Sacrifice

It Takes Courage…

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“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9 NIV

Courage is not the absence of fear

Courage is the willingness to move forward without knowing the outcome

Having courage is placing your trust in God ahead of fear

It is about not allowing fear to stop you or defeat you

It takes courage to seek the Light…to surrender your plans for God’s plan

Where can you find strength for courage?

In a relationship with Jesus Christ

There you will find joy, peace, patience, and strength for courage

Seek Him and His will and live with hope from God

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“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 14 Do everything in love.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NIV

(This photo was taken on Lake Superior near the Apostle Islands)

Remember…

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“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.”

Psalm 121:1-2 NIV

Father God, help us to remember who You are and all that You have done

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“The Lord is my light and my salvation—
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid?”

Psalm 27:1 NIV

(This photo was taken at Big Sky Resort in Montana)

The One Thing That Matters

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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

“…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

John 10:10 NIV

The most important thing we need, is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior

We need this more than anything else in this life

From that relationship all aspects of our lives will be impacted…

That personal relationship with Jesus is the one thing everyone needs

It is the one thing that matters

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“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Romans 12:12 NIV

(This photo was taken at a park near Winterset, Iowa)

God Loves You

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 “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.”

1 John 4:9 NIV

All of God’s Word points to this truth

God loves you

No matter what has happened…

No matter where you are…

No matter how you have sinned

When God looks at you He sees you through the blood Jesus shed for you

Turn towards God today and every day

Trust Him with all things

Because God loves you

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

Romans 5:8 NIV

(This photo was taken at the top of a fire tower in central Minnesota)

Come Near…Trust God

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“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.“

James 4:7-8 NIV

Father God, I want to seek You with all my heart

Each day, help me draw closer to You

Guide me through each decision, and inspire me with new dreams

I trust You Lord and I want to honor You in all that I do

In Jesus name, Amen

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.[a]“

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

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

Humility

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“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 5:3 NIV

One popular quote of the well-known professor and author C.S. Lewis states, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.”

It is not about changing your perception of you, rather it is the intentional act of thinking about and considering the interests and needs of others

The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was completed in order to reconcile us to God…

Jesus Christ had to humble Himself to become like one of us and lay down His life to save us

He did it because that is what we needed in order to be saved

You may be thinking, ‘that’s pretty extreme humility’ and it is the ultimate form of humility

Yet that is how much God loves you and me and wants to have a relationship with us

More of us need to turn towards the Lord and seek humility in our relationships with others

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“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

Philippians 2:3-4 NIV

(This photo was taken at a park near Winterset, Iowa)

God Is Love

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“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.”

1 John 4:8-10 NIV

“We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”

1 John 4:19-21 NIV

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

Amazing Love

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“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:6-8 NIV

You Are My King (Amazing Love) by Newsboys

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“God made him who had no sin to be sin[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.“

2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

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

The Truth Brings Hope

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“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6 NIV

“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

John 8:31-32 NIV

Jesus Christ is the Truth

His birth, His life, His death and His resurrection

He came to save us from our sins

All of us are broken and need a Savior

We all have Hope if we choose to believe in Jesus and follow Him

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“Show me your ways, Lord,
    teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are God my Savior,
    and my hope is in you all day long.”

Psalm 25:4-5 NIV

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

I Surrender All

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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. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”

Luke 9:23-24 NIV

Father God, I surrender my life to You

You can have it all

All my doubts, all my fears, all my worries…every insecurity, every selfish desire and past mistake…I give it all to You

Every area of my life that does not honor You…take it

Take it all and use me, change me, transform me, love me and love others through me

Take all that I am, and use it for Your glory

In Jesus name, Amen

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“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 2:20 NIV

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