faith and life

A Foundation Of Faith

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“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 17:20-21 NIV

What is the foundation of your life?  What do you stand on?  Worldly beliefs and values that reject God or Jesus Christ and the Word of God?  We are all free to choose what we believe and our decision has a direct impact on our life in this world and in the life to come.  What is the foundation of your life?

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“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.“

Matthew 7:24 NIV

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 near Dillon, Colorado)

Listen To The Voice Of Truth

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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

The world has a need for less talking and more listening.  Choose whatever way you can best connect with God by listening.  You can choose music or listening to an audio bible or the message at a church.  Whatever works best for you…pursue it and listen to God.  I listen to music daily that has been recorded by Christian artists that God has blessed with talent to share the Good News.

He gives us strength…He gives us courage…His is the voice of truth.

Voice Of Truth by Casting Crowns

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“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

John 16:13 NIV

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

Walk In The Light

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“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.”

1 John 1:5 NIV

Our faith is about more than what we believe…it is also about how we put what we believe into actions.  A faith journey is best lived inside-out…start with you…what do you believe…what is your relationship with Jesus Christ…your sin…your confession…this isn’t a check the box type of thing, it is a daily surrender of self-centered desires.  As we build our faith on the foundation of coming to the Cross, we can take the things we learn and put them into practice in our daily lives and interactions…this is a journey that requires commitment, it requires a willingness to sacrifice and it provides peace and joy that is beyond our imagination.  May God’s peace be with you.  Amen.

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“If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[a] sin.”

1 John 1:6-7 NIV

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

Believe And Overcome

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“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

Romans 10:9-10 NIV

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”

1 John 5:1-4 NIV

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“Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”

1 John 5:5 NIV

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

A Foundation Of Faith

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“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.“

Ephesians 2:19-22 NIV

What is the foundation of your life?  What do you stand on?  Worldly beliefs and values that reject God or Jesus Christ and the Word of God?  We are all free to choose what we believe and our decision has a direct impact on our life in this world and in the life to come.  What is the foundation of your life?

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“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.“

Matthew 7:24 NIV

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 near Dillon, Colorado)

Spirit of Truth

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“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.”

John 16:13 NIV

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.  Put your trust in the Lord and His will for your life…it may not be what you have always thought about your life yet God is the Creator and knows what is best for you.  Stay close to the Lord and spend time with Him, be in His Word and the Spirit of Truth will wash over you.  Amen.

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Jesus speaking to his disciples regarding the Holy Spirit in the Gospel of John…

“If you love me, you will obey what I command.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth.  The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.  But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

John 14:15-17

(This photo was taken last weekend at Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming)

Plans

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“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Isaiah 55:8-9 NIV

Whose plans are you working on?  What is the purpose of what you are doing?  When you have questions like this and others about your life the best place to turn is to Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.  He knows what is best for you and He loves you.  Ask the Lord to guide and direct you and then pay attention and listen for His reply.  Amen.

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“Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
    and he will establish your plans.”

Proverbs 16:3 NIV

(This photo was taken in July of 2019 at a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

Believe…Pray

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“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. 23 “Truly[a] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. 24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

Mark 11:22-24 NIV

Prayer offered as a routine ritual is more about the ritual than meeting with God or crying out to Him.  Prayer that is sincere, honest and vulnerable is offered with belief and faith is the kind of prayer Jesus is talking about above in Mark 11.  Reflect on your prayer life and ask God to help and guide you.  Amen.

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“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

John 15:7-8 NIV

(This photo was taken in May of 2020 along the North Shore of Lake Superior)

He Lives In You

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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

Jesus Christ is the foundation of our faith.  Not only because of what He did when He was human on earth and not only because He sacrificed Himself for us and died on a cross or because He rose…He is the foundation of our faith today because of all these things and the fact that He Lives in us.  Before He ascended, He promised the Holy Spirit would come to those who love Him and do as He commands.  In the Gospel of John 14, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit and explains our connection to Him through the Spirit.  The love of God can be found in the hearts of people and can be shared with others…it is up to each of us to seek Him and trust in His way rather than our own.  May you be encouraged by knowing that He is with you and He is within you today and always.  Amen.

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“On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.  Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

John 14:20-21 NIV

(This photo was taken last weekend at a lake place in northwestern Wisconsin)

The Truth Will Set You Free

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“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:31-32 NIV

The word ‘truth’ appears over 200 times in the bible.  Jesus often taught using the phrase ‘I tell you the truth’ or ‘Truly I say to you.’  On our faith journey we have to be willing to be honest with God, ourselves and with others regarding what we believe and what we say.  When we are ready to be truthful about who we are and who God is we are ready to walk in the light to the best of our ability in a fallen world.  It won’t be easy but we have been assured it will be worth it.  Amen.

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“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:8-9 NIV

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