“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 10:10 NIV
“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 NIV
(This photo was taken at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV
We can’t earn it
We don’t deserve it and yet God offers it to us anyway
God is Holy and God is love
Because He is Holy our sin separates us from Him
He demonstrated His love when He sent His one and only Son to take the punishment we deserve so that we can be reconciled with Him
Choose to believe…confess your sins
Give thanks to God for His amazing grace
“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Hebrews 4:16 NIV
(This photo was taken at sunrise by a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)
Love God
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Love him with all your strength.”
Deuteronomy 6:5 NIRV
Love God and Love Others
“He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]””
Luke 10:27 NIV
Share The Good News
“So you must go and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And you can be sure that I am always with you, to the very end.”
Matthew 28:19-20 NIRV
Love God…Love Other People…Share the Gospel
(This photo was taken on the shore of Lake Superior near Ashland, Wisconsin)
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
Galatians 6:9 NIV
“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
– John Wesley
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
2 Corinthians 9:6-7 NIV
(This photo was taken while traveling through North Dakota)
“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.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
Father God, when I am anxious and afraid, I will put my trust in You
I will rely on You no matter what comes my way because You are my source of strength and safety
You guide me and You fight for me
When I draw near to You, I have nothing to fear, because I know that You are in control
I know You will never leave me or abandon me and so I put my trust in You
In Jesus name, Amen
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
8 They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”
Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV
(This photo was taken on a trail in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado)
“Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”
Ephesians 6:13-18 NIV
We are caught in the spiritual battle every day
Jesus Christ has won the war and defeated death and evil
Yet darkness is still working to keep us away from God
Be aware the battle continues because of sin
And we know that God will work all things for our good and His glory
“Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”
Hebrews 2:18 NIV
(This photo was taken near Arches National Park in Utah)
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 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. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”
1 John 4:7-12 NIV
Jesus came down from heaven and sacrificed Himself on the Cross
He did it for you…He did it because He loves you and wants a relationship with you!
Give thanks to Him, chose to love God and love others
This is what God wants us to do.
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
Colossians 3:12-14 NIV
(This photo was taken at the Nakalele Blowhole on the island of Maui, Hawaii)
“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
Ephesians 4:1-6 NIV
Even when we feel surrounded by darkness and evil
We can find hope when we turn towards God, His Word and His Son
We can find hope when we remember that after the brutal and tragic death of Jesus
God raised Him to life
We can have hope because of what God has done and is doing in our lives
It is up to us to seek Him
“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
(This photo was taken while traveling in southern New Mexico)
“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”[a] made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 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.”
2 Corinthians 4:6-9 NIV
Father God, You call us to always be faithful and obedient, especially during difficult times
Thank You for providing Your Word as a guide for us
Remind us that no matter what our struggle is, You are near and will renew our strength and provide us endurance to persevere
In Jesus name, Amen
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your[a] life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
Colossians 3:1-4 NIV
(This photo was taken on the shore of Lake Superior near Ashland, Wisconsin)
“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”[a]
1 Corinthians 1:26-31 NIV
Nothing we encounter in this world is greater than God
Do not be deceived by the wisdom the of the world
Seek God’s wisdom
Read His Word and learn about life from His perspective
He is our Creator
He is our Savior
“For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.”
1 Corinthians 1:25 NIV
(This photo was taken in Glacier National Park in Montana)
Take Your Faith With You 