We have a Savior, born in barn over 2,000 years ago, because there was no room for Him in the world. Yet He came to save us…He loves us, He forgives us and He will carry us through anything we are facing. Turn to Jesus Christ and lay down your burden and trust in Him. Amen.
“Cast your burden on the Lord,
and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.”
Psalm 55:22
(This photo was taken in Augus tof 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)
There is always hope for a new way and it begins by having a new attitude or new perspective. If you wish things to be different or you believe there is something missing in your life and you are not sure how to find it…you must begin by changing you. There is a phrase/quote that is used by some groups that sums this up really well…’the definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting a different result.’ The bible also tells us this, we must become new again and see things with new eyes and a new attitude. We don’t have to do this alone; we can begin by turning towards Jesus Christ and inviting Him into our hearts and minds. May the peace and joy of the Lord be with you. Amen.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
2 Corinthians 5:17
(This photo was taken in February of 2013 in a neighborhood near Plymouth, Minnesota)
Happy Thanksgiving! Take time today to give your thanks to God. Amen.
“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
Psalm 100
(This photo was taken in May of 2014 at a lake in central Minnesota)
He is with you…He knows everything about you and your life…He knows the struggles, the sorrows, the celebrations, the grief and mourning, the joyful gatherings, He knows the desires of your heart. To draw near to God is to seek Him daily, to turn away from sin and our sinful behaviors and to trust in Him…this is not a slick, quick, fast-food process…it is a journey, a journey filled with questions, doubts, sacrifice, repentance, surrender, peace, joy and love. And if you wonder why…the answer is found in His love. Amen.
“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…”
James 4:7-8
(This photo was taken in June of 2013 at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota)
Jesus invites us to follow Him. God’s love gives us the opportunity to choose to follow Christ and to live eternally in heaven and God’s gift of free will means we have a responsibility to own our choices. God wants a relationship with each one of us and a relationship is a two-way connection. He wants to be in relationship so much that He sacrificed His one and only Son to provide The Way. Take a look at Luke 5:27-28, Mark 10:17-31 as examples of Jesus extending an invitation to follow Him. No matter where you are or what your life circumstances are, you are invited to follow Jesus Christ. How will you choose to respond to His invitation? Amen.
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
Matthew 7:13-14
(This photo was taken in June of 2013 in Badlands National Park in South Dakota)
Jesus Christ will come again. We read about this is several places in the bible. It is His final promise and He has kept every single promise He ever made. Trust in God and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ who died to save you…who is the risen Lord and who is coming back to take us to be with Him, forever. Amen.
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
John 14:1-3
(This photo was taken in June of 2016 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)
Sacrifice…Savior…Salvation. The actions of God through Jesus Christ were done to save us. We don’t deserve it, we can’t earn it by doing good things, it is given to us. We can accept it; we can stay close to Him by meeting with Him daily and we can do good things to help others to learn and know about Him. May the love of God comfort us today. Amen.
“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 March of 2013 at the Botanical Gardens in the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada)
In the Gospel of John chapter 14, Jesus speaks of peace. If you have ever wondered ‘where is God in all of this?’ or ‘Where can I find peace?’ True peace requires a new perspective…the words of Jesus in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” He comes right out and tells us ‘not as the world gives’…if we are looking for peace according to the world’s values, we will not find peace only heartache and suffering. The one way the only way to find peace is through a committed relationship with Jesus Christ. Turn towards Jesus and away from sin and you will find peace. Amen.
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”
Colossians 3:15
(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)
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.
“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)
Are we fully committed to putting Christ first in life? Our actions will always speak louder than our words. We know we can never be good enough on our own, yet we seem to keep trying to go our own way. Thank you, God, for your mercy and your grace…because of His great love for us we can return to Him and confess our sins because we believe in our hearts that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who was crucified, died and has risen. I know I struggle often when I reflect on my own actions…the things I have done and the things I have left undone. It is at these moments that I imagine with my mind’s eye, kneeling at the foot of the Cross, laying down my sins and thanking Jesus Christ for His sacrifice. God is with you and me, He loves us and only He can see us through the event in our lives. Amen.
“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. 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 10:9-10
(This photo was taken in June of 2013 in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado)
Take Your Faith With You 