Lessons Learned

Give Thanks

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Grateful…to show appreciation…gratitude…content with what you have…to recognize others.  It is important to pause and to give thanks for what is good, for what we have been given or for what someone else has done for our benefit.  It is a choice of attitude to be thankful instead of feeling you deserve somethings or demand and expect things.  Choosing an attitude of gratitude focuses our thoughts the positive, the good and helps to drive a feeling of greater appreciation for something or someone.  Take a moment to look around you and around your life…who needs to know you appreciate them, who are you thankful for in your life.  Tell them, and remember Jesus Christ and what He did for you so that you could be reconciled with God…and tell Him how thankful you are for what He did and is doing.  May the Word of the Lord be planted in you.

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“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Psalm 100:4-5

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 in southern New Mexico)

Cast All Your Cares On Him

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We are all searching for something or someone in life.  A way to know the answers to some of the most difficult questions.  We look to archaeologists and historians to tell us about the past, we look to leaders in business, technology and politics to inform us about the present and we look to scientists and other predictors to provide information about the possibilities in the future.  Through it all we take on worries, anxiety and frustration about all of these things…the past, the present and the future.  Yet here sits God the Father, Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord with the Holy Spirit and they have a handle on all of it.  God has forgiven us our sins of the past, Jesus Christ has reconciled us with God for our present day and the Holy Spirit will guide us to live with eternal values for life in the future.  Take your worries, your fears, your burdens and all your frustrations to Christ, He will gladly carry the load if you are willing to trust in Him.  May you sense comfort and peace trusting in our Lord.

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“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

1 Peter 5:7

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

Take Some Rest

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We can’t keep running at top speed in our minds or in our daily lives.  We must plan down time.  To fill every moment with activity and planning and scheduling will lead to exhaustion.  Mental exhaustion, physical exhaustion and spiritual exhaustion.  We all need time to recharge, to be restored and renewed.  When Jesus was here on earth He often would go off alone to pray.  Before feeding the five thousand He told the disciples…“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”  (Mark 6:31)  In order to be at our best we need to plan time to rest and that means resting our minds as well as our bodies.  If you are someone who always has to be busy, plan some quiet time in small increments to get started.  We all should pray about it as that time in prayer can be restful too.  May the love, joy and peace of the Lord be with you.

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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 near Arches National Park in Utah)

Stewardship

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Guardianship…upkeep…safekeeping…managing…cherishing…protecting…preserving.  We are asked to be good stewards in our lives.  We come into the world with nothing and when we leave we can take nothing with us.  All that we receive is from God.  God owns everything and we receive so that we can be cared for and share with others.  The sinful nature would have us go after gaining more to keep and store up this turns us away from faith.  The world has been filled with more than enough resources to feed and clothe everyone, yet the human race has not distributed things properly so there is poverty everywhere.  Do what you can wherever you are to help those who need it most.  May God’s joy and peace be with you.

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“Remember this:  Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.  Each one should give what they have decided in their heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

2 Corinthians 9:6-7

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on Lake Superior near the Apostle Islands)

With All Your…

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Distractions are everywhere.  Our focus shifts from one thing to the next so quickly, especially in the age of social media.  When I was young I remember people using a phrase attributed to Mark Twain, ‘If you don’t like the weather; wait five minutes!’  Well in today’s society it could be ‘if you don’t like the top story of the day; wait a few minutes!’  With schedules and activities; things to do; places to go and see and access to so much information, it is no wonder people are filled with worry, anxiety and feeling exhausted.  We end up putting any time with God and prayer as a line item in our never ending busy lives.   God is not looking for you to be a social media friend or follower, who checks in on your feed to see what’s what…rather He is asking for your full attention, daily.  Your all…your everything…everyday.  May God bless you with wisdom and courage.

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“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.”

