IN GOD'S CROSSHAIRS includes fascinating outdoor stories, a clearly explained Bible verse, and practical advice for Christian living for 366 days. It is a must read for every man or woman, regardless of age, who loves the outdoors. A GREAT GIFT FOR CHRISTMAS or A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY!
It is appropriate for Christians and non-Christians of either gender and any age for Christmas, birthdays, other special occasions, or just because you want to help someone grow in their faith. Read the sample devotional below.
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SAMPLE DEVOTIONALS:
Exodus 20:3 “Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.”
Thanksgiving and Christmas are my favorite hunting times. Almost everything is in season and some family is usually around to hunt. When the children and grandchildren are around, we drop most of our hunting and shopping to be with them. That’s all about priorities. I would rather be with family than hunt, if I can’t do both. Now, that is a big change for me, but it is true.
God says we have a choice between Him and other things that compete for our time, resources, and attention. What we chose rather than worshipping and obeying God is really our god, no matter what we say. Jesus said, You cannot serve God and mammon (money). He gives us free choice, but the choice of some other god will destroy us and our children. It could be money, power, position, sports, a truck, a rifle, or some person.
Prayer. Lord, You are my God. Help me to show that by the way I live and the choices I make. In Your name, amen.
Sacredness of Life
Exodus 20:13 “Thou shalt not kill.”
There are those who object to hunting, but care less about human life. Protesters attempt to ban guns of all types and disallow hunting on public lands. The next step would be to outlaw it on private land. God put man over the other creatures and commanded us to be good stewards but did not speak against killing animals for food. Animals are lower than people.
All human life is sacred. An individual has no right to take the life of another human being. That is murder and the Hebrew word here is talking about that. The Bible recognizes the need for governments to take the life of criminals for serious crimes. It also allows killing in wars to protect society and freedom. Taking a life because they are seriously ill or disabled sounds like Nazism during World War II. God must determine “quality of life”, not man. Taking the life of an unborn baby is murder, because life begins at conception. Both of these issues arise only because of the selfishness of men. We feel that if some inconveniences us, we can simply get rid of them. We should defend the right to life of the unborn and disabled.
Suicide is also against God’s will for the same reason. Man should not decide if he lives or dies – only God. Some teach that if someone commits suicide, they go to hell. That is not so, we are saved by grace and a person could get so depressed that they take their own lives. That does not undo the work of grace. Only those who die without Jesus Christ go to hell.
Prayer. God, You are the creator of all life, so may we value the unborn and disabled as we would all human life. For Jesus’ sake, amen.
No Accident
Genesis 2:7 “And the Lord formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a soul.”
Our son, Boyd, was a little fellow and just learning to deer hunt. I built him a stand up in an oak in a prime location. One wet morning, as he was trying to climb up, he slipped and skidded all the way down the side of the tree to the ground. He was skinned up a little but otherwise unhurt. It could have been much worse. Accidents do happen in the woods, and we just try to minimize the damage.
There is something that was no accident – creation of people and the rest of nature. It takes a great deal more faith to believe that man evolved on its own over billions of years than it does to believe that there was an intelligent being called a Creator.
God made the first man from the dust of the earth – from nothing – and put a living soul in him. I would rather believe the Bible that has stood for thousands of years than some man’s opinion. By the way, because of the discovery of DNA and other things, more and more scientists are abandoning evolution and talking about “intelligent design.”
Prayer. Lord, I believe you created every good thing from scratch. Since you created me, your word also tells me how to live at peace with You and others. Help me to do that. Amen.
God’s Purpose in Life
Genesis 41:41 “And Pharoah said unto Joseph, see, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.”
Sometimes we get confused about what life is all about. As much as I love it, hunting and fishing is not what we are here for. There is nothing fundamentally wrong with it, you understand. However, you can kill all the game and catch all of the fish and it doesn’t really satisfy you down deep.
After Pharoah saw God at work in Joseph, he put him over all of Egypt. The purpose of that was to save the Jewish people and the world from seven years of dry weather that would have starved them to death.
We won’t all be kings or rich and famous, but we are here for a purpose and we are not here by accident. God will work His purpose in us if we are willing to be used. That is where life’s blessings really are.
Prayer. God, we thank you that you care about us enough to make our lives worth while. Don’t let us be satisfied with a life with no purpose. In Jesus, name, amen.