Author: Scott

We cannot control the trials of life, but we can control our responses. Often times, the trials we face end in tragedies that are unimaginable. But we can still control our responses. Sometimes the trials end in triumphs that we didn’t see coming. And we can still control our responses. Point is, no matter what it is we face or we go through, we can control how we respond to trials. Not easy sometimes. But doable. 

COVID brought a new trial unlike any we had ever seen. It hit the world with a force that we couldn’t believe. Still can’t. We are still feeling the effects of the virus. Think about how life has changed. How quickly it happened. Think about the tragedies that came out of it. Think about the successes as well. And think about your response. Think about how you controlled, or didn’t control, how you reacted to it. None of us were prepared for the emotional, physical, or financial consequences. We’d never seen or experienced that level of chaos. 

In the Bible, James, the brother of Jesus, tells us how to handle trials like these. He tells us to consider them pure joy. He tells us to do so because times of trial test our faith. But more importantly, can develop perseverance. The past few years have been hard. No doubt. But we have learned a few lessons. Let me provide three lessons that I think are important. We must work to guide our emotions. Not let them guide us. Striving to find joy in all situations. We must work towards a destination. A goal. And realize that we develop endurance working towards that goal. We should work to gain wisdom. Godly wisdom. Wisdom that will see us through the trials that are coming. Because they are going to come. If we do these things, we will mature and grow. People will see us and want to know how it is we are getting through. And we can tell them it is God. It’s our faith. Think of that witness! Very powerful! Don’t forget, God has prepared you for what’s ahead. And he will be here for you during those times. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will.

Retired Army Chaplain Foster is one of our board members. We met several years ago and have maintained contact ever since. He and his wife are part of the Charlie 22 Outdoors family. He has been a guest. And now they volunteer with us. Chapman Foster helped us write our 22 day devotion. 

At an event of ours that he spoke at, he talked about us being fishers of men. Talked about it is our duty to show others the light that comes from Jesus. Talked about how we never know what we’re gonna say, at that one moment, that’s going to make an impact on somebody. And he is so right. It’s our job. It’s our way of honoring what took place on the cross 2000 years ago. Plus, I view it as a command. Thus…it’s our obligation.

The Bible tells us, “Therefore, go and make disciples.” I don’t look at that like a suggestion. I read that as we are being “told” to do this. The Bible is our manuscript. It is our guide for life. And it is telling us to do go make disciples. We are called to be servants for Jesus. And that means we are called to be servants for others. To lift them up. To show them grace. To show them hope and love. To show them the way to eternity with God. That’s not a burden. That is something we should honor and love doing. As Chaplain Foster said, we never know what we’re going to say, at that one moment, to that one person. So maybe today is the day for you to get into the game. Maybe today is the day for you to begin serving your Lord and Savior. To show others who he is. Or, maybe today is the day for you to get to know him. To learn who he is. To start a relationship with him. He will show you where he can use you. All you have to do is be willing and look for the opportunities. Because he loves you. Always has. Always will.

What is it you’re holding onto that causes anxiety? What is it that you’re getting ready to face that’s causing anxiety? Bills to pay? Medical issues? Health issues? The list can go on, and on, and on. Are you looking for a calm? How about a peace? How about a hope? Is your heart weighed down? Are you in a constant state of worry? Well you are not alone. Many of us are.

The good news is you are also not alone in having a Lord and Savior that loves you. You are one of God’s children. And he has you in his hands. In Philippians, the Bible tells us to “rejoice” in the Lord. And if you continue reading, it says “always” at the end of that command. Yes you read that right. Command. Rejoicing is a command given to us. And “always” has no end. There is no category. I read that as meaning rejoice in everything.

Now I know this is hard to do sometimes. How can we rejoice when we are losing a loved one? How can we rejoice when we lose a job? How can we rejoice when things just don’t go our way? The answer is simple: Recognize we have a sovereign God. Recognize that he is on the throne, and he is in control. Not you. Not me. Not anyone. God is in control. The things we are facing might not go away. But recognizing that we have a sovereign God, calms your fears. Your anxiety decreases. Your worry decreases. And then you can see where you can rejoice. Ever hear the saying, “Let go. Let God.” Maybe today is the time to let go. Maybe today is the time to let God take control.

Do you know your purpose? It is a question that I’m sure many of us have asked about ourselves. Do you have certain habits that you do each day? Are the habits that you are doing each day healthy? I’m asking these questions, because I think there is a direct correlation between purpose and habits.

Here’s something that I have read about purpose. I’m going to quote it. “If you truly want to pursue your purpose and reach your full potential in life, then you must face up to these two truths: Truth #1: God has placed more within you than you realize. Truth #2: You likely have settled for the life you’re living now.” Does that sound familiar? I bet many of us can relate to both of these truths. Even though we can relate to these, we must remember this, God sees us through eyes of love and forgiveness. He understands where we are. He sees that. He also understands where we can be. Where we should be. He sees all the possibilities that we can fulfill.

Now, here is how I think habits play into this. Habits are actions that we take every day. What we “build our habits on” is very important. Jesus called Himself the cornerstone. Basically, he is what we should construct our habits on. Our lives on. The foundation. If we build our habits, with Jesus as the foundation of them, I think that we can begin to see what our purpose is. Let’s daily turn to Jesus. Seek him in all that we do. If we do this, he will reveal his purpose for us. It will be very clear. If you don’t mind, let me suggest something. Begin each day with praying and reading. Pray that God puts somebody in your path that you can serve. Pray for the strength to be the light to those that don’t know Jesus. Read the Bible for wisdom. Let reading the Bible be the foundation of our faith. If we make these are habits, then we will see just exactly what God created us for.

