but neither do we want to miss out on the world's delights and offerings. Like our ancestors we are 'charmed' by its values, speech, immorality, entertainment, and fleshly gratifications. These have become our 'foreign gods', and their path still leads to ruin just as in the past. Love for God alone takes a strong will or the word we don't like to use - COMMITMENT!

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"Your word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you." - Psalm 119:11

Following God

When the map and the terrain don't match, follow the terrain. Man made the map; God made the terrain. - General Boykin

As Pharaoh pursued the Israelites God told Moses to stretch his rod out towards the sea. What do you know, it worked! Hmm...

Life is full of decisions (single/marriage, work/self-employ, rent/own, etc.) that don't have a clearly defined roadmap for success. We know what we want and trust that through our obedience to God things will work out okay. But often, the path God chooses for us to follow will include some geography that doesn't make sense - that's where faith comes into play. Will we be willing to trust God to blaze the trail way for us, or will we insist on not moving until we can clearly see the roadway and choose the safest lane. Faith is not always having certainty or assurance in hand; it's trusting in the One who has NEVER given us any reason to doubt Him or His promises. If we ever take time to look back and see where we've come from or in reality seeing what God has brought us through, then we can continue in our task of just putting one foot in front of the other.

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"And God said.....this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain..." - Exodus 3:12

Do You Know Who You're Following?

Worship changes people. We become like whatever it is we worship. - W. Harty

The people were cold-hearted toward God because the idols they worshiped had no heart. Hmm!

The refrigerator. What's in yours? It's a throne we worship at 3 - 4 times a day, yet we often don't know all that's in there nor it's condition. It is any good? Is it spoiled? It's easy to forget. How much easier then is it to forget God's laws, commands, statutes, or promises if we don't assemble ourselves before God's Word and His presence at least daily, and then not with rapid reading but with time for contemplation, meditation, and prayer. He does not expect us to remember every passage and word, but He does expect us to at least take time to read it and talk with Him about it. He longs to be known and wants to 'refresh' our spirits at all times. And here's the good thing about spending this time with God, unlike looking in the refrigerator; He will never give us 'leftovers'!

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws..." - Psalm 119:105-106

The Absolute Truth Is Out There

Truth is eternal. Knowledge is changeable. It is disastrous to confuse them. – Anon

After fleeing Egypt the Hebrew people thought they knew enough to go on without God’s man Moses. Twenty-three thousand found out they were wrong! OUCH!

Many years ago the Temptations had a hit single ‘Ball of Confusion,’ lamenting the state of affairs in the world due to man’s thinking he no longer needed the truth, everyone can just do their own thing. Well we have and look where it’s gotten us - CONFUSED. Ask almost anyone and you’ll find that we seem to live in a world where truth is no longer absolute but relative; you make up your own; and what’s true today doesn’t have to be tomorrow. To deny the truth does not mean it doesn’t exist. Methods (ways of doing things) often change, but principles (why we do them) never change. The problem really is not that absolute truth doesn’t exist, but that most people just can’t handle it. Many ways may seem right but in the end lead to destruction.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised. Amen.” – Romans 1:25

Remember the Thanks

A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all other virtues. – Cicero

The Psalms tell us indirectly there are 2 words the Lord never tires of – “thank you.” Maybe we should try it, Hmm!

So often, we allow ourselves to become so preoccupied with the demands of daily living that we forget to say ‘thank you’ to the Giver of all good gifts. Worship and praise should be a part of everything we do for it is who we are at our core – a work of praise and worship to God. Praise is effusive in thanksgiving and adoration, and it opens our hearts to walk even more closely with God. It is when we forget to praise Him that we are so easily overwhelmed by life’s issues and lose our perspective. Work may be hard and strenuous, but we should thank Him for the means to provide for ourselves. Heartache may visit us from time to time, but we should thank Him that we have learned what love is all about. No matter the situation we may currently be facing, we should praise Him. Not only does it pay to praise God, but it lifts the spirit of our hearts, and that friend, is a blessing in itself.

