“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
Hebrews 10:23
“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.”
Lamentations 3:22-23
“Your faithfulness continues through all generations;
you established the earth, and it endures.”
Psalm 119:90
(This photo was taken in September of 2020 at a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)
“For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. 14 For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[a] 15 But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.”
Galatians 5:13-15
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23
(This photo was taken in April of 2016 at a lake in central Minnesota)
“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Ephesians 5:15-20
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.“
Galatians 5:22-23
(This photo was taken in June of 2016 in a neighborhood near Plymouth, Minnesota)
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”
2 Corinthians 4:8-10
“Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with him,
we will also live with him;
12 if we endure,
we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
he will also disown us;
13 if we are faithless,
he remains faithful,
for he cannot disown himself.”
2 Timothy 2:11-13
(This photo was taken in December of 2018 while on a walk in northwestern Wisconsin)
We have hope because of Jesus Christ. Do good things…live out the Fruits of the Spirit in your daily life and no matter where you are or what is happening in your life don’t give up hope…renew your strength by turning towards the Lord. Amen.
“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.
29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.”
Isaiah 40:28-31
“So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10
(This photo was taken in April of 2020 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)
“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23
(This photo was taken in August of 2016 while visiting Mount Rainier National Park in Washington)
“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”
Galatians 5:13-15
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23
(This photo was taken in March of 2018 while traveling in southern New Mexico)
Seek wisdom from God not the world. Learn from mistakes. Trust God’s way more than your own ideas of what “should be”…even when you don’t understand. It takes courage, it takes patience and a willingness to not give up. God is faithful and as so many stories in the bible tell us…we are to live by faith. Read Hebrews 11 for a review of how people in the bible lived by faith. Be thankful today for our Father in heaven who loves us more than anyone else ever could. Amen.
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:1
“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
(This photo was taken in June of 2020 at sunset in northwestern Wisconsin)
Even though we all know about the common thing that is impacting everyone in the world, there are still battles everyone is fighting that we don’t know about. The impact of a pandemic goes far beyond are you sick or is someone in your house sick…there are people who were struggling with the basic needs in life before this ever started and it could be worse now…there are still people battling mental illness and this situation is adding another level struggle…the list could go on and on. Life is hard and often unfair and if this pandemic has magnified anything it is this…how we treat each other in our daily life is so important…every person you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about, so be kind, live your life with the Fruit of the Spirit shining through your thoughts, your words and your actions. May God’s peace be with you. Amen.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23
(This photo was taken in March of 2013 at the Botanical Gardens in the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada)
This is defined as knowledge of one’s own feelings, motives and desires. If we are able to understand more about ourselves, we can become more confident in our values and purpose. Being more self-aware will also improve our relationships and interactions with others. For example, if our motives and desires center around self-satisfaction we will most likely have difficulty in relationships as we are not accounting for the needs of others. There is a balance between self-care and helping others that we should strive for and we don’t have to do it alone. God is with us and because of Jesus Christ we can ask for guidance in finding this balance. May the Fruit of the Spirit be in you and flow through you. Amen.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23
(This photo was taken in June of 2016 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)
Take Your Faith With You 