Thoughts
Winter is winding down here in Missouri, and I’ve been waiting all season to take my motorcycle to the shop for a complete check up. However, I have a great substitute for winter riding–my four-wheeler. Although the motorcycle is fun in warmer weather, I enjoy my ATV year-round. With it, I pull a mower, scrape snow, tow the utility trailer, drag logs, and haul deer out of the woods. I also enjoy the simple pleasure of riding off-road trails, just as much as I do riding my motorcycle on paved roads. Some may think that the noise and effort might steal away the joy, but it’s just the opposite. Many of you know what I mean. (DAH)

Action Point
Read the verse again. Did you notice how much God enjoys His children? He has saved them! He is glad for them. He provides peace, rest and love for them; and He rejoices over them by singing! These are the ways God helps us understand how much joy He has in us. In everything you do, every place you go, and in every phase of life, make sure that the activities you enjoy honor the Heavenly Father so that He can be pleased with you.

Thoughts
Thirty-one years ago, I took a hunter education class in which my dad was one of the instructors. Fast forward to just three years ago when I took the course again with my 11-year-old daughter. As the class progressed, I thought to myself, “I could do this. I could teach a class on hunter education, and give back to the sporting community what has been given to me.” Then I thought, “Ah! Who’s got the time! I’m sure there are plenty of volunteers.” I promptly forgot about it until I received a letter in the mail from The Arizona Game and Fish Hunter Education Department which asked me to do just that. I agreed, and decided to challenge my fellow hunting friends and acquaintances to do the same. The responses were predictable: “I’d love to, but I just don’t have the time;” and, “Oh, I’ve never taken the class myself.” I was disappointed, and wondered, “How could they not want to help?” Then I remembered what I had done initially–Nothing. That’s how the world is: “That’s not my job.” “There are plenty of others who will do it.” Truth is, if there were enough folks on the payroll to do the job, there would be no need for volunteers.

Flash back about 2,000 years when the Apostle Paul stated that church leaders were to prepare God’s people for works of service. It has never been God’s plan for the leaders to do all the work for the church; but instead, to train them to do the work together. Not having the gift of evangelism or teaching does not excuse the disciple from reaching out to the lost. As Christians, we are all to help build up the body of Christ. (RC)

Action Point
Don’t wait to be asked to volunteer for works of the ministry. Jesus sent his disciples out two-by-two to reach out to the lost (Mark 6:7), not to have them simply pass out invitations to a church service so the people could listen to Him preach. He tells us to go out and make disciples.

Use this same concept in the secular world. I am certain that most state conservation agencies are looking for volunteers. My experience is that the rural areas are most in need of hunter education instructors. Step up and help build up the body of ethical hunters. Who knows? God may open a door for you to share the Good News with someone as a result.

Thoughts
Sometimes I find myself worrying: I worry about where I am going to find fish or if they will arrive on the tide; if I picked the right field to hunt, or if the birds will show. When someone hires me for the day, I want to give them their money’s worth. I never promise full limits of speckled trout, redfish or waterfowl, but love those days when we really find them. Most of my clients just want to learn, ask questions and enjoy the sunrise. Nevertheless, it never hurts to take home fresh fillets or go home with a sore shoulder. (BG)

Action Point
I have been asked, “Do you pray to catch fish?” God tells us to pray about everything, without ceasing. Nothing is minuscule or minute to Lord God Almighty–even fish. I pray daily for His hand on my boat and the safety of everyone on it. I pray for the knowledge and confidence to find fish. I can’t tell you how many times I (He) “pulled fish out of a hat” when conditions were bleak and winds were blowing in excess of 25 knots. God tells us not to worry. Talk to Him–let him ease your uneasiness.

Thoughts
On my first mule deer hunt in Wyoming, I decided to do some walking instead of driving around. I was walking through the bottom of a coulee when four deer, bedded down in the high sagebrush, ran up the side of the coulee. They stopped about 200 yds away. One of them was a young buck. From the corner of my eye, I caught some movement as I was scoping them out–a big buck was trying to sneak out and go over the top of the coulee. Before he hit the top, he stopped to check me out. I shot, thought I had made a pretty good shot; but he ran out of sight. The excitement and anticipation was overwhelming. Adrenaline pumping, I ran up the side of the coulee to try to get another shot. There he was, a nice 5×4 muley laying above the crest of the coulee. I was glad I didn’t have to run any farther because I was exhausted.

