Since embarking on our journey we have had several visitors to our campsites.  I have photographed a few of them.  As we move from site to site I can’t help thinking of Jesus and his disciples as they traveled from town to town.  Basically I think of Jesus.  Although He became man, emptying Himself of His Godliness, He was still God.  He was a visitor that dwelt among us.  Who of us would have fed Him, given Him a pillow to sleep on, followed Him?  It’s hard to say because we don’t get Jesus in the form of flesh now.  But, we get the visitation of the Holy Spirit, so to speak.  When we believe, we get the Spirit which then resides in us, allowing Jesus Himself, to reside in us.  Amazing.  In other words, we receive the Spirit when we believe.  Not just a visitor, but now, in us as we are in Him.

…for no one ever hated his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body.  Ephesians 5:29-30 NASB

     I am reading a bible plan by Francis Chan, a believer who’s writings I follow.  He asks us to really explore what Ephesians 5:29-30 is saying to us.  Do we know Who’s we are?  Do we know how holy He is?  God sent Christ to visit us as a supreme and ultimate sacrifice.  It was not an atonement but the propitiation.  Atonement means “to cover”.  Propitiation means to “satisfy” God’s wrath with precious blood.  Jesus’ blood.  Jesus’s visitation was for the purpose of shedding His blood to satisfy God’s wrath toward us for our sins.  We are forgiven when we believe!  When we love God with all our hearts and we do this through the knowledge of the Gospel message, knowing what Jesus did for us, we have finalized our faith.  Our next step?  We continue to grow in knowledge and hold on to the truths of the bible.  Onward and upward we go.

Some visitors to our campsites…

Visitor at Grand Island, NE

Prancing Peacock at Lake Solano

A special visitor at Lake Saylorville

Me and Ron at Lake Solano. We hadn’t seen each other for over 30+ years!