Men of the Outdoors

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse: Proverbs 14:12  There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death. NIV.  James 5:19-20 My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. NLT.  Thoughts: A few years ago, a game conservation lawbreaker was busted in the area where I am from. He blatantly violated turkey hunting laws by hunting out of season, trespassing, and exceeding the legal limit. He even went to several states doing the same thing, violating the Lacey Act. I know the guy, and I’ve heard these words uttered from his lips—I hunt by my own rules, my own laws, and my own standards. Even though he is a likable guy, I never hung around him. He disregarded most game laws for a long time and paid the price for h...

  This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse: John 8:32  "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (NIV)  Thoughts: The south Alabama spring morning exploded with the gobbles of thirteen turkeys. With this many birds hitting it this hard, I could already smell a bird in the oven. I eased down into a bottom where an old boss bird was shaking the woods with his gobbles. This wasn't going to be hunting; it was going to be self-defense. After getting set up, I sent out a smooth set of yelps; and he just about strangled gobbling back at me. Within five minutes, I could see glimpses of him working through the bottom about eighty yards out. Back and forth he would strut and gobble, but he would not come any closer. The morning passed on; and finally, after an hour-and a-half, he walked away. I was sick. Why, wouldn't he come? I walked to the area where he had been and found my answer. There was an old bar...

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse: Philippians 4:6-7  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (NIV)  Thoughts: I asked my oldest son what was one of his most memorable moments. He said it was when we were at Hyalite Lake in Montana. We brought our float tubes together, held hands and prayed to our Heavenly Father. It was 6am, the morning sun was glowing behind the mountain peaks, and there was a foggy mist on the lake. What a majestic sight! You could feel God's presence. On opening day of deer hunting in Minnesota, my two sons and I were walking on a trail to our deer stands. Before we split up on our separate trails, one of my sons asked if we could pray. With all of the anxiety associated with opening day of deer...

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse: Philippians 4:11 “Not that I speak from want; I have learned to be content in whatever circumstance I am in. “ Thoughts: When is enough... enough? If you are like me with a passion for flyfishing, you may also have the challenge to know when to quit. Recently, since we are out in the dead of winter, and trout fishing has been very hit and miss. I’m getting skunked more than I’m not. But every now and then I hit the right spot at the right time. I mean to tell you it is really good the trout are loving the flies and they are big! So, when do I say, this is a good time to go home and savor the joy of the experience? You know the answer, it’s always just after one more cast! . Action Point: The real answer is to find the secret Paul had when he said, my joy and fulfillment is not in how much I have, or in being a “minimalist”, having very little. True joy is found in having our Lord Jesus, fi...

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse: Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (NIV)   Thoughts: One deer season probably 20 years ago now, I was hunting with my brother-in-law in northern Michigan during bow season. On one particular evening, he shot a doe right before dark, which meant that we would be tracking with lights. There was no snow on the ground - just leaves, so we pulled out a lantern plus a flashlight to help in the process. With every blood spot, one of us would stand there to mark it with a piece of toilet paper, while the other one went ahead looking for more blood. Wherever the deer took us, we would always be able to backtrack our way out by following the white trail of toilet paper. The problem was that as we flashed our lights, we got a glimmer of the dead deer’s eyes, so we rushed on up to the deer to start gutting it out. The last 75 yards or so, we hiked along without mark...