Author: mcalcagno

Plans…Purpose

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“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.”

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
    and he will establish your plans.”

Proverbs 16:3 NIV

If we try to do things our own way for our own purposes all the time we will only find discouragement and frustration

Our purpose comes from God, our Creator

His purpose is based on who He is and His love

If we are willing to seek Him and follow Him we will find His way is better for us

His plan is for our good and His glory

We can put our hope in the Lord and trust His plan and purpose for our life

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

Proverbs 19:21 NIV

(This photo was taken along the North Shore of Lake Superior)

Trust And Faith

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge him,
    and he will make straight your paths.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Hebrews 11:1 NIV

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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 photo was taken in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington)

Faith Over Fear

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“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 NIV

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

2 Timothy 1:7 NIV

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“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 14 Do everything in love.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NIV

(This photo was taken in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming)

Love In Action

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

8 Love never fails.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV

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“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV

(This photo was taken at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

I Surrender All

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“Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.”

Luke 9:23-24 NIV

Father God, I surrender my life to You

You can have it all.  All my doubts, all my fears, all my worries…every insecurity, every selfish desire and past mistake…I give it all to You

Every area of my life that does not honor You…take it

Take it all and use me, change me, transform me, love me and love others through me

Take all that I am, and use it for Your glory

In Jesus name, Amen

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“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Galatians 2:20 NIV

(This photo was taken at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

A New Way

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“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.“

Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!“

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

Every day brings new possibilities

Trust the promises of God to find a New Way

Our hope is in God and His love

The Wonderful Cross by Michael W Smith

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“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.“

Philippians 4:8-9 NIV

(This photo was taken at sunrise at a lake in central Minnesota)

Give Thanks and Praise

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“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:6-8 NIV

It is wild how quickly we can become distracted

Today’s world is filled with so much information and so much misinformation that it is easy to get derailed or side tracked

We need to be able to be centered on something or someone to keep us level headed and not chasing every feeling and emotion

God knows everything about us

Try this brief exercise today…think about your last 24 hours

God knows about every single thing and every single thought you have experienced

Yes even that one thought

Now step back and think about the fact that this is true about every single thing and thought in your life

God knows and when we take a moment to realize that right now, knowing all those things that God knows…remember this

God forgives you and God loves you the same today as He did the day you were born

To show you how much He loves and cares for you He sent His Son to take the punishment that we all deserve so that we can still have a relationship with Him

Give thanks and praise to God our Father and Jesus Christ, His Son, our Savior and Lord

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“Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:4-7 NIV

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

He Did It All For You

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“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in[b] Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 6:23 NIV

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

Isaiah 53:5 NIV

We didn’t earn it

We do not deserve it

Yet Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself for us

This is how much He loves us

This is how much He loves you

Remember what He did to show His love for you

Remember…He did it all for you!

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“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV

(This photo was taken while traveling in northern Colorado)

Put Your Hope In God

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“Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God.”

Psalm 42:11 NIV

Find Rest by Francesca Battistelli

“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

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

Fruit Of The Spirit…Faithfulness

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“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations…”

Deuteronomy 7:9 NIV

God keeps His promises

We are responsible for how we live our lives and how we treat each other

God has given us free will

If we do our part and put our trust in Him and walk in the Light of Christ

He is faithful and will forgive us our sins and restore us

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“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:5-9 NIV

(This photo was taken at sunset at a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)