Until Monday…

Pastor Botts

“….through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess His name….” – Hebrews 13:15

Put Worry to Flight

Just keep in mind: the more we value things outside our control, the less control we have. Epictetus

When Daniel got news of the kings new edict on 'worship' all he did was pray like before. God saved him. Amen!

Fire and water! Light and darkness! Though linked together by the 'and' the truth is these 2 items just don't go together, no way, no how. One will always overshadow/overpower the other. Thinking along these lines should give us a greater understanding of why God tells us not to worry. Why, because worship and worry cannot inhabit our heart at the same time. They, like the others mentioned above can't dwell together. If I'm truly worshiping, I'm not worrying. If I'm worried sick I'm not worshiping. Life will always present anxious or troubling moments to us, and what's in our heart will dictate our response. God's Word will bring calm, praise, worship, and prayer, putting worry to flight. So, the question is what are we actually 'hiding' in our hearts.

Until Monday...

Pastor Botts

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" - Matthew 6:27

Get Those Hands Up

Submission or surrender? God's asking! - Anon

In the battle with the Amalekites as long as Aaron and Hur held up Moses' hands in prayer Joshua and the Israelites were winning the battle. Hmm!

"Come out with your hands up!" A command or order we hope to never hear issued to us. It's usually barked at someone projected to be on the wrong side of the law and is now cornered and subject to arrest. But, how did an act so beautiful become so negative. When you think of worship before God it's often a 'hands up' in the air experience. When you think of prayer it's often a 'stretching forth' of the hands, and then there's surrender or a 'throwing up of the hands' to release the issue to Almighty God. Times may have changed but the way we come before God has not. And actually, when you think it through, it really doesn't matter what reason we stand before God with our hands raised for we stand to gain. Amen!

Until tomorrow...

Pastor Botts

"I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands." - Psalm 63:4

Complete the Assignment

Be like a postage stamp – stick to one thing until you get there. – M. Carty

Though Elijah called down fire from heaven and spectacularly destroyed Baal’s prophets, his original commission was just to announce the coming rain. He REMEMBERED!

Success is great but it can also be distracting as we seek to follow God. Often when something spectacular happens in our lives we tend to dwell there. We tend to prefer the dramatic and good far more than the mundane. If we aren’t careful, we may become distracted by the successes we experience in our life so much that we never complete what God originally assigned us to do. May we be careful that our successes today do not get in the way of obedience tomorrow.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you; When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” – Exodus 3:12

Your Best Effort

Passion is not just the activity that comes from our limbs, but also the spirit that comes from our heart. Anon

I’m not sure of his skills as a physician, but his travels with Paul made Dr. Luke an avid believer and chronicler of the gospel message. WOW!

In sports you live and die by statistics. In baseball a .300+ hitter is a big deal, but in reality all it really means is he gets a hit 3 out of 10 tries. In basketball a 48% shooter from the field is a big deal, but in reality it means he misses 52% of the time. It’s the same with us often in our faith walk. In truth, the attention we give to our spiritual life is often marginal at best. We are concerned with special religious activities, but not to where they impact our own recreations. We are concerned with worship, but not to where it influences our daily activities. We are concerned with receiving blessings, but not to where we honor God’s covenant to receive them. And we’re often concerned with prayer, but not to the point where it calls us personally to service. Small wonder we don’t grow as we should. The true spiritual life is transformative, challenging us in every facet of life to be Christ-like, to redirect our passions toward godly pursuits. God doesn’t expect perfection, but He does expect our best effort every time, and the opportunity to transform us into His likeness.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. - Colossians 3:23

Who Do You Serve?

You’ve got to be a servant to somebody – or something! – C. Kettering

Paul, in all his letters to the churches left no doubt whom he served. He was either a servant or prisoner of Christ. Not a bad way to go.

Felt needs, fleshly desires, God, – all of these desire servitude. Every last one of us has been created with a searching soul. We’ve all been hard wired to find something worthy of OUR service and worship. Though God should be the object of service and worship for all, He does not force the issue on us, He leaves the choice to every individual. As you go through today you might consistently ask yourself who or what am I serving. If it’s all about you or some other individual or object it’s time to redirect your attention to God.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable for you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." - Joshua 24:15

P.S. - Prayer Breakfast meeting tomorrow morning at 9:30am ON CAMPUS. Hope you can join us.

