Understanding

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There are a few places in the bible that state…“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,…”  (Psalm 111:10, Proverbs 9:10)  There is also…“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,…”  (Proverbs 1:7)  I want to take a moment to talk about “The fear of the Lord…”  In modern language fear is strictly defined as being afraid of or believing something or someone is dangerous and to avoid.  An older definition of fear is to stand in awe of; to have respect for, to revere, reverence.  These verses are telling us to have ultimate respect for the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  To stand in awe of the love, the mercy, the grace and the power of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.  May the grace and peace of the Lord be with you.

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“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding.  To him belongs eternal praise.”

Psalm 111:10

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Arches National Park in Utah)

Time

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We measure ourselves by it constantly.  We rush from here to there, as a song from the early 1980’s says…”everybody’s working for the weekend” – (Loverboy, 1981)  We gauge where we can spend our life by the day of the week and the hour of the day.  We are not made to measure our lives by the minutes, hours, days, weeks and years.  More important than time are relationships.  Focus more on who we spend our time with, what we are doing with our community of people.  The things we do that help others who are in need are the most valuable.  Instead of measuring how long we did something or how much time we saved we should start measuring ourselves by asking two questions.  Who have I helped today?  Who has helped me today?  As always ask the Lord to help with the answers in prayer.  May God’s wisdom and grace be with you.

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“As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows it over and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.”

Psalm 103:15-16

(This photo was taken in April of 2016 at a lake in central Minnesota)

 

Reflect And Recharge

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When our hope is in the Lord, we will see goodness and blessings.  When our focus is on living our life through our faith in Jesus Christ, we tend to be able to see with new eyes on old or familiar situations.  When we walk daily with the Lord our perspective improves from worldly to heavenly.  In the New Testament is states…“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”  (2 Corinthians 5:17)  With the Lord we have hope, we can trust in goodness and righteousness and we can have faith that we will be able to see our way through anything.  May God’s love, joy and peace be with you.

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“Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again:  Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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.”

Philippians 4:4-7

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 at Sapphire Point near Dillon, Colorado)

Wisdom From Above

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I don’t know…I’m not sure…I don’t understand…Can you help me…I need help.  Statements like these make us vulnerable, they open us up, they make us humble.  To the world these phrases can be seen as weak and needy.  More importantly than just the words are the attitudes and behaviors that you show along with these statements.  If we learn wisdom from God we will gain wisdom like this…“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”  (James 3:17)  Wisdom from the world is self-focused, gain more oriented, no time for losers, me first mentality.  The most significant thing about choosing the wisdom of the world is we can lose the opportunity to pursue relationships with others.  God our Creator, Jesus Christ our Savior and the Holy Spirit as our guide have the all the wisdom that is so desperately needed in this world.  May the peace and joy of the Lord be with you.

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“For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.”

1 Corinthians 1:25

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington)

The Holy Spirit Within Us

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When we turn in faith to God and strengthen our relationship with Him, evil and darkness will increase its attacks on us.  The primary goal of this darkness is to have us turn away from God.  To distract us, to keep us focused on worldly values of wealth and possessions and a self-serving mentality.  Evil wants us to stir up anger, hatred, dissension and all the things we were not made to do.  God knows these will come, Jesus experienced these attacks personally when He was in the desert.  Knowing this God has provided us with the Holy Spirit.  In the Bible it says…“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”  (2 Timothy 1:7)  When we stay focused on God and His Word, when we put our relationship with Jesus Christ first with devotions and prayers then we are equipped to fend off darkness.  Take courage in your faith and trust in God.  May the wisdom and peace of the Lord be with you.

