Author: Scott

This past Saturday, we hosted Operation Spoonbill. For those of you that don’t know, this is a fishing event we put on for veterans. Basically, you troll through the river or the lake trying to snag these fish. We had half a dozen boat captains and around 20 veterans there fishing. Two things about this day stuck out to me: Serving others and Snagging. Let me explain.

Jesus tells us to serve others. There are several reasons why. Here are a few. We do so to help them. To show them love. And to show them the grace that only comes from Jesus. Ultimately, trying to lead them to a relationship with Jesus as well. And that is what our boat captains did. Served others! Placed their needs before their own. Doing what they can to show them grace. 

Now, as you read this, realize that I am not saying anything negative about what we were doing. I think you will get the point. Snagging shows us something else. If we’re not careful, we can find ourselves in the traps of the evil one. If we’re not careful, we can find ourselves in a hopeless situation. He’s out there. Waiting for the opportunity to trap us. Often times, baiting us into traps. Other times, chasing after us. However he may be pursuing us, we must be vigilant and not get caught up in the snags. 

Now, here is something that’s even more incredible. If we do catch ourselves in the traps of evil one, Jesus will still be there to pull us away. To lead us out of the snags. He will not forsake us, even when we are undeserving. He is always there. Waiting for us to seek him. And he will accept us, even when we have gone astray. So maybe today is the day for you to seek him. Maybe today is a day for you to get out of the snags of the evil one. Maybe today is the day for you to receive the grace that only comes from Jesus. Make today…The Day.

As I have gotten older, I have gotten better at this one. Don’t get me wrong. I still have a long way to go. Probably something that I will be working on for the rest of my life. And I know many of us have a very difficult time with this. But, we have to work on getting bitterness out of our hearts. We have to work on getting it out of our hearts as soon as we begin to feel it. If we catch it early, it’s easier for us to move past it. If we let it sit, it will begin to fester. And then we will have a bigger mess just like a wound that has festered for a while.

Now…we might question why this is important. Why should we remove bitterness as much as we can? After all, we’re seeing people hold onto anger and hatred towards each other like never before. Even among some of our elected officials. We are seeing backbiting. We are seeing sabotaging. Deliberately trying to discredit each other. It’s a real ugliness. Not everyone is doing this. But we’re seeing enough, especially in the media, that it looks like it’s the majority. It may or may not be. That is not the point though. The point is, we need to do what we can to get out of our hearts. We need to move beyond it. But why?

We are called to serve others. We are called to love one another. We are called to look past the faults of others. We don’t have to like what they’re doing. We don’t have to agree with it either. And nothing says that we must say it is ok. But holding on to the bitterness, can overtake the joy in our hearts. Holding onto it doesn’t make the situation better. Actually, maybe just the exact opposite. Seeking revenge doesn’t solve anything. If we let it go, it releases us. We can move past it. If we can let it go, we can focus on much glorious things. Much more beautiful things. And that is such a Release! More than I can explain. So today, let’s work on releasing the bitterness. Let’s focus on Jesus. Let’s focus on joy. Let’s focus on love and serving others.

This morning, as I was reading, I came across an interesting question: Who is Jesus? It made me sit back and think for a second. Who do I think Jesus is? Who do I think he was? Then that leads me to ask you the same thing. Who do you think Jesus is? Who do you think he was?

Historians have proven that Jesus lived around 2000 years ago. We don’t question that. And the Bible teaches us about the miracles that he performed. We learn about the throngs of people that followed him around. Wait  for the moment to hear him speak or just to see him. The personal accounts of stories where he changed peoples lives. We read about him being a carpenter. A simple man. Leading a simple life. And more importantly, we read about him, and learn about him, being our Lord and Savior. He is the way, the truth, and the light. He is the key to our salvation. He is the one who died for us so we can inherit eternity with him.

So let’s go back to the questions I asked. And really think about this. Who do you say he is? Who do you believe he is? If you don’t have a relationship with him, maybe today is the day for you to start. Maybe today is the day to really dive into the Bible and learn about who Jesus was. To read more about the man that he was. Maybe today is the day for you to begin to know him. Really know him. To understand what he did for us. To know that he left paradise to come to earth to be human for us. That’s pretty powerful. To know that he paid the ultimate price for us. So maybe today is a day for you to go to your knees, and pray to him to show you who he is. To ask him into your heart. To ask him to guide you. Then I promise you, you will learn who he was. And you will learn who he is.

Growing up in a military family, we were constantly being moved. Missouri, Michigan, Colorado, Texas, Germany, etc. My mother and I counted one time. I had 25 different addresses in the first 15 years of my life. I remember being situated for two weeks, then being told to grab your things. Time to move. It was actually an exciting lifestyle. Everyone around us was doing the same thing. That’s just what we thought was normal.