Refreshment From the Source

When we cannot find contentment within ourselves, it’s useless to seek it elsewhere. – Francois de la Rochefoucauld

Saul didn’t hear from God so he consorted with the Witch of Endor. He still didn’t like what he heard. OUCH!

Often, if we’re not careful we’ll find ourselves taking on the characteristics of the world in our faith walk. For instance, when teams have a losing streak they call it a dry spell. Sometimes we say the same when we feel we’ve not heard from God or experienced Him working in our lives. But how can that be if the “fountain of living water” (Jesus) resides within? There should never be ‘dry spells’ in our Christian walk. When we hit those arid moments it should provoke us to look at what we’ve become focused on other than Jesus. Spiritual dryness occurs when we supplant our relationship with Christ with activities and busyness. Sometimes it just takes coming back to the ‘heart’ of worship.

Until tomorrow…

Pastor Botts

“My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” – Jeremiah 2:13

Not an Afterthought

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 of 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 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

Kneel in Strength

When life gives you more than you can stand.......KNEEL!- Anon

David, Paul. Just a couple of men with great burdens like us who were often found kneeling. Hmm!

Subjection, oppression, weakness. In our cultural way of thinking all of these words indicate a position of vulnerability, inadequacy, the inability to measure up and we tie them with kneeling before another. But not so with God. His way of thinking is far from ours. To kneel doesn't indicate any of this. When we kneel before Him, He sees it as our plea for help, restoration, supplication in life in all matters that are really too great for us to go alone. We have to remember that after all God gave us 'flexibility' in our legs for more than just walking or running.

Until tomorrow.....

Pastor Botts

"Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker." - Psalm 95:6

Beyond the Building

Too many people quit looking for God once they find a church. – Herb Botts

The parents of the blind man Jesus healed said nothing because they didn’t want to be thrown out of the synagogue. Hmm!

Complacency is a dangerous thing, and it’s something our enemy is very familiar with and often uses to trap us. In honesty, most of us love our church; we love the building, the amenities, the programs, the service, and of course the people. Unfortunately we often fall in love with these ‘things’ and cease to seek after God. But we must always remember God does not want to dwell in a building but in our hearts, so we must continually seek Him always.

Until Monday…..

Pastor Botts

“Jesus declared, ‘Believe me, woman; a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem…... God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and truth.’” – John 4:21,24

P.S. - Mark your calendar:  Tonight at 6:30PM - Good Friday Service (Dinner/Movie)

Tomorrow at 9AM - Prayer Breakfast

Sunday at 10:30 AM Resurrection Day Services

To Observe or Keep

Anybody can observe the Sabbath, but keeping it Holy surely takes the rest of the week. – A. Walker

Jesus called many of those who followed Him ‘vain worshipers,’ possibly because they never practiced what He preached. Hmm!

It is true that in some things you can learn a lot by observation, but far more true is that you only get good at what you practice. And while there is no ‘one size fits all’ way to praise God, there is a requirement that we remember “He is Holy,” and our praise and worship offerings should reflect it. To praise God faithfully on Sunday in the sanctuary actually requires that we worship Him faithfully Monday through Saturday in our daily lives and activities. And our worship of Him is truly based upon the ‘worth’ we ascribe to Him in our daily living. If He’s not present in our work, recreation, home life, social interactions, etc., then more than likely we’re only observing and not keeping the Sabbath.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“[Jesus said] to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” – Luke 9:23

The Daily Heart of Worship

In worship, we would rather our heart be without words, than our words without heart. – L. Broschman

God’s prophet Jeremiah flat out called the priests of the day liars and arrogant men practicing before God – and the people seemed to love it. GOD FORBID!

For the average Christian, Sunday is the day of worship where we go to God’s house and sing, pray, and even say a few “hallelujah’s" or "Amen’s.” But God is not relegated to the church house and worship is not restricted to a once a week occurrence, it is a way of life that flows from the heart in all we do. God is looking for more than lip service, He wants life application. Our prayer should be that our worship during the work week will be as “charged and passion-filled” as it was in His house on Sunday.

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