Men of the Outdoors

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse : Psalm 107:23-25; 28-30  Those who go down to the sea in ships, who do business on great waters, they see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. For He commands and raises the stormy wind, which lifts up the waves of the sea. Then they cry out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, so that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet; so He guides them to their desired haven. (NKJV) Thoughts: Most avid fishermen, like myself, have experienced rough weather while out fishing in a small boat. When that has happened to me, I have usually been prepared and able to reach safety before things got too rough. However, one time was a little different. We had taken our nineteen-foot, open-bow runabout into the Gulf of California. This was a new experience for me, even though I had spent four years in the Navy. T...

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse: Proverbs 26:21  A quarrelsome person starts fights as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood. NLT.       2 Timothy 2:23-24 Again I say, don't get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. NLT. Thoughts: Years ago, I hunted with a group of men in some prime whitetail deer habitat. I was new to the group, and they explained the rules to me. One rule in particular caught my attention. Each morning before daylight, they drew for stands. They put numbers in a hat and passed it around for hunters to draw. I asked why they did this, and the group's leader explained that the method was meant to reduce arguments over stands. You see, three different stands had been very productive over the years and were extremely p...

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse: Psa 139:23-24;  "Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." [NIV] Thoughts: My brother and I were tracking a deer I had shot just before sundown, following blood sign, when a blizzard hit just as the sun crossed the horizon. We had thought it was going to be easy to find and would be super quick, so we didn't grab all our gear and weren't paying close attention to our route in, because we had plenty of light to see. That's when we found ourselves in a blizzard in the dark, completely lost with just light pullovers, no hats, no gloves and no gear. We wandered around completely lost for about four hours. I've never been that close to dying in my life and the slow build towards what seemed like an inevitable end was terrifying. Our dad saved us by driving our tru...

  This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse: Proverbs 26:21 A quarrelsome person starts fights as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood. NLT. 2 Timothy 2:23-24 Again, I say, don't get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. NLT.  Thoughts: Years ago, I hunted with a group of men in some prime whitetail deer habitat. I was new to the group, and they explained the rules to me. One rule in particular caught my attention. Each morning before daylight, they drew for stands. They put numbers in a hat and passed it around for hunters to draw. I asked why they did this, and the group's leader explained that the method was meant to reduce arguments over stands. You see, three different stands had been very productive over the years and were extremely popular among hunt...

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse: Psalm 37:7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. (NIV) Thoughts: The life of hunting and fishing is not all catching and harvesting. There is a lot that goes into scouting and research. There are the failed attempts. There is the travel time involved. The hiking, the casting, the watching, the waiting… patience is key. One should never rush headlong into a trip, especially if you are unfamiliar with the territory. You may find that others do not take the same care and focus that you do, and they just might be successful. But I assure you that their success is quite an accident Action Point: As with hunting and fishing, patience is key in our spiritual life. We are surrounded by those who do wrong in the sight of the Lord, yet have earthly success. We are to wait for the Lord to give us re...

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse: Mark 13:33 Watch! Be alert! For you don't know when the time is coming. (HCSB) Thoughts: Anyone who is a seasoned hunter knows to always be alert, watching for your quarry. We learn a skill like this through our mistakes. On one particular archery elk hunt, I thought I was doing my best--moving slowly and watching intently for movement or the shape or color of an elk through the trees. But, what I didn't do was to notice the huge bull elk bedded down behind a log just 20 yards in front of me. Of course, he spooked and I never even got an arrow knocked for a shot. Jesus instructs us to be watching for signs of His return, well-grounded in our relationship with Him, and knowing what His Word says about the end times. I pray that you and I will be alert and ready with anticipation for the day He comes again! Maybe Today! Action Point: Just as we put in time to learn our hunting spots ...