Wisdom

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“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

James 1:5 NIV

Good and gracious God, thank You for sharing Your wisdom with those who seek it

As we grow closer to You, help us think more like You

Today, we invite You into our decision-making

Help us make wise decisions

Show us how to process challenging circumstances according to Your Word

Allow Your love to flow through us into every area of our lives

In Jesus name, Amen

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“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 NIV

(This photo was taken on a road trip while traveling through South Dakota)

He Knows You

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“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV

“That’s not what I meant”…”I wish they knew me better”…”I don’t feel like I fit in”…”Nobody understands me.”

Have you had moments like this?

I have been there before…

You can be surrounded by people but feel like you are isolated

God knows who you are, He knows what you can do, He knows how you think and He cares for you

If you feel like you are off the rails in your life, it is time to get back to God

He is waiting to hear from you

He is the Creator, the one who formed you and has been right there with you every step of the way in life

Turn towards God

Trust in Him

He knows all about you and loves you unconditionally

May you see the blessings from God in your life each day

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“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Psalm 139:23-24 NIV

(This photo was taken on the shore of Lake Superior in Ashland, Wisconsin)

God Is Love

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“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.“

1 John 4:7-12 NIV

God’s love renews and restores us

Our relationship with God is an inside out relationship

We need to know and understand God’s love for us and that there is nothing we can think, say or do that will change God’s unconditional love

As we receive and understand God’s love, we are equipped to go out and give love to others in our daily life and interactions

May God’s love and peace be with you and flow through you

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“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?“

Romans 8:31-35 NIV

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:37-39 NIV

(This photo was taken in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado)

Let The Word Of God Be Our Guide

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“Your word is a lamp for my feet,
    a light on my path.”

Psalm 119:105 NIV

“You are my refuge and my shield;
    I have put my hope in your word.”

Psalm 119:114 NIV

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“For,

“All people are like grass,
    and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25     but the word of the Lord endures forever.”[a]

And this is the word that was preached to you.”

1 Peter 1:24-25 NIV

(This photo was taken in Glacier National Park in Montana)

Seek Him First

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“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Matthew 6:33 NIV

Jesus Christ…He sacrificed Himself to save you

No matter what has happened in your life, no matter what you have done or left undone

He is waiting for you with open arms…to forgive you and restore you

He is ready to do that for you and for others in your life because He loves you and He loves them too

Jesus Christ is the way…He is the only way to fellowship with God

The Way by Housefires

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“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6 NIV

(This photo was taken near Glacier National Park in Montana)

Light Of The World

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“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12 NIV

“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”[a] made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”

2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV

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“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.”

John 1:1-5 NIV

(This photo was taken in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming)

Trust…With God Anything Is Possible

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.”[a]

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

Father God, I believe in You

No matter what happens or what my circumstances, I believe that You have overcome the world

You are my constant source of peace

I know anything is possible for You, just by looking at Jesus, His birth, His teachings, His death and His resurrection

I praise You because You are the One in whom I can trust

Thank You for sending Jesus and for saving us

I know You are in control and that with You anything is possible

In Jesus name, Amen

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Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Matthew 19:26 NIV

(This photo was taken in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado)

Be Thankful

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“Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV

What are you thankful for today?

How often are we able to see something to be thankful for during difficult times?

It is not easy…yet it is a choice

An attitude of gratitude may not come naturally to us but we should strive for it

It can make such a big difference in our lives and the lives of others

We don’t have to do it alone

Start by thanking God for Jesus Christ and what He did for you at the Cross and see where you can go from there

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“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Colossians 3:15-17 NIV

(This photo was taken while traveling through North Dakota)

Christ-Centered Humility

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“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”

Ephesians 2:4-5 NIV

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6 NIV

Lord Jesus, You showed us what true humility should look like

Thank You for Your kindness and grace toward us

Please show us how to have the same attitude toward others that You had toward us

Teach us to love others unconditionally and sacrificially…for Your glory, and their good

In Your Holy Name, Amen

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“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 2:20 NIV

(This photo was taken at a park in Winterset, Iowa)

Jesus Set The Example

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For everything…His character…His goodness…His compassion…His response to questions…His attitude…His selflessness…His love

No matter what our struggle is, no matter where we are in life…Jesus has an example of how we should try to respond, react, proceed

For example, while hanging on the Cross, blood draining out of His body…taking the punishment we and those who put Him there deserve, He spoke these words:

“Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”[a] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.”

Luke 23:34 NIV

No matter what is happening in your life turn towards Jesus Christ

He has set the example for us to follow in this life

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“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

Romans 12:9-13 NIV

(This photo was taken by a lake in Plymouth, Minnesota)