Good Advertising

Make yourself an honest person, and then you can be sure there is one less rascal in the world. – T. Carlyle

Paul said he was ‘determined’ to know nothing among those he fellowshipped with except Jesus Christ. His life proved his point. Hmm!

“Betcha can’t eat just one!” That was the Lay’s Potato Chip ad slogan from years ago. It was good advertising, deceptive; but still good. Mind you, you had to buy a whole bag to try and best the slogan, and that meant sales. We are in a sense all in sales, advertising for our Heavenly Father through our lives. And our story, just like everyone else’s has a few dark spots or less-than-desirable chapters. But God doesn’t want us to be deceptive in our presentation, nor does He want us to hide behind the dark moments. His desire is that we treat them as any good marketer would, in a positive light. Tell others how we’ve become wiser, more disciplined, mature, experienced, and of course more dependent upon Him who forgave us and restored us. Good trustworthy advertising makes good sense and good business, and God is still in the people business.

Until tomorrow…..

Pastor Botts

“….How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God….” – Genesis 39:9

All in or All Lie

A half-truth is a whole lie. – Anon

When Jesus stated “these people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me,” it wasn’t a one time occurrence. WOW!  
We all know from our school and life lessons in logic that if any part of a statement is false, the whole statement is false. We should remember that deception in any form is a tool of the enemy. Half-truths are often told with the intent to deceive in some form or fashion. Unfortunately, many people seem to like living their lives this way. When we live by our own sense of morality, our own brand of truth, or our own standard of justice; and claim to belong to Christ also, we’re only half-right and in actuality only deceiving ourselves. Jesus said His way was the “ONLY” way. The Christian ‘life’ is in word and deed, not word only.
 
Until tomorrow…..
 
Pastor Botts
 
“…‘The most important {truth},’ answered Jesus, ‘is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength….Love your neighbor as yourself…” – Mark 12:29-31

You want the TRUTH?

The truth is not for all men, but only for those who seek it. – A. Rand  

Pilate could not recognize Christ as the truth because he aldready had his own version. Hmm!  

We sit next to them and wonder. They sit next to us and do the same. We grew up with them and wonder. They grew up with us and do the same. What is it? It’s wondering where were they when this simple truth, whatever it may be, that seemingly everybody should know; was given out or taught. We got it, how come they didn’t, they were there we know – at least physically. In this mixed up world we live in we often forget a few things about the people we live and associate with. First, not everyone is in search of the truth, their own version yes – but the actual truth, no. They will go along with a program until it conflicts with their inner desires. And second, the enemy has blinded some to the truth, they can’t accept it in any form. Their desire is to overturn or discredit any opposition to them. Our quest is to make sure we continually seek the whole truth, not just for understanding but for application into our daily lives for a life that pleases God. It’s a proven maxim that if you repeat anything often enough it will start to become you. So as the day progresses our challenge is to see if anyone would mistake us for Jesus.  

Until tomorrow…..  

Pastor Botts  

“….you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free….: - John 8:32

Stretchmarks

Nothing ruins the truth like stretching it. – Anon 

Satan subtly tempted Eve by ‘adding’ ever so slightly to the Word of God. Mankind has suffered ever since. Hmm! 

I’m sure we’ve all heard of or quite possibly even told fishermen like stories of “how large the one that got away was,” often exaggerating or embellishing the truth to pump ourselves up. But God has called us to be truthful in all our doings and manner of conversation, even if it brings harsh consequences or circumstances upon us. It may not seem like a big deal, but somehow God has given the 'truth' the power to sanctify, clarify, illuminate, and draw men to Him. So as we progress throughout the day, may truth in all things be our goal; and remember He sees and knows all. 

Until tomorrow…… 

Pastor Botts 

“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” – Proverbs 30:5-6

THE Way THE Truth THE Life The Lord

A man with one watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure. – Sparks 

The people of Athens had more gods than you could shake a stick at. Paul tried to introduce them to the only GOD they needed. Hmm! 

We live in a world where everyone has an opinion or belief about life and the way it is supposed to be lived, with a bit of this and a dash of that. And we live in a world where everyone often feels compelled to share their ideas and opinions freely. Words like truth, morality, justice - are often debated and assigned different values depending on who is speaking, or the need for the day. And what is true today may not be true tomorrow. We must be careful to weigh the views of these ‘well-intentioned’ folk against the standard measure. There is only one standard of truth – God’s Word. 

Until Monday…… 

Pastor Botts 

“Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written: so that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” – Romans 3:4 

Make the most of ToDAY!

God’s gift to us is TODAY. He leaves it up to us to make it profitable and adventuresome. - Anon 

The day Joseph was purchased by Potiphar wasn’t planned by him, but he made the best of it. Amen!  

Putting off the old and putting on the new means we are constantly growing, changing the shape, circumference, and volume of faith our heart can hold. It means that safety is not always the key to growth, that the questions, doubts, and desires for deeper understanding will require some risk-taking. For many of the answers we seek, faith can only be fully developed for understanding in the laboratory of life and not gained from the intellect or logic of a book alone. The searching for ‘truth’ or 'purpose' will often require us to give up some of our pre-conceived ideas and prejudices, that is how God's transformative process often works; and when we do we will see God and His kingdom work in a much clearer view.

Until tomorrow....

Pastor Botts

“You have heard these things; look at them all. Will you not admit them? From now on I will tell you of new things, of hidden things unknown to you.” – Isaiah 48:6

Again, don't get Bitter, get Better!

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you mad. – A. Huxley 

The Pharisees and religious leaders of Jesus’ day were always at odds with Jesus just because he was the TRUTH. Go figure! 

Stress. Anger. Anxiety. These words and others like them wreak havoc on our physical make-up. Why, because God made us in His image to be at peace with Him. It is really only when we are confronted with the truth, which we refuse to accept and obey; that we begin to suffer such maladies. We can’t put any more hours in the day, work any harder than we already are, or change anyone’s thinking. WE CAN control ourselves and our obedience to the truth. God’s word is not given to take the fun out of life, but that we may have life more abundantly. So when the truth confronts, don’t get angry, get right! 

Until tomorrow….. 

Pastor Botts 

“In your anger, do not sin! Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold…” – Ephesians 4:26-27