“We need to be coronary Christians, not adrenaline Christians. Not that adrenaline is bad. It gets me through lots of Sunday’s, but it lets you down on Monday’s. The heart is another kind of friend. It just keeps on serving–through good days and bad days, happy and sad, high and low, appreciated and unappreciated. It never lets me down. It keeps humbly lubb-dubbing along. Coronary Christians are like the heart in the causes they serve. Adrenal Christians are like adrenaline, a spurt of energy and then fatigue.” (Piper, John, Coronary Christians) (TL)

Action Point
In order to finish the race, we have to complete the task the Lord has given us. From a recent sermon, a pastor challenged us by saying, “You and I will experience nothing like what the apostle Paul went through, let alone what Jesus Christ went through to give us this opportunity. What is holding you back from testifying to the people about God’s grace? Is there something keeping you from finishing the race? Keep on the proper focus and you will be able to push on through anything.”

Thoughts
Last Spring, my oldest daughter and I were out turkey hunting for her first time. This hunt was the culmination of months of preparation and lots of target practice. On the first day, she had a great opportunity to take a huge Tom. The beard was all the way down to the ground! Her heart was pounding as she prepared to take the shot. The turkey was at 18 yards, and a case of “turkey fever” had set in. In the excitement to get off a good shot, she grabbed the gun and looked down at the bead. She pulled the trigger; a couple of feathers flew into the air, and the Tom ran away. The best reason that we can determine for the missed turkey is that my daughter didn’t look down the barrel from back to front. She shot looking only at the bead on the tip of the barrel without a rear anchor point.

When people are confronted with making an important decision, you’ll hear them say, “How do you really know what God’s will is?” Seeking God’s will is similar to what happened to my daughter with her turkey–she only used the bead to gauge her shot. We didn’t have a back sight on the barrel at the time. If she had used a back sight along with the front, she would have been firmly anchored on her target with a much lower margin of error. In finding God’s will, you must first know God’s Word; secondly, trust in the Holy Spirit’s leading; and finally, seek counsel from Godly people who truly know how you’re wired. We may not always hit the mark in our Christian walk, but using each of these together will decrease the likelihood of making decisions that aren’t God-honoring.

Action Point
We live in a fast-paced world; and God’s timing isn’t always ours. Take time to utilize the tools God has given us to determine the right course of action–read the Bible, pray, and seek Godly counsel. Don’t make your decision without doing all three in conjunction with each other. God will answer. Just make sure you have the time to listen!

Thoughts
There are a lot of ways to fish. Depending on the species of fish you’re after, what might work in one area or time of year might not work somewhere else. My kids like to ice fish for yellow perch on a mild winter day on a frozen lake. I prefer to stalk rainbow trout in the creeks with my fly rod once the grasshoppers are active. My dad liked to troll around lakes for hours, dragging a linde rig in hopes of catching walleye. When I’m on the job, I might use frame nets and even electricity to catch largemouth bass and other species of fish for conducting lake surveys. (RT)

Action Point
When witnessing to people, it’s important to be able to relate to their life and build a rapport with them:
When I’m talking to a rancher I might discuss cattle prices, or horses I have known.
When talking to a farmer, the price of wheat usually comes up; and the weather is always a good topic.
With other game wardens, we will share cases we’re investigating or wildlife populations in our districts.

Paul said, “I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22b). If you’re fishing for fish or fishing for people, it can be helpful to change your methods to match your audience.

Thoughts
A buddy of mine related this story to me a few weeks ago:

He was driving down the highway when he saw three coyotes crossing the road ahead of him. The first two made it across the highway unscathed; the third was hit and killed by a car. He said that, as he watched, the first two coyotes that had made it across the road turned in their tracks and headed back to their downed comrade. At this point, I made a big “Aawww!”, thinking about the two coyotes coming to see how their buddy was. (This is probably the result of too many years watching cartoons and not enough Wild Kingdom.) However, when they reached the third coyote, they proceeded to drag him from the roadway and devour him. (BM)

Action Point
How do we act when others are knocked down in life and struggling? Whether it is a divorce, addiction, poor life choices or a myriad of other problems, do we encourage, uplift, pray and support? Or, do we gossip, speculate and judge? In the fire service, we call the latter, “eating our own”–taking the opportunity to devour another while they are down and struggling. It is no different than what those coyotes did to their own.

