“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:13 NIV
“I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.”
Job 19:25 NIV
(This photo was taken in July of 2016 on Beartooth Pass in Wyoming)
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8 NIV
God’s grace is greater than all of our sins. We know we are weak and we live in a fallen world…God knows us too. He knew we needed a way of salvation and He provided it through Jesus Christ. When temptation comes we need to turn towards God and His Word to strengthen us, the same way Jesus spoke the Scriptures when Satan tempted Him in the desert. When you do make a mistake or fail to resist temptation…remember this phrase, But God,… call on Him because His Grace is greater than our sin. Amen.
“God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV
(This photo was taken in September of 2022 at Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming)
“For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.”
Romans 5:19 NIV
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8 NIV
“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
1 John 4:9-10 NIV
(This photo was taken in April of 2020 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)
“Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.”
Psalm 51:1-2 NIV
“Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
Psalm 51:10-12 NIV
(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington)
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:8-9 NIV
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Matthew 6:14-15 NIV
Forgiveness is not saying the pain or the wrong done to us is ok…it is acknowledging that we have been hurt and that we are not going to allow bitterness and anger continue to impact us in the future. To learn about forgiveness seek wisdom in God’s Word…read or listen to the story of Joseph in the Book of Genesis, chapters 37-50. See how even when people intend to harm you, God can use it for good.
“Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.”
Isaiah 53:4-6 NIV
(This photo was taken in June of 2016 in a neighborhood near Plymouth, Minnesota)
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
34 No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”
Jeremiah 31:33-34 NIV
King of Kings by Hillsong Worship
19 “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.[a]“
Luke 22:19-20 NIV
(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)
“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
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:45 NIV
“He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by mankind,
a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.”
Isaiah 53:2-6 NIV
(This photo was taken in July of 2012 on a walk near Plymouth, Minnesota)
“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 ESV
“But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats[b]; do not be frightened.”[c] 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…”
1 Peter 3:14-15 NIV
“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Ephesians 4:1-3 ESV
(This photo was taken in May of 2020 at a park in northern Minnesota)
“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
1 John 4:4 NIV
“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.”
Isaiah 9:6-7 NIV
No matter what you are facing, no matter what the circumstances are, no matter how bad the tragedy or trauma that has occurred…God is bigger than that…God is greater than anything you will encounter in this life. Believe it and put your faith, your hope and your trust in Jesus Christ.
“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.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.”
Lamentations 3:22-26 NIV
(This photo was taken in September of 2022 in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming)
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8 NIV
God’s grace is greater than all of our sins. We know we are weak and we live in a fallen world…God knows us too. He knew we needed a way of salvation and He provided it through Jesus Christ. When temptation comes we need to turn towards God and His Word to strengthen us, the same way Jesus spoke the Scriptures when Satan tempted Him in the desert. When you do make a mistake or fail to resist temptation call on God because His Grace is greater than our sin. Amen.
“God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV
(This photo was taken in September of 2022 at Jenny lake in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming)
Take Your Faith With You 