Bible Study Verse
Proverbs 31:11-12
The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life. (NKJV)

Thoughts
Several years ago my husband and I were camped out for his archery bull elk hunt. He left early and I relished in a few more hours of quite sleep in the pines. I was awakened by his truck returning to camp and my husband jumping out yelling, “Get up honey. I killed my elk and I need your help! Hurry! It’s going to be a warm day.”
I quickly put my boots on as my husband drove us to his bull. When we got there, I was relieved to see he killed fairly close to the road so we were able to back the truck right up to it. My sweetie quickly connected a cable to the back legs and gave me orders to begin cranking on the “come along” just as fast and hard as I could while he lifted and pushed the elk into the back of the truck. I did this with all my might. When we hit the end of the cable, I turned around to see that only the hind end of the elk had made it into the bed of the truck; and the shoulders and head remained on the ground. My husband caught my defeated expression and pleaded, saying, “Babe, please, I need your help.”
I stared at him and asked, “How can I help?” He said that I must get down on the ground, wrap my arms around its chest and lift with all my strength while he lifted from the antlers. “Okay,” I said. “May I point something out to you?” He sighed deeply as I continued: “A… the front half of this elk outweighs me by about 200 pounds. B… It is smelly; and C… The chest of this creature is not only bloody and frothy from your well placed broad head, but also wet with who knows what else! You cannot be serious!” Well, he was quite serious; and after another long-locked stare, I understood that this was incredibly important to him (not to mention, he was desperate). After a monumental effort and one episode of near panic as the elk’s front legs wrapped around my neck and my face smashed against its chest, we got that elk in the back of the truck. A hug and a high five ended our victory, and we drove back to camp with a memory to last a lifetime. (SDS)

Action Point
Genesis 2:18 tells us that God did not like Adam to be alone and so he made him a helper, a wife. Helping our spouses is taken to a deeper level when we consider that God asks that our hearts be a safe place of trust. This is a place where bountiful goodness and blessing can be found for a lifetime. It takes an act of God to make the necessary changes in our hearts and homes; but I know from experience He is willing.

Bible Study Verse
Ezekial 47:3-5
“. . . and then (he) led me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured another thousand cubits and led me through water that we knee-deep. He measured off another thousand, and led me through water that was up to the waist. He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not
cross . . . ” (NIV)

Thoughts
I had driven this particular back road before that day. I knew that it crossed a “wash” that rarely had little if any water running in it. This time, however, there was water flowing from bank to bank. I exited my truck and pondered the obstacle before me. Not to be defeated in my journey, I quickly decided to forge ahead; after all, this was only a wash with a little water. Soon I found myself thigh deep in the middle of a roaring river, attempting to find traction for my truck that was now mid-door deep in water. Here in southwestern United States we can pass months without any rain fall; then abruptly have a torrential downpour–flooding the once-arid creeks and washes, and transforming a dusty creek bottom into an impenetrable river. (BM)

Action Point
Our Christian lives are a lot like the river described in Ezekiel. At first it starts out small and immature; but the further it travels, the more it grows. When we become saved, we are just getting our feet wet. As we grow in Christ, we wade deeper and deeper into the river of his knowledge and grace. Our spiritual life, like that river, will be ever growing and ever deepening.

Make sure that life never allows us to get bogged down. Daily stresses or unforeseen circumstances can stall our spiritual growth. Develop a daily habit of spending time with God. Read Sportsmen’s Devotional every day and use that time to grow spiritually. Then, when unexpected obstacles arise in our lives, we will have a stable practice of devotion that will keep us from getting stuck.

Bible Study Verse
Genesis 2:7
The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (NIV)

Thoughts
Because we are made from the material of this earth, it should be no surprise that we have a natural affinity for this earth. We are connected to it by gravity. We are connected to it by the things we eat, which come out of this earth.

Looking at this world quickly becomes second nature; and the habit of looking at it so often prevails. We all do it– we look at our immediate circumstances, and we fail to connect with the Creator God who breathed His breath into us. We fail to contemplate that, even though we have earthly bodies, we are made for heaven. As Christians, we need to train our eyes to look at Whom we’re seeking a connection with. We should be reinforcing that heavenly nature by gazing at spiritual things. (SS)

Action Point
Every creature that is connected to this earth has a physical survival instinct. Christians must cultivate their spiritual survival instinct. Assess those things that may be a threat to your spiritual survival and avoid them, just as you would avoid anything that threatens your physical survival.

Bible Study Verse
James 1:26 “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.” (NIV)

Thoughts
The biggest whitetail buck I have ever seen was up in Canada on a camping trip. We were coming into our campground one evening while we were on vacation, and we glanced off to the side of the road. There stood an enormous majestic 12 + point buck just coming out of a thicket! He stood still with his chest puffed out in front - only 15 yards away. We had stopped our van, lowered the windows, and gawked. My family and I were just stunned and amazed! A few minutes went by before the big bruiser turned and jumped back into the woods. My entire family spent the next several minutes talking about how amazing and beautiful that buck was. We were trying to figure out how a deer could grow up and not get shot in an area where so many people traveled through. It wasn’t until a couple of days later that we found the explanation. As we were driving out of the provincial park, I noticed a sign that said that the entire peninsula (about 30 miles) where our campground was located was actually a game preserve. No hunting or trapping of any kind was permissible there. This buck had grown up in an environment that was completely safe, and because of this, he was healthy and majestic! God desires our children to be healthy and whole, so that they can serve Him well! But in order for that to happen, they have to grow up in an environment that is safe. It’s up to us to create a “safety zone” for our children in our homes. This means that we consciously have to choose to be encouragers. We cannot be the danger to our kids through the words we use around them. (DM)

Action Point
Children need our affirmation, our love, and our blessing. We need to be wise in how we use our language. We have the ability to impact our children in a way that can help them be healthy and whole, or we can tear them down and create fear and insecurity. It’s pretty clear what God desires of us. We just need to do it God’s way!

Bible Study Verse
Phil 3:17 Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.(NIV)

Thoughts
A few years ago a group of men from our church decided to go on a fly-in fishing trip to a remote Canadian lake.I had made several trips to this lake, so I was familiar with the lake and the fishing camp. I organized the trip, planned the menu, and made the necessary reservations with the camp and float base. The lake was thirty-five miles long and 6 miles wide with a lot of rock reefs that came up close to the surface. To avoid any collisions with the reefs, I led the way to the fishing spots. We caught fish every day and had and occasional shore lunch. We had great fellowship, ate well, and told a lot of fishing stories. Trips like these offer quality time with each other. As Christians we need each other to grow. Christlike character is built through relationships. Just like we need mentors to teach us about hunting and fishing, we also need other Christians to mentor and model us about life experiences and our relationship with God and our brothers and sisters.(TL)

Action Point
Start a fishing club or a small group in your church or community. It’s a great way to build relationships and be an example and a help to others.