God’s love

With God…

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“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Matthew 19:26 NIV

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
    and he will establish your plans.”

Proverbs 16:3 NIV

All things are possible with God

There is hope, because of Jesus Christ, so don’t give up

Anything is possible…any change in us, any change in others, any healing of sickness, restoration of a relationship…anything

All things are possible when we put our trust in God

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“I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:13 NIV

(This photo was taken at a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

Humility In Relationships

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“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

Romans 12:17-18 NIV

Father God, You invite us into a peaceful relationship with You where we can be fully known and loved

You also invite us to pursue peace with others around us

Please help each one of us to appraoch our relationships with humility, grace and wisdom

Grant us knowledge to recognize when we should speak and when we should listen as we pursue peace

In Jesus name, Amen

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“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

Philippians 2:1-4 NIV

(This photo was taken at the High Falls in Tettegouche State Park in northern Minnesota)

A Psalm And A Song For Giving Thanks

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“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 NIV

A spirit of gratitude is transforming for our perspective

Instead of worrying about what we don’t have, we can be thankful for what we have received

Rather than having anxiety about what might happen, we can be grateful that God is in control

Instead of dwelling in guilt and shame about our sins we can give thanks for Jesus Christ and that He has taken our punishment so that we can be redeemed and reconciled with God

Give thanks to the Lord

Thank You Isn’t Enough by Tasha Layton & The Choir Room

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“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 NIV

(This photo was taken at Sapphire Point near Dillon, Colorado)

His Sacrifice For You

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“But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.”

Isaiah 53:5-6 NLT

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8 NIV

He came down from heaven and was born as a baby

He lived and taught…He was beaten, spit on and made to carry the Cross He would die on

He comitted no sin and took the punishment for all of our sins

He suffered, He was crucified, died and was buried and He did it all for you

Then God raised Him from the dead and He is alive

Thanks be to God for the sacrifice Jesus made for you and me so that we can be reconciled to God

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“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 NIV

(This photo was taken at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Believe

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“The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

2 Timothy 4:18 NIV

Believe in the power of God

He is our Creator

He is our Savior

He will guide us with the Holy Spirit

God can and will rescue you

Don’t give up hope…don’t keep doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result

Believe in God’s saving grace, believe in God’s love for you

Trust in the Lord and believe

Rescue by Lauren Daigle

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“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

Psalm 91:14-16 NIV

(This photo was taken along Beartooth Pass near the Montana and Wyoming border)

Be Still…

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“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”“

Psalm 46:10 NIV

Take time to be still with God’s Word

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“Be still before the Lord
    and wait patiently for him…”

Psalm 37:7 NIV

(This photo was taken in a neighborhood near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Surrender

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“And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

Luke 9:23-24 NIV

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 2:20 NIV

His way is better than our ways

He is the Creator of all things and all people

He knows what you are going through and He cares for you

Turn towards God and trust in Him

I Give You My Heart – Hillsong Worship & Delirious?

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“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.“

Romans 12:1-2 NIV

(This photo was taken at the High Falls in Tettegouche State Park in northern Minnesota)

Walking With God

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“Your word is a lamp for my feet,
    a light on my path.”

Psalm 119:105 NIV

Faith is a journey

It begins with belief, confession and prayer

It grows as we read the Scriptures, as we spend time in devotions, as we engage in our communities and serve others

It transforms us with a new attitude centered on God and His will for us

Trust in God, spend time on your relationship with Jesus Christ and pray about everything, every day

God is with you, He is for you

It is up to you to seek Him and choose to walk with God

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“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly[a] with your God.”

Micah 6:8 NIV

(This photo was taken in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming)

The Greatest Story Ever Told…

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“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.”

John 1:1-5 NIV

“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

From Genesis to Revelation the over-arching theme of the Bible is God’s love through Jesus

This love does not guarantee that life will be easy and always pleasant…yet it is a love that never changes

This love comes to us directly in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ

You are part of this story…God chose you

Open your heart and mind to Jesus, invite Him into every part of your life

As you learn this story, help tell others about it

It is the greatest story ever told

End Of The Beginning by David Phelps

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“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.”

John 3:16-17 NIV

(This photo was taken at a lake in central Minnesota)

The Goodness Of God

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“The Lord is good to all;
    he has compassion on all he has made.”

Psalm 145:9 NIV

“The Lord is good,
    a refuge in times of trouble.
He cares for those who trust in him,”

Nahum 1:7 NIV

“Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

Psalm 34:8 NIV

Goodness Of God by Jenn Johnson

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“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.”

Psalm 107:1 NIV

(This photo was taken at sunrise along the North Shore of Lake Superior)