Bible

Thankful For God’s Faithful Presence

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“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:14 NIV

Father God, You are the bread of life, true nourishment for our souls

Forgive us when we chase what the world offers, instead of You

We want to pursue You and know You, rather than empty pleasures

Thank You for your faithful presence in our world and our lives

Keep us focused on You and an attitude of gratitude today and all through every season

In Jesus name, Amen

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“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.”

1 John 4:9-10 NIV

(This photo was taken at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Daily Living…Inside Out

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“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Romans 12:1-2 NIV

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“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 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 3:12-17 NIV

(This photo was taken while on a mission trip in Denver, Colorado)

Listen…Let God’s Word Be Your Guide

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“Above all else, guard your heart,
    for everything you do flows from it.
24 Keep your mouth free of perversity;
    keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead;
    fix your gaze directly before you.
26 Give careful thought to the[a] paths for your feet
    and be steadfast in all your ways.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left;
    keep your foot from evil.”

Proverbs 4:23-27 NIV

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”

Psalm 32:8 NIV

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

Psalm 119:105 NIV

(This photo was taken in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota)

Listening

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“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

James 1:19-22 NIV

Listening is a skill we all need to use more often and a way of communicating that could get us much closer to peace in our life

If we were better listeners there would be less divorce and broken families…if we were better at listening there would be less violence and crime as hate and anger would not be stirred up so quickly

Listening involves taking time to understand what the other person is saying, it involves empathy

It means not being so quick to respond with your own will and desires as first priority…it takes humility to really listen…it takes a willingness to admit we don’t have all the answers

Think about recent interactions in your life…when are you hearing and when are you listening?  I know I can do better

Lastly, communicating with God takes more than just talking, if we are doing all the talking in prayer when do we take the time to listen to Him?

May we all be blessed with courage and humility to listen better

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“Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.”

Psalm 25:4-5 NIV

(This photo was taken along Beartooth Pass in Montana)

Trust In The Lord

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“I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.”

Psalm 27:13-14 NIV

When you are facing trouble in this world…and it seems like everything you try to do is failing

Pray and wait for the Lord

When you don’t know what to do next

Pray and trust in the Lord

Do something good and wait patiently for God and His will

Trust is hard, especially when we have put our trust in things that have let us down in the past

We can trust in the Lord

He keeps His promises…He always has and He always will

He is with you and He will never leave you

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Psalm 37:3-4 NIV

(This photo was taken in a neighborhood near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Attitude

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“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”

Philippians 2:3-5 NLT

A way of thinking…a point of view…outlook…perspective…belief

How would you define your attitude toward God?

What is His role?  How much time during a typical week are we thinking about God?

The Bible has many of examples of different people and their attitude towards God, it describes their beliefs and actions

How would you define your attitude toward others?

The Bible has many of examples of different people and their attitude towards others, it describes their beliefs and actions

There is a lot for us to learn from those people

From Genesis to Revelation, we read about those who put God at the center of their lives and treated others with compassion and those who did not

The best example of an appropriate attitude towards God and others is that of Jesus Christ…He took time daily to walk with God, He treated everyone with kindness, compassion and kept the Father at the center of everything

This is what He seeks from us as well

Spend time with Jesus every day and pray about your attitude towards God and others

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“He has showed you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Micah 6:8 NIV

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

Give Thanks and Praise

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“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:6-8 NIV

It is wild how quickly we can become distracted

Today’s world is filled with so much information and so much misinformation that it is easy to get derailed or side tracked

We need to be able to be centered on something or someone to keep us level headed and not chasing every feeling and emotion

God knows everything about us

Try this brief exercise today…think about your last 24 hours

God knows about every single thing and every single thought you have experienced

Yes even that one thought

Now step back and think about the fact that this is true about every single thing and thought in your life

God knows and when we take a moment to realize that right now, knowing all those things that God knows…remember this

God forgives you and God loves you the same today as He did the day you were born

To show you how much He loves and cares for you He sent His Son to take the punishment that we all deserve so that we can still have a relationship with Him

Give thanks and praise to God our Father and Jesus Christ, His Son, our Savior and Lord

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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 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 NIV

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

Overcome Evil With Good

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“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

1 John 4:4 NIV

The Bible tells us that we will have trouble in this world…and it states clearly that we can persevere through trials and temptations

The Bible also gives us examples of others who lived and suffered and how they interacted with God and lived their lives with faith

At times it wasn’t pretty, they didn’t live lives that were sweet and easy all the time

Read about Abraham and Sarah, read about Joseph in Genesis

Look through the pages of David’s life in 1 Samuel

Take time to read about the life of Jesus in the New Testament

Yes, there are struggles, trials and there is suffering…remember living a life of faith and in God’s love doesn’t mean these will disappear

What it does mean is you will receive the courage and the hope as God is with you to help you and guide you to get through the difficult times

Do not be overcome by darkness and evil, look to God…pray and you can find the way to overcome evil with good

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“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Romans 12:21 NIV

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

The Lord Of My Everything?

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“In their hearts humans plan their course,
    but the Lord establishes their steps.”

Proverbs 16:9 NIV

Sometimes I struggle with my faith when it comes to opening up to the Lord for all things

Not only the parts of my life and my heart I think He wants to be involved in…that would be God on my terms

I have come to learn…it does not work like that

God is the God of everything and Jesus Christ is Lord of all

All of creation, all people in all nations since the beginning of time and His love is for everything and everyone

His grace and His mercy will endure forever

It can be so difficult for my finite mind to comprehend the totality of God and His love

He is more than the God of Sunday morning or Wednesday evening…He is more than the God of when I really need help or a crisis is happening…He is more than a beautiful sunrise or sunset when we do feel more of His presence

He is also the Lord of housework, the Lord of daily errands, the Lord of trips to Grandma and Grandpa’s house, He is the Lord of where you work and He is the Lord what you do…He is the Lord of everything

The best part of all? This means He is right there waiting to hear from you about all of it…everything

If He is your Lord and Savior that doesn’t mean everything will be easy and good…yet He is with you through all of it

May we know God’s presence, His love, His joy and His forgiveness in everything in our lives…everyday

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“Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of the life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Psalm 23:6 NIV

(This photo was taken at Sapphire Point near Dillon, Colorado)

Planted And Growing In Faith

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“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV

Father God, I want to submit to You

Please fill my mind with thoughts that honor You and other people

Guide me to speak in a way so that my words can bring life and encouragement to others

Transform me into a new person by helping me grow from the inside out

In Jesus name, Amen

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“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers.”

Psalm 1:1-3 NIV

(This photo was taken while driving on Beartooth Pass in Montana)