Learning

Praise God For His Goodness

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“I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.”

Psalm 27:13-14 NIV

Father God, You are good!

No matter what goes on around us-You are good

You are worthy of praise because You are good

You provide for us, strengthen us, deliver us, and heal us

Even when we do not see you at work in our lives, that does not change the fact that You are working

There is no one like You

So regardless of what we face today, we will praise You

In Jesus name, Amen

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“Praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord, O my soul.  I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.”

Psalm 146:1-2 NIV

(This photo was taken at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Wisdom And Understanding

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“For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.”

Proverbs 2:6 NIV

“Blessed are those who find wisdom,
    those who gain understanding,
14 for she is more profitable than silver
    and yields better returns than gold.“

Proverbs 3:13-14 NIV

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“Get wisdom, get understanding;
    do not forget my words or turn away from them.”

Proverbs 4:7 NIV

(This photo was taken on the shore on Lake Superior near Ashland, Wisconsin)

Seek God’s Will

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“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV

We all have been given a conscience and we all have the ability to choose how we will respond to events and activity in our lives and the world

Every day, every interaction with others is an opportunity to choose the way you will go

We cannot get caught up in ‘the problems are too big’ or ‘they won’t listen to me’ or ‘I don’t have anything to offer others’…these are the words of darkness and evil trying to keep you from God’s will

It may be only one moment in a day, one brief interaction or act of kindness but if you can do something to help or serve just one other person today, you have made a difference the world

The world is broken and the problems, the suffering and the pursuit of selfishness and evil has people angry and fearful

It is impossible for the human race to overcome all this alone but nothing is impossible for God

I pray that we all will seek Him and His will for our lives

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“He has showed you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Micah 6:8 NIV

(This photo was taken at the north entrance to Yellowstone National Park)

Prayer Makes A Difference

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“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.”

Philippians 4:6 NIV

Do we always get what we want, when we want it?

No. Does a child always get what they ask for?

No. Do we or they understand why?

No, we don’t…what we do know is that God wants us to pray

It is our way to communicate and stay connected to God

The greatest gift we have received is we can have a personal relationship with God

Connect with God through prayer…it will make all the difference in life

When We Pray by Tauren Wells

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“ Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessolanians 5:16-18 NIV

(This photo was taken on shore of Lake Superior near Ashland, Wisconsin)

It Takes Courage…

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

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NIV

Courage is not the absence of fear

Courage is the willingness to move forward without knowing the outcome

To admit we don’t know the answers

To be patient…Having courage is placing your trust in God ahead of fear

It is about not allowing fear to stop you or defeat you

  It takes courage to seek the Light

To surrender your plans for God’s plan…

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“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

2 Timothy 1:6-7 NIV

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

Open Ended Praying

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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 entrust my life.”

Psalm 143:8 NIV

When we pray we ought to leave room for God’s will and God’s plan to be the way we go

We tend to think we have things all figured out and we just need to top it off with a quick FYI to God to get Him on board with our way

Surrendering to God’s will and God’s plan means we are open to a new way for things to go

Maybe in a way we haven’t considered or thought about yet

Let’s be more open ended with our prayers

Remember to make room for God’s way in your life

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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.”

Philippians 4:4-7 NIV

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

Rest With Him

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“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”“

Psalm 46:10 NIV

As the summer is ramping up and the schedule of activities and places to be is increasing, it is important to be consistent in taking time to rest in between the coming and going

Making time and having a place to rest…truly rest…time to pray, read scripture and recharge your mind and spirit is so important

We cannot be all things, for all people, all the time…been there, failed at that

Even Jesus would make time to rest His mind and body

Why do we think we could do more than Him?

Seek Him and ask Him to help you find rest in your daily activities

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“Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”

Mark 6:31 NIV

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

Character

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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 NIV

Living life by faith is about who we are more than what we do

Our behaviors, how we treat others and our interactions with others say more about us than our job or career path

The world honors worldly things like wealth, awards, job titles and other self-oriented pursuits…these things are not considered to be wrong or bad…the problem is these things have become more important than God

When self-satisfaction is more important than our relationship with God, we are going off course…to be clear we are all guilty of this sin, it is human nature in a fallen world

The first step in repentance is awareness of the behavior and the next step is confessing to God and seeking to turn away from our sins, with God’s help

As humans we all suffer from trouble…how we choose to respond is up to us

May the peace of the Lord be with you

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“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  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 5:3-5 NIV

(This photo was taken at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

It’s All About Jesus

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“The name of the Lord is a strong fortress;
    the godly run to him and are safe.”

Proverbs 18:10 NLT

“Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
    and gave him the name above all other names,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.”

Philippians 2:9-11 NLT

The answer for everything and anything comes when we turn towards Jesus

Heart Of Worship by Michael W. Smith

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“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield[a] and the horn[b] of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Psalm 18:2 NIV

(This photo was taken while driving in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington)

Perspective

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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

Outlook…viewpoint…position…approach…frame of mind…attitude

What feeds your perspective?

What experience or experiences are framing your view?

If we choose to allow our point of view to be shaped by what goes on around us in this world filled with self-centered attitudes we will become like the world

It would be better to build your perspective on a foundation of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  We can’t stop the world from trying to influence us, yet Jesus said:

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33 NIV

Align your heart, your mind and your perspective with the will of God

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“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:28 NIV

(This photo was taken at a lake place in northwestern Wisconson)