The Goodness Of God

September 30, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
    his greatness no one can fathom.
⁴One generation commends your works to another;
    they tell of your mighty acts.
⁵They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
    and I will meditate on your wonderful works.^[b]
⁶They tell of the power of your awesome works—
    and I will proclaim your great deeds.
⁷They celebrate your abundant goodness
    and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

⁸The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.

⁹The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.”

Psalm 145:3-9 NIV

God is good. The reason sin and evil are in the world is because of us. We have pain and suffering and we ask God why…yet we are the ones who have drifted away from Him. No matter what, God is patient with us and is always ready for us to turn towards Him and come near to Him. He knows us, He knows everything about us and yet He still sent He Son to die on the Cross to save us.

God is good and He is with you and He is for you, every day, all the time. Thanks be to God for His Goodness!

Goodness Of God by Jenn Johnson

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“I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
¹⁴Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.”

Psalm 27:13-14 NIV

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 while traveling in northern Colorado)

Rest With Him

September 29, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; ¹⁰for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,^[e] just as God did from his. ¹¹Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.”

Hebrews 4:9-11 NIV

What can we do…where can we go…to get a moment of rest? True rest and refreshment of your mind, body and spirit is found when we take time to rest with God. It can be in prayer, reading God’s Word or even just sitting quietly in a peaceful environment.

There are these and many more ways to spend time in your relationship with God…how you do this is between you and Him…if you do this, well that is all up to you. Take time to rest with Him. Amen.

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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 NIV

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 while visiting Rocky Mountain National Park)

The Voice of Truth

September 28, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6 NIV

In this world that is fallen and filled with sin and lies we have many thoughts and opinions speaking to us through many forms of communication. Yet while Jesus walked on earth he taught using the phrase “I tell you the truth…” He spoke this phrase more than 75 times as recorded in the New Testament. With so much input coming at us in the world from so many sources it is important to seek the One voice of truth.

This is not always easy…in fact when Jesus spoke he knew not everybody would openly accept the truth. In our lives, the hardest things to do are often really the right thing to do. Truth takes courage, truth takes trusting that no matter what happens God has got you in the palm of his hand. He knows what you are facing, He knows your fears and the temptations pressuring you…open your heart, mind and soul to Him. He has the truth and His Son delivered the message of truth personally to us.

Voice Of Truth by Casting Crowns

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“To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’.“

John 8:31-32 NIV

(This photo was taken in the summer of 2013 at Falls Park on the Big Sioux River in South Dakota)

Grace…Hope…Peace

September 27, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we^[a] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ²through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we^[b] boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³Not only so, but we^[c] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

Romans 5:1-4 NIV

God’s love for us is unconditional. This is God’s Grace…His love does not change based on our behaviors. It is hard for us to understand because we are human and He is God. The truth is He cannot love us any more and He cannot love us any less than He does right now. He is the only one we can truly count on in this life.

He sent His Son as a sacrifice to allow us to be reconciled to Him. If we are willing to believe in Jesus Christ and seek a personal relationship with Him we will be filled with Hope that only comes through Jesus. It is this Hope that brings us Peace that surpasses all understanding. May God’s peace be with you and flow through you. Amen.

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“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.“

Romans 15:13 NIV

(This phot was taken in August of 2016 at a lake in Glacier National Park in Montana)

Love Is Action

September 26, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

1 Peter 4:8 NIV

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

1 John 4:10-11 NIV

Love is more than a feeling…it is action. Love is grounded in behaviors not emotions. The description of love in the bible tells us how to live when we love.

It is not about approving or accepting others or about being approved or accepted by others, rather it is about how we choose to live in our daily life and interactions. What actions can each of us do today to demostrate love? I pray that God’s love will be seen in each of us and flows through our actions every day. Amen.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV

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

Seek God’s Will

September 25, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“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. ¹²Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV

God has given us the gift of free will. It is up to us to choose how we will live each day…seeking Him and His Word or following the ways of this fallen world? God tells us the truth in the Bible. He lays out what will happen based on what we choose to believe and do.

So what do you believe? What will you choose to do today? I encourage you to seek Him and seek Him with all of your heart. May God’s peace wash over you. Amen.

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“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ²Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Romans 12:1-2 NIV

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 at a park near Bayfield, Wisconsin)

Perspective

September 24, 2023 / mcalcagno / 1 Comment

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.“

Colossians 3:1-2 NIV

Outlook…viewpoint…position…approach…frame of mind…attitude. What feeds your perspective? What are you consuming with your eyes, your ears and your mind? What experience or experiences are framing your view? All of these are inputs into your perspective and they shape your attitude.

If we choose to allow our point of view to be shaped by what goes on around us in a world filled with me first, self-centered, get more attitudes we will become like the world. The best defense is to build a foundation within your heart and mind that is based on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We can’t stop the world from trying to influence us, yet we can choose to turn away from the sin and run towards our Savior and Lord. Jesus said;

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33 NIV

Perspective is about viewing things from a different point of view…trust in the Lord and seek His perspective on your life. Amen.

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“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:28 NIV

(This photo was taken in September of 2021 at a lake place in northwestern Wisconsin)

The Past…Redeemed

September 23, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“I know that my redeemer^[c] lives,
and that in the end he will stand on the earth.”^[d]

Job 19:25 NIV

What has happened in the past is done and can’t be changed…we can learn from it…we can change and impact what happens today. Don’t let what has happened in the past be chains that you drag around everywhere you go.

Jesus Christ has paid the price for our sins and He is our Redeemer…bring your past, your shame and your guilt to the Lord and He will set you free. Amen.

Redeemed by Big Daddy Weave

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“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.“

John 3:16-17 NIV

(This photo was taken in October of 2018 at a park near Winterset, Iowa)

To Know Him…

September 22, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,^[a] ¹⁰so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, ¹²and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you^[b] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.”

Colossians 1:9-12 NIV

From the very beginning God created us out of his love. As we try to find satisfaction and happiness in worldly things we will come to find that only by God’s grace will we find true joy and peace in life. Wisdom is found in spending more time with God and less time on social media and watching the news.

The more we know Him rather then just know about Him…the more our eyes are opened and the better we begin to understand that we are broken, sinful people in need of a Savior and that Jesus Christ is our Savior, our Redeemer. Seek Him and learn to Know Him.

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“For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Colossians 1:13-14 NIV

(This photo was taken in May of 2014 at a lake in central Minnesota)

Teach Me Your Way

September 21, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Show me your ways, Lord,
    teach me your paths.
⁵Guide me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are God my Savior,
    and my hope is in you all day long.”

Psalm 25:4-5 NIV

God invites us into a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. It is up to us to respond to that invitation. If we ignore God’s call and go our own way we will bring about more pain and suffering without God’s presence and guidance.

We need to be willing to open ourselves up to God’s way and His plan, that happens with His timing. It is a willingness and an ability to surrender our self-centered ways to Him…God is not in a hurry, like we typically are in this world. God is faithful and will guide you and lead you if you are willing to put your faith and trust in Him and His Way.

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