attitude

The One Thing

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“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

Ephesians 4:4-6 NIV

“…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

John 10:10 NIV

The most important thing we need, is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior more than anything else in this life.  From that relationship all aspects of our lives will be impacted…that personal relationship with Jesus is the one thing everyone needs.  Amen.

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“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Romans 12:12 NIV

(This photo was taken in October of 2018 at a park near Winterset, Iowa)

Gratitude

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“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2     Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his[a];
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”

Psalm 100:1-3 NIV

There is no one who loves you more than God…He sacrificed His Son in order to give you a way to be with Him.  He is near, He is working out His way in your life.  Surrender your ways and give thanks to Lord for all that He has done and is doing in your life.  He is faithful and His love endures forever.  Amen.

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“Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Psalm 100:4-5 NIV

(This photo was taken in June of 2018 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Comfort

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“May your unfailing love be my comfort,
    according to your promise to your servant.”

Psalm 119:76 NIV

There is only one source of true comfort…it is with the Lord.  Everyone is struggling with something, everyone.  No matter what you can see or what they say, there is a battle within each one of us.  God provided the way to have a relationship with Him through the death and resurrection of His Son…it is up to us to trust Him in order to be comforted by Him.  Amen.

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“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV

(This photo was taken in May of 2014 at a lake in central Minnesota)

Attitude

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“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 14 Do everything in love.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NIV

It is your choice what attitude you present in the world, what you believe and what actions you will take.  You can choose to let the circumstances in the world and what other people think, say and do drag you down and respond in an unpleasant way…or you can choose to believe in God’s Word and to follow Jesus Christ and His attitude and be encouraged by good things that you and others can do.  The choice is yours everyday with every sunrise.  Amen.

This Could Change Everything by Francesca Battistelli

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“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

Philippians 4:8-9 NIV

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 while traveling through western Minnesota)

Today Is The Day

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“This is the day that the Lord has made;
    let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Psalm 118:24 NIV

Today is 3.16…take time to share the Good News of John 3:16 with someone today.  It could be just the thing they need to hear.  Today is the day, may the peace of God be with you.  Amen.

Today Is The Day by Lincoln Brewster

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“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.“

John 3:16 NIV

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

Believe

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“When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

17 “You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” 18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.

19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” [21] [a]

Matthew 17:14-21 NIV

Believe in Jesus, confess your sins and seek to grow your relationship with Him.  He loves you; He is with you and He is for you.  Seek Him first every day and you will find joy and peace.  Amen.

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“Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

John 20:29 NIV

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

Faith And Hope

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“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Hebrews 11:1 NIV

It is a choice…it is your choice.  To believe or not to believe.  God gave you free will…He will not force you to do anything.  Faith is about belief and comes from the heart.  It gives rise to hope even when things look bleak and despair is spreading.  Seek wisdom, learn about God from His Word and chose how you will respond each day.  As for me, I chose to trust in the Lord.  Amen.

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“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”

Hebrews 6:19 NIV

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)

Generosity

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“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

Galatians 6:9 NIV

“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”

– John Wesley

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“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

2 Corinthians 9:6-7 NIV

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

Nothing…

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“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be[a] against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.[b] 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?”

Romans 8:31-35 NIV

There is nothing better than God and our relationship with Him.  There is nothing in this world more important than Him.  He is with you…He loves you and He is for you.  It is up to each one of us to turn towards Him and put His Word in our hearts and trust that He is working for our good.  While the world will disappoint and people will frustrate us there is nothing that can ever separate us from God and His love.  Thanks be to God.  Amen.

Graves Into Gardens featuring Brandon Lake by Elevation Worship

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

Romans 8:37-39 NIV

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 along Beartooth Pass near the Montana-Wyoming border)

Shine A Light

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“For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 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 4:5-6 NIV

Our purpose is to learn about and believe in Him who loves us and sacrificed Himself for us… and then to shine a light on God’s love, God’s mercy and God’s grace for others to see not for ourselves but for God.  We can show God to others by who we are in how we treat others and by our actions and behaviors.  Shine a light in this dark world and trust in the Lord.  Amen.

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“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. 17 For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. 18 Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them.“

Luke 8:16-18 NIV

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on Lake Superior near the Apostle Islands)