Don't downplay the blessings

The true call of a Christian is not to do extraordinary things, but to do ordinary things in an extraordinary way. – D. Stanley  

Though the disciples were first called ‘Christian’ at Antioch, they were still human. Hmm!  

Though Jesus was God in the flesh, he never denied his human nature. He ate, drank, slept, and enjoyed fellowship with others, even sinners. That in itself, was the perfect model of discipleship. Discipleship does not mean that we live lives of deprivation or poverty but rather we live lives full of appreciation, thankfulness, and sharing. It is not the shrinking away from, or downplaying of the blessings God bestows on us that we may identify with those less fortunate, discipleship is drawing others in to share in those blessings that God gives in order that they may come to know him. True, the call to discipleship is to deny our self-centered nature, but never the blessings God brings our way to help further the kingdom.  

Until tomorrow….  

Pastor Botts  

“Honor the Lord with thy substance…..” – Proverbs 3:9

Sight Beyond Sight

Good vision consists of being able to see the trees and the forest. Great vision sees the maker. – O. Battista  

When Jesus healed the blind man of Bethsaida, he was able to physically see, yet he missed out knowing WHO truly healed him. Hmm!  

For the most part we are a grateful people. We often take time to thank God for our blessings and what He has done in our lives, but often we miss the very essence of God Himself within the blessings He gives, or even the understanding of what He is doing in our lives when He is doing it. Just as Jesus stood before Pilate who was so focused on tradition and man-made doctrines he ‘missed’ God before his very eyes; we sometimes get so caught up in the blessing God sends we fail to see the spirit of God in the blessing. Hindsight is 20/20 vision, but we should pray that we will see God often face to face today.  

Until tomorrow….  

Pastor Botts  

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went. Even though he did not know where he was going…For he was looking forward to the city with foundations whose architect and builder is God.” – Hebrews 11:8,10

Christmas Perspective

The gift of Christmas leaves none wanting or wishing if it is truly received. - Anon

The Israelites had God as their loving leader,  instead after looking at their neighbors they wanted a king like everyone else. It really cost them. Hmm!

Admittedly, we are imperfect human beings in nature. We know what God says to us in His Word, but yet we go against it anyway. For instance, we know that envy is sin, but sometimes in our human frailness and particularly in this time of the year where we see the blessings, gifts, and fellowships others are enjoying envy can rear its head. Thus, we must guard ourselves against that natural tendency to feel resentment and jealousy towards others because of their good fortune. As a believer, we have absolutely no right or reason to be envious of anyone, because we ourselves are already possessors of the greatest gift of all creation: God’s Grace through Christ. Nothing matches it, exceeds it, or compares with it, and it abounds more and more each day. So a simple suggestion guaranteed to keep us satisfied and content is to fill our hearts with God’s love, His promises, and His Son, and that will not leave any room for any bitter activity.

We will be taking a few days off until the New Year, so until then…..
Pastor Botts

“…..therefore, laying aside all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy……desire the sincere milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.” – I Peter 2:1-2

What we HAVE

“I have never seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging for bread.” – Psalm 37:25

Paul said that whether he had plenty or none, as long as he had God he was content. AMEN!  

As an avid coffee drinker I’ve hit a many donut shops in my time. Some good, some not so good. But I can recall a poem I once saw some years back that resonates with life:  

As you travel through life friend, Whatever be your goal, Keep your eyes on the donut, And not upon the hole.  

It’s a somewhat simple message that’s meant to remind us that we should spend more time looking at and being thankful for what we have and not worrying about what we don’t have. God has gifted us with exactly everything He needs us to have at this moment. In fact, we’ve got more blessings than we can truly count, and maybe that’s what we should do, start counting and start thanking Him for every one of them. In the end it’s a lot more meaningful and a lot less costly, and we can all stand to save a little more anyway.  

Until tomorrow…..  

Pastor Botts  

“…..My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life…..” – Psalm 23:5

Counting Blessings

When you’re unable to pray, count your blessings. – Anon  

King Saul sought out a medium or spiritist in his turmoil. David continued faithful and waited on God for his answer. We know which one was God’s man! Hmm.  
Prayer is our most important communication link with God. He covets it and there is never a time when He does not hear us. But there are times in life when it seems like our prayer link to God is broken, we just can’t seem to get through when we really need Him most no matter how often we call. In truth, there are times that God is silent not because of our sin or distance, but because He has already “graced” us with blessings that fulfill all we need. Just try counting, I’m sure you’ll find you won’t be disappointed.  

Until tomorrow…..  

