The courage to begin

The one thing more powerful than the will to win, is the courage to begin. – Anon  

Abram left his father’s house, his people, and his land to go to a place he knew not where. But the key fact is he went. AMEN!  

As adults most of us know how to walk. We just put one foot in front of the other, and we find we can get almost anywhere. But if we were to think back to our infancy we would realize it took a lot of courage then to do what we do naturally now. The fact is that because we wanted to, we did it. Well, we still have wants. We want the best, we want to win, we want to be successful, we want to be loved. None of these desires are wrong, but we must realize that they are just desires or wants. They are obtainable but only if we go after them. Wanting them to happen doesn’t make it so, we must actually begin the journey to make it happen. The same is true in our walk with God. It takes great courage to believe Him unswervingly, follow Him unquestioningly, and serve Him faithfully. It is a lifelong journey but it still begins with the first step everyday. It’s up to us.  

Until tomorrow…….  

Pastor Botts  

“I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” – Philippians 1:20

What's the score?

The surest way to win in a relationship: just don’t keep score! - Sparks  

Though the disciples failed him many times and even fled, Jesus still entrusted the church to them. They later turned the world upside down for him. AMEN!  

Record keeping is good for business matters, but bad for relationships. Relationships are built upon love, and God’s model is best. God is gracious, merciful, and forgiving. No matter the size of the infraction, He willingly forgives and shows mercy if we seek Him. This is not to say we continue in sin and error, it is just God’s way of letting us know He understands our imperfections and is willing to work with us to overcome them. Likewise He fully expects us to demonstrate the same traits in our daily lives (“freely you have received, freely give”) with those we interact with. The goal is not to win the war but to win the person.  

Until tomorrow……  

Pastor Botts  

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” – I Corinthians 13:4-7

Why Not?

Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward. They may be beaten, but they may also start a winning game. - Goethe 

Andrew brought a small boy with 5 barley loaves and 2 small fish to Jesus to feed 5,000. A sensible move – NO! A daring move - you bet! 

In business, an 'entrepreneur' is one who has an idea or dream and is willing to risk everything they have to see it come to pass, realizing there is always a small possibility of failure. It's that type of spirit that should empower our faith and deeds. In truth, often for our faith to work or have value we have to step out on the “ledge of risk.” Not every program or every thing we do for God will work, but we will never know until we try, and the bottom line is that God will never be disappointed with our faithful efforts. 

Until tomorrow….. 

Pastor Botts 

“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed…..For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus sake, so that His life may be revealed in our mortal body.” – II Corinthians 4:8-9,11

Not so Competitive

You're not obligated to win. You're obligated to keep trying to do the best you can every day. – M. W. Edelman 

Every battle God sent his people into they won. Not because they were the best skilled warriors, but because they were obedient. Hmm! 

“Win at all costs.” It’s a message that gets drummed into our psyche the moment we begin to understand the competitive nature of life. That drive to be the best, the first, the leader of the pack often adds undue stress and strain in our lives. And often we never slow down and take time to see the competitive forces are man made. God has never asked us to compete for his love, mercy, or blessings. He’s not even obligated us to win the victory – its already assured – but only to tell the story. And the best way to tell the story of Christ is by the way we live each and every day. Life is not a sport, its life, which is to be lived moment by moment and not as a contest. Today’s results are up to us.

Until tomorrow….. 

Pastor Botts 

“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.” – I Thessalonians 4:11-12 

Another Way to Win

If you can’t accept losing, you can’t win. – V. Lombardi

In the prayer war of the Pharisee and the publican, the publican won out because he was willing to lose himself to God’s mercy. Hmm!

We’re often taught only the strong survive, nobody likes a loser, etc. But losing has its place in life as a teacher of wisdom. In sports, if a team never loses they would never notice their weaknesses and work on them. The same is true of life. If we never suffered setbacks, or pain, or suffering, we would never really fully appreciate their absences; and strive to keep away from them. Losing also has its place in our salvation, for unless we are willing to ‘lose all’ for the sake of Christ, we cannot enter into his kingdom. So at times, the best way to win is to lose.

Until tomorrow….

Pastor Botts

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it” – Matthew 16:25