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Living Faith

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What does it mean to live out our faith?  What does it look like?  Questions like these make me and others stumble often…as if there is one way and only one way to be a person of faith and if we could just figure that out…man things would always be great and easy…uh no.  The life of faith is not presented as easy in the bible and I am pretty sure Jesus never said, come follow me and everything will be easy and you will always be happy.  Faith is a journey.  It is communicating with God, showing the fruits of the spirit in your daily walk, being thankful and having gratitude, being patient and trusting in God’s plan even when we don’t see it from His perspective.  It’s hard and Jesus knows this first hand, He was here, He lived it, temptations and all…He suffered too.  Then the next question becomes…Why? and at the core of faith is the one important thing that can answer the question of why…Love.  May God’s peace be with you.

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“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 4:6-7

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

 

Each Has A Purpose

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The makeup of a car engine has many different parts and all the parts work together to create a properly running engine.  The slightest malfunction of one part may stop an engine from running completely or will at the very least create a rough running situation that can damage the engine for the long term.  The bible talks about the body of Christ in the same way.  We are all members of the body of Christ and we all have different functions according to the gifts and blessings we have received.  In order to grow the body of Christ which is to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ across the world we all need to learn and understand our part and perform it to the best of our ability.  What is your function in the body of Christ?  Seek it and live it.  May God’s peace be with you.

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“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

Romans 12:4-5

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 along Beartooth Pass in Montana)

Peace Of Christ

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Each day can be filled with ups and downs, depending on where you focus your thoughts and your energy, a day can feel like quite a roller-coaster ride.  At the end of a day like this we are exhausted, tired and we just want some stability and peace of mind for a period of time in order to have a better balance to life.  I have found one way to access peace on a day to day basis and I have learned that you have to go get it, this is my time with the Word of God…the world is not looking to provide you peace of mind or time to rest.  The demands will keep coming from all areas of your life…be courageous and when necessary you can say no in order to defend your time.  For me a start to every day is coffee and with that coffee is time with God.  If something is planned for the morning I try to get up a little earlier or say no or reschedule if it will conflict with my time.  To be clear this isn’t always smooth and easy but what is significant is that it has become a time of priority for me and a time I look forward to every day.  Jesus sacrificed himself in order to reconcile us with God the Father, it is up to us to take advantage of this reconciliation and build our relationship with Him…every day.  May God’s peace be with you.

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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.”

Colossians 3:15

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

Strength Of Character

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When one describes the character of a person they talk about a list of elements that are a combination of a person’s behaviors and attitude.  I have often heard statements like ‘well this is just who I am’ or ‘that is just the way he is’ as if at some point in life our behaviors and attitudes have stopped forming, changing or growing and have now solidified and are permanent.  I have been guilty of this way of thinking myself at times.  However, in the study of faith and in God’s Word the message of hope and transformation are central to the spiritual life.  If anything our attitude and how we behave are two things we do have the ability to choose every day and these are influenced and can grow if we are open to it.  Don’t give up on hope and transformation for yourself or somebody else…things may not change in the way or at the time you would prefer but our life is not about everything being perfect according to our timing, rather it is about God’s plan and His time.  Trust Him and believe in Hope and Transformation…when you read about what He has done in the past you know He is working for the good of all people.  May God’s peace be with you.

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23

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

Grace

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To the Christian this is the free and unearned favor of God shown to us by the sacrifice Jesus endured to save us and it continues in the many blessings we have in our daily lives.  Too often I get lost in the minutia of life, focusing or worrying about something that at the end of the day really doesn’t deserve that much of my time and attention, either because it is not something I can control or more commonly it is in the past and it can’t be changed.  When we begin to spend time with the Word of God it will seep in to us in places we usually don’t like to acknowledge, deep in our souls to places we don’t show to the outside world.  God knows about these places and still He loves us.  We don’t deserve it, we didn’t have to pay for it…yet Jesus offered himself up and showed us…Grace.  Let Christ in to your heart and mind every day, He loves you and He goes with you everywhere you go.  May God’s peace be with you.

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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, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:14

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 near Pike’s Peak in Colorado)

Free Will

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We have been given a gift, a gift we take for granted far too often…free will.  We are not designed to be robots that only perform a certain way when given appropriate commands…think ‘voice remote’ or talking to your phone.  God has designed us with free will, the ability to choose how we will respond, act and interact with the world.  Of course, this means we are responsible for the choices we make and we are accountable to our actions and decisions.  I am sure I have heard a quote about ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ true words.  Free will should not be taken for granted or used to do harm to others.  It is a gift that has come at a price that Jesus Christ paid for on our behalf.  Seek Him and ask Him how to best use your gift.  May God’s peace be with you.

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“You, my brothers, were called to be free.  But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather, serve one another in love.”

Galatians 5:13

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

Persistence

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In a world that focuses on self-serving convenience, fast, time-saving rushing around and immediate gratification it takes persistence and patience to stay on your faith journey and to grow your spirit.  You have to be willing to be different from the crowd at times and have the courage and confidence that God is with you always.  We will all make mistakes and wonder off, I certainly have, and God is always able to guide me back when I take the time to be with Him.  You won’t have all the answers and may not know all the reasons why…it won’t be easy, however, in the end when our time on earth is up it will all be worth it.  If you don’t believe it…just ask God.  May God’s peace be with you.

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“The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.  Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

Galatians 6:8-10

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 near Salem, North Dakota)

Gratitude

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The messages that come to us through television, the internet, social media, and many other ways usually have a sense of negativity and complaining within them.  The world is full of despair and suffering.  We humans are inviting sin and darkness into our lives when we sit and consume hours of screen time and look only to serve ourselves…this is not a judgement it is a fact and it happens to me far too often as well.  It is so easy to get sucked in to misery and despair…while it is important to recognize a time for sadness, and mourning, depending upon the battle you are fighting, it is not a state of mind or place to stay and live constantly.  There should always be a time for hope and gratitude to coincide with sadness and despair…with everything in life there should be a healthy balance.  The one place I can trust in hope is in the Word of God…the bible is not a fairy tale it is history and recorded observations.  Jesus Christ came into the world to save us from our sins and He sacrificed himself to death to reconcile us with God…for that I am eternally grateful.  May God’s peace be with you.  (If you are wondering we got the computer working again)

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“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

Psalm 118:1

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming)

A New Creation

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Spiritual growth comes from change…change in attitude, change in perspective and change in our focus.  When we invite Jesus Christ into our heart and mind receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  We begin to surrender our self-serving desires and focus on the needs of others.  We will begin to view people and events with a new perspective and we start to change our behaviors from the old way of being to a new way…one that shines a light on who we are becoming…our true selves, the way God made us to be.  This transformation happens at a different pace for everybody…there is no one way to be transformed…it is between you and Jesus Christ…you just need to spend time getting guidance from Him.  May God’s peace be with you.

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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

2 Corinthians 5:17

(This photo was taken in September of 2016 on a lake in central Minnesota)

Trust In The Lord

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When I try to go it alone, when my actions say…”I got this God…” I usually end up at “Um, a little help here?” this is a lesson that I stumble upon often.  Learn to Trust.  It seems I have a stubborn will and I am discovering that it takes me off track of God’s plan far too often.  We are not made to “go it alone” and throughout history it has been proven that when left to our own thinking and ways of doing the sinful nature is no match for us.  We were made to be in relationship with our Creator and we were given the gift of salvation through the life and death of Jesus Christ his one and only Son.  A loving relationship takes two engage beings to grow.  I for one will work harder on my part with our Lord and Savior.  May God’s peace be with you.

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“But blessed in the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence in in him.  He 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

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 near a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)