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Choose Love

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Relationships can be hard if we strive to seek power or control.  If our self is driving during our interactions with others things will often end poorly.  There will be bitterness, anger, frustration and all the things we don’t want to be a part of our relationships.  There is a better way.  There is love.  Unconditional, never-ending love.  This does not mean just let the other person walk all over you and do whatever they want whenever they want.  This means both people do things to make life better for both of them.  It is important in any relationship to build your time together on a foundation of faith.  There will be times when each of you will need to lean on the Lord in prayer as each of you will have your moments when self will try to take over.  Be strong together and God will watch over your life.  Today my wife and I are celebrating 23 years in marriage, we were joined in marriage by God and nothing will keep us apart.  We have had to fight some battles and we continue to get stronger as we go because we both know that there is nobody who will love us like we do each other.  I am thankful for every day God gives us together.  May you find God’s love and joy in your relationships.

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“Love must be sincere.  Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in love.  Honor one another above yourselves.  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with God’s people who are in need.  Practice hospitality.”

Romans 12:9-13

(This photo was taken in April of 2016 at a lake place in central Minnesota)

Gratitude

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One of the difficult challenges in life is adjusting your perspective.  We receive so many messages through our senses from our daily life.  Things we see, things we hear, things we read, etc.  We get to choose what things get our time and attention.  Whatever we focus on becomes embedded in our perspective.  When we spend too much time on negativity, sadness, anger, selfishness and hatred we adopt that point of view to everything else.  This is the way of living focused on self.  We will always end up disappointed.  We need to find ways to build in positive things, goodness, kindness, joy and love.  These things will help us live with a balanced perspective.  One easy way to start is to practice gratitude.  What are you thankful for?  It may not come easy at first if you haven’t done this very often.  Think about the very basics in life like food, shelter and clothing…don’t take such things for granted as these are not in abundance for everyone in the world.  Once you start practicing gratitude and you want to build on it, the next thing is giving…the joy, peace and contentment will continue to build in your life from there.  Find your gratitude things and give thanks to God for all of it.  May God’s joy and peace be with you.

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“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.  Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.  Know that the Lord is God.  It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.  For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;  his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

Psalm 100

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 while traveling through southern New Mexico)

Choose How You Will Respond

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With every situation in life we are given free will by God which means we choose how to respond to what other people do or say.  This freedom also means we are accountable and responsible for our response even if the response is to do nothing.  If we are focused on self more than anything else we will often choose a poor response as self is only responding to the impact on me without regard for others.  God created us out of His love and we were made to choose the fruits of the Spirit in how we live our daily lives.  Be aware not only of ‘what’ you do and say, but also ‘how’ you do and say things when you respond to others.  Free will is a gift from God, how we respond with this gift makes all the difference in how we feel in our life.  May God’s joy and peace be with you.

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“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”

Proverbs 15:1

(This photo was taken in September of 2016 at a lake in central Minnesota)

Be Strong And Courageous

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Don’t give up, don’t stop trying…whatever it is the next attempt can be the one that gets the results you are hoping to see.  Be persistent and be creative.  When you have exhausted your approach to an issue or situation, be open and willing to change how you think about it and try again.  Pray about it as well, lift your worries and concerns up to Jesus in prayer.  Surrender your plans only to God and see what He has in store for you.  No matter what the circumstances God is with you and He can guide you.  May God’s peace and joy be with you.

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“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 1:9

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)

Wisdom And Understanding

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These are two elements that will get us through anything in life.  Wisdom from the Lord and understanding of His Word can help to lead us on the path to joy.  To gain these we must spend time reading the Word, praying and sitting quietly with Jesus.  For these activities are the true sources of wisdom and how we can gain understanding.  The world is filled with darkness and the evil of sin and they will do everything to keep you from spending time with God.  Don’t underestimate the power of sin, it is deceptive and persistent and will always be looking for ways to distract you.  Seek wisdom from the Lord and read the Scriptures for understanding each day.  Ask God to provide you the courage and strength to do so.  He loves you and He is watching over you.  May God’s peace be with you.

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“Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.”

