Rethink your challenges

When we long for life without difficulties, we should remember diamonds are not made without undergoing great pressure. – P. Marshall  

After Paul fully understood God’s grace, he began to revel in his infirmities. – WOW!  

The challenges are what bring out the best in us, and without them we would seldom if ever seek to improve ourselves or our lot in life on our own. God does not allow challenges or difficulties into our life to defeat or frustrate us, but to grow our faith and trust in Him and move us along the path on our journey towards eternity with Him. And remarkably, God does not mind when we cry out to Him in the midst of our difficulties, He rather prefers it; as it shows we believe and trust He can do something about it or help us bear up under it. The key is to understand that as challenges come along, it’s actually God just loving on us.  

Until tomorrow……  

Pastor Botts  

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation….” – Philippians 4:12

True Peace and Contentment

Recipe for contentment: Remember the day’s blessings, quickly forget the day’s troubles. – Anon  

The apostle Paul said he ‘knew’ the secret to being content in all things. It was his new attitude in Christ.  

We spend a great deal of our time, resources, and efforts chasing after the seemingly elusive ‘zone of peace.’ The bible does tell us to seek peace and pursue it, but it never said it was in the things made by man. The only true peace comes from being rightly related to God and not straining or taking the relationship for granted. Since we alone choose what to allow our hearts and minds to dwell on, in Christ; contentment, peace, and happiness are just a mindset away. As the day unfolds what it cooks up will be up to us.  

Until tomorrow…….  

Pastor Botts  

“Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, ‘It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and my father’s household.’ The second son he named Ephraim and said, ‘It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.’” – Genesis 41:51-52

The Key to Being Content

Contentment is destroyed by comparison. – Anon 

James identified himself as a 'servant' of Christ rather than his brother. Wise indeed!  “And they lived happily ever after!”

Yes it’s a fairy tale ending, but in truth it is an ending we all tend to seek. We all seek after a peace that fills us, satisfies us, validates us; and that peace can only come from our being perfectly aligned with God and His will. There is no other source that can fulfill that inner longing – we were made for communion with God. The problem we have is we consistently compare our livelihood, our possessions or resources, or even our actions to that of our fellow man, and that robs us of our true identity and contentment we should have with God. God is not so much concerned with what we have as He is with ‘who we are’ and ‘how are we.’ When the answer to these two questions begin and end with Him, contentment is not far away. So we need not look around, we only need to look heavenward. 

Until tomorrow…. 

Pastor Botts 

“We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves they are not wise.” – II Corinthians 10:12