Courage

Wait For Him

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There is a sickness sweeping over many people…it is the “hurry” sickness.  It is the sickness of faster, faster…always rushing, always scattered…rarely resting.  Too many things scheduled, always running behind, constantly looking for conveniences and more ways to jam more in…things can be different…it will take extra effort to change the tide of your own life…with God all things are possible so don’t try this alone.  God created you for a purpose and He loves you.  Turn towards the Him in prayer, read God’s Word and wait for Him to guide you.  Amen.

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“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.  For the Lord is a God of justice.  Blessed are all who wait for him!”

Isaiah 30:18

(This photo was taken in October of 2016 on the north shore of the island of Maui)

Through Him…

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All things are possible.  When we can’t find the way forward or we don’t know what to do…we will find our way through Him.  There is absolutely nothing in this world greater or more powerful than God’s love.  Believe it…trust it.  Our hope is not found in what we can see…life in this world can be dark and seem hopeless…our hope is found in Christ and through Him we are saved.  Amen.

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“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

Romans 8:37

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

 

One Year Ago Today…

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I received one of those calls…something has happened with Dad…it is not good…Mom is riding in an ambulance on the way to the hospital…roughly 30 minutes later…a follow-up call…Dad’s gone…

Life can change forever in 30 minutes…I am here to tell you, the only way to walk through the pain and struggles of life is with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  He truly carries us in the most difficult moments…if we are willing to surrender our ways and our plans for His ways and His plan…we can find peace and comfort that we never knew was possible.  Truly I tell you, our God is an awesome God…Amen.

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“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

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

Get Back To God

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When we wander off in the world and go our own way, as opposed to staying connected to God, we eventually will get weary or bored and frustrated.  When what we are pursuing in life is not tied to God’s plan or God’s will for us it will become drudgery.  A personal relationship with Jesus Christ helps our spiritual awareness, we can learn to know when something is not right for us and we will have the courage to speak honestly about it.  Today’s verse below does not say ‘I can do anything I want…’, it is speaking about doing the things that God wants us to do even when we are unsure that we can do them.  Get back to God’s plan and His will and you will have peace.  Amen.

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“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:13

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 in White Sands National Monument in New Mexico)

Generosity

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Give whatever you can, whenever you can, wherever you are.  Giving and being generous is about so much more than money.  We all have the ability to give…we can give of our time, we can give attention, we can give of ourselves physically to help out another, etc.  We all have been given talents and gifts.  Certain people are good at somethings while others are good at other things and when people are willing to give of their gifts good things occur for many people.  If you are unsure what you can offer, ask God: How can I help?  And pay attention for opportunities to give wherever you can.  Amen.

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“…remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ “

Acts 20:35

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 at the North Entrance of Yellowstone National Park)

 

Be Courageous

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Faith takes courage, to believe in what we hope for and not what we see.  It takes courage to trust, even when we are unsure how things will turn out.  The world may call you foolish, in fact based on the bible, you should expect it.  It will take courage to stay on your faith journey when things get hard or don’t go the way you want…what you need to focus on is Jesus Christ and God’s Word.  God is with you…trust in Him, seek His will and be courageous.  Amen.

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“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

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

Put Your Trust In God

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What do you put your trust in?  Who do you believe is trustworthy?  Take a moment and think about it.  The dictionary states trust is – firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.  So, who or what in your life do you trust?  The world is filled with deception, selfishness, lying, cheating, etc… these things were brought into the world by the human race.  There is still hope…there is One who is worthy of trust.  There is One who is reliable, who is the truth, who has the ability and the strength and He is the One who sacrificed himself to save us…Jesus Christ.  He is a Light in the darkness, turn to Jesus and put your trust in God.  Amen.

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“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.  Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.”

Psalm 143:8

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 while traveling through North Dakota)

Safe Pasture

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What does it take to feel safe?  To have shelter, food and water?  These are the physical essentials for life.  When traveling on mission trips, I have met some people who struggle for these things every day and yet they seem to have unique peace about them…for others they have all these things and much more and they are worried, scattered, scared.  This isn’t true in all cases for either group of people, however, there was a noticeable difference sometimes.  The one thing that stood out whenever I met a person who exuded a sense of peace, whether they had little or plenty of worldly things?  It was their faith.  Take inventory of people in your life…who constantly seems to have a sense of hope and who always seems eager to complain and worry?  Now take time to reflect on yourself…how do you typically present yourself?  To say we believe in God and know that He is with us is one thing…to live it out in our everyday life is the next step in spiritual growth.  Trust in the Lord and you will find safe pasture.  Amen.

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“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

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

Strength For The Weary

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One of the amazing things about faith is its power to give us the courage, the endurance, the patience and the perseverance to keep trying, to keep learning and to keep believing in hope.  Out of the most tragic circumstances that happen because of sin…God can bring about the greatest good.  Do you believe it?  No matter where you are, no matter what the struggle is in your life, right now…turn towards Jesus in prayer, seek Him and believe in the Him.  Do it every day and you will find courage, you will find patience, you will persevere and you will find peace.  May we all be strengthened by our relationship with Jesus Christ.  Amen.

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“Do you not know?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.”

Isaiah 40:28-29

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

Love And Faithfulness

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When we are able to surrender ourselves to God and His plan and we follow Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we will grow and mature spiritually.  We may believe we know a great deal about love and faithfulness and yet there is so much more God wants to show us.  It will not be easy and we should take nothing for granted.  Living in this world where sin and selfishness run wild, where temptations are lurking…we will never be perfect, so that is not a realistic goal and we are not to be the judge of others.  In the Gospel of John 13:34-35, Jesus gives us a new command of love, He is speaking about it at a time when one of His close disciples in going off to betray Him.  Love and faithfulness these are characteristics of the new creation God is making us to be.  Seek the Lord and the life He has planned for you.  Amen.

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“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.  Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.”

Proverbs 3:3-4

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 at sunrise on the island of Maui, Hawaii)