Love of Christ

He Did It All For You

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“But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.”

Isaiah 53:5-6 NIV

End Of The Beginning by David Phelps

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“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

John 3:16-17 NIV

(This photo was taken in the Black Hills in western South Dakota)

Trust In The Lord…Praise Him

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

Psalm 37:3-4 NIV

Father God, when I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.  You are my source of strength and protection.  You guide me and fight for me.  When I draw near to You, I have nothing to fear, becasue I know You are in control.  Thank You!  I put my trust in You and give You praise for who You are.  In Jesus name, Amen.

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“I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
    I will glorify your name forever.”

Psalm 86:12 NIV

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

The Love Of Christ

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“For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Ephesians 3:14-19 NIV

There is nothing greater in this world than the love of Jesus Christ.  We can spend our whole lives seeking to find happiness and contentment in the things of this world…yet this world is not our home.

In the Book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon, who was the wisest and wealthiest person to ever live, documented his efforts to try everything under the sun and found that the things of this world are not worth chasing…meaningless!  However, the things of God are the things we should spend our life pursuing.  Think about what Jesus Christ did for you…nobody and nothing in this world will love you like that.

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“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV

(This photo was taken in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming)

His Love Endures Forever

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“The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
9 He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;
10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

Psalm 103:8-12 NIV

Forever by Michael W Smith

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“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.”

Psalm 136:1 NIV

(This photo was taken while traveling in northern Colorado)

Advent – Love

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“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV

Jesus stated the most important commandments are to love God and love one another (Matthew 22:37-40).  So, what is love?  According to God’s Word Love is action…it is not what the world defines as a feeling…the apostle Paul describes it for us in 1 Corinthians 13 above.

It is about our character and what we do when it comes to relationships.  So, when Jesus states it is the most important commandment…we should think about how do we love God?  How do we love one another?  Love is God’s to define and to give and He makes it available to all of us by how He has acted towards us.  It is up to us to accept His love and to share it with others.

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“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

1 John 4:7-12 NIV

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 at the Nakalele Blowhole on the island of Maui, Hawaii)

God’s Love For You

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“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8 NIV

The Creator of the universe knows all about you and He loves you and wants a relationship with you.  Look what He has done to ensure that you have the opportunity to believe in Him and spend time with Him.  The Old Testament describes how God’s people would draw near to Him and then wander off and then come back to Him…then God put the new convenant in place to reconcile us to Him once and for all.

He put His plan into action at just the right time and now because of the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the penalty for our sin has been paid and we can be with God for eternity.  He did it for you…He did it because He loves you and His love will never end.

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“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:37-39 NIV

(This photo was taken in June of 2020 at sunset at a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

God Is Love

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“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.“

1 John 4:7-12 NIV

God’s love renews and restores us.  Our relationship with God is an inside out relationship…we need to know and understand that everything in our life is the result of God’s love for us and there is nothing we can think, say or do that will change God’s unconditional love.

As we receive and understand God’s love in our hearts and minds, we are equipped to go out and give love to others in our daily life and interactions.  May God’s love and peace be with you and flow through you.

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“For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Ephesians 3:14-21 NIV

(This photo was taken in July of 2021 in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado)

God’s Unfailing Love

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“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

1 John 4:7-12 NIV

God’s love is everything for us…there is nothing like it and there is nothing on earth that can separate us from it.  Take time to worship and praise Him for His unfailing love.

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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

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 at the Nakalele Blow Hole on the island of Maui, Hawaii)

Redeemer

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“I know that my redeemer[c] lives,
    and that in the end he will stand on the earth.”[d]

Job 19:25 NIV

Jesus Christ is our Redeemer.  No matter what has transpired in our lives, He is our Redeemer and He is alive and He lives in us.

Redeemer by Nicole C Mullen

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“May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
    be pleasing in your sight,
    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

Psalm 19:14 NIV

(This photo was taken in July of 2022 at a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

Love That Can Change The World

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“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

1 John 4:7-12 NIV

Jesus came down from heaven and sacrificed Himself on the Cross…He did it for you…He did it because He loves you and wants a relationship with you!  Give thanks to Him, chose to love God and love others…this is what God wants us to do.

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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

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 at the Nakalele Blowhole on the island of Maui, Hawaii)