The Spirit He Gave Us

September 14, 2021 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God ²²and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. ²³And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. ²⁴The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.”

1 John 3:21-24

DSC_0664 publish

“This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. ¹⁶And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. ¹⁷This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. ¹⁸There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

1 John 4:13-18

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming)

Confession…Forgiveness

May 14, 2021 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Blessed is the one
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
²Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord does not count against them
    and in whose spirit is no deceit.

³When I kept silent,
    my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
⁴For day and night
    your hand was heavy on me;
my strength was sapped
    as in the heat of summer.^[b]

⁵Then I acknowledged my sin to you
    and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
    my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
    the guilt of my sin.”

Psalm 32:1-5

DSC_0158_1 publish

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”

John 3:17

(This photo was taken in December of 2018 at a park on the island of the Bahamas)

Confess…Renew

March 14, 2021 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
²Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.”

Psalm 51:1-2

DSC_1292 publish

“Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

Psalm 51:10-12

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

Cry Out To The Lord

January 27, 2021 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?”

Psalm 27:1

Lord, I Need You by Matt Maher

DSC_0361 publish

“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

(This photo was taken in May of 2020 at the High Falls in Tettegouche State Park in northern Minnesota)

Time For Reflection

December 31, 2020 / 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. ⁵And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

⁶You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:1-8

DSC_0029-1 publish

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”

James 1:12

(This photo was taken in July of 2019 at a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

Walking With God

December 17, 2020 / mcalcagno / 3 Comments

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly^[a] with your God.”

Micah 6:8

DSC_0090 (2) publish

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. ⁷But 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, purifies us from all^[a] sin.

⁸If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.”

1 John 1:5-10

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

Come To Repentance

October 13, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We are so quick to judge others, yet that is not our purpose. We were created out of God’s love to do good things…how we respond to His love will determine how we will be judged. Come to repentance and you will find peace. Amen.

“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. ²Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. ³So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? ⁴Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?”

Romans 2:1-4

DSC_0126 publish

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

2 Peter 3:8-9

(This photo was taken in April of 2020 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Transformation

October 8, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Confess your sins…Believe in your heart…and Pray. Some examples in the Bible of transformations…the woman at the well in John 4 and Saul becomes Paul in Acts 9. God wants a relationship with you. Make time to be with Him. Amen.

“But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”^[a] that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: ⁹If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

Romans 10:8-10

IMG_20180730_062020 publish

“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

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on the shore of Lake Superior near Ashland, Wisconsin)

Believe

October 1, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Romans 10:8-10

DSC_0232 publish

“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. ¹⁸Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

John 3:16-18

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

Stand Firm

July 23, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When a person stands firm in faith they are often persecuted and told that their thinking is outdated or wrong. This is because the way of the world and the way of faith are constantly in conflict with each other. The world wants faith to be convenient, easy, self-pleasing and self-serving. The way of the world is about following the sinful nature. The way of faith is not about the self-first…it is about God’s Word and Jesus Christ…the way of faith is about being humble, admitting that sin is wrong and confessing our sins…the way of faith is about surrendering your will and following God’s will according to His word. The way of faith is about your relationship with Jesus Christ. Stand firm in faith. Amen.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the servant of God^[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

2 Timothy 3:16-17

DSC_1250 publish