Trust

Unexpected Events

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Hello, I am delayed in posting today because I am in the midst of an unexpected event.  The details of it are not necessary for you to know that although we encounter moments and events in our lives that we never see coming…we must stay true to our faith and trust in God.  Friends whatever you are facing offer prayers or just have a one to one conversation with God…he is always waiting to hear from you…no matter what.  Peace to you.

“For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.”
                                                                                                                Romans 1:17

(This photo was taken in June 2016 in Minnesota)

Trust and Courage

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The Lord said while speaking to Joshua…

“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.  Be strong and very courageous.  Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you;  do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.  Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.  Then you will be prosperous and successful.  Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:6-9

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 while driving the north shore of Maui)

Trust and Patience

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“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.  Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret – it leads only to evil.”

Psalm 37:3-8

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

Trust, Learn and Grow

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“But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.  He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8

He Is With You

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No matter where you are, what you are doing or how you are feeling right now God is with you…

The cross in the photo above shows that all areas of our life are connected to our faith even if we don’t think about them that way.  Every act and interaction is on a string somewhere on the cross.  The hardest part of faith sometimes is courage…courage can be rare in this world.  You can come across many people and sense only fear, anger and bitterness.  I am learning that courage…real courage is truly an act of faith.  Believe God is on your side and no matter what you face each day trust him to hold you in the palm of his hand.

There is a song by a group called “Love & The Outcome” that is entitled He Is With Us and the message in their lyrics state this truth very well.  As usual, I also have a bible verse to share regarding how God is with us…

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

                                                                                                                Isaiah 41:10

As the song states He is with Us, Always…Always.

Peace be with you.

Life by the Spirit…Faithfulness

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So what does this look like or how can we practice Faithfulness?  If you were to look up the definition one of the choices to define it would be “complete trust” and another would be “loyalty”.  For me Faithfulness has two elements.  First is stating or committing to the fact that you Faithfully follow or believe in something.  The second element of Faithfulness is the actions that you perform that show your Faithfulness.

I think there is a popular phrase to describe this…”that is easier said, than done”.  It is always easier to say I am a Faithful to this or that than to do things that show your Faithfulness.  Because of this many of us are very particular in stating what we are Faithful too.  Look at relationships in life… Who would you say is Faithful to you?  Who would you say you are Faithful to? 

Faithfulness is critical in having a close relationship with others.  It means they can depend on you no matter what the circumstances.  You are available to spend time with them, you can be trusted and you are consistent in your interactions and when you have a close relationship with another person they give you the same Faithfulness.  This type of close relationship opens us up and makes us vulnerable, so if we are ever betrayed by someone it makes it even more difficult to be Faithful again.  There is only one relationship that you can rely on to be consistently Faithful and never let you down…that is your relationship with Jesus Christ.

You can trust him, you can believe he will do what is best for you and he will never ever leave you.  The key is learning to be Faithful to him.  Start with prayer…pray Faithfully…be consistent.  Do it everyday, give him thanks, praise him, ask him for help and sit quietly and listen.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with God’s people who are in need.  Practice hospitality”.

                                                                                                                                Romans 12:12-13

Start and end each day Faithfully talking to God and practice turning to him first for challenges and problems or thanking him first for joyful moments.

Tomorrow we will discuss Gentleness.

Peace.