With God…

What are you facing today?  What burdens and worries are you carrying in your life?  It is easy for us to get caught up in the problems and the struggles, we also tend to think that others aren’t suffering as we are…friends, the world is a broken place, the whole world and everyone in it is fighting some type of battle.  Just because we haven’t seen it or it hasn’t been shared with us or we haven’t read about it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.  If we try to go it alone and depend on our own will power…we will continue to fail.  With God, we can get through anything…it won’t be easier and the problem won’t magically go away…rather when we believe and we trust in God we will be filled with encouragement and courage.  When we read God’s word a sense of comfort and peace will calm our worries and we can replace our fears with faith.  You will be amazed at what can happen when you walk with God.  Amen.

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“Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Matthew 19:26

(This photo was taken in June of 2012 on a walk in northwestern Wisconsin)

Give Your Best

Trusting in God means trusting in Him for the outcome of circumstances and events.  If we can offer the best of what we can give, whether it is our time, our ideas, our attention or our money and we trust in God, He can take what we offer and do so much more than we can do on our own.  In Matthew 14:13-21, the disciples gave Him all they had, five loaves of bread and two fish and with that over five thousand people were fed with plenty of leftovers.  When we give our best and trust God for the outcome, amazing things can happen.  May the peace of the Lord be with you.  Amen.

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Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?  When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’  “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

Matthew 25:37-40

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 at Garden of the Gods park near Colorado Springs, Colorado)

Be Strong And Courageous

Meet with God daily.  Pick a time and quiet place for you to be with God.  He is our Creator…His Son is our Savior and He gives us the Holy Spirit as a guide for the darkness of this world.  God is with you and He loves you and wants good things for you and your life…be strong and courageous…turn towards God, trust Him and live.  Amen.

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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

(This photo was taken in October of 2013 in a neighborhood near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Trust Requires Patience

God is working for good things in our life…we must be willing to wait for Him.  If we believe and know Jesus Christ is the Son of God and we confess our sins, and we know the sacrifice that Jesus made to save us…then we know how much God loves us and how far He will go to care for us.  As it says in Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”  Trust in the Lord, wait for Him and good things will come.  Amen.

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I remain confident of this:  I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lordbe strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Psalms 27:13-14

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

Doing Good

It makes a difference…even when you don’t get to see it or know how it made a difference.  Do your best to offer what you can, to whoever you can, wherever you are.  Don’t start with trying to change the whole world…make it your goal to do good for at least one other person every day and let God take it from there.  Our job is to Love the Lord and Love our neighbor as ourselves.  Do good things, offer your best and let God take care of the rest.  Amen.

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Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

Galatians 6:9-10

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on the shore of Lake Superior near Ashland, Wisconsin)

Trust In The Lord

When you are facing trouble in this world…when it seems like everything you try or do is failing…when you don’t know what to do next…pray and trust in the Lord. Do something good and wait patiently for God and His will. Trust is hard, especially when we have put our trust in things that have let us down in the past…you can trust in the Lord, He keeps His promises and He is always with you. Amen.

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Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Psalm 37:3-4

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 while traveling through North Dakota)

Trust Him

God has fulfilled every promise He made to us, except one, and you can be sure that one will be fulfilled when Christ returns.  We so easily give trust to some that don’t deserve it and hold back our trust when we have more than enough evidence know that we can trust.  We will continue to struggle and be frustrated if we believe that other people and the things of this world are all we need.  We need God and when we read God’s Word we can learn about His past relationship with humanity and that when God makes a promise, He will fulfill it on His timeline, not ours.  Trust God believe in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord and connect with the Holy Spirit within your heart.  Amen.

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“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

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

He Knows…

All that has happened in our lives and in history.  The greatest blessings can come from the greatest tragedies.  This has been true throughout history…going back to the resurrection after the crucifixion.  God knows all these things and He will guide us through everything and anything we encounter in life…it is up to us to seek Him and His Word.  Amen.

He Knows by Jeremy Camp

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You have searched me, Lord and you know me.”

Psalm 139:1

(This photo was taken in October of 2018 at a lake in Plymouth, Minnesota)

Wait Patiently

This can be very difficult…just about every single part of society is pushing to go faster, hurry up, cram more into less time.  Instant messaging, immediate gratification and my favorite at work…’did you see the email I just sent?’  At some point we will all encounter a situation or circumstances that will require patience and we will be poorly prepared.  If we fail to learn patience, we could be setting ourselves up for greater frustrations and disappointments.  Turn to God’s Word and pray for God’s help in teaching you patience.  Amen.

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Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”

Psalm 37:7

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 at Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park)

Trust In The Lord

What is an event or issue you sincerely brought to the Lord asked for Him to guide you and to take care of you and others?  What was the outcome?  It most likely wasn’t exactly the way you thought it was going to go or it wasn’t the way you wanted it to go…yet you may be thinking it all worked out in the end…it also could be that the issue worked out for the betterment of others, more than for you.  God is the God of all people.  Having a personal relationship with God doesn’t mean more things will go the way you want…it means you believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior and that you trust God even when you are unsure how things are going to turn out because you know He is working for the good in all things.  Put your trust and your hope in God.  Amen.

Find Rest by Francesca Battistelli

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Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Take delight in the Lordand he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Psalm 37:3-4

(This photo was taken in July of 2019 at a lake place in northwestern Wisconsin)