Proverbs 3:13-14

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington)

The Path To Joy

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It seems so often, we are trying to figure things out…why did this happen?  why didn’t it go the way we thought?  what went wrong?  how did I do that?  that is not what I planned?  These thoughts take us on a roller-coaster of a ride in our daily life and near the end of the day we are exhausted with few answers.  I believe we all need to simplify things a bit, narrow our focus and stay obedient to the way Jesus has taught us.  Start by committing our day to the Lord.  Spend time reading Scripture and praying that gives you a solid foundation to start on…then be present in the moments that are occurring in your life today.  Listen closely to what others are saying, offer encouragement and be of service to others.  If your current circumstances make this difficult or impossible in your mind then pray about that and ask God to help you find your way to a better situation.  The point is you don’t have to do this journey alone and frankly God did not intend you to be alone.  Reach out to the Lord and he will guide you to the right path.  May God’s peace be with you.

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“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Proverbs 19:21

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 at a lake place in northwestern Wisconsin)

The God Of Peace

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Everyone is facing a battle and a struggle of some kind.  It is natural in this broken and fallen world.  Some battles are easy for others to see on the outside and some battles are kept hidden from others yet they rage on inside a person just the same.  We are not equipped to fight these battles alone, the dark forces that exist in and around the human race are very powerful.  Our Creator God knows this and He has promised to never leave you or abandon you.  His presence is even more powerful than the darkness, He is the God of peace.  He will calm your anxious thoughts just like He calms a raging sea.  He has sent His one and only Son to be one of us to reconcile a relationship with us.  And most importantly He loves us with an everlasting love.  Bring your battle to Christ, no matter what it is, invite Him into your heart and mind and trust in God to bring you a peace like nothing you have ever experienced before.  May God’s love and peace wash over you this day.

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“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.”

John 14:27

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)

Living In God’s Love

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Never give up hope.  Don’t stop believing in goodness.  Trust in God to provide all that you need.  A life that is centered in Christ and honors God looks very different than what the world tells you about living.  The world looks to serve the self, to put me first.  The life that honors God surrenders self and is open to God’s plan first.  This is a significant shift in perspective and it will not happen overnight for most of us.  In fact it is a daily endeavor to stay the course by studying the Word, praying, and serving the needs of those we encounter each day.  Remember God is love.  When Jesus was asked which commandment is the most important in Matthew 22 He stated:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it:  Love your neighbor as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Matthew 22:37-40

That is where we should start.  Loving God with all that we are and loving our neighbors as ourselves.  Once again we are given the answers to the questions and now it is up to us to go out and live it in our daily life and interactions.  May God’s hope, peace and love be with you.

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“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Romans 12:12

(This photo was taken in March of 2013 at the Botanical Gardens at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada)

Bring Your Burdens To The Lord

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When something is weighing you down, constantly causing angst and worry, bring it to the Lord in prayer.  Our minds often deceive us that we can take care of things or just distract ourselves long enough and everything will be alright…yet that concern finds its way back to the forefront of our mind and if we are not careful we could continue this cycle endlessly.  When we come before the Lord in prayer and offer these worries up to Him and we trust in Him to guide us we can make our way forward.  We still have a role to play as we need to pay attention and listen for God’s guidance and then we will begin to see a change in that burden or belief.  God is always working for our good, we just need to talk with Him and get out of our own way.  May God’s peace be with you.

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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 near Arches National Park in Utah)

Spiritual Growth

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The growth that leads to spiritual maturity is the growth of your inner being.  The inner self is the driver of our attitude and our behaviors.  We all are equipped with a space in our inner being that only God can fill.  As humans we will try to fill this gap with many other things…a professional career, wealth, adventure and adrenalin, alcohol, gambling and many others.  This unique inner self only has one companion that fills us and makes us complete as God intended us to be and that is God Himself.  When we are filled with the Holy Spirit we do not grow tired and weary chasing after other things…we know that we are secure in God’s love, God’s mercy, God’s grace and God’s forgiveness.  Invite the Lord into your life and into your daily routine and activities…after all He designed us in His own image and He knows us better than anyone else ever could.  Seek spiritual growth and see how your life and the world changes from your perspective.  May God’s peace and love and joy be with you.

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“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…”

Ephesians 3:16-18

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)