relationships

Courage

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A life if faith is not easy and we were never promised it would be…in fact the bible is clear that we all will face troubles in this world.  Everyone is facing a battle of some kind and it takes courage to stand in faith and live with God at the center of your life.  God knows our difficulties and struggles and Jesus lived as a man on earth for over 30 years and knows all too well the ways of the fallen world.  Turn towards Jesus Christ, trust in Him to guide your life and stand firm on the foundation of your faith.  Amen.

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“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.  Do everything in love.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

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

Character

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Living life by faith is about who we are more than what we do.  Our behaviors, how we treat others and our interactions with others say more about us than our job or career path.  The world honors worldly things like wealth, awards, job titles and other self-oriented pursuits…these things are not considered to be wrong or bad…the issue is these things have become more important than God.  When self-satisfaction is more important than our relationship with God, we are going off course…to be clear we are all guilty of this sin, it is human nature in a fallen world.  The first step in repentance is awareness of the behavior and the next step is confessing to God and seeking to turn away from our sins, with God’s help.  As humans we all suffer from the same types of trouble…how we choose to respond is up to us.  May the peace of the Lord be with you. Amen.

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

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

Simple Yet Not Easy

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The facts of faith are straightforward, written down in God’s word for all of us.  In the Gospels there is a story of the calling of Levi…in Mark 2 starting at verse 13 and in Luke 5 starting at verse 27.  It is short and straight to the point, Jesus says two words, “Follow me” and Levi gets up and follows Him, leaving everything behind.  It immediately has us asking for more information about the situation, ‘how is this possible?’, ‘they must have known each other before that moment.’  Yet no additional information is provided.  Jesus extends the invitation as He does to all of us…“Follow me”…the response to His words is up to each one of us, every day.  Do your best and let God take care of the rest.  Amen.

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“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.  What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?”

Luke 9:23-25

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

You Get What You Give

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This is pretty simple, yet we often forget it.  In my reading this morning it was pointed out that when you read about the life of Jesus in God’s word, He was never offended by a sinful person…yet those who were filled with self-righteousness and set themselves apart from others in their own eyes, like the Pharisees, He would warn them of the judgement to come.  Whatever our thoughts, words and actions are that we put out in the world are bound to be what comes back to us.  Learn about the life of Jesus and treat others the way you want to be treated.  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.  Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Luke 6:37-38

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 near Pike’s Peak in southern Colorado)

Love And Serving Others

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Love is so much more than a feeling…it is actions and behaviors.  It is about looking at the needs of those you love and being willing to serve them…not so you can keep score…rather, you serve them out of love and care for them.  To live and serve in love is not about expecting something in return, that is something the world is teaching.  The world will always push the selfish mentality in relationships which fails.  Be willing to serve in love because you know and trust that God will provide for your needs.  Amen.

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“Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, 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.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

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

 

Pray

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When you don’t know what else to do…when you are grateful for what you have been given…when things are going well…when things are not going well…pray.  God wants a relationship with us, through every part of life…the good, the difficult, the peaceful times as much as the stressful times.  The best relationships are built on communication with one another.  Turn towards God in prayer…open up your heart and trust in Him…He loves you; He cares for you and He is waiting to hear from you.  Amen.

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“pray continually…”

1 Thessalonians 5:17

(This photo was taken in August of 2012 on hike along the North Shore of Lake Superior)

Forgive

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Forgive others as you have been forgiven.  We are redeemed by Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.  No matter how far off we have wandered or how long it has been you can return to Christ through faith and that is also true for all others.  So, whether or not you are concerned about the path you are on or the path another is on you should pray and seek wisdom from the Holy Spirit to guide you and/or your support for one another.  May the grace and peace of the Lord wash over you.  Amen.

Redeemed by Big Daddy Weave

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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 February of 2013 in a neighborhood near Plymouth, Minnesota)

With God…

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What are you facing today?  What burdens and worries are you carrying in your life?  It is easy for us to get caught up in the problems and the struggles, we also tend to think that others aren’t suffering as we are…friends, the world is a broken place, the whole world and everyone in it is fighting some type of battle.  Just because we haven’t seen it or it hasn’t been shared with us or we haven’t read about it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.  If we try to go it alone and depend on our own will power…we will continue to fail.  With God, we can get through anything…it won’t be easier and the problem won’t magically go away…rather when we believe and we trust in God we will be filled with encouragement and courage.  When we read God’s word a sense of comfort and peace will calm our worries and we can replace our fears with faith.  You will be amazed at what can happen when you walk with God.  Amen.

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“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Matthew 19:26

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

Faith

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Trust…belief…confidence.  Faith is not about the quantity of it that you have…it is more focused on do you have it or not?  We sometimes think, ‘if I just had more faith’ or ‘if I just prayed the right way,’ things would have gone the way I wanted them to…as if we are somehow in control of the outcomes in life.  God, our Creator and Father of all, gave us the gift of free will to choose how we will live and what we will believe…He loves us and wants a personal relationship with each one of us.  The facts of faith are in the bible and the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are events that happened here on earth…so as you think about your life, your relationships and your circumstances ask yourself…’what do I believe?’  As for me, my response is the words of the Apostles Creed.  May the peace of the Lord be with you.  Amen.

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“Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.  If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Matthew 21:21-22

(This photo was taken in July of 2019 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Give Your Best

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Trusting in God means trusting in Him for the outcome of circumstances and events.  If we can offer the best of what we can give, whether it is our time, our ideas, our attention or our money and we trust in God, He can take what we offer and do so much more than we can do on our own.  In Matthew 14:13-21, the disciples gave Him all they had, five loaves of bread and two fish and with that over five thousand people were fed with plenty of leftovers.  When we give our best and trust God for the outcome, amazing things can happen.  May the peace of the Lord be with you.  Amen.

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“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’  “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

Matthew 25:37-40

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