Salvation

His Sacrifice For You

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“But he was pierced for our rebellion,
    crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
    He was whipped so we could be healed.
6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
    We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
    the sins of us all.”

Isaiah 53:5-6 NLT

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

Romans 5:8 NLT

He came down from heaven and was born as a baby.  He lived and taught…He was beaten, spit on and made to carry the cross He would die on.  He comitted no sin and took the punishment for all of our sins.  He suffered, He was crucified, died and was buried and He did it all for you.  Thanks be to God for the sacrifice Jesus made for you and me.  Amen.

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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. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.”

John 3:16-21 NIV

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Love Is Action

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“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

1 Peter 4:8 NIV

“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.”

1 John 4:10-11 NIV

Love is not a feeling…it is action.  Love is grounded in behavior not emotions.  The description of love in the bible tells us how to live when we love.  It is not about approving or accepting others, rather it is about how we choose to live in our daily life and interactions.  How can each of us demostrate love today?

“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

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

The Promised One

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“Therefore the Lord himself will give you[a] a sign: The virgin[b] will conceive and give birth to a son, and[c] will call him Immanuel.”[d]

Isaiah 7:14 NIV

“For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6 NIV

God promised to send us a Savior, He kept that promise when He sent His one and only Son.  We have a Savior who sacrificed Himself for us…and His name is Jesus.

What A Beautiful Name by Hillsong Worship

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“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:9-14 NIV

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 while traveling in southern New Mexico)

Believe

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“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:9 NIV

Believe.  Believe in God and His Son.  Believe that Jesus came down from heaven, was crucified died and was buried…believe that He has risen and that He did it all for you.  It will change your life forever.  Believe it!

We Believe by Newsboys

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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

(This photo was taken in September of 2022 in Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming)

Christ-Centered

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“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.”

Ephesians 2:4-5 NIV

One of the key elements in spritual growth is for each of us to learn and understand in life ‘it is not about me.’  Removing self-centeredness from our lives allows us to focus on being Christ-centered.

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

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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 in October of 2018 at a park in Winterset, Iowa)

God’s Grace

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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

God’s grace is greater than all of our sins.  We know we are weak and we live in a fallen world…God knows us too.  He knew we needed a way of salvation and He provided it through Jesus Christ.  When temptation comes we need to turn towards God and His Word to strengthen us, the same way Jesus spoke the Scriptures when Satan tempted Him in the desert.  When you do make a mistake or fail to resist temptation call on God because His Grace is greater than our sin.  Amen.

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

2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV

(This photo was taken in September of 2022 at Jenny lake in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming)

Forgiveness

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“Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Luke 23:34 NIV

Jesus Christ was treated as poorly as any human ever has been treated by others in history to the point of death…and yet as He hung on the Cross in which He was crucified on for our sins, He spoke the words above…He prayed for forgiveness for others.

If we do not find the way to forgive others it is us who will be destroyed…not those who have wronged us…no matter what they did.

Forgiveness by Matthew West

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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. 38 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 NIV

(This photo was taken in June of 2015 while traveling in South Dakota)

The Name Of Jesus

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“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.”

Philippians 2:9-11 NIV

The one who took our punishment…we are guilty of sin, of doing things we should not do.  He was without sin and yet He came down from heaven to sacrifice Himself for us.  We didn’t earn it and we don’t deserve it…So why did He do it?  Because that is how much He loves you and wants a relationship with you.  His name is Jesus.  No matter where you are of what you have done, call out to Jesus.  He is waiting to hear from you.  Amen.

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“For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given,
    and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6 NIV

(This photo was taken in September of 2022 in Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming)

The Hope Of The World

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“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…”

1 Peter 1:3 NIV

“…the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.”

Colossians 1:5-6 NIV

God is greater than anything in this world.  It is in Him that we can find hope.

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“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 15:13 NIV

(This photo was taken in April of 2020 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Come Near To God

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“The Lord is near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him in truth.”

Psalm 145:18 NIV

Jesus Christ came down from heaven to live as one of us…throughout the Old Testament there is a back and forth between God and humans as they would come close to Him and then wander off into sin.  God would save them and they would come close again and then wander off again…and on and on it went.  Then God changed everything by sending His one and only Son into the world.  Jesus Christ is our Savior, our Redeemer, He has paid the price for our sins and reconciled us back to God, forever.  Come near to God and stay close to Him…no matter what comes your way.  Amen.

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“Come near to God and he will come near to you.”

James 4:8 NIV

(This photo was taken in May of 2020 at Temperance State Park on Lake Superior)