“Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”
Psalm 34:8
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.”
Psalm 107:1
(This photo was taken in June of 2016 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)
Seek wisdom from God not the world. Learn from mistakes. Trust God’s way more than your own ideas of what “should be”…even when you don’t understand. It takes courage, it takes patience and a willingness to not give up. God is faithful and as so many stories in the bible tell us…we are to live by faith. Read Hebrews 11 for a review of how people in the bible lived by faith. Be thankful today for our Father in heaven who loves us more than anyone else ever could. Amen.
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:1
“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.”
John 3:16
(This photo was taken in June of 2020 at sunset in northwestern Wisconsin)
“Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
Proverbs 19:21
“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
(This photo was taken in March of 2018 in White Sands National Park in New Mexico)
Do not give up…don’t quit…yes, you have been knocked down and it hurts…get back up…stand on the rock…look to Jesus as your guide…be one who overcomes. Amen.
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Romans 12:21
“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.
21 To the one who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.”
Revelation 3:20-21
(This photo was taken in August of 2016 near Dillon, Colorado)
“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
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.[a] The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
2 Corinthians 5:17
(This photo was taken in May of 2020 at the High Falls in Tettegouche State Park in northern Minnesota)
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”
Ephesians 2:4-5
“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. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Ephesians 2:8-10
(This photo was taken in July of 2019 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)
“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 5:5
“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
John 14:26-27
(This photo was taken in April of 2020 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)
“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
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:8-9
(This photo was taken in May of 2020 at sunrise along the North Shore of Lake Superior)
Love God. Love People. Too often we seek power or control over situations and people. That’s what gets us into trouble. For some of us we are protecting ourselves because we have been hurt in our past…the longer we proceed carrying around the hurts of the past the longer they will damage our future. Life is not about what others do to us…it is about how do we choose to respond? Choose God, choose love…Love God. Love People. Amen.
Love God Love People by Danny Gokey
“One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[b] 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[c] There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:28-31
(This photo was taken in April of 2020 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)
Are created by God. He has a plan and He values all people. If we choose to judge others by the standards of the world, we are forgetting about what God teaches us. Often times we know very little about others we encounter in our daily life…yet we are quick to assume things about them. Pick up God’s word and strive to see people through the eyes of Jesus. Like many aspects of our faith journey it is simple, but it’s not easy. Peace be with you. Amen.
“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”
James 2:12-13
(This photo was taken in October of 2018 at a park in Winterset, Iowa)