It really wasn’t until we moved into the civilian world that I began to feel unaccepted. The first time I remember that was in Colorado. Although I tried and tried, I wasn’t accepted. I think it was because we lived off base while we were there. I didn’t relate to the civilian families. The second time I felt that, was when we moved back to Missouri. My father was medically discharged due to leukemia. Small-town clicks are hard to break into. Eventually, I was welcomed. It took a couple years. I was welcome, but…I’m not sure I was myself trying to fit into the crowd. It’s hard to look back at that time in my life and determine if I was being myself or not.

But just imagine with me for a moment. What must be like to constantly try to gain acceptance by others? No matter what you do, you are not welcome. No matter how you treat others, you are not welcome. You don’t meet their expectations. Although you try, and try, and try. It’s never enough. There are people going through that all the time. It is unfortunate. What we must realize is that we will only feel true personal satisfaction when we find our identities in God. His love for us will never waiver. We will always be welcome. So today let’s focus on God. Let’s pray to God. Let’s surrender to God. Let’s find our identities in God. And let’s feel welcome and have a real sense of personal satisfaction.

Last night I was scrolling through Facebook before going to bed. Facebook has so many good uses. Reconnecting with friends. Talking about upcoming events. Having civil discussions. Birthday wishes. Anniversary wishes. So many more. Which is why I love using it. But it also has so many bad uses. So much drama. Last night I came across several threads like that. As I read through them, I was tempted to get engaged. But I learned a long time ago, not to do so.

There’s so much division in our country right now. Left versus Right is the big one. There’s so much division, that one side could be completely correct. Spot on. Have the issue covered. And the other side will do all it can to discredit that. Nothing to do about the issue. Simply do all it can to discredit the other party. Unfortunately, I see both sides doing that. Not just in Washington DC. Friends have become enemies through Facebook. Friends can no longer agree to disagree. If you don’t see eye to eye, then you can’t be friends. When did that happen? I don’t know. But I know it happened quickly. Almost overnight.

What is crazy about all of this, it’s how much of the arguments are based off of speculation and scrolling through the Internet. Sometimes even scrolling through Facebook people form their opinions. Long before they read the truth. I have been guilty of that in the past. We don’t have a problem that exists because of disagreeing. Our country has a problem of the heart. A problem of the spirit. We aren’t allowing God to lead us. We aren’t seeking his wisdom. We are allowing our differences of opinion lead us. So today, we need to start focusing on God‘s wisdom. Seeking it in all that we do. Searching for it daily. Letting it control us. So today, we need to remember that his plan is good. I know it may be too late for that. I get that. I’m sorry to say that. But I also know that he is a God of miracles. And he loves us all. Even those who disagree with you. He loves them too.

Several years ago my son played basketball for a program out of Kansas City. He was blessed to be able to travel to different parts of the country and play against some of the best players in the country. One event that we went to was in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It was being sponsored by Tyson chicken. There were teams from all across the country there. Several Division I college coaches were there as well. It was the beginning of the open period. That’s the time that the coaches can make contact with the kids.

This tournament had invited a guest speaker to come motivate the kids. His speech took place in the Walton Arena. I’m not gonna mention his name. Because, I’m not a big fan of his. And what he said to the kids really struck a chord with me. Something that really bugged me. As he’s talking, he asked the kids to raise their hands if they were millionaires. Of course none of them did. He asked the people in the crowd to do the same. Of course none of them did. Well except for the owner of Tyson chicken. Which was kind of funny. The speaker was trying to point out that he was the only millionaire in the room. Then he went on to talk about how the kids had to go out and “Get theirs” in this world. Basically telling them to put themselves in front of everything else. He couldn’t have been more wrong. And I think that is part of the reason why the world is in the state that it is. Putting ourselves above everything else.

We are called to serve others. We are called to put others above ourselves. And that’s in basketball too. It’s a team sport. Therefore, you play for your team. Yes, I understand personal goals. I get that. But to be successful, your team comes first. As believers, everyone else comes first. Just as Jesus did for us. Putting us above himself. To the point that he washed feet. Raising others above himself. We are called to do the same thing. So today, let’s do that. Let’s put others above ourselves. Let’s make it a priority to serve others instead of ourselves.

Take a moment and think of a time that you were deeply hurt. A time when someone you knew, or didn’t know, caused you pain. Emotional pain. Spiritual pain. Possibly even physical pain. Maybe you were criticized unfairly. Maybe you were left out of something you wanted to be a part of. There are so many “maybes” that can answer the question. I know it can be hard to relive those. But take a moment and think of one. Or a couple.

When those times happened, did you come to a breaking point? Were you at an end? No matter what it was you went through, or maybe going through now, you can take this, and everything you face, to the Lord. You can take them to the Lord knowing he will provide you comfort. He will provide you peace. He will provide you an understanding. And all of these will be beyond anything you can imagine.

