To Know Him vs To Know About Him

September 29, 2024 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”

1 John 4:7-8 NIV

Each of us needs to ask ourselves…Do I truly know Jesus or do I just know about Him?

There is a significant difference. To know that He lived and the things that He did and even the things He said is to know about Him

To know Him is to meet with Him daily and communicate with Him all the time

To know Him is to ask Him questions and express your true feelings to Him

To know Him is to do what He did in your relationships with others

To know Him is to take up your cross and follow Him

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“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵For whoever wants to save their life^[f] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”

Matthew 16:24-24 NIV

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

The Lord Is Our Rock

September 28, 2024 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“You will keep in perfect peace
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust in you.
⁴Trust in the Lord forever,
    for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.“

Isaiah 26:3-4 NIV

We have been saved

We have a fortress of salvation

We have been delivered by Jesus Christ to eternal life

Trust in the Lord, there is no greater strength than the love of God

Let the Word of God wash over you and flow through you in your attitude and behaviors

When we fall down He will pick us up…He renews us and restores us

His Word is a shelter from evil

When it feels like the world is crashing down around us we need to look to the Lord for He is our Rock

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“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Psalm 18:2 NIV

(This photo was taken in Glacier National Park in Montana)

Stop Chasing After The Wind

September 27, 2024 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. ²²What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun? ²³All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.

²⁴A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, ²⁵for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? ²⁶To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

Ecclesiastes 2:21-26 NIV

The wisest person who ever lived learned that worldly values and pursuits are foolishness and he wrote it down to share with you and me

I believe learning from others in history, especially those who had a close relationship with God

This is one of the reasons why God has given us His Word

May we all take time to read and acknowledge the wisdom in God’s Word

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“Now all has been heard;
    here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
    for this is the duty of all mankind.
¹⁴For God will bring every deed into judgment,
    including every hidden thing,
    whether it is good or evil.”

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NIV

(This photo was taken in Glacier National Park in Montana)

Our Source Of Strength

September 26, 2024 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

John 4:13 NIV

“Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
²but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
³That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.”

Psalm 1:1-3 NIV

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“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
⁸They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV

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

He Knows…

September 25, 2024 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.”

Psalm 139:7-10 NIV

No matter where you are, no matter what you have done or have left undone

God knows all about you and He loves you

He knows your hurts and your pain

He knows your joys and good times

He knows your struggles and difficulties and He knows your achievements and accomplishments

He has been with you the whole time and He will never leave you

Put your trust and faith in God

No matter what your circumstances are

He knows!

He Knows by Jeremy Camp

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“Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
²⁴See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Psalm 139:23-24 NIV

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

The Lord Is Our Rock

September 6, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“You will keep in perfect peace
    those whose minds are steadfast,
    because they trust in you.
⁴Trust in the Lord forever,
    for the Lord, the Lord himself, is the Rock eternal.“

Isaiah 26:3-4 NIV

You have been saved…you have a fortress of salvation…you have been delivered by Jesus Christ to eternal life. Trust in the Lord, there is no greater strength than the love of God. Let the Word of God wash over you and flow through you in your attitude and behaviors.

When you fall down He will pick you up, He renews us and restores us. His Word is a shelter from evil. When it feels like the world is crashing down around you look to the Lord for He is our Rock. Amen.

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“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Psalm 18:2 NIV

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

The Lord Is My Rock

July 22, 2022 / 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 NIV

We have been saved…we have a fortress of salvation…we have been delivered by Jesus Christ to eternal life. Trust in the Lord, there is no greater strength than the love of God. When we fall down He will pick us up, He renews us and restores us. His Word is a shelter from evil. When it feels like the world is crashing down around you look to the Lord for He is our Rock. Amen.

DSC_0920 publish

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Psalm 18:2 NIV

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

Hope In The Lord

October 16, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We have hope because of Jesus Christ. Do good things…live out the Fruits of the Spirit in your daily life and no matter where you are or what is happening in your life don’t give up hope…renew your strength by turning towards the Lord. Amen.

“Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
³¹but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.”

Isaiah 40:28-31

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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

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

The Lord Is My Rock

April 15, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

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“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

Psalm 18:2

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

Practice What Is Preached

April 11, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The faith journey has two main elements…the first is learning about and getting to know God the Father, Jesus Christ His Son and the Holy Spirit. It is a transformation on the inside, a redemption. The second element is about making Him known. Taking what we have learned and have experienced and sharing it by helping others in need, whatever that looks in your life. Both elements are vital to our spiritual life and to the Kingdom of God, as either one without the other has little lasting value or impact. Take time to know Him and create space in your life to make Him known. Amen.

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