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

Life is just full of surprises!

If God doesn’t belong in a box, maybe we don’t either. - Anon

'Deacon’ Philip had no idea what to say to the Ethiopian eunuch, so he just preached Jesus. Hmm! 

“Where did that come from?” It’s a question we often ask ourselves. While we may think that we know ourselves quite well, we sometimes surprise ourselves. Hidden within us there are levels of not-knowing or not understanding that can only be revealed to us in our moments of great crises. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit as we give it authority within us to bring new life - dormant gifts come alive, deeply suppressed interests emerge, new abilities begin to develop. Even in areas and abilities where we were once certain, that security begins to slip away as a new more meaningful reality is unveiled. The key is not to grieve over what we may have lost but to rejoice in what we are discovering in how God wants to use us. 

Until tomorrow…. 

Pastor Botts

“…In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” – Romans 6:11  

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

The Gift of Today

One of the greatest keys to contentment is to realize that life is a gift, not a right! - Sparks Stripped of all he owned and his health, Job still held his integrity for God.  His love was rewarded. Wow! Have you ever thought about the beauty of a gift? They are hand-picked by the giver to bless and aid the recipient. The gift of Today is upon us. Most people will enter it without much thought, as if they deserved it, and if events don’t flow smoothly they’ll become disgruntled and unhappy. But the truth is God has granted all of us this day, He has granted us our life to this point, not because we deserve it or have earned it, but because He loves us. When you look at it from this point of view life can’t get any better. As you make your way through Today, problems or not, unwrap your gift with care. Until tomorrow…… Pastor Botts “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him?” – Psalm 8:3-4

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