…there is hope, so don’t give up. Anything is possible when we put our trust in God, anything. Amen.
“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans.”
Proverbs 16:3
“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:13
(This photo was taken in June of 2020 at a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)
“The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.”
Psalm 103:8
“He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.”
Jonah 4:2
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”
Ephesians 2:4-5
(This photo was taken in October of 2018 near Winterset, Iowa)
“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
Joshua 1:7-8
“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 June of 2013 near Garden of the Gods Park in southern Colorado)
“But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”[a] that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 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 10:8-10
“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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
John 3:16-18
(This photo was taken in March of 2018 while traveling in southern New Mexico)
The Book of Proverbs is full of good stuff…advice that is straight to the point, understandable and most of them are less than 140 characters…
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”
Proverbs 9:10
“The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.”
Proverbs 18:10
“Plans fail for lack of counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.”
Proverbs 15:22
“Listen to advice and accept discipline,
and at the end you will be counted among the wise.
21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
Proverbs 19:20-21
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.”[a]
Proverbs 3:5-6
(This photo was taken in July of 2019 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)
“Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
Psalms 37:3-4
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans.”
Proverbs 16:3
(This photo was taken in April of 2020 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)
When wondering about prayer, Jesus set the example for us. He not only gave us the words of the Lord’s prayer…He lived it in His actions and behaviors. Prayer works…true, sincere, honest and from the heart prayer works. It is not about granting you what you want, when you want it. It is about your relationship with God. If you struggle with prayer…think about when a child is learning to talk…they don’t use the right words the right way when they first speak, yet it gets better over time. They also do not get everything they ask for but the communication is still very important for their relationships. Dedicate time to prayer every day. Amen.
“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
Luke 5:16
“One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.”
Luke 6:12
“Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
(This photo was taken in June of 2016 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)
“God again set a certain day, calling it “Today.” This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts.”[a]
Hebrews 4:7
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”
Hebrews 4:12-13
(This photo was taken in April of 2016 at a lake in central Minnesota)
“…but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
1 Corinthians 1:23-24
“Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
2 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.”
Isaiah 53:1-5
“Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. 32 “A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:31-33
(This photo was taken in July of 2015 at a lake in central Minnesota)
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his[a];
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”
Psalm 100:1-3
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
Psalm 100:4-5
(This photo was taken in June of 2018 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)
Take Your Faith With You 