Pastor Botts  

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; BLESSED is the man who takes refuge in him.” – Psalm 34:8

The Bad with the Good

Those whom heaven blesses, hell curses. – Anon 

Paul had great successes in building and establishing churches but suffered massive persecution, afflictions, and even threats from within and without. Hmm! 

In war, it cannot be overstated that one should always know their enemy and his tactics, or it could prove fatal. It’s a simple fact that we often overlook. We tend to forget in our Christian walk that we’re at war; fighting for or working out our salvation. And just as we start off with 'new mercies' everyday, the enemy plans new strategies and attacks to upset us. Yes we are ‘marked’ for easy identification by the enemy, but we only need be reminded we carry a powerful cross, not a bullseye. The question we have to answer is do we want the blessings? 

Until tomorrow….. 

Pastor Botts 

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:10

Reconnecting with people

Unfortunately, most blessings in life are not valued till they are gone. – T. Fuller 

The Israelites gave Moses much grief along their journey, but when he died they mourned some 30 days for him. WOW! 

We prize ‘possessions’ not relationships. We gather ‘things and gadgets’ not people. It is wonderful to have some possessions in life, for they help to make it a bit more bearable. But it’s the people in our lives that make it full, and God that makes it complete. These are the 2 greatest blessings one could have, but we seem bent on giving them very low priority. We could survive without the big screen TV, membership at the spa, even without steak and lobster. But without a relationship with God, and without relationships with family and friends life is pretty unbearable. And the deeper the relationship the richer we become. Today is a good day to re-connect with or strengthen an existing relationship, or even build a new one. Remember, God’s kingdom will be filled with people, not products. 

Until tomorrow…….. 

Pastor Botts 

“….then their eyes were opened and they recognized [Jesus], and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, ‘were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’” – Luke 24:31-32

Thankful for the little things

The more we thank God for what we have, the more we have to thank God for. – Anon 

When Jesus gave thanks over a few loaves and fish it suddenly became enough to feed 5,000+, with leftovers. Hmm! 

Count your blessings, name them one by one….so the song goes. The underlying theme is we could never really get to a final tally of just how much God has truly blessed us. We tend to be thankful for only those blessings we can quantify or tangibly note - like family, homes, jobs, etc. - but there is much more. Our freedom, our rights, our government just to name a few. Not to mention all that God through His divine providence put in place and keeps in place – sun, moon, stars, atmospheric conditions, ecosystems, food systems, etc., before we came on the scene. What he asked Job still resonates today, and we would be just as foolish to think we can tally up all he’s done for us. 

Until tomorrow…… 

Pastor Botts 

“Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil: my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life….” – Psalm 23:5-6 

Silver Living

Too many people miss the ‘silver’ lining because they’re expecting gold. – M. Setter 

Pilate and Herod stood face to face with Jesus and missed out on the opportunity because their minds were elsewhere. Wow! 

Though things in our life may not be where we want them to be, the question is, are they were God wants them to be. Blessings and opportunity abound all around us but we miss them for we have already predetermined what should happen, what the expected end result should be. It’s often that way even in our prayer life, we give God a set of parameters to work with, and anything less is unacceptable. But in prayer it’s not so much how God answers, for we should be elated that He even hears us, and then when He answers we should jump for joy understanding that God’s answers are always better than we could and should expect. We truly deserve nothing from Him, but the fact that He answers time and again should endear us to Him more and more. A truly understanding person realizes they can get just as rich from a lot of silver as they can from a little gold. 

Until tomorrow….. 

Pastor Botts

 “…I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread….” – Psalm 37:25

Blessed to Bless

People who do things that count never stop to count them. – Bulletin Digest 

In Acts 9 we read of a lady named Tabitha. Her only claim to fame was “she was always doing good and helping the poor.” God through Peter “smiled” on her. Hmm! 

We sing a song entitled ‘Count Your Blessings’ and from that we truly realize we could never count how much or how often we have been blessed. And God blesses us to be a blessing to others. Unfortunately many of us seem to sometime carry itemized lists of the times we’ve helped people and often remind them of it, and convince ourselves we’ve earned a rest or bye or certainly some type of grand recognition. If Jesus is our example maybe we need to re-think this. 

Until tomorrow….. 

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 are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners to that…..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 king to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”- Luke 6:32-36 

Blind to the dollar sign

The person who is truly blessed is somewhat blind to ‘dollar’ signs! – Anon 

Paul said even when he ‘lacked everything’ he was still greatly blessed. AMEN! 