Christ makes it clear, “Stop judging.” Whether it is our best friend, worst enemy, even a television celebrity or newsmaker, “Stop judging!”. Make it a point to pray for someone today whom you know is struggling in life. Better yet, pray for two people–a friend or co-worker and a newsmaker you have never met.

Thoughts
Having lived all of my life in the Sonoran Desert, I have experienced long stretches of very hot dry weather, times when rain has been illusive, at best. We have now been in a drought for over ten years, and there have been days when I have truly yearned for rain. Recently, we had a wonderful rain shower. I ran outside with my five-year-old daughter, and we shouted, “Thank You!, Thank You Father! You are Good! You are Faithful! YEA!!” We jumped up and down and sang and looked into the falling rain with grateful hearts. The desert came alive! The dusty mesquites were a vibrant green and the dull rocks brightened and shimmered. The air had the delicious smell of wet earth and refreshed creosote. The best treat, however, was watching the dry washes rush with water. The sound of rushing water coupled with every bird in the area chirping and singing reminded me that all creation indeed sings His praises. (SDS)

Action Point
When we ask for Jesus to take control of our lives and live in us and through us, when we surrender to Him and all His goodness, the Bible tells us that we will no longer thirst for completion. Refreshing, life-bringing water begins to rush into the barren and parched places of our souls and we are reborn in Him. The availability of this Living Water is forever when we call Jesus Christ Lord and Master. He is able to bring life to our desert. Let’s walk on His Highway of Holiness and let the sorrow and sighing flee.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (NIV)

Thoughts
It’s Easter–the truest evidence of God’s love for us that ever was or could be. I can hardly imagine the scene: a violent earthquake, an angel appearing, the stone being rolled away, being told to not be afraid. Don’t be afraid…Yeah, uh huh…right. I would have been afraid. Look at the tough guy Roman guards (the Delta Force of their day)–they became like dead men! But, amazingly, these two women don’t faint or collapse in fear, as do the guards. They listened to the first post-crucifixion testimony given of Jesus’ resurrection. They were told to go tell the disciples. The disciples were told to go tell the world. We’ve been told to share the good news. Jesus has risen; Jesus has risen indeed! Praise God, He has risen! Because Jesus rose from the grave, we can have the hope of rising from the “grave” of our sins. We can have eternal life, and we can know that we will spend that eternity in heaven with Jesus. Only believe!

Now, how many times have you heard someone say that they don’t believe that a loving God would condemn anyone to an eternity in hell? Well, guess what; they’re right! God doesn’t condemn us, we do that to ourselves by the choice of unbelief. Through Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, God has provided the way for us to avoid hell. Just as we would do anything to prevent our own children from experiencing pain, God went so far to prevent our winding up in hell as to send His only Son to die for us. Would I ask my son to die for me? No! Would I send my son to die for you? I don’t think so! But God didn’t hold anything back–He gave the ultimate sacrifice of His only Son so that we could be saved and be with Him forever. He truly is a loving God! He offered us both forgiveness and hope on the first Easter morning. But, as Jesus was given a choice to be obedient unto death, He has given us the choice to believe or not. Choose to believe. Thank you, Father! (CS)

Action Point
Believe in Jesus-today. Accept His gift of salvation. Pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart and to forgive you of your sins. Be assured of His gift of eternal life!
If you prayed that prayer today, seek out other believers and find a Bible-teaching church where you can grow in your faith and in God’s love. And, let us know here at Sportsmen’s Devotional so that we can rejoice with you and pray for you.

Thoughts
It’s the forgotten day, the day between Good Friday and Easter. Lost time, time that we don’t know much about. Jesus was dead. Jesus was buried, and in a sealed tomb, no less. The disciples were scattered just as Jesus had predicted, just like a covey of quail on a wild covey rise. I wonder where they went, what they did, what they thought. Did they go home? Did they hide? Did they go fishing? Did they say to themselves: Well, that was sure a waste of our time to follow this guy around for the last three years? We do know that they were scared–one of the few comments we have in scripture is that they had locked themselves in their homes for fear of reprisal. I’ll tell you, I would have been scared; I would have run; I would have hid. I probably would have gone to the mountains–that’s where I go to escape.

Then came Sunday… (CS)

Action Point
Satan throws everything that he has at us in order to make us doubt–doubt our faith, doubt Jesus’ words, and doubt our salvation. But remember, we know what happened on Sunday. Jesus won. Satan lost.