Sacrifice

Forgiveness

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To begin to seek a new nature, to desire to be different than we have been, to seek kindness and compassion and a servant attitude…first we must turn toward Jesus Christ on the Cross and confess our sins.  Be humbled and speak the wrongs we have committed against others, in our thoughts, our actions and our words.  We all have to go through this step on our faith journey and more than one time…we live in a fallen and broken world filled with sin and evil and none of us can stand up to it alone.  God knows this and He sent His Son to take the judgement we all deserve so that we can be reconciled to Him when we are willing to admit our faults.  Confess and be forgiven, this is part of God’s plan for you.  Amen.

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“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:9

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington)

Why Did Jesus Come?

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He came down from heaven and into this world.  God had a plan and Jesus knew exactly what He was getting into…so why do it?  He did because He loves you, He cares for you and He wants only the best for you.  The answer to this question and so many others have been given to us in God’s Word.  It’s not complicated, it is simple and yet the human race seems bent on making things much more difficult and complicated then they need to be.  Jesus came to save us because He loves us and even though we don’t deserve it, He loves us anyways.  Let us be thankful for Jesus Christ and His saving grace.  Amen.

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

John 10:10

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

The Savior Of The World

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Take time during this Advent season to reflect on what Jesus Christ has done for you and for me.  He came into this world as a baby, born in a stable…He came in peace, to teach us, to help those who are suffering and to reconcile the lost souls of the world to God.  He was rejected by many…He was beaten, crucified and just before He died He asked Father God to forgive us.  He has done and is continuing to do everything He can for you and for me, for our good…because He loves us.  This Christmas give thanks to Jesus Christ…Our Savior of the World.  Amen.

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“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”

Luke 2:10-11

(This photo was taken in December of 2017 in a neighborhood near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Our Beautiful Savior

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When you think about it…when you look around your life and the world and see the things that the most attention is focused on…you may begin to see something of a trend or common theme.  We are all living in a lost and broken world, where anger, hate, suffering, hunger and homelessness are everywhere, the primary focus and attention of many people is on me, myself and I.  On the journey of faith I realize the only times I get worried or upset or feel like chaos is everywhere is when I have put my expectations or my plans or my wants and desires ahead of everything else.  The self is very powerful and very stubborn and will lead us to destructive thoughts and behaviors.  This is when we need to be renewed, to put our focus back on Jesus Christ and the Word of God.  Our beautiful Savior who came down from heaven to save us from self-destruction.  Come to the Cross and be renewed by Jesus Christ our one and only beautiful Savior.  Amen.

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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

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington)

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)

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)

Redeemed

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Saved…recovered…reclaimed…restored…changed…forgiven…set free.  The price has been paid for our sins.  Jesus came down from heaven and suffered to save us from the defeat of death in sin.  We are loved by God and that love conquers all things in this world.  We are reconciled with God and can pursue His will for our lives.  Sharing a song by the group Big Daddy Weave entitled “Redeemed”

I pray for God’s love to wash over the burdens in our lives and strengthen us in kindness, goodness, compassion and forgiveness.  Amen.

Redeemed by Big Daddy Weave

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“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

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

 

Forgiven

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We can not change the past.  We are not able to undo what has occurred.  Even still God has forgiven us for our sins…we can do better today, here in the present.  We can learn from the past, we can learn from the experiences of others.  If you are holding on to a mistake or a wrong done by you or by others bring it to the Lord.  Worry and anxiety are the biggest waste of time in life, yet so many of us have spent a significant amount of time doing it.  I have wasted an enormous amount of time in my life on worry about the past and about things that may or may not occur because of the past.  That is how I have not trusted God.  I am learning, slowly as usual, to bring it to God…all of it and that really means all of it.  Let it go, stay present in life and know that God forgives you for your sins.  He gave His One and Only Son to ensure we know of His forgiveness and His love.  May you sense the peace and comfort of God in your life.

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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

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on Lake Superior near the Apostle Islands)

A Sacrifice…Our Salvation

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When you feel you are not sure where God is in your daily life…stop and take a moment to remember what God has done for you.  God is love.  He is our Creator and our Redeemer.  We are broken, all of us.  Me, you and everyone you know is broken in some way, even if it is unclear to you how someone else is broken or fighting a battle it is still going on.  God knows this, He knows our worries, our fears and He is doing good things.  It is all a matter of perspective.  If we reflect on what has been done already it will help restore our perspective and our knowledge that God is love and He loves us more than we can ever imagine…the proof?  The Cross.  May you know the love of God in your daily life.

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“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 4:10

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

Commitment

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Not giving up…to honor…responsibility…respect for…trust.  The way of truth means doing what you said you would do.  Our true character shows through to others when they see our commitment to something.  The greatest example of commitment to completing something that was more difficult than anything we will face in our lives was the example Jesus set when He honored a commitment to saving us from our sins.  He endured physical and mental suffering for something He didn’t do.  He is innocent, He has no sin…and yet He took on the sin of all of us and paid the price so that we could be reconciled to God.  He is our Savior and our Salvation will only come from a relationship with Him.  May God’s love and faithfulness be with you.

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“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”

Proverbs 16:3

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 in the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior)