God’s Word

Rest…Trust…Refuge

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“Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
    my hope comes from him.
6 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7 My salvation and my honor depend on God[c];
    he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8 Trust in him at all times, you people;
    pour out your hearts to him,
    for God is our refuge.”

Psalm 62:5-8 NIV

Rest with the Lord.  Put your trust in the Lord.  Find your hope in Him.  He is our refuge, He is the source of our strength and with Him we will know peace.  Do your part…do your best…and leave the rest up to God. Amen.

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“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

Philippians 4:4-9 NIV

(This photo was taken in June of 2021 at The Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cementary)

Strength Comes From God

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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Moms!  Whenever you feel run down, overwhelmed or weak and weary…turn towards the Lord in prayer and seek Him.  Rest in Him.  The best any Mom or any other person can do in this life put their trust in the Lord and build a life that is centered around a relationship with Jesus Christ.  Our strength comes from God.  Amen.

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“Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.”

Isaiah 40:28-31 NIV

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

Walking In The Light

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“The Lord is my light and my salvation—
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid?”

Psalm 27:1 NIV

Walking in the Light is walking with God, this means taking action…we have several examples in the bible of actions that indicate people are walking with God.  The Good Samaritan story in Luke 10 is the great example that faith is more than reading and learning about God.  While that is a critical step for building a foundation of faith, eventually our living it out in who we are and what we do is the next step in our faith journey.  Read, learn and be transformed…then begin to walk in the Light with God in your daily life.  Amen.

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“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[a] sin.”

1 John 1:5-7 NIV

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming)

Unconditional Love

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“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Ephesians 3:16-19 NIV

Love without limitations or conditions.  Love that is faithful, love that only grows greater, love that is loyal and never changes based on events or circumstances.  One of the best examples of unconditional love in this world is the love of a dog.  Last month we had to say goodbye to our family dog, Lilly.  She was 11 years old and exemplfied unconditional love daily.  No matter where I went or what I was doing there was Lilly by my side…working in my office, Lilly laying down on the floor next to me…sitting and reading in my chair, Lilly in the room with me…outside in the yard, Lilly out there with me…even if I went to sneek in a nap, Lilly would eventually pop up on the bed.  She was the first to greet me every morning and the last to say goodnight.  She would get me up to go for walks with her irresistable joy and excitement…we loved her and she gave us her heart and her whole self with love, unconditionally.  People would do well to learn from dogs on what true unconditional love looks like.

There is one person who is the best of example any of us will ever find of unconditional love…Jesus Christ.  He came to this world to save you…He is with you and He will never leave you…believe in Him, give Him your heart because He has already offered His heart to you…why?  Because He loves you, unconditionally.

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 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV

(This photo was taken in April of 2023 of our dog Lilly the day before she passed away)

An Encounter With God

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“The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Exodus 33:14 NIV

Where and when do you encounter God?  How do you respond when God calls to you?  God promises His presence…He is with you and He is for you.  What happens next is up to you…

I Can Only Imagine by MercyMe

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“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.“

Revelation 3:20 NIV

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 near Pike’s Peak in Colorado)

Gratitude

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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

There is no one who loves you more than God…He sacrificed His Son in order to give you a way to be with Him.  He is near, He is working out His way in your life.  Surrender your ways and give thanks to Lord for all that He has done and is doing in your life.  He is faithful and His love endures forever.  Amen.

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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 in June of 2018 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Be Still…Trust In The Lord

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“Be still before the Lord
    and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    when they carry out their wicked schemes.”

Psalm 37:7 NIV

Don’t focus your time and attention on what others are doing, comparing yourself to worldly ways.  Focus on God and His Word.  Reflect and remember what He has done.  He says you are valued; you are important, and you are loved…no matter what others think, say or do.  Your worth is not defined by others…it is defined by your Creator and Savior…God says you are so important that He sent His Son Jesus to suffer and die in order to reconcile you with God.  Trust in the Lord, not in the world.  Amen.

Be Still And Know by Amy Grant

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“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 NIV

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 near Dillon, Colorado)

Wisdom

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“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
    but fools[a] despise wisdom and instruction.”

Proverbs 1:7 NIV

If you want to start reading the Bible but are unsure where to begin…try starting with Proverbs.  Guess how many chapters God has in Proverbs…the answer is 31, you can read one chapter a day and you would complete the Book of Proverbs in one month.  Not only that you will be reading the words of one of the wisest people that ever lived.  There is so much good to learn in Proverbs, it will help you in your daily life and grow your relationship with God.  God’s Word is a gift to us…pick it up and read and you will find wisdom from above.  Amen.

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“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14 But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”

James 3:13-18 NIV

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington)

Commitment

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“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.”

Psalm 32:8 NIV

Commitment is hard when things are difficult, when it feels like at every turn we try and failure is right there to greet us.  When we commit to something we naturally put some level of our own expectations of how things should go or what we believe should be the outcome.  Here is the issue with this approach…we are setting “our expectations” on the result with little regard for God’s will and God’s plan.  Following our faith and trust in the Lord means we can be free from the limited results our own minds can generate and be open to new possibilities.  For me this is hard to grasp and at times very difficult to embrace…even Jesus struggled in the last moments of His commitment to save us right before He was arrested and He prayed to His Father…“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”  – Luke 22:42  Bring your commitments to the Lord in prayer and seek His will.  Listen for Him and for the Holy Spirit to guide you…find your quiet place and quiet time and rest in Him.  May the peace and joy of the Lord be with you.  Amen.

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“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.  Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.”

Psalm 143:8 NIV

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 near Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado)

Walking With God

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“Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.”

Isaiah 40:28-31

When we are in step with God and His plan we will not feel weary, we will not feel weak.  Weariness is a warning sign that something we are doing or are spending time on is not part of God’s will for us.  When we are walking with Him there is no weariness or exhausted feelings as He provides energy and strength that we never knew existed.  Take time to assess where and how you are spending your time and pray to God to guide you to His will.  Amen.

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“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 NIV

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 while traveling in southern New Mexico)