Learning

Trust In The Lord

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What is an event or issue you sincerely brought to the Lord asked for Him to guide you and to take care of you and others?  What was the outcome?  It most likely wasn’t exactly the way you thought it was going to go or it wasn’t the way you wanted it to go…yet you may be thinking it all worked out in the end…it also could be that the issue worked out for the betterment of others, more than for you.  God is the God of all people.  Having a personal relationship with God doesn’t mean more things will go the way you want…it means you believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior and that you trust God even when you are unsure how things are going to turn out because you know He is working for the good in all things.  Put your trust and your hope in God.  Amen.

Find Rest by Francesca Battistelli

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“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Psalm 37:3-4

(This photo was taken in July of 2019 at a lake place in northwestern Wisconsin)

Turbulence

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We are quick to conform to the world view of life and the world perspective.  Many of us believe it is bad when something unexpected happens and the world tells us this a bad thing.  This perspective has largely chosen to ignore God and His Word.  The foundation of our faith is Jesus Christ and His life, death and resurrection.  This is from God…the human race cannot conceive and complete what God’s plan is without God.  When we encounter turbulence in life and things are getting bumpy…that is the time to focus on God and pray.  Seek Him, seek wisdom and most importantly trust in Him to get you through all the moments of trouble you will encounter in your daily living.  Amen.

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“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 12:2

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 while traveling in southern Colorado)

Decisions…

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Don’t go it alone…don’t assume you have all the information…seek wisdom and knowledge…seek to understand.  So often we fail to speak with God about decisions.  We believe that God doesn’t care about this insignificant decision or event in my life…yet we know we can’t comprehend God’s infinite knowledge and the ways He is working in our life so who are we to say?  I continue to be amazed at where God shows up in life and I only realize it because I am trying to make a conscious effort to pay to attention and ask myself where did I see God today?  God is with you and He is working in your life…seek Him and His plan and ask God to help you see when you are making your decisions.  Amen.

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“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.”

Proverbs 16:3

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

Listen

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Seeking help…it is hard to do for many of us.  First step, admit we need help.  Second step, seek assistance…first from God and from others that God puts in our lives.  If that isn’t hard enough many of us lose focus on the last step…we need to listen.  We often spend our listening time preparing our response instead of truly listening.  We can miss God’s will for us if we fail to listen.  May we all be better listeners in our daily walk.  Amen.

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“Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.  Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Proverbs 19:20-21

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

If God Is For Us…

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What more could we possibly need?  He is our Creator.  The Old Testament tells us about the back and forth relationship between the people and God.  Eventually God decides there is only One way to save us and because of His great love for us, it is finished.  God tried many different ways to have relationships with people and Jesus Christ knows what it is like to be human in this world.  God knows you; He knows more about you than you realize and He loves you.  All that is good comes from God, He is with you and His plan is for good things in your life and even though things will go wrong because of sin in the world, He will still be with you to strengthen you and encourage you to keep going, keep trying and keep trusting in Him.  Seek out God and His plan and you will find peace.  Amen.

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“What, then, shall we say in response to these things?  If God is for us,who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

Romans 8:31-32

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

It Was Love…

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When we look around the world today and we look at how people treat each other, what do we see?  Quite often we see selfishness, hatred, anger, a lack of respect for human life, an unrepentant and unforgiving society.  As a human race we have free will and this is how we have chosen to live?  This isn’t new, as you can read in the Old Testament the exact same behaviors were happening in a different time…so what could we possibly do to change this?  What can we do to try to make things different?  Better?  We can look to the One who was tortured in every way possible and follow His example…the man who did no wrong and was sentenced to die on a Cross…and after He was flogged, beaten, He had thorns pushed into His head and after He was hung on that Cross to die in a horrible way…He asked God His Father to forgive them?  How in the world could He do that?  It was love…Amen.

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“Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Luke 23:34

(This photo was taken in March of 2013 at the Botanical Gardens at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada)

How We Spend Time

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None of us knows the time we have and yet we easily take it for granted.  The people in our lives and our relationships with them will end up meaning more than anything else in this world.  As each generation lives through the phases of life, we all have different experiences and opportunities to share with each other.  We eventually will get the opportunity to share with the next generation and that is what we truly will leave behind when we go home to the Lord.  If you are thinking about your time, turn towards Jesus in prayer and ask Him to guide you to living your life more closely aligned to God’s plan.  May the peace and joy of the Lord be with you.  Amen.

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“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.”

Ephesians 5:15-17

(This photo was taken last weekend at a lake place in northwestern Wisconsin)

Relationships

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The attitudes and behaviors we choose to use towards each other are significant factors in our relationships.  If we are self-focused, we will have many difficulties in our relationships or if we over extend ourselves in serving others and we lack self-care we can become unable to help anyone.  Our guide for daily living is found by spending time with Jesus and reading God’s Word.  Feeding our faith and doing it daily is the best thing we can do to influence all other areas of our lives.  The most important relationship we will ever have is with our Lord and Savior, when we start with that and stick to it, everything else will get better.  May you be comforted by God’s love today.  Amen.

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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

2 Corinthians 5:17

(This photo was taken in July of 2014 at a lake place in central Minnesota)

Wisdom

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Intelligence…understanding…insight…perception…discernment.  Wisdom is developed through experience and learning.  Intelligence without common sense is not wisdom.  When we can see beyond the current moment and not have ourselves as the center of everything then we are wise.  True wisdom takes humility and a willingness to learn from others, above all else we should remember that any wisdom we have can’t be compared to God’s wisdom and God’s plan.  It is up to us to seek Him and His Word to truly learn and grow throughout our lives.  We will never know all the answers while we are here and that can be frustrating…but we have every opportunity to seek and to know the One who is and always will be the answer…Jesus.  May the peace of the Lord be with you.  Amen.

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“For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.”

1 Corinthians 1:25

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

Offer Kindness

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Every single person is fighting a personal battle within themselves…every single one of us.  Don’t be so quick to judge and assume your knowledge about any situation or individual.  Be different, be kind…listen and seek to understand.  The quickest way to diffuse an escalating situation is kindness and compassion, not pushing your personal agenda.  Turn towards Jesus and ask that you are filled with courage and the ability to see others with His eyes.  Amen.

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“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.  Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.  Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

1 Peter 4:8-10

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