“I want this, I need that!” Familiar refrains that we all seem to utter endlessly, often not conscious of just how chock full of God’s blessings we already are. Consider, the gentle touch of a friend. A wonderful meal. Stimulating conversation. A breathtaking sunset. A moment of solitude. Refreshing hilarity with friends. A rewarding word of ‘thanks.’ Here and there are the marks of love, the signs of goodness, and the indications of grace. True gifts of compassion, hope, and blessings undeserved that God puts in our lives time and again to show His great unfailing love to us. Gifts that should amaze us, cause us to really take time and realize how awesome the ‘GIVER’ is. When we truly realize the many gifts we receive from God we should always live with a sense of amazement that so much has been placed into such undeserving hands.

Until tomorrow…. 

Pastor Botts

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights….” – James 1:17

What He's Done For Us

Miracles are designed with one goal in mind: to bring glory to God. – J. Bernt 

The rich farmer built bigger barns to store his miraculous abundant harvest so he could eat, drink, and be merry. God required his soul that night! OUCH! 

If we would take time to reminisce and look back over our life, no matter the road traveled, the bumps and bruises garnered, the ups and downs encountered, we would all have to say God has truly been good to us. Better than we truly deserve – YES – we are living miracles. And God will be doing the miraculous in our lives today. Let us not forget to do our part. 

Until tomorrow…… 

Pastor Botts 

“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” – John 15:8

Lemmie Hear Ya say BLESSED!

Strength, rest, grace, mercy, forgiveness, provision, guidance, help, unconditional love. What a God we serve! – E. Stenbock

Jesus said this wicked generation looks for a sign but none will be given. Our Heavenly Father gives many every day. Hmm!

It’s often said that the easiest thing to overlook is what’s right in front of you. How TRUE. We often take for granted the many blessings and mercies God extends to us each and every day. The worldview that blessings are only ‘tangible’ is a warped picture of who God really is. And if it is only tangible blessings we seek after we will never be satisfied, for our heart can only truly be satisfied by being ‘rightly related’ to God. The tangible blessings serve only as reminders of his great love for us and all the intangibles he has continued to provide. Were we never to receive another tangible blessing we can see he is still worthy of our praise.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“I will cause my people and their homes around my holy hill to be a blessing. And I will send showers, showers of blessings, which will come just when they are needed” – Ezekiel 34:26 (NLT)

Praise Him for OUR Benefit

We praise God not for His benefit, but for our own. – R. Murray

In the throes of all his woes Job refused to let go of God. He knew God was all he had left – and God richly rewarded him.

Though God needs nothing from us He ‘covets’ our praise. Not because He needs them but because He is worthy of them. He will continue to exist and be God whether we praise Him or not. But we should note, though He is an ‘audience of one’ that we give all our allegiance, worship, and praise to, the major benefactor in all of this is we ourselves. Praise allows us to come closer to God, get connected to him, hear what his heart is beating for. To live our lives any other way is to live dis-connected from the very God who gave us ‘the breath of life.’ And as we praise him, and the more we praise him, the more we will have our eyes opened to see how he has blessed us in abundance already; which will in turn lead to more praise. AMEN!

Until tomorrow……

Pastor Botts

“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation will comment your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.” – Psalm 145:3-4

Is it the Package or the Present?

Blessings come in all shapes and sizes just as we need them, but rarely how we expect them. - Anon Paul wanted a natural ‘physical healing’ until God told him just how “GRACED” he already was. AMEN! It’s the season of gift-giving, and often even before the gifts are opened; people are somewhat measured by the size or shape of the gift. We often say “it’s the thought that counts” but many times that’s not true – it’s the gift. So we want big packages, expensive wrappings and so forth. But such an attitude begs the question: How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected? He is the giver of “every good and perfect gift,” so it really should not matter in its size or presentation. And best of all God delivers them to us everyday at just the right moment. This should make every day exciting for us. Until tomorrow….. Pastor Botts  “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” – Psalm 27:13

Daily Thanks

A lack of thankfulness is directly tied to a lack of thoughtfulness. – T. Abram

God freed the Israelites from 430 years in bondage to the Egyptians, and as soon as they got to the Red Sea the complaints started. WOW!

This idea we celebrate once a year is really one that should be celebrated DAILY. Each of us, no matter what our lot in life may be at the present; have an abundance of blessings heaped upon us each day by Almighty God. Were we to try and count them it would be impossible. How could you number God’s Wondrous Works, His Daily Provisions, His Grace, Mercy, and Forgiveness, His Daily Revelations, His Future Plans for Us, Others to Fellowship With, just to name a few. HAPPY THANKSGIVING indeed!  

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“Be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” – Psalm 100:4-5 (KJV)