love

To Know Him vs To Know About Him

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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.”

1 John 4:7-8 NIV

Each of us needs to ask ourselves…

Do I truly know Jesus or do I just know about Him?

There is a significant difference

To know that He lived and the things that He did and even the things He said is to know about Him

To know Him is to meet with Him daily and communicate with Him all the time

To know Him is to ask Him questions and express your true feelings to Him

To know Him is to do what He did in your relationships with others

To know Him is to take up your cross and follow Him

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“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life[f] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” 

Matthew 16:24-24 NIV

(This photo was taken along the North Shore of Lake Superior in northern Minnesota)

Perspective

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“Not only so, but we[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 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

Father God, I am Your child

Thank You for adopting me into Your eternal family

Please shape my heart

Teach me how to act in a way that honors You in my daily life and circumstances

Help me correct my thoughts and perspective along with any patterns of behavior in my life that displease You

Replace these things with characteristics that show how much I love You

In Jesus name, Amen

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“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

Philippians 4:8-9 NIV

(This photo was taken at sunrise at a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

Humility In Relationships

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“In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,

“God opposes the proud
    but shows favor to the humble.”[a]

1 Peter 5:5 NIV

Father God, You invite us into a peaceful relationship with You where we can be fully known and loved

  You also invite us to pursue peace with others around us

  Please help us to appraoch our relationships with humility, grace and wisdom

Grant us knowledge to recognize when we should speak and when we should listen as we pursue peace

In Jesus name, Amen

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“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

Philippians 2:1-4 NIV

(This photo was taken at the High Falls in Tettegouche State Park in northern Minnesota)

God’s Love Is Forever

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“If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”

1 John 4:15-16 NIV

Give thanks to God for all that is good

When we struggle or get frustrated, we can find hope in His love

We tend to think we know what God’s plan is and we are surprised when things don’t go the way we were heading

Spiritual growth comes from realizing we are not the leaders; we do not know better and if we are willing to listen and seek the will of the Lord, He will lead us to things we never thought possible

He does this because He loves us

Thanks be to God for His everlasting love

Forever (live) 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 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Amazing Grace

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Below are the words to Amazing Grace…may we be blessed to listen to this song and let it sink into our hearts and minds.  May God’s love, joy and peace be with you.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.

Written by John Newton

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“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God…”

Ephesians 2:8 NIV

(This photo was taken while traveling through North Dakota)

Called To One Hope

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“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.“

Ephesians 4:1-3 NIV

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“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

Ephesians 4:4-6 NIV

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

We Believe

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“For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

Romans 10:10 NIV

We Believe by Newsboys

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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.”

John 3:16 NIV

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

God’s Grace

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“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

We can’t earn it

We don’t deserve it and yet God offers it to us anyway

God is Holy and God is love

Because He is Holy our sin separates us from Him

He demonstrated His love when He sent His one and only Son to take the punishment we deserve so that we can be reconciled with Him

Choose to believe…confess your sins

Give thanks to God for His amazing grace

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“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Hebrews 4:16 NIV

(This photo was taken at sunrise by a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

A Strong Foundation

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“By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 3:10-11 NIV

The best things are built by starting out with the development of a strong foundation

A solid foundation helps to support missteps, mistakes and accidents along the way

If we try to build something without developing the foundation the endeavor will eventually fail and end up as a pile of rubble

The foundation of our faith is our relationship and daily interaction with Jesus Christ and the Word of God

These are the elements that will help us build and grow our spiritual life and sustain us through the most difficult things the world will throw at us

May the peace of the Lord be with you

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“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.  My command is this:  Love each other as I have loved you.”

John 15:11-12 NIV

(This photo was taken in Glacier National Park in Montana)

Sharing God’s Gift Of Peace With One Another

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“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

Ephesians 4:2-3 NIV

God has given us the gift of peace through the blood of Jesus shed on the Cross

He gives us free will to decide whether or not we want to receive this gift and then share it with others in the world

Many have chosen to ignore or reject God and His gift of peace

For anyone who seeks Him and choses to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, God instructs us to share the gift on peace with one another, by how we live and treat each other

Every day…all the time

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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. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:29-32 NIV

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