Author: Scott

Everyone has some type of label to them. And these labels can change as we grow. As we age. As we learn. Some labels are carried like a badges of honor. Others not so much. Some we give ourselves. Others are given to us. Labels can, and often do, shape our identities.

If we don’t label ourselves, who is it that has the right to do this? Who do we allow to do this? Who is it that can shape our identities like this? Pretty powerful questions if you think about it. And I know that it’s easy for me to say this, but the only identity that should matter is the one we have within God.  I’m going to quote something that I read earlier. “God created us, designed us, and knit us together from the innermost to the outermost part of us. God knows us more deeply, intimately, and completely, more than we know ourselves. If anyone is qualified to properly label us and shape our identity, it’s God.” Go ahead and read that again. Let that sink in.

If we truly believe this, then only God is qualified or entitled to shape our identities. That means that society, people, not even ourselves, are qualified to do this. Only God is. So today, tomorrow, and in the future days, be sure to wear your labels with pride. Manager, father, mother, Coach, etc. Wear them with pride. But be sure to prioritize. Because being in God’s grace is the label that we should all strive for. Do that, and people will see his light through you. And then maybe, they will accept his grace as well. And just think about the label that they will then have. And that is awesome.

My accident was 33 years ago. November 28, 1990. I look back at the time of my life, and I remember how much I was living for myself. I was 19. Scholarship athlete. Had everything that a young man could want. Or thought he wanted. All the excesses that the world provides. Women, parties, popularity, etc. The things that I thought were important. The things that would ultimately lead to me being paralyzed.

Then I think about the first few days after my accident. Not sure whether I was going to live or not. Laying there while my neck swelled up. As it caused more paralysis. Then on the fourth day, my body stabilized to the point that they could perform surgery. Didn’t know it then, but God was stepping in. He knew my heart was turning towards him. He knew he could use me in my chair in ways he could never use me out of it. He showed me a grace that I never deserved. Never knew I wanted. Never knew I needed.

How fitting all this is today. Because the verse I read discusses this very thing. “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation,” 1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬. 32 years ago, God took a life altering accident, and he altered my life forever by showing me grace. He came into my life even though I was undeserving. It still took me a little while to realize it. Now I live day-to-day, fully expecting God to work in my life. And you can too. You can live born again. And living knowing he is in control. Because he loves you. He loves me. Always has. Always will.

A few months ago, a veteran responded to one of our devotions that we did. He told me there was no heaven, no hell, no God. We just die and that is it. My response to him was pretty simple. I don’t remember it Word for Word. But it was along the lines of, “I’m not sure I agree. Jesus loves you. And so do I.”

The door opened up. We began regular dialogue through texting and email. Found out that he was in a tough spot. Going through divorce. Dealing with PTSD. Anxiety. Financial issues. And other things. He told me he was struggling with his faith. I just kept reassuring him. Letting him know that Jesus loves him. Jesus is our hope. He has our peace. If we follow him and trust him, he will show us the way. He will provide.

Since our conversation, he has attended a couple of our events. He has moved into a new home. This place is close to his family. Trying to find a church home. Told me that for the first time in a long time, he feels there is hope. How right he is. There’s always hope in Jesus. No matter what we are going through. No matter how dark it looks. No matter what the devil is telling us. There is always hope in Jesus. I always say, things may not end the way that we hope that they do. But Jesus will see us through. All of us. Including you. If you find yourself thinking that there is no hope, turn your eyes on Jesus and you will find that there is. There always has been. There always will be. Because he loves you.

We are in the middle of the season of being thankful and giving. Yesterday was Giving Tuesday. A day when people all across the country, if not the world, make financial donations to various charities. Charlie 22 Outdoors included. I read before, that in the United States, billions of dollars are donated every year. And that’s awesome. 

As I am writing this, a question comes to mind: What are you giving your hearts to? If you think about it, what you support, whether it’s financially, volunteering, praying for, etc., shows where your heart lies. So I ask again, what are you giving your hearts to? Ultimately, the answer should be Jesus. If we do that, then he will show us what we should give to. The Bible warns us to not give to others expecting to be recognized. We should be doing this just because we are called too. God will see what we are doing. He will know our hearts. He already does. 

The point of this devotion is not trying to encourage you or persuade you to make a financial contributions anywhere. I’m trying to encourage you to give your heart to Jesus. Give your whole heart to him. Then he will show you what to do. He will guide you. So maybe today is the day for you to make the decision to give your heart to him. To let him take hold. Remember, he loves us so much that he gave his life for us. The ultimate act of giving.

In the Bible, Paul tells us that we either set our minds on our flesh, or we set our minds on the Holy Spirit. And then we live our lives according to where we set our minds. The choice is clear. And it is our choice. We either live for ourselves or we live for God. I suggest, that we choose wisely.

Being human means we live in a world that has pain and suffering. There is no escaping that. But if we can fix our minds on Jesus, we will live a life of peace. We will strive to see God and be who he wants us to be. I am fully aware that our days are full of distractions to keep us from doing this. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive to keep our focus on him. To keep our minds on him.

