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| Men's Meeting Devotions Men’s Ministry 8-8-2011 Bible Study Verse Acts “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
Thoughts On a warm August evening, a friend and I traveled up to a mountain lake at 9200 feet elevation. The coolness of the higher elevation was a welcome relief to the warm valley of the Wind River. The trout were very active, but were very selective that evening. We caught a lot of rainbows on Callibaetis emergers. That evening we had the awesome privilege of seeing a herd of elk in meadow next to the lake. After 30 minutes or so, the elk left the meadow and were walking in the lake. I think the elk were avoiding the heavy concentration of mosquitoes in the meadow. Our evening of fishing provided a good opportunity to witness to my friend. His wife is a Christian and very active in our church. Unfortunately, my friend attends church very seldom. I asked him what his feelings were about church. He said that he prefers going to the mountains rather than attending church. I told him that earlier in my life I felt the same way, but realized later in my life that hearing the word and fellowshipping with other believers was critical to my spiritual growth. The Holy Spirit led me up to that point. I pray that the Holy Spirit leads me to other opportunities to witness to my friend.
Action Point How many of us are more devoted to the outdoors than to our walk with the Lord? We need every opportunity possible to hear the Word of God and fellowship with believers. In order to develop a deeper relationship with God and our brothers and sisters we should try to attend a small group/Bible study, Sunday school, a prayer group, and church services. "And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved."(Acts 2:47b, KJV)
Sportsmen's Tip of the Day Try buying or tying a gold-beaded woolly bugger with a red hook, black and red chenille, red flashabou, and black hackle. We've had unbelievable success, in any water, with this combination.
Bible Study Verse
Genesis 3:12 “And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.”
Thoughts
Boy, does this verse trigger thoughts. Do you remember saying something like this to your parents, a teacher, or maybe to a Game Warden? "My hunting partner told me to do it, he said it was OK." Kind of sounds like Flip Wilson's famous statement, "The devil made me do it!" Yep, good old Adam invented the oldest line ever used to shift blame to someone else for his own actions. First he tried to lay the blame at God's feet for putting the woman there, and then he blamed the woman. Wait a minute, who did God give the command to? Right again, it was given to Adam. Genesis 2:16-17 reflects, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” " Adam should have known better than to have eaten the fruit of the forbidden tree, but he went along with the crowd, so to speak. He did something dumb and then tried to blame everybody else for what he did.
Point
Take responsibility for your actions, good or bad. In the long run it will serve you better to admit your mistake(s) than to try to cover them up or to blame somebody else for what you did. Remember, your sins will find you out! Sportsmen's Tip Review the regulations for where you are going to be hunting or fishing and follow them. The Officer that checks you will appreciate your being familiar with game and fish laws and obeying them | |
| Men’s Ministry 3-16-2009 Bible Study Verse
Lev 17:11 “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul”. Thoughts
A friend of mine was processing his deer at home with his kids watching. Left from the field dressing, some blood ran out of the body cavity. His daughter squealed, "Ewwhh! Blood!" His observant three year old son replied, "The blood provides forgiveness for our sins." My friend was presented with a perfect teaching opportunity. He told his two children how the deer's blood had to be shed so they could use the deer for food. He was able to explain that the blood of Jesus was shed on the cross that we might have our sins forgiven and our guilt washed away.
How amazing that a three year old was so understanding of such an important truth! It reminds us to train up these little ones in the things of the Lord; they can understand. It also lets us know that our sins deserve death, but Jesus' blood secures life for all who will by faith receive him as their own Savior and Lord.