Ever catch yourself getting upset about something that really is minor in the scheme of things? Sure you have. We all do. Or at least I know that I do. You wake up and the day begins with your phone not charged. Maybe you forgot to wash your clothes that you needed for the day. Your children are fighting over the bathroom. Or there’s no milk left for the cereal. You get the point.

It’s easy to get complacent about day-to-day things. Easy to get caught up in being frustrated about having to deal with those things. A dead battery on a cold morning. A flat tire on the highway. The oven not working. Maybe it’s the television reception going in and out. I am fully aware that these are first world problems. But we have them. And when they don’t go our way, we get frustrated.

What I’m trying to say is that it’s easy for us to get sidetracked and anxious about things when stuff does not go as we planned it. It is easy for frustration to set in. But it’s also easy for us to find the blessings if we just look. They are everywhere. Even in times when Satan attacks. A friend of mine sent me a message on Facebook. It’s very fitting for today’s devotion. “The deepest level of worship is praising God through the pain, thanking God through the trials, trusting Him when we’re tempted to lose hope, and loving Him, even when He seems distant! Whatever you do, never loose hope my friends! Trust in him always.“ God has this. God has you. God has me. God has us all. Because God loves us. Always has. Always will.

Every time my wife and I finish a conversation as we’re getting ready to leave each other, I make it a point to say, “I love you.“ I do the same thing with my children. And my mother. I even try to make sure I do this with my other family members. Sometimes friends and I will tell each other the same thing. There is no doubt that I love my wife and my family. I love my friends as well. And I try to do all that I can and make sure they know this. 

Do you know who else I love? I love Jesus. I love our Lord and Savior. I love the Holy Spirit. Basically, I love God and everything about him. And I know he loves me. He loves us all. I do not doubt that. I have full confidence in that. But you know what, I have never heard the words out of his mouth, “I love you.“ I have never received an email or a text message saying so. I’ve never had a voicemail saying it. Not even a piece of regular mail. Although I have never received any of these types of correspondence from him, I still know he loves me.

God does not need to tell me he loves me. I know he does because he sent Jesus to be with us. Think about that. Jesus left paradise. He left his home in heaven to be with us. He came to earth to be human. He left peace and comfort to endure pain and suffering. He left the protection of his father, the protection of being in heaven, to come and be persecuted by man. Jesus died on the cross for me. He died on the cross for you. He died on the cross for us all. That’s how I know God loves me. That’s how I know God loves you. There’s no doubt about it. Maybe today is the day for you to start believing this. Maybe today is the day for you to tell him you love him and want him in your heart. Maybe today is the day for you to begin feeling the peace and knowing the hope that only comes from God. Because he loves you. Always has. Always will.

It’s the time of year where the NFL playoffs start. Basically, there are four more weekends of football. From now on, if you lose you are done. I enjoy watching these games. Recently, I listened to ESPN’s 30 in 30 episode titled: The Four Falls of Buffalo.  Some of you might remember the story. The Buffalo Bills went to four straight Super Bowls from 1990-1993. Losing each one. Many people around the world called them losers. Hard to imagine looking at a team who plays in the championship game four years in a row as losers. But they were called that. They lost the first Super Bowl to the New York Giants. That was the game that Scott Norwood, the kicker for the Bills, missed a field goal at the end of the game. Wide Right!

As you can imagine, he was devastated. He felt like he let the whole team down. The whole organization down. The whole city down. He felt like he let all of the Buffalo Bills fans down. That’s a lot to take on for sure. But this is not a devotion about Scott Norwood. Not about the Buffalo Bills. It’s about something that’s one of the teammates told him in the locker room.

They knew he was hurting. They knew he felt responsible for what happened. And they told him, “The Lord doesn’t give crosses to those who can’t bear them.” That made me think of the verse in the Bible telling us we can do all things through Christ. Sometimes we get that confused. Sometimes we think that’s telling us we can do all things. I think that we are wrong viewing it like that. I believe that the Bible is telling us that we can go through anything we’re facing, if we have the Lord in our heart. He will see us through. And that’s the message that his teammate was giving him. God will see him through. Just like he will see you and me through. Through all things. No matter what they are. He will see us through. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will.

“I don’t deserve to be forgiven.” “How can God love me when I’ve done what I have done?” “I don’t even go to church, or pray like I should.” “Heaven is for religious people. I’m not religious.” Have you ever heard these? Have you ever said these? I’m sure that several of you have. I know that I have both heard and said these things. 

There was a time that I struggled with my salvation. There was a time that I struggled with believing that Jesus could love me. My father figure used to always say, “There are two teams. God‘s and Satan‘s.” I know that to be right because I have played on both of them. I have been on both sides. And there’s no way that I deserve to be loved by Jesus. Actually, none of us do. But that’s what is amazing about God. His love and grace surpasses anything that we can ever dream or imagine. We can’t earn it. We can’t pay for it. We can’t pretend we have it. 

How do we get it then? We have to believe. We have to believe in the sacrifice that was made for us. The sacrifice paved the way. Jesus did that. Plain and simple. He came to earth to show us how to serve. And he died for our sins. I was at the church that my son preaches at. And something he said resonated with me. I probably won’t get it Word for Word. But this is the gist of it: “God loves you. God loves us all. And he’s waiting for you to love him. He’s there. If you’re hearing anything different, you are listening to the wrong people.” Wow! He is spot on. If people are telling you different, they are the wrong people. And if you believe anything different, you are wrong. Just as I was. God does love you. He always has. He always will.