“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Matthew 7:7-8
“Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”
John 16:24
(This photo was taken in July of 2019 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
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 July of 2016 while traveling through North Dakota)
“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 Pike’s Peak in southern Colorado)
The bible does not say, if you follow Jesus, your life will be easy and worry free. One of the most difficult elements of faith is commitment…no matter what is happening, no matter where we are, no matter how difficult life can become…we must remain committed to Jesus Christ and our faith. The Good News is we don’t have to do any of this alone…
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Deuteronomy 31:8
“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
Jesus Christ knows what it is like to suffer in this world…He has carried His Cross and because He did, we are saved. We cannot choose the things that will happen to us…yet we are 100% responsible for how we choose to respond. Follow the example of Jesus our Savior…carry your cross. Amen.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20
(This photo was taken in August of 2016 near Arches National Park in Utah)
“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)
If you are looking for peace in your life turn towards the One who brings peace to all who follow Him…Jesus Christ. Amen.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
John 14:27
“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.”
Isaiah 9:6
(This photo was taken in April of 2020 at a laek near Plymouth, Minnesota)
“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”
John 15:4
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
John 15:5-8
(This photo was taken in February of 2013 in a neighborhood 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
“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
(This photo was taken in September of 2020 at sunrise by a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
1 Peter 1:3-9
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
John 8:36
(This photo was taken in March of 2018 while traveling in southern New Mexico)
God’s story and God’s plan is greater than our self-oriented desires…we are a part of His story, not the other way around. We all have been given certain gifts to use while we are here…our job is to recognize the gifts we have been given and to use them to help others. We are to do our part to Prepare the Way for the coming of the Lord when He returns. Amen.
“…as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”[a]—
3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”[b]
Mark 1:2-3
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”
John 3:36
(This photo was taken in October 0f 2014 at sunrise on the island of Maui, Hawaii)
Take Your Faith With You 