Point
Blood trailing is an important tool for the hunter. Many can tell where the animal has been hit by the blood's appearance. Bright red blood is usually from an arterial source, which is usually an indication of a solid hit. Bright red blood, with bubbles in it, signifies a lung shot. Dark red blood can show a hit in a vein or the liver. This is usually not a good sign for the hunter. Sportsmen's Tip Always search diligently for evidence of a hit anytime you release an arrow or shoot at a game animal. Look for blood, for hair, or for any sign of a hit. Throw your hat down or hang it up as a center mark and make ever increasing circles to locate any sign. Follow that sign until you find the quarry or lose the sign. | |
| Men’s Ministry 4-13-2009 Bible Study Verse
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
KJB Thoughts Lake Erie, a massive force, can present adverse weather and fishing conditions on a winter trip. When you live as far away as I do, you want to know as much as you can about the weather and conditions. I scour the fishing reports on the internet. I've learned to be very discerning when I read these. We all know those reports are designed to help us determine where the fish are biting. However they're often misused for the opposite purpose, to discourage us away from where the fish are biting!
Frustrating and deceitful! Who can you trust? I love how Proverbs 3:5 starts, "Trust in the Lord." No worries about the source. He is trustworthy. Then Solomon elaborates in verse 6 as you walk day by day acknowledging Him, he'll show you the way to go. Fishing forums must always be read carefully since we can't trust every source. Thankfully, our Heavenly Father never fails to deserve our faithful trust.
Action Point † How is God asking you to trust Him? † Where are you prone in your life to doubt His Word, His plan, or His timing? † Renew yourself in the truth of Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart." † Have you done that? Have you prayed and asked Jesus Christ, the one who died on the cross for all your sins, to come into your heart and be Lord and Savior of your life, trusting Him for help in everything? † Why not take action, trust in Him today.
Sportsmen's Tip of the Day
Network to find reliable sources on the internet and elsewhere for forecasts and fishing reports. A personal connection you make with someone at a local bait shop or fly shop can make the difference between a wasted trip or a great day on the water.
Men’s Ministry 5-11-2009 Bible Study Verses
Deut 11:18-21 “ Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 20 And thou shalt write them upon the door posts of thine house, and upon thy gates: 21 That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon the earth.” KJB
Thoughts
During the first session of every Hunter Ed class, Cliff the instructor tells the students that by the next week's session he wants them to have a very important acronym memorized – “TAB+1”. - Treat every gun as if it were loaded.
- Always point the muzzle in a safe direction.
- Be sure of your target and beyond.
- +1 Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready.
It is important that they memorize these rules, word for word. If they will do that, it tells cliff, as their instructor, that they are taking the class and firearm safety seriously. With this knowledge hid in their hearts and minds Cliff know that there is a good chance that it will be reflected in the woods. Action Point
We should be reading, studying, and memorizing God's word. If we don't know what's in the Bible, how can we be prepared to give a reason for our hope as the Apostle Peter admonishes us to do so in 1 Peter 3:15-16 “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: 16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.” The only way that we can know what's in the Bible is to be reading the Bible. If we're not reading God's Word and sharing the good news of Jesus with others, how will God know that we're serious about loving Him and reflecting Him in the woods of life?
Sportsmen's Tip of the Day
TAB+1: They are the keys to firearm safety. But, it's not enough to just know the rules, you must hunt by them. Every time you pick up a firearm, take a moment and remind yourself of these four rules.
Men’s Ministry 6-8-2009 (The grace of giving) Bible Study Verse
II Corinthians 8:7 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.
Thoughts
How would you like to be remembered? ¨ As a tight-fisted skin flint who was selfish and greedy? ¨ As someone who was always ready to share? ¨ Most people would rather be remembered as a generous person than selfish, greedy, and tight-fisted. ¨ Generosity is a character issue, so it's not just for the wealthy. ¨ Salvation makes our generosity a mark of God's grace. ¨ We know we have received what we did not earn. ¨ Spiritually speaking, when you're a giver you enlarge yourself to include the concerns of others.
Action Point
We want to be generous. God's Word tells us to be generous. But we are not born generous, so we must learn to be generous. We have to develop a generous spirit. The only way to teach the spirit of generosity to others is to be an example of generosity ourselves.
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Sportsmen's Tip of the Day
While you're going over your equipment and find things you no longer use, think of someone to whom you can give those things. Be a river, not a reservoir.
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