Faithfulness

Fruit Of The Spirit

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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.

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“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)

Self-Awareness

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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.

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“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)

The Fruit Of The Spirit

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When we come to Christ and seek Him, we are renewed.  The Holy Spirit within us encourages us to live by the Fruit of the Spirit more and more and to leave the evil, anger, hatred and darkness behind.  The more we use the Fruit of the Spirit when thinking about ourselves and while helping others the better our life will be.  Most of us are too hard on ourselves and too hard on others…things can be different.  Pick up God’s Word and read about it, pray and ask for forgiveness of your sins and to have the Fruit of the Spirit stirred up in you.  May God’s love, joy and peace be with you.  Amen.

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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 June of 2013 while traveling through northern 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)

Commitment

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Devotion…dedication…faithfulness…self-sacrifice….love.  A commitment can be hard at times.  A commitment is not something to be taken lightly.  If you commit to something think carefully about how you will respond when things don’t go as planned or how you expect them to go.  God made a commitment to love us and to save us even though we are still sinners and it was tremedously difficult for Jesus to keep that commitment…yet He was able to fulfill the commitment by staying close to the Father in prayer and trusting the will of God.  Jesus is our example of how to get through the hard times and to remain committed to God and trust Him with all aspects of our lives.  Amen.

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“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all you strength.”

Deuteronomy 6:5

(This photo was taken in June of 2018 near the border of Minnesota and South Dakota)

Developing Who We Are

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The faith journey takes us on a road of self-awareness and growth.  As we read God’s Word and the teachings of Jesus, we hear messages about our attitudes, our behaviors, our words and our actions.  These are all things that we can control in our everyday life.  Instead of wasting our time worrying and wringing our hands about what other people are doing, thinking or saying we would do well to focus that effort on developing the Fruit of the Spirit in our own lives and relationships.  After all, we have the most control over one thing more than any other…how we choose to respond.  May we strive to grow the Fruit of the Spirit in who we are in the world.  Amen.

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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 at Sapphire Point near Dillon, Colorado)

Stay On Track

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There can be so many demands on us in our daily lives.  It is easy to sink in to chaos and to feel overstretched, mentally thin and struggling.  This is the way of evil and darkness, the more it can distract you, the less time you will spend with God, reading God’s Word and in prayer.  Don’t lose sight of your faith journey in your every day life.  God is present and working in your life everyday.  He is not a God who just stops by and checks in at Christmas, Easter and on Sunday’s or Wednesday nights.  Just because we may not be paying attention to Him doesn’t mean He is not right there with us.  The whole reason I started this blog in the summer of 2013 and it’s title are based on a foundation that faith and our faith journey continues everyday, all the time.  Distractions will continue to fight to keep you away from God, don’t let them deter you and your relationship with Jesus Christ.  Amen.

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“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Romans 12:11-12

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

Faithfulness

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Devoted…loyal…dependable…reliable…committed.  Faithfulness is another one of the Fruits of the Spirit.  To be faithful means there is a willingness to set aside ourselves as top priority, and put our focus on something greater.  Faithfulness may not be filled with excitement and adventure rather it is about being consistent and supportive in our values and beliefs.  Being faithful may not always fulfill all of our wants and desires, however, when faithfulness is given and received it does fulfill some of our greatest needs.  May we all take time to reflect on our relationships and give thanks to those who have been faithful to us and seek where we can serve others faithfully.  Amen.

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“…The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.”

Psalm 145:13

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on the south shore of Lake Superior near Ashland, Wisconsin)

Joyful, Patient, Faithful

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Happy Friday…you know when you are having one of those times when it feels like something is going wrong with everything?  When you are able to take a step back and review you often find the one common thing is your perspective…I know, I know not what you wanted to read.  When things seem to pile up like this I have learned to immediately turn to prayer…stop what ever you are doing and ask God to intervene, to guide you and to cleanse your perspective.  Maybe it’s time for a new approach to something, to look at it differently or just to open your mind to new possibilities to old issues.  Whatever it is we don’t have to do it alone.  May God be with you and provide you comfort.

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“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Romans 12:12

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

Give Good Fruit

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Our lives are filled with choices and decisions.  We are the ones responsible for the attitudes and behaviors we present to the world.  We are blessed with the redeeming blood of Christ.  We have been forgiven for our sins.  Let’s go out and give good fruit.  No matter what your circumstances or your place in life today you can give the good fruit we receive from the Holy Spirit.  It doesn’t take money and it doesn’t take a certain level of influence in society.  The Fruit of the Spirit is all about making the choice to behave as we have been instructed to.  We should not expect the world to always be kind and generous to us as it is broken, however, we know that no matter what, God is with us and He is holding us.  May we share the blessings the Lord has given to us with others.

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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 March of 2018 while traveling through southern New Mexico)