Deuteronomy 6:5-6

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

Humility

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To say there seems to be less and less of this in the world is an understatement…more then ever we are hearing about people shouting about their individual rights or their me and my group first mentality, which just drives the motivation of others to put themselves first, which does nothing more that create division and violence.  Imagine if more people were working for fairness for all people…instead trying to push and pull others down to get a step up.  My guess is that this is because of a lack of trust in society.  People can’t trust that other people will be honest and work for the best intentions of all.  Selfishness.  Think about what it felt like when someone did something kind and generous for you that had no benefit for them.  That is where God is.  The only one who can overcome the rule of self in the human race is God.  He can be trusted, He has kept every promise He has ever made and He has one promise left.  Turn to God and pray, trust in Him and He will bring you peace.

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“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Philippians 2:3-4

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

The Holy Spirit Within Us

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When we turn in faith to God and strengthen our relationship with Him, evil and darkness will increase its attacks on us.  The primary goal of this darkness is to have us turn away from God.  To distract us, to keep us focused on worldly values of wealth and possessions and a self-serving mentality.  Evil wants us to stir up anger, hatred, dissension and all the things we were not made to do.  God knows these will come, Jesus experienced these attacks personally when He was in the desert.  Knowing this God has provided us with the Holy Spirit.  In the Bible it says…“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”  (2 Timothy 1:7)  When we stay focused on God and His Word, when we put our relationship with Jesus Christ first with devotions and prayers then we are equipped to fend off darkness.  Take courage in your faith and trust in God.  May the wisdom and peace of the Lord be with you.

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“In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

Ephesians 6:16

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 at the Garden of Gods near Colorado Springs, Colorado)

Walk In Love

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The commandments that Jesus himself recognized as the greatest commandments are about love.  Jesus said…“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it:  ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  All the Law and prophets hang on these two commandments.”  (Matthew 22:37-40)  One the most popular parts of the Bible 1 Corinthians 13 is all about Love.  So what does it mean to walk in love?  It is about attitude and behaviors towards God, yourself and towards others.  It does not mean all behavior is permissible…sin is still sin.  However, we are all guilty, we are all broken and we all do not deserve His forgiveness.  No one sin is greater than another, that is worldly talk.  When you want a reminder of what it means to walk in love go back and read 1 Corinthians 13, it speaks specifically to us about what behaviors constitute love.  May God’s love be in you and flow through you.

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“And this is love:  that we walk in obedience to his commands.  As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”

2 John 6

(This photo was taken in July of 2012 on a walk in northwestern Wisconsin)

Learn To Be Content

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The apostle Paul writes about this in his letter to the Philippians.  As I read this and other parts of the bible about contentment, I believe the message is intended for us when we are looking at ourselves.  When we are reflecting on the me, my life, my surroundings we need to learn to be content and know that no matter what our circumstances we will always have the strength to continue because God is our source of strength.  When we look at others, we should be looking at how we can be generous in all ways…spiritually, emotionally, physically, with our time and resources.  We must work hard to avoid the worldly perspective of always comparing ourselves to what others have and acting self-focused to try and change that comparison, this is a path to evil and dark behavior.  Be thankful for the blessings you have received and have faith in God to provide what you need.  May God’s mercy and grace be with you.

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“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret to being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:12-13

(This photo was taken in May of 2013 in a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

Give Good Fruit

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Our lives are filled with choices and decisions.  We are the ones responsible for the attitudes and behaviors we present to the world.  We are blessed with the redeeming blood of Christ.  We have been forgiven for our sins.  Let’s go out and give good fruit.  No matter what your circumstances or your place in life today you can give the good fruit we receive from the Holy Spirit.  It doesn’t take money and it doesn’t take a certain level of influence in society.  The Fruit of the Spirit is all about making the choice to behave as we have been instructed to.  We should not expect the world to always be kind and generous to us as it is broken, however, we know that no matter what, God is with us and He is holding us.  May we share the blessings the Lord has given to us with others.

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 while traveling through southern New Mexico)