Holy Living

Daily Living By Faith

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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

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 14 Do everything in love.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

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“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.”

Romans 12:9-13

(This photo was taken in May of 2020 during sunrise along the North Shore of Lake Superior)

Holy Living

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It is simple yet very different from worldly values.  It is about living a balanced life with Christ at the center.  It is not about judgement or comparing oneself to others…it is about the Fruits of the Spirit shining through your thoughts, words and actions because in your heart you truly believe, you have confessed your sins and have an on-going personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  It is not perfect and we never will be…it means you will still face difficulties and suffering in life but you will be better prepared to go through them with God as your guide.  It is the only way to find true peace.  Amen.

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“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Colossians 3:15-17

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

A Different Way Of Living

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Because God has given us free will, we can choose how we want to live.  It is not up to others, no matter how much we tend to blame them, we are responsible for how we respond to everything in our lives each and every day.  In the bible, John the Baptist is an excellent example of the characteristics of holy living.  You can read more about him in the Gospel of John.  John the Baptist makes a statement that truly shows his humility, in referring to Jesus he states…“He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30) We can’t control what others will think, say or do, yet we do control how we choose to respond.  Choose a different way of living, choose to follow Jesus Christ.  Amen.

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“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

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

Holy Living

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As we learn about Jesus and we read God’s Word, we find that the life God wants for us is not all about money…that message comes from sin and the world, that message is about selfishness.  To live a holy life doesn’t cost money, it is about who you are and how you treat others.  If you spend all your time comparing yourself to others and worried about what you don’t have you are setting yourself up to be miserable.  Trust God, listen to the words of Jesus and live as God’s Word has taught us to live.  May the peace of the Lord be with you.  Amen.

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“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Colossians 3:12-14

(This photo was taken in October of 2018 while on a walk in northwestern Wisconsin)

Enjoy Every Moment

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Our hours and days and weeks and months and years are filled with interactions and events…we have little victories and defeats every day.  Every once in a while, a bigger event shows up in our lives.  Most of the time, we always knew it was there and many things we have been doing have been working towards this bigger event…when the bigger moments are happening be sure to soak it all in.  Being thankful, showing gratitude to others and being present in the moment is far more important than worrying about what others are thinking, saying or doing or about the perfect photo and other distractions.  Some moments are only going to happen once in your life be sure to be present when they occur.  May God’s peace be with you. Amen.

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“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Matthew 6:33-34

(This photo was taken this morning as these two ran down the street in our neighborhood while I was writing to you)

Return To Sender

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It is true…we will get exactly what we give in this life.  If we choose to stomp around with anger, deceit and selfish motivations, always screaming and yelling about our rights…there is no reason to expect others to treat us any differently.  Take a moment to reflect on any recent interaction you have had that didn’t go well from your perspective.  Who was first to start the interaction?  You or the other person and what was the tone and demeanor of the first person to act?  If things started from a place of anger and tension then I would guess it continued and escalated or even if it started out just fine something must have happened that turned it into something unpleasant.  We are wired to react and respond and if someone doesn’t stop the reaction response mentality things get to the point where people get hurt or killed.  There must be a better way…The Good News is just that…a better way.  We can choose to be different, we can be kind and compassionate with patience if we are willing to turn towards Jesus Christ and invite Him into our hearts and minds and we read the Word of God to learn about this Way every day.  Amen.

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“The one who sows to please the sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

Galatians 6:8

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

Holy Living

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It is a choice we face every day…what is the way we are going to choose to live this day?  Others are going to do, say and think things and we do not control that.  Our response is up to us and nobody else.  The sinful nature is going to push hard for selfishness and putting the self before others, do we have the foundation of faith to be able to put on the full armor of God?  To learn more about the armor of God grab your Bible and look to  Ephesians chapter 6.  The truth in everything begins at The Cross…start there and see what happens next.  May the mercy and grace of God wash over us this day.  Amen.

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“You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.  But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these:  anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.  Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”

Colossians 3:7-10

(This photo was taken in December of 2018 on walk in northwestern Wisconsin)

Holy Living

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The people in our daily lives, the family and friends we interact with everyday, these are the people on earth who should know the most about us.  How we treat each other, whether or not we trust each other, these are the cornerstones of our relationships.  It is too easy to take others for granted or think they will always be there because for such a long time they have always been there.  Yet things will happen in this broken and sinful world or time and age itself will catch up with every single person, and one day you may get a phone call that will change everything in an instant…they are gone.  None us really knows what is in-store for us each day, only God knows.  He doesn’t make the bad things happen, the sins of the human race has done that…however, He will bring comfort, He will bring courage and He will bring His presence to strengthen us.  Let’s strive to not take people and relationships for granted, each day.  I pray we attempt to live our best and present others with the light and love of Christ that we have so graciously received.  Amen.

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“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Colossians 3:12-14

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on the shore of Lake Superior in Ashland, Wisconsin)

Living Water

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How are we going to get through this?  Now what?  I don’t know what to do?  Why is this happening?  The answers to these and many other questions is Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.  The true source of all that makes life good is your relationship with Jesus.  Like any relationship we must invest time in meeting with Him, we must be willing to listen to Him, we should do our best to help support what is important to Him and be willing to introduce Him to others.  He supplies the living water of life.  The first step to staying connected or re-connecting with Christ is spending time reading the Word of God.  May God’s mercy and grace be with you.

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“Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

John 4:13-14

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

Holy Living

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To know Him and to make Him known.  Love…Joy…Peace…Patience…Kindness…Goodness…Faithfulness…Gentleness…Self-Control.  These are all ways we can live a holy life.  We do not need to pound on people with bible verses as if they are the law.  God gave everyone free will, each person will either turn towards God or turn away from God by how they choose to live.  The attitude and behaviors they exhibit in everyday life.  I usually try to pick one of the nine fruits of the Spirit and make myself more aware of how am I practicing patience or how am I showing faithfulness and one of the hard ones for me…how am I doing with self-control.  The more we spend time with Jesus and the Word of God the better we get at holy living and the more prepared we become to share the Good News.  May you find joy and comfort in your faith.

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“Therefore, as God’s chosen people holy and dearly loved, cloth yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Colossians 3:12-13

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