Belief…trust…comfort…patience…persistence…love…joy…strength…encouragment…Hope!
May our faith help us to see and to know the presence of God’s love in our daily lives and relationships. Amen.
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:1
(This photo was taken in June of 2016 in a neighborhood near Plymouth, Minnesota)
To be generous is to be a giver, not just in terms of money. There are far more valuable things in life than money to give. A generous person has a certain mindset, an attitude and perspective about life and things. A generous person focuses very little time on what they receive or if they will receive, as that often takes care of itself because they are givers. Givers carry many of the characteristics related to the Fruits of the Spirit…they often exude kindness, goodness, gentleness, love, joy and patience. They are generous with their time and focus very little attention on what’s in it for me. To learn more about what it means to be generous, learn more about the life and teachings of Jesus Christ…you will find all you need to know in God’s Word. We are blessed to be a blessing. Amen.
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:31-32
(This photo was taken in July of 2016 in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming)
We often believe the most difficult battles will come from what the world and others are doing to us. The actual battle that is most difficult to fight is within, it is the battle against the self. The self is stubborn, persisent and demanding, always wanting to be at the center of life regardless of how that impacts our actions and others around us. We are blessed with the opportutnity to choose our attitude, our behaviors, our values and our beliefs. Self-awareness is the first step in learning our tendencies and noticing the habits we have developed in our thoughts and actions. Self-awareness is learned through self-reflection, knowing your strengths and weaknesses, understanding your values and learning what situations and people bring about an emotional response from you. It often helps to keep a journal and it is important to invite God into the process…after all, He created you. The more you learn the better prepared you are to grow and change. Peace be with you on your journey. Amen.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
2 Corinthians 5:17
(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on the shore of Lake Superior near Ashland, Wiconsin)
When and where do you get quiet time in your life? We all have commitments and responsibilities and if we run ourselves into the ground just trying to keep up, we eventually become weary and ineffective at many things. The key is to find some balance, to prioritize, we can’t be all things to all people. This is why the story or analogy of the big rocks, the pebbles and the sand in a bucket hits home with so many people. We know that if we spend all our time on the sand and pebbles we will never get to the big rocks in life. For me this analogy is all about balance. Sometimes we can say yes and sometimes we need to say no or not right now…Jesus set the example for us, while He spent time teaching and speaking to the people He also would go off alone to pray and spend time with God our Father for hours…balance. Take time and rest in Him. Amen.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
(This photo was taken in May of 2014 at a lake place in central Minnesota)
One of God’s great gifts is free will. He created us out of His love and His desire for relationship with us is one He wants us to seek, willingly. He did not create us to be robots or puppets, which means we have a responsiblity to make choices. We will find we are often presented with opportunities to make decisions and if we are paying attention to our faith journey over time it becomes more and more clear which choice is step towards God and which choice is a step toward our sinful nature. It will take courage to make decisions grounded in faith, it will be different than what the world thinks you should do. Don’t give in to fear, the journey will be very difficult at times and as it states in the Book of Ephesians chapter 6, put on the full armor of God and stand in faith. The choices will often be between courage and fear, be courageous in your faith. Amen.
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.”
1 Corinthians 16:13-14
(This photo was taken in July of 2015 at Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Morrison, Colorado)
In our daily lives we are surrounded by messages of temptations, judgements and propaganda telling us what we should think, what we need to do, what brand of this or that, that a ‘sensible’ person uses. In the era of social media it has evolved into pop-up ads and notifications within streams of other information. This is all the work of darkness and evil. No matter what outlet you choose the attempt to pull you away from God will be present. There is a light for all of us and it is the Word of God. Seek Him and His Word and you will find hope and peace in a dark world. Amen.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”
Psalms 119:105
(This photo was taken in July of 2018 at a park near Bayfield, Wisconsin)
I have heard the faith journey described as a process of working from the inside, out. The first part of the journey is transforming and changing the inside of ourselves…our thoughts, our beliefs, our attitude and our behaviors…removing the focus on sinful desires and self-centeredness as we learn and grow in our personal relationship with Christ. As the inside changes we become better equipped to share what we have learned and to provide encouragement to others on the journey, just as we have been and will be given assistance on our own journey. The question today is regarding that inside part of the process…the learning and growing and the depth of our inside transformation is not to reach a destination. The more we learn and grow and spend time in our reltionship with the Lord the deeper and stronger that relationship becomes. As discussed yesterday the battles will come at us in this life and a deep, strong relationship with Christ is the most powerful weapon we have when it comes to fighting evil in this world. Continue to strengthen and grow your relationship with Jesus Christ. Amen.
“But blessed in the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They 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
(This photo was taken in July of 2012 while walking on a trail in the North Shore of Lake Superior)
We read in the Bible about what this life will be like, it even has it in red letters for us to indicate that these are the words of Jesus…“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33 Yet all of us attempt to get through things alone, at least the first time or several times for us slow learners. We are not alone on this journey…no matter who or what or how much trouble we are facing in this world nothing is to too big for God our Father, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Maybe in order for more humans to take note, life should come with a warning label…WARNING: Life will be difficult do not try this alone. Take time to seek Jesus, read about His life on earth, His teachings, His sacrifice, His victory. It is all available for you to read in God’s Word and God made sure you would have the opportunity to see it and to know Him. Peace to you on your journey. Amen.
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:7
(This photo was taken in June of 2013 near Colorado Springs, Colorado)
To know the love of God means you are in tune with your relationship with Him and you know Him versus just knowing about Him. The love God has for us isn’t something to be measured or compared to others. It is an experience, it is about a relationship with Jesus Christ, His one and only Son. It is the reason we were created, it is why Jesus sacrificed Himself for us and it is the one thing we can always count on in life, no matter what. Seek to learn about God’s love for you and spend time getting to know Him. 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 June of 2018 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)
We all have been blessed with certain gifts, talents and abilities. It is important for us to learn about our gifts in order for us to use them in the world. There are an overwhelming amount of books and tests and profile charts created by people to sort out what “tendencies” we each possess. Another way to understand more about our spiritual gifts is to pay attention to what comes naturallly to us and what things other people sometimes point out to us as a real gift. As with anything, a assessment of your spiritual gifts should be done in consultation with Jesus Christ. If we go into and through this process without being led by the Lord then all we are doing is finding out what the world thinks of us or what the world thinks we should do. We are all created for a purpose and only God can guide us to the truth about what that is. May peace and joy be with you on your faith journey. Amen.
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
Ephesians 2:10
(This photo was taken in July of 2018 at a park on Madeline Island in Lake Superior)
Take Your Faith With You 