As we go about our days, let’s strive to focus on Jesus. When the struggles come, and they are going to come, try to redirect your thoughts on Jesus. Let him guide you in your reactions. I know you have heard the saying, “What would Jesus do?” Let’s not just think of this passively. Let’s truly think about this. Let the peace and calm that he gives fill our hearts. At the same time, let’s let the joy and happiness fill our hearts during those times to celebrate. So let’s fix our minds on the spirit. Not on our flesh. Let’s pray to grow daily to be more like God. Allowing God to guide us. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will.

The other day, I mentioned that my family lost 3 men that played key roles in my life. One of them was my father figure, Coach Dan Armstrong. Whenever we talked, he seemed to always get a life lesson in there somewhere. And somehow I always left the conversation feeling better about myself. It was an amazing gift God had given him the ability to do. And, there was a reoccurring theme that he preached: There are 2 teams in this world. God’s team. And Satan’s team. And he was spot on. 

We’re living in a very real crisis. I’m not talking about the virus, nor any political, social, or economic issue. I’m talking about our internal identities. As we grow we ask ourselves several questions. Who am I? What is my place in life? Where do I belong? Who are my people? How do I fit in? Which team do I identify with? Which captain am I going to follow? Very powerful questions. 

And even more powerful is the answer to each. No matter where we are in life, we belong to God. Our lives are to be spent according to His purpose for us. Our sense of identity derives from Him. When God is placed at the center of our lives, the crisis finds resolution. We put all the worldly noise behind us. We play on the right team, under the leadership of the right captain. Jesus! Yes we’ll stumble. Yes we’ll fall. No player, or team, goes undefeated forever. But even so, we’ll win the ultimate victory. And as we work towards that victory, think of the people we can bring onto our team. And that is where your identity should be. There is no confusion. There is no question. We are made in his image. Male. Female. Black. White. Left. Right. Doesn’t matter. God’s image. And that might be the most powerful point of today’s devotion.

We try to close all of our events with a message and communion. During the communion meditation, we talk about servitude. We discuss how our nation’s military serves us all. Without even knowing us, they sign that line, becoming a part of our military, and they serve us. All of us. That includes you and me. And our families. And our friends. This humbles me. 

We are all called to serve. Called to serve in some capacity. We all have talents that we can use to serve. I like to think that this part of our lives really shows who we are. Many of the ministry’s volunteers do not hunt or fish. And that is actually fantastic. Because many other things that need to be done do not include hunting or fishing. We have things going on behind the scenes that include our volunteers. Serving! 

And that brings us to this. The ultimate act of service: Jesus sacrificing himself on the cross. Serving us all. Paving the way for us to have eternity with him. Is there any other example of what we should follow? Not really. I don’t mean we need to sacrifice ourselves. But we need to devote ourselves to what we are called to do. Love God. Love others. Serve the world. And in that order. Let’s let God lead our hearts as we serve others. If we do that, just imagine who might come to know Jesus. Who in your family might come to know Jesus. What at an incredible testimony that would be.

Satan has several sneaky ways of trying to control our lives. One of his weapons is trying to control our thoughts. By making us think negatively about things inside us and around us. Making us believe lies such as I am helpless, I am worthless, I don’t matter. He does this because he knows how we think, shapes how we live.

If we allow him to control us in this manner, then we lose out on a strong relationship with our Lord and Savior. And we get trapped in the pain and agony of those thoughts. And being trapped can actually distract or distort how we view God. We can actually begin to believe that God does not love us. We begin to question, if God did love us, why would he allow such feelings and thoughts to be inside us? 

The Bible teaches us that God deeply loves us. God chooses us. That means all of us. And that includes you. Negative thoughts and views of ourselves can block us from believing these truths that we read. They can make us feel invisible. They can rob us of our joy and our peace. So today let’s throw off the dark cloud of negative thoughts that hovers over us. Let’s reset what’s in our minds. Let’s begin to believe and trust in the truths that are in the Bible. Let’s refocus our minds on God. Let him take control. Let’s let him battle back Satan, take control of our hearts, and lead us to victory. It has already been declared anyways. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will. 

All week we have been reading about being thankful. Trying to cover what we should truly be thankful for. As this day begins, I’m trying to narrow down what it is I’m thankful for to put into this devotion. Not an easy task. As I am thankful for many things.

Obvious answers would be health, family, friends, etc. And that is perfectly fine. We should be thankful for those things. I know I am. But today, I think I’m going to say I’m thankful for having a loving God that we can praise and worship. A God that we can pour out our hearts too. A God who is always there for us. A God who sent his son to die on the cross for us some 2000 years ago. 

So as you enjoy this holiday, keep in mind that we have a Lord and Savior who’s Love is so vast that we could never comprehend just how big it is. We have a Lord and Savior who is waiting with open arms for us to run too. He is the Alpha and Omega. The beginning and the end. He is everything that matters. And that is awesome. I also want to ask you to keep our troops in your hearts. A large portion of them are not home during this holiday season. Pray for them. I love you all.