Daily Devotion Chat

Sweating in the Saddle 

Written by Cowboy Evangelist Rev. Joseph Holmes

Produced by H C Cowboy Ministries

Scripture Focus: James 1:22 (KJV) — "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."

 Good morning everyone I hope you all enjoyed the Sunday Cowboy Bible Message, God bless you all for the support and prayers especially when I was sick this weekend. But by the grace of our Loving God we have made through, and we are now on this Beautiful Monday morning. Yesterday, during our Sunday Morning Cowboy Bible Message, we talked about accepting the saddle. We talked about how God calls us out of the wild, puts a calling on our lives, and how we have to stop bucking and let Him tighten the cinch so we can go to work.

A brand new saddle looks absolutely beautiful sitting on a rack in the tack room. It smells good, the leather is clean, and it looks perfect. Even when you first put it on a horse in the round pen and walk him in circles, it stays pretty clean but we not looking for pretty as cowboys know if it aint dirty it aint being used right. Every cowboy knows a saddle was not made to sit on a rack, and a cow horse was not bred to just walk in circles on Sunday in a round pen. That saddle was made for cowboying, dragging a steer through deep mud, it was made to dally on when your roping and branding, or just plain sweating on the open range. I could go on and on for all the uses of the saddle but I guess what I am getting at no matter how you look at the saddle it was meant to not only be a tool for work but also something that would connect you to your partner the horse to help you both work together.

Christianity is the exact same way. A lot of folks accepted the calling yesterday. You sat in the pew, or you watched the broadcast, and you let the Lord put His saddle on you. You felt the conviction and you made a promise to do better. But today is Monday. The sanctuary doors are closed, the music has stopped, and it is time to go to work. The Gospel is not just something we carry when everyone is wearing their good boots and smiling. It is something we carry into the dirt and mud of our everyday lives.

I remember when my career riding bulls and racehorses came to a violent end in a terrible wreck. I was left broken, and I spent years trying to numb that physical and mental pain with drugs. When God finally pulled me out of that dark hole and saved me, He did not just clean me up so I could look good on Sunday morning. He put a heavy saddle of ministry on my back and sent me right back into the mud to help pull out other folks who are struggling with addiction, depression, and failure. He called me to sweat in the saddle.

The world is hurting right now. People are lost and looking for hope. Do not just be a hearer of the Word who looks good in the tack room. Be a doer of the Word. Take the Gospel everywhere you go maybe your workplace, the Rodeo, The Ranch, your broken relationships, and your struggles today.

Because there is a cowboy or cowgirl out there right now today who needs your help and needs to hear the Gospel maybe there is someone who has been trying to look like a Christian without actually doing the hard work. You are carrying the title, but you are refusing to carry the cross, and you feel empty inside. Maybe you are struggling with a secret addiction or carrying a heavy burden of pain, and you are trying to hide it behind a polished Sunday smile. I invite you today to stop pretending. Surrender your whole life—the mud, the mess, and the pain—to Jesus Christ. Accept the saddle He has for you and let Him be the Lord of your Monday, not just your Sunday and come ride for the brand that died for you.

Let’s Pray,

 Father, we thank You for the calling You have placed on our lives. Lord, forgive us for the times we just listen to Your Word without actually putting it to work. As we head out to our jobs and our daily lives this Monday, give us the strength to sweat in the saddle. Help us to carry the truth of Jesus Christ into the dark and broken places. Protect our families, watch over our livestock, and keep our minds focused on You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Now for the rest of the week I want you to ask yourself everyday this question. Am I sweating in the saddle for the Lord today, or is my faith just sitting on a rack in the tack room?

Remember this brothers and sisters. "A clean saddle on a Monday morning just means the horse hasn't been put to work yet. Ride hard and sweat for the Kingdom today."