Learning

Sing Praise

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Today is a day of worship.  Give thanks and praise to the Lord.  May we be comforted by His mercy and grace and know that God is with us…Forever.  Amen.

Forever by Chris Tomlin

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“An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; his is Christ the Lord.”

Luke 2:9-11

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming)

Saved By Christ

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A sacrifice…an offering of redemption…grace…mercy…humility…love…Savior.  There is nothing or no one in our lives as compassionate as Jesus Christ.  He lived a life on earth just like everybody else…only He suffered more than anyone else and He did it knowing it was going to happen the whole time.  He offered Himself up to take the punishment we all deserve and He did it to save you and to save me.  Give thanks and praise to our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.

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

Isaiah 53:5

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 in Badlands National Park in South Dakota)

Guided By The Holy Spirit

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When we put our trust in God and believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide us and help us grow spiritually.  It can be difficult to tune in to the Holy Spirit during the hustle and bustle of daily life but that does not mean God is not present with you.  Evil and darkness will go to great lengths to keep us from our connection to God…make time to connect to God’s presence in your life and tune into the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Holy Spirit by Francesca Battistelli

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“But the Counselor, 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.”

John 14:26

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

Take Time to Rest

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There is always more we could be doing.  More on the checklist of things to do…how many items on our checklist make room for living a balanced life?  We seem to prioritize the activities of “getting things done” pretty easily, when do we rest?  To be clear sitting still scrolling through social media is not rest.  Resting and restoring yourself is about calming your mind, body and spirit…when and how do we rest our minds and emotions?  The first step is figuring out what place or environment best provides you the opportunity to calm your mind, your body and your spirit?  What time of day or night?  The next step is to make it a priority and designate time in your schedule.  As always, be sure to include God’s Word and prayer in your time as the only true source of peace in life is Jesus Christ.  Amen.

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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Matthew 11:28-29

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 sitting by the lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

Spiritual Battle

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The goal of the prince of darkness is to turn us away from God and keep us focused on other things.  He will use everything and anything available in this effort.  The more we choose the distractions and the less time and effort we spend on our relationship with Jesus and reading God’s Word the easier his job becomes.  God knows all about this battle and He provides us weapons of faith to fend off these attacks.  Take a look at Ephesians 6:10-18 and you will learn about the Armor of God.  Turn toward God in prayer and through the Holy Spirit, He will guide you during all the events in your life.  Amen.

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“Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

1 Peter 5:8

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

Renew Your Mind

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A time for daily devotion and reading of God’s Word is critical to feeding your spiritual life.  It helps with perspective, attitude and gratitude, it can be a guide to living if we are willing to take time to know Him who saved us.  Jesus Christ is the center of our faith, He sacrificed everything to save us…we do not deserve God’s mercy and grace and yet He loves us so much that He offers it to us anyways.  We are sinful, but we are redeemed because of Jesus.  Renew your mind with God’s Word and a prayer of thanksgiving to Jesus Christ.  Amen.

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“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Romans 12:2

(This photo was taken in September of 2014 on a walk in a neighborhood near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Seek God’s Will

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When questions seem never-ending in life, we often look for easy or convenient answers in worldly places.  If we just knew all the answers than life would be easy…becareful what you wish for.  Easy has never been promised to anyone and even if you think there is a person or people who have it easy than most likely you don’t know the whole story about them or their lives.  We all have troubles, we all are broken in some way.  The one constant, the only thing that we know we can count on is God’s love.  He is our Creator, He knows everything about our lives and His plan is far better than anything we can cook up ourselves.  Seek God’s will for your life and you will find peace.  Amen.

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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.”

Jeremiah 29:11

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

Acknowledge Your Mistakes

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Mistakes and errors will happen, we all will make them, it is guaranteed because we are broken.  We need strength and courage that only comes from Christ to admit to our mistakes, to acknowledge them and then strive to do better.  If we spend our time always trying to conceal or hide things all we are doing is delaying the inevitable truth.  The best that we can do when we make mistakes is to be open and honest about them and learn from them…the truth is failure is not an end it is just one step closer to success for those who won’t give up.  Trust in the Lord and you will be amazed at what you can learn.  Amen.

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“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, his 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 August of 2016 while traveling through Colorado)

Wisdom From Above

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What is wisdom?  The dictionary definition is…’the quality of having experience, knowledge and good judgement; the quality of being wise.’  So in order to have wisdom we must have time invested in having experiences, time spent learning to get knowledge and have made decisions regarding an area of life in order to grow our experiences and knowledge.  Now if we reflect on our own lives and how we spend our time, what are our experiences, where do we get our knowledge from…what things do we make decisions about that help foster our growth?  How do our experiences, knowledge and good judgement align with faith and our spiritual life?  If we truly want to learn about where God is in our lives and what He is asking us to do…we need to spend more time gaining wisdom about heavenly things and spend less time on earthly wisdom.  Amen.

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“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”

James 3:17

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

Gifts And Serving Others

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Each person is unique is some way.  Everyone has a different combination of strengths and weaknesses.  No individuals were made to stand alone or to be isolated from the community.  We are designed to work together to use our blessings to help fulfill the needs of others and for others to help fulfill our needs.  The things that get in the way are sin…pride and selfishness, judgement and favoritism…these exist in everyone on all sides of every issue.  Each of us should assess ourselves and understand what are our strengths and gifts to offer…the important thing to remember is the value of our gifts in God’s eyes not value according to the world’s perspective…because even if what we can offer will change life for just 1 or a few other people, we are still changing the world for good in the eyes of God.  Peace be with you on your journey.  Amen.

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“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.  Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in is various forms.”

1 Peter 4:9-10

(This photo was taken in June of 2018 while driving near the South Dakota and Minnesota border)