Life

Character

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Personality…nature…disposition…temperament…mentality…essence…identity…spirit.  Our character is defined by who we are, how we relate and interact with others.  This is at the core of who we are as a person.  For some, their true character is only revealed to a few other people as they have fear and a lack of trust in others due to previous wounds and painful past experiences.  The other reason fear exists in revealing our true character is our concern regarding acceptance.  With the proliferation of social media sites, judgement or what is know as ‘likes’ and ‘dislikes’ has inappropriately become the measuring stick of defining who someone is…talk about judging a book by its cover!  We can begin to get knowledge and a better understanding of our character by spending time with Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord and by accepting who we are according to God.  Additionally, we can encourage and help build up others by taking time to listen and discuss the things that make us different.  I pray we all examine who we are more than what we do and we lay our fears and worries at the foot of the cross.  Amen.

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“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.”

2 Peter 1:5-7

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

Follow Jesus

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Commitment…dedication…devotion…faithfulness.  Our spiritual growth will show signs of all these things over time.  The faith journey is more than a one time decision to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and life…don’t misunderstand me, that is absolutely the right first step.  The journey continues from there with a daily giving of ourselves to the will of God for our lives.  It is prayer about everything, it is learning to let go of those things we cannot control nor should we try to control.  It is about learning to accept the love and forgiveness of God in your heart and mind and then turning outward toward others to share that truth in service and kindness.  My prayer is for us all to give of ourselves to Jesus each day.  After all, He gave all He had of His life in this world to save us.  Amen.

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“Then he said to them all:  If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Luke 9:23

(This photo was taken in October of 2018 at City Park in Winterset, Iowa)

Judging Others

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We are all broken…we are all fighting a battle of some kind…we all need the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  None of us is in position to be in judgement of another.  Jesus spoke very clearly about this in the Gospels.  A summary statement would be, you will get whatever you give.  How we choose to act is what we will get back from others.  I struggle with snap judgments and emotion filled responses at times as much as anyone and I am reminded of humility, goodness and kindness when I spend time reading God’s Word and in prayer.  May we continually seek growth in our spiritual life and our relationship with Jesus Christ to guide us to living life with the Fruits of the Spirit.  Amen.

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“Do not judge, and you will not be judged.  Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.  Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

Luke 6:37

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota)

 

Love Never Fails

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Love is found in our actions…love is found in our behaviors…love exists in our attitude…love is shown by a willingness to put the needs of others before our own.  Life is filled with thoughts and emotions, questions and decisions.  We can become overwhelmed when we get sucked into the swirl of news, headlines and information, etc.  When the busyness becomes too much and we need to step off the carousel of craziness…we can ask ourselves, what can I do to show love to another person?  When we decide we want to be different than what the world is telling us we “should” be and we want to live with Christ at the center of our lives…then the actions and behaviors that will show our internal change are actions and behaviors of love.  Let’s be thankful for the love Christ showed us, by saving us and let’s take that love into our daily life.  I pray we all have the wisdom and courage to live a life filled with actions of love.  Amen.

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“Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails…”

1 Corinthians 13: 4-8

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 in a neighborhood near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Living In The Light

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Choose to be optimistic…choose to have gratitude…be thankful…appreciate all that you have been blessed with each day.  Some days you may feel like there is not much to be thankful for, yet I encourage you to seek something to have gratitude about receiving or having available.  The more you practice gratitude and thankfulness the easier it gets.  The world is full of good things and good people…we have to want to see them.  This is about changing our perspective and our attitude, not about the world and others changing things to fit our wants and desires.  May we be filled with the light of Christ in our everyday interactions.  Amen.

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“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Ephesians 4:29

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

Freedom Found In Forgiveness

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Learning to forgive someone for something that occurred in the past…this is a tough thing for many of us.  It is not in our human nature to forgive.  We usually struggle because we are waiting for the other person to earn our forgiveness, however, as we read in the Scriptures, our forgiveness for our sins was not nor will it ever be earned.  If God was going to wait for us to show we deserved to be forgiven for our sinful ways…well just look around you at the world and the behavior of people…sin rules this world as much or more now than it ever has.  We do not deserve to saved from our sins and yet God sent His Son to suffer and die for us, to pay the penalty for our sins so that we are forgiven and our relationship is reconciled.  We can learn to forgive and break free from the anger, the hatred, the finger pointing that keeps us stuck in a cycle of violence and hurting each other.  Forgiveness means we are not going to let the hurts of the past control our future behavior…that is exactly what God has done for you and for me.  I pray we can each pick one relationship that we know needs our attention and seek to forgive, so that we can be free from the hurts of the past.  Amen.

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“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:32

(This photo was taken in April of 2016 on a lake in central Minnesota)

Everything, Anything

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Nothing is to big, to complex.  Nothing is to powerful.  Nothing is to difficult to solve.  When we believe in Jesus Christ and trust Him with our everything, everyday we know that God will guide our way through anything we encounter in life.  It may not be the way we would do it on our own, but that is the point, on our own we would get stuck…stopped, without resolution.  No matter what it is you are facing, no matter what battle is knocking you back or down…get back up and surrender the issue to God.  That doesn’t mean you stop doing things or stop living, it means you do your best according to God’s word to live by the fruits of the Spirit and let God take care of the rest.  May we all take steps to surrender our worries and our anxieties to the Lord.  Amen.

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“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Philippians 4:13

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

The Love Of Christ

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We can search our entire life for something to comfort us, to depend on and to know that it is always watching over us…and yet there is only one thing that can be all of this and more for everyone…that is the love of Jesus Christ.  Nothing in this world is as powerful as the love of Christ.  No event or circumstances can compare with the death and resurrection of Jesus and the fact that He endured it all for you and for me because of  love.  It is the greatest gift we will ever receive and the most important thing we can share with others.  I pray we all seek ways to shine a light on the love of Christ in our lives.  Amen.

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“…And I pray that you, may have power together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…”

Ephesians 3:17-18

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 at Devils Island in the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior)

Give Generously

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When we talk about giving and generosity, society and the world focuses on money and wealth alone.  There is so much more to giving than money.  To give of your time, your talents or your gifts.  To give is about perspective, attitude and encouragement of the spirit.  So give whatever it is you have to offer and give to those who are in need in your daily life and surroundings.  Start by thanking God for whatever it is you have been blessed with and ask Him to guide you to how you can share it.  I pray each one of us seeks a generous attitude with the gifts and blessings God has given us.  Amen.

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

2 Corinthians 9:6-7

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

The Greatest Commandment

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When you wonder what should I do?  Choose to love.  When things are spinning out of control…choose to act in love.  When others attack and express anger…choose a response based on love.  We must be careful not to get caught up in the ebb and flow of the world and the information overload we are constantly presented.  The best we can do for ourselves and for the Lord is follow the command of Jesus.  He is the way, the truth and the life and as our Savior, He will light our path.  I pray we are blessed with the courage and perseverance to follow Jesus.  Amen.

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“Jesus replied:  ‘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 the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22:37-40

(This photo was taken in October of 2018 in Madison County near Winterset, Iowa)