Savior

Memorial Day

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9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Romans 12:9-10 NIV

Today, we honor those who have served and sacrificed themselves for the greater good

These individuals knew that there are things much more important than self

They believed in serving to help others and fighting for those who could not fight for themselves

It takes courage and humility to do what they did and so we honor them with gratitude and respect for their sacrifice

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“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

Philippians 2:1-4 NIV

(This photo was taken at Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota)

You Choose Each Day

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“But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua 24:15 NIV

God created us with free will

The ability to choose our actions and behaviors

The reason He did this is because a love worth having is love that is chosen

The risk is people can and will choose to reject God

We were created out of love with free will

We can choose how we will live and who we will follow

How do you choose to live this day?

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“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”

Lamentations 3:22-24 NIV

(This photo was taken along Beartooth Pass in Montana)

God Is Love

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“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 7:12 NIV

Love is about more than words or a feeling

Love is about how we treat each other with our actions and our behaviors

In this fallen and broken world we all will make mistakes and need to be forgiven

Thankfully, God is love and put His love into the action by sending His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins

We have been forgiven

Now it is our turn to put love into action

In what relationship or situation in your life is there a lack of love?

Who in your life needs to experience love in action?

Pray about it and ask God to guide you in love

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“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  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.  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

(This photo was taken near the border between South Dakota and Minnesota)

To Change Everything…Change Your Perspective

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“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Romans 12:1-2 NIV

Jesus Christ is alive…the promised Savior has come!

He was born, He lived and taught us how to live

He sacrificed Himself and was crucified and died for us

He has risen and is seated at the right hand of God in heaven

Now what does that mean for us?

What difference is He making in your life?

Are you aware of God’s presence in your daily life?

Believe in Him…seek Him…pray…read God’s Word…pay attention to how God is at work in your life

  Choose to live different from the way of the world

Allow Jesus Christ to impact every area of your life and change your perspective

Different by Micah Tyler

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“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

Ezekiel 36:26-27 NIV

(This photo was take in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming)

The Price Of Salvation

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“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

John 15:13 NIV

Father God, thank You for sending Your only Son to save us

Thank You for creating a way for us to know You personally

Becasue of Jesus’ sacrifice, our sins are forgiven!

Please help us never take that for granted

Help us to recognize and glorify You in every area of our lives

In Jesus name, Amen

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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

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

Our Rock…Our Stronghold

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“I love you, Lord, my strength.

2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield[b] and the horn[c] of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Psalm 18:1-2 NIV

Life is hard…there seems to be difficulties, struggles, pain and suffering, hardships of every kind everywhere we look

Yet there is hope!  How?  Where?  With the Lord who is our Rock and our refuge

The world rejects Jesus as Savior and His way seems upside-down according to the world’s values

But God, the Creator of all things, and following Jesus is the path to hope

God will have the final say about the world and He will make all things new again

Trust in the Lord, trust His will and His way…He is our Rock

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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 in Glacier National Park in Montana)

Relationships

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19 We love because he first loved us

1 John 4:19 NIV

The attitudes and behaviors we choose to use towards each other are significant factors in our relationships

If we are self-centered, we will have many difficulties in our relationships

If we over extend ourselves in serving others and lack self-care we can become unable to help anyone

Our guide for daily living can be found by spending time with Jesus and reading God’s Word

Feeding our faith and doing it daily is the best thing we can do to influence all other areas of our lives

The most important relationship we will ever have is with our Lord and Savior, when we start with that and stick to it, everything else will get better

May you be comforted by God’s love today

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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

(This photo was taken at a lake place in central Minnesota)

God Of All Comfort

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“Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.”

Hebrews 2:18 NIV

“May your unfailing love be my comfort,
    according to your promise to your servant.”

Psalm 119:76 NIV

Good and gracious God, we need You – we always have

You are our source of strength, and You tell us to give You all our concerns

Replace any feelings of anxiety, fear, and uncertainity with Your peace and hope

Show anyone who is hurting that You are near, and You comfort those who call on You

Draw near to us as we draw near to You

In Jesus name, Amen

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“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV

(This photo was taken in Glacier National Park in Montana)

He Cares For You

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10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

John 10:10 NIV

When situations in life bring us down or when we are struggling and our path is difficult

Our human minds may wonder, ‘does God care what is happening to me?’

God is always with you…when you find yourself with a thought like this, stop and pray

Not some memorized words, rather a real heart felt prayer asking God to help you see your way forward

God does care for you…He sent His Son to die on a cross to save you and to be able to have a relationship with you

Seek Him and His will for you and your life and you will find peace

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“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

1 Peter 5:7 NIV

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

He Makes All Things New

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“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!”

2 Corinthians 5:16-17 NIV

Each day we have the opportunity to live a new way

Let us approach life focusing on God’s plan rather than making new worldly plans of our own

Let us be filled with the Fruit of the Spirit

Let us run the race He has put before us

He makes all things new in a way we could never imagine

All Things New by Steven Curtis Chapman

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“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV

(This photo was taken along the North Shore of Lake Superior)