Men of the Outdoors

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse: Mark 1:14-18 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!" As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." At once they left their nets and followed him. (NIV) Thoughts: A few years ago, I went on a fishing trip with an older man to a secret little trout lake in northern Arizona. He had been fishing there himself about two weeks prior; and on our first morning, he pointed out a set of well-defined footprints in the mud on the edge of the lake. "I stood in this exact spot for two days and caught my limit without moving anywhere else," he said,...

  This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse : Matthew 7:13 - 14 "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy[a] that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." (ESV) Thoughts: I am fortunate to have permission to hunt on a piece of property that borders the Shenandoah River. There is a dirt road that leads up from the river bottom to the top of a large hill. The road forms a large circle around the perimeter of the hill top. The deer love to use the road to move around. One day while scouting I took a short cut through the woods and brush that was in the middle between the roads. Right in the middle I stumbled across a very well-worn narrow trail that ran up the middle. Any deer walking up this trail would be extremely difficult to see. As I w alked the trail I found several signs left by the ...

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse: I Corinthians 15:22-23  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the first fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. (NIV)  Thoughts: There is just something about firsts - first place, first in the class, first string - these are the best. I remember my first deer hunt as if it were yesterday. I'm 70 now. Dad took me out for weeks ahead of that hunt to practice. We must have put a thousand rounds through that old sporterized mauser. The day of the hunt came, and I was up at 4:00 am. ready to go. At daylight, we worked our way up the ridge and then Dad sent me up one side of the canyon while he worked his way up the other side. The deer crossed in front of me at about 75 yards, and I can remember raising my rifle and coaching myself - take in a breath, let some out, now hold, aim and squeeze. The small buck dropped to the gro...

  This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission Bible Study Verse: 2 Timothy 1:7 ESV “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” Philippians 4:19 ESV “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Thoughts: I recall an experience I was fortunate enough to have not too long ago. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day. The sky was clear and there was just a slight breeze. We were about to go quail hunting. The dog was super excited and eager to go chase the small Bobwhite. As we set out, the dog took off, circling and smelling. All at once, it stopped on a dime and went on a perfect point. The tail went straight up in the air, the front foot was up, and not a muscle was twitching. It was totally focused. Fantastic POINT. There were no other distractions in that dog’s life, just total concentration on the quail. Here’s my question to you, do you focus on God as much as this ...