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“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

Ephesians 6:16

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 at the Garden of Gods near Colorado Springs, Colorado)

God’s Grace

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He calls us…He is speaking to us in a variety of ways…He knows the mistakes we have made…He forgives us…He lifts us up…He loves us.  In all that comes at us on a daily basis in today’s world we are bound to mess up.  Whether we are trying to do too many things for too long or trying to control the outcome of events, we were not made to do things this way.  We have been given the gift of God’s grace…we don’t deserve it, we can’t earn it.  He gives it to us freely, it is up to us to turn to Him, to praise Him, to seek His guidance and know that He will carry us through anything in this life.  “Not to us, O Lord not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”  (Psalm 115:1)  God is our Creator and He loves us unconditionally, He wants us to have good things, take your burdens to Him.  May you know God’s grace and mercy in your life.

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“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

1 Peter 5:7

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 at a park in New Hope, Minnesota)

Walk In Love

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The commandments that Jesus himself recognized as the greatest commandments are about love.  Jesus said…“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it:  ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and prophets hang on these two commandments.”  (Matthew 22:37-40)  One the most popular parts of the Bible 1 Corinthians 13 is all about Love.  So what does it mean to walk in love?  It is about attitude and behaviors towards God, yourself and towards others.  It does not mean all behavior is permissible…sin is still sin.  However, we are all guilty, we are all broken and we all do not deserve His forgiveness.  No one sin is greater than another, that is worldly talk.  When you want a reminder of what it means to walk in love go back and read 1 Corinthians 13, it speaks specifically to us about what behaviors constitute love.  May God’s love be in you and flow through you.

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“And this is love:  that we walk in obedience to his commands.  As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”

2 John 6

(This photo was taken in July of 2012 on a walk in northwestern Wisconsin)

All That Is Good Comes From God

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Nothing is more refreshing for the mind and spirit than to take some time to sit peacefully, with nothing but the sounds of the world going on around you and to be with God.  I hope you have a time like that in your life, no matter if it is in the morning, midday or in the evening.  Whatever may work for your life, I can’t emphasize enough the difference it will make in every aspect of your life…it is something you must experience to understand…for me it is the single most important thing I have done to strengthen my faith and to change my life.  Our lives are about our experiences and learning and passing on that experience to others to help them.  Ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart and mind, again and again and again and let the Holy Spirit be your guide.  If you are looking for goodness, kindness and compassion…all that is good comes from God.  May the love, joy and peace of the Lord be with you.

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“The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”

Psalm 145:9

(This photo was taken in March of 2013 in the Botanical Garden at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Neveda)

Trials And Trouble

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Have you ever thought…’why does this have to be so difficult?’ or ‘it seems like every direction I turn things go wrong!’  When dealing with such thoughts I am trying to learn how to step back, to stop doing the repeat cycle that builds up frustration.  As we review situations we should try to asses, ‘am I trying to control too many things?’, ‘am I trying to get things to line up for the outcome I prefer?’ and the most difficult thought, ‘where is God in this situation?’  We may be struggling because we have had an opportunity to learn from the past and as slow learner we need to see the lesson again in a different way to get it through our heads.  Unexpected things are going to happen to us, things will not go as we have planned, the key to growth and development is how you choose to respond to situations and learning along the way.  There is no place in the bible that it says, “have no fear life will be easy.”  We will face difficult times and situations and how we choose to respond will have a lasting impact on us and others.  May God’s peace and joy be with you.

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“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Learn To Be Content

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The apostle Paul writes about this in his letter to the Philippians.  As I read this and other parts of the bible about contentment, I believe the message is intended for us when we are looking at ourselves.  When we are reflecting on the me, my life, my surroundings we need to learn to be content and know that no matter what our circumstances we will always have the strength to continue because God is our source of strength.  When we look at others, we should be looking at how we can be generous in all ways…spiritually, emotionally, physically, with our time and resources.  We must work hard to avoid the worldly perspective of always comparing ourselves to what others have and acting self-focused to try and change that comparison, this is a path to evil and dark behavior.  Be thankful for the blessings you have received and have faith in God to provide what you need.  May God’s mercy and grace be with you.

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“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret to being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:12-13

(This photo was taken in May of 2013 in a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)