Jesus Saves

Gratitude For Jesus

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“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

“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

Gratitude by Brandon Lake

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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 a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Troubles Can Be Overwhelming

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When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 8:12 NIV

Our thoughts are often the driver of our hearts and our actions

The more we think about and focus on something, the more likely it will lead us to doing something

The problem is the amount of inputs and sensory overload we are getting from darkness and evil tend to keep us dwelling on our sins and the sinful nature within us

It truly is a struggle and can be all consuming

The only source of Light is Jesus Christ

The only way to get help in removing our blinders to goodness and good things is God’s Word

Faith will not make the evil and darkness disappear, rather it provides the tools and the resources we need to get through difficult times and promote the Fruit of the Spirit

Faith helps us shine the Light of Christ for us and others to see in this dark world

Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ our Light of the World

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“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Romans 12:21 NIV

(This photo was taken on Lake Superior near the Apostle Islands)

Greater Is He

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“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

1 John 4:4 NIV

Make it a priority in your life to spend time with Jesus Christ your Savior and Lord

He has conquered all things

Nothing you are facing or will face in your life is greater then Him

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“He must become greater; I must become less.”

John 3:30 NIV

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

Jesus

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“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

John 3:17 NIV

We are saved because of Him

We are forgiven

We can find joy, peace and contentment in life because of Him

Even when we have turned away from God, maybe for a long period of time because we are frustrated or mad or we have been overcome with doubt and fear

He calls to us, He cares for us and He is The Way back to a relationship with God

The things of this world will come and go…time, money, people and friendships

The one constant for us, the one thing we know we can rely upon no matter what is happening or where we are in life…we can always rely on the love of Jesus Christ

Give Me Jesus by Jeremy Camp

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“…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

John 10:10 NIV

(This photo was taken while hiking on the North Shore of Lake Superior)

Greater Is The One Who Is In You

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“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

1 John 4:4 NIV

Make it a priority in your life to spend time with Jesus Christ your Savior and Lord

He has conquered all things and nothing you are facing or will face in your life is greater then Him and His saving grace

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“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

John 10:10 NIV

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

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)

By His Wounds We Are Healed

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“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”

1 Peter 2:24 NIV

Our sins leave a mark on us

Some sins mark our hearts and our minds

Some sins leave a mark on our bodies and some sins leave long lasting wounds that we try to bury deep within us

These wounds occur because we chase after sinful desires that hurt us and may hurt others

The Good News is the healing power of Jesus

Jesus took the punishment for our sins…He sacrificed Himself for us because He loves us and He knows we are not capable of saving ourselves

Jesus Christ suffered, was crucified and died for us and it is by His wounds we are healed

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“But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.”

Isaiah 53:5 NIV

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

The Gift Of Grace

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“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 NIV

“But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.”

Isaiah 53:5 NIV

It is because of God’s grace that the battle has already been won…we are forgiven…we are healed…we are saved by Grace

Nothing can separate us from Him who loves us

Praise Him for Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace by Chris Tomlin

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“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV

(This photo was taken in Rocky Mountian National Park)

Life Through Christ

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“God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!”

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

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“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Colossians 3:1-2 NIV

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

We Believe

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“…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:9 NIV

Today is Saturday…the day after the crucifixion and the day before the resurrection

Imagine how the disciples felt on Saturday

A struggle with doubt and fear, and feeling alone?

How often have you lived a day like this?

It is times like this that we are left with the question

What do you believe?

Does death and darkness prevail or is He who He said He is?

Our hope and our salvation depend on how we answer this question

For me the answer is in the lyrics of a song…We Believe by The Newsboys

We Believe by The Newsboys

In this time of desperation
When all we know is doubt and fear
There is only one foundation
We believe, we believe
In this broken generation
When all is dark, You help us see
There is only one salvation
We believe, we believeWe believe in God the Father
We believe in Jesus Christ
We believe in the Holy Spirit
And He’s given us new life
We believe in the crucifixion
We believe that He conquered death
We believe in the resurrection
And He’s comin’ back again, we believe

So, let our faith be more than anthems
Greater than the songs we sing
And in our weakness and temptations
We believe, we believe!

We believe in God the Father!
We believe in Jesus Christ!
We believe in the Holy Spirit!
And He’s given us new life!
We believe in the crucifixion!
We believe that He conquered death!
We believe in the resurrection!
And He’s comin’ back again!

Let the lost be found and the dead be raised!
In the here and now, let love invade!
Let the church live loud, our God we’ll say
We believe, we believe!
And the gates of hell will not prevail!
For the power of God, has torn the veil!
Now we know Your love will never fail!
We believe, we believe!

We believe in God the Father
We believe in Jesus Christ
We believe in the Holy Spirit
And He’s given us new life!
We believe in the crucifixion!
We believe that He conquered death!
We believe in the resurrection!
And He’s comin’ back,
He’s comin’ back again!
He’s comin’ back again!
We believe!
We believe

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“Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life.  He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”

John 6:35 NIV

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