In the Bible, we read about God wanting to comfort us. Wanting to provide us peace. Wanting to provide us joy. He does these because he is our father. Just as a father here on earth wants to provide for his children. I know I do. For all three of my kids. And my grandkids. They face heartache, I want to take it away from them. I want to suffer for them. And that is exactly what God does. He provides comfort and peace while he heals your heart. He provides understanding and joy to help you move forward. And he will suffer for you. Think about Jesus. What he did on the cross for us was truly suffering for us. Suffering beyond anything we could ever comprehend. Because he loves us. He always has. He always will.

This is very unfortunate, but it’s very true. And I am sure that many of us have experienced this. I know that I have. I know that members of my family have. But, we have been betrayed by people that we were close to. People that we loved. People that we trusted. It’s so sad to live in a world where this happens. But it’s reality. On the other side of the coin is this, maybe you were the one who betrayed someone who loves you. It’s an ugly truth. But it happens.

In the Bible, we learn about this as well. Joseph is a great example. His brothers tore off his robe. And they threw him into the pit. Can you imagine? He must have felt vulnerable. That he didn’t want him anymore. He must’ve felt all alone. Sound familiar? Joseph didn’t do anything wrong. His brothers were jealous. They were angry. They lashed out because of their emotions. Their human emotions. I’m not saying it’s correct. Or it’s the right thing to do. I’m just saying that’s what happened. And I’m also saying this, God was there for Joseph.

Just as God was there for Joseph, he is there for us. He will never abandon us. Actually, it’s just the opposite. He will be with us all the way through moments like this. And even better, he will bless us. Something good will happen. Even when we are at our lowest point. Even when we experience pain like we could ever imagine. Those are the times that we probably find ourselves closer to God. Because those are times that we seek him more. He doesn’t want us to suffer. But that’s part of being part of this world. And there’s another good point about going through something like this. We will be stronger for doing so. We can build our faith for doing so. And we can witness to others more for doing so.

Do you believe in the power of prayer? Or let me ask it this way, do you REALLY believe in the power of prayer? I like to think that I do. I believe that there is serious strength in prayer. Sometimes it’s easy for us to get caught up in praying just to pray. I know I have caught myself doing that. But for the past few years, I have been praying prayers of expectation. Where I expect God to hear me. And one thing that I learned a long time ago, be ready for the answer. God may or may not give you the answer you’re looking for. But when he does answer, you’ll know it.

I love it when I get what I call God winks. This morning as one of those times. As I was reading and writing, I read something that my pastor posted this morning. He writes, “Prayer is the single most powerful tool we have on earth. And yet so many people misunderstand it or ignore it all together…prayer is simply our ability to talk directly to God and to listen to God tell us how to live our lives.” Spot on!

We must remember that God is our Lord and Savior. He is our father in heaven. He wants to hear from us. And for him to do so, we must pray. And after we pray, we must learn to listen to God‘s voice. To hear what he is saying. He will give us the guidance we need. But we must listen. We must look for the answer. If you don’t already, let’s make today the beginning of regular prayer to God. Let’s make today the beginning of believing in the power of prayer. Let’s begin praying prayers of expectation. Expecting him to hear us. Let’s realize that God desires to spend time with us. Let’s let God take control. Let’s put him in charge. And then let’s watch the difference that he makes in our lives.

Last night I was able to attend The Sportsman Banquet held at the Neosho First Baptist Church. Basically, it’s a wild game feed that they host on a Friday and Saturday night each year. I believe they’ve been doing it for 13 years. Having to miss 2020 and 2021. It’s an amazing night. Full of faith, fellowship, food, and firearms. Anywhere from 400 to 600 people in attendance. This year the guest speaker was TW Norman.

Years ago when I was teaching and coaching in Carthage, I was also the announcer for the football games. When TW was a senior in high school, his team from Stockton came to our school to play. Being that they were a 1A school, I was a little surprised. We were 5A school. Considerably bigger than Stockton. As soon as he walked on the field though, it was very apparent why we had them there. That was the year he was a USA Today All American. We couldn’t stop him. But he couldn’t stop our entire team. So we won.

But the point of this devotion isn’t about football. It’s about conviction, redemption, and grace. TW talked about how he slipped away while in college and made terrible decisions. How his life did a complete 180. Going in the wrong direction. Much like mine. Our lives also are similar in the aspect of building our faith. Conviction was the first step. We both were convicted because of our sins. Redemption followed. We were redeemed by God. And then Grace. We both felt the grace that only comes from God. You can have these things too. God is there. He is waiting. He will not stop convicting you until you act. After you act, you will be redeemed and then you will feel his grace. And that is awesome.