God’s Word

Courage

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A life if faith is not easy and we were never promised it would be…in fact the bible is clear that we all will face troubles in this world.  Everyone is facing a battle of some kind and it takes courage to stand in faith and live with God at the center of your life.  God knows our difficulties and struggles and Jesus lived as a man on earth for over 30 years and knows all too well the ways of the fallen world.  Turn towards Jesus Christ, trust in Him to guide your life and stand firm on the foundation of your faith.  Amen.

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“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.  Do everything in love.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)

Character

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Living life by faith is about who we are more than what we do.  Our behaviors, how we treat others and our interactions with others say more about us than our job or career path.  The world honors worldly things like wealth, awards, job titles and other self-oriented pursuits…these things are not considered to be wrong or bad…the issue is these things have become more important than God.  When self-satisfaction is more important than our relationship with God, we are going off course…to be clear we are all guilty of this sin, it is human nature in a fallen world.  The first step in repentance is awareness of the behavior and the next step is confessing to God and seeking to turn away from our sins, with God’s help.  As humans we all suffer from the same types of trouble…how we choose to respond is up to us.  May the peace of the Lord be with you. Amen.

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“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”

Romans 5:3-5

(This photo was taken in October of 2018 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Simple Yet Not Easy

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The facts of faith are straightforward, written down in God’s word for all of us.  In the Gospels there is a story of the calling of Levi…in Mark 2 starting at verse 13 and in Luke 5 starting at verse 27.  It is short and straight to the point, Jesus says two words, “Follow me” and Levi gets up and follows Him, leaving everything behind.  It immediately has us asking for more information about the situation, ‘how is this possible?’, ‘they must have known each other before that moment.’  Yet no additional information is provided.  Jesus extends the invitation as He does to all of us…“Follow me”…the response to His words is up to each one of us, every day.  Do your best and let God take care of the rest.  Amen.

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“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.  What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?”

Luke 9:23-25

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)

Pray

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When you don’t know what else to do…when you are grateful for what you have been given…when things are going well…when things are not going well…pray.  God wants a relationship with us, through every part of life…the good, the difficult, the peaceful times as much as the stressful times.  The best relationships are built on communication with one another.  Turn towards God in prayer…open up your heart and trust in Him…He loves you; He cares for you and He is waiting to hear from you.  Amen.

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“pray continually…”

1 Thessalonians 5:17

(This photo was taken in August of 2012 on hike along the North Shore of Lake Superior)

With God…

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What are you facing today?  What burdens and worries are you carrying in your life?  It is easy for us to get caught up in the problems and the struggles, we also tend to think that others aren’t suffering as we are…friends, the world is a broken place, the whole world and everyone in it is fighting some type of battle.  Just because we haven’t seen it or it hasn’t been shared with us or we haven’t read about it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.  If we try to go it alone and depend on our own will power…we will continue to fail.  With God, we can get through anything…it won’t be easier and the problem won’t magically go away…rather when we believe and we trust in God we will be filled with encouragement and courage.  When we read God’s word a sense of comfort and peace will calm our worries and we can replace our fears with faith.  You will be amazed at what can happen when you walk with God.  Amen.

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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

(This photo was taken in June of 2012 on a walk in northwestern Wisconsin)

Faith

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Trust…belief…confidence.  Faith is not about the quantity of it that you have…it is more focused on do you have it or not?  We sometimes think, ‘if I just had more faith’ or ‘if I just prayed the right way,’ things would have gone the way I wanted them to…as if we are somehow in control of the outcomes in life.  God, our Creator and Father of all, gave us the gift of free will to choose how we will live and what we will believe…He loves us and wants a personal relationship with each one of us.  The facts of faith are in the bible and the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are events that happened here on earth…so as you think about your life, your relationships and your circumstances ask yourself…’what do I believe?’  As for me, my response is the words of the Apostles Creed.  May the peace of the Lord be with you.  Amen.

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“Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.  If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Matthew 21:21-22

(This photo was taken in July of 2019 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Be Transformed

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To change…modify…reshape…rebuild…reconstruct…renew.  A transformation is the creation of a new way, a new way of thinking, a new approach.  For something or someone to be transformed the old ways and old thoughts must be broken down so that the new way can be created.  Transformation is personal and it is not easy…we should be careful that we do not assume that one person’s transformation will be the same as another person.  The greatest power we have in the transformation process is prayer.  Take time to be with God in prayer and be transformed.  Amen.

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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.  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

(This photo was taken in October of 2018  at a park near Winterset, Iowa)

Our Source For Light

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When we admit we are broken and sinful and turn to Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord we will begin to learn about the Light of the world.  The world is filled with darkness and sin.  The thoughts, words and actions of worldly values is centered on the self and a selfish attitude.  A life centered on Christ can be a Light in the world when we are willing to surrender our plans for God’s plan.  The one true source of Light is God through His Son, Jesus Christ.  Trust in Him and you will have joy and peace.  Amen.

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“For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” 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.”

2 Corinthians 4:6

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on Lake Superior near the Apostle Islands)

 

Amazing Love

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Nothing compares to God’s love.  His love overcomes all things.  We are saved by the sacrifice Jesus Christ made at the cross.  God is love and His love is never-ending.  Amen.

You Are My King (Amazing Love) by The Newsboys

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“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.  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

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 near Arches National Park in Utah)

He Is Worthy

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Hello and welcome to another day to worship and sing praise to God.  As we travel on the journey of faith, we will encounter questions and doubts along the way…that is natural and it is ok.  We need to remember that the one simple truth of faith is that Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself to save us and reconcile us to God because He loves us.  His love for us will conquer every battle in our lives.  He is worthy of our thanks and praise.  Thank you God, for your Son Jesus Christ…Amen.

Is He Worthy? by Chris Tomlin

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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.  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

(This photo was taken in July of 2019 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)