The Fruit Of The Spirit

July 19, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When we come to Christ and seek Him, we are renewed. The Holy Spirit within us encourages us to live by the Fruit of the Spirit more and more and to leave the evil, anger, hatred and darkness behind. The more we use the Fruit of the Spirit when thinking about ourselves and while helping others the better our life will be. Most of us are too hard on ourselves and too hard on others…things can be different. Pick up God’s Word and read about it, pray and ask for forgiveness of your sins and to have the Fruit of the Spirit stirred up in you. May God’s love, joy and peace be with you. Amen.

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

Galatians 5:22-23

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

Offer Kindness

July 18, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Every single person is fighting a personal battle within themselves…every single one of us. Don’t be so quick to judge and assume your knowledge about any situation or individual. Be different, be kind…listen and seek to understand. The quickest way to diffuse an escalating situation is kindness and compassion, not pushing your personal agenda. Turn towards Jesus and ask that you are filled with courage and the ability to see others with His eyes. Amen.

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“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

1 Peter 4:8-10

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

The War Between Guilt And Grace

July 17, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We are forgiven…Jesus Christ has paid the price for our sins…we can let go of our guilt and live in God’s grace…because in the battle that rages on within us and within others…Grace wins everytime. Amen.

Grace Wins by Matthew West

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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—”

Ephesians 2:8

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 at a lake place in northwestern Wisconsin)

Give Thanks And Praise

July 16, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The Lord gives us blessings…He knows each of us and He cares for us. Some blessings are talents or natural skills we can use to share abundance with others…some blessings don’t feel like a blessing but are intended for us to learn from, in these times it can be difficult to stay true to faith and to look for God in all of it. He is right there with you, no matter what has happened, no matter who you have lost in this life. Spiritual maturity comes by walking with God and trusting in Him. Give thanks and praise Him for His love, His mercy, His forgiveness and His grace. Amen.

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“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

Deuteronomy 6:5

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Arches National Park in Utah)

Hope

July 15, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Our faith relies on hope and our hope is eternal because of Jesus and what He has done for us. The events and circumstances of our lives are constantly trying to snuff out all hope…if we get distracted and put ourselves in the center of our lives instead of Christ, it becomes difficult to see any hope. When we choose to live this way, focused on the self, we will be frustrated, disappointed and feel hopeless. When we turn our attention to the Lord, when we read God’s Word and we pray we can find hope once again. As it is written in Matthew 19:26 “…With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” May the hope that is found in Christ be with you this day. 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

(This photo was taken in July of 2017 at a lake place in northwestern Wisconson)

Love And Faithfulness

July 10, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When we are able to surrender ourselves to God and His plan and we follow Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we will grow and mature spiritually. We may believe we know a great deal about love and faithfulness and yet there is so much more God wants to show us. It will not be easy and we should take nothing for granted. Living in this world where sin and selfishness run wild, where temptations are lurking…we will never be perfect, so that is not a realistic goal and we are not to be the judge of others. In the Gospel of John 13:34-35, Jesus gives us a new command of love, He is speaking about it at a time when one of His close disciples in going off to betray Him. Love and faithfulness these are characteristics of the new creation God is making us to be. Seek the Lord and the life He has planned for you. Amen.

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“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.”

Proverbs 3:3-4

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 at sunrise on the island of Maui, Hawaii)

Extending His Grace to Others

July 7, 2019July 7, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We have been blessed to be a blessing…He provides amazing grace to flow through us, so that we show His love to others with our actions and behaviors.

Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) by Chris Tomlin

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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.”

John 3:16

(This photo was taken in June of 2018 near the border of South Dakota and Minesota)

He Loves Us

July 6, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

There is nothing in the world like God’s love for us…He sacrificed His one and only Son to save us…sin and suffering are the result of human behavior, all that is good comes from God. Seek Him and His will for you. Amen.

How He Loves by David Crowder Band

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“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Ephesians 3:17-19

(This photo was taken in October of 2018 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Questions

July 2, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

God is infinite…humans are finite…we will not always understand ‘why’ something is happening…but we know we can always trust ‘who’ is in control for all aspects of our lives.

Give Me Jesus by Jeremy Camp

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

John 14:6

(This photo was taken in September of 2016 at a lake place in central Minnesota)

Pray

July 1, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

God is listening…He has shown His love to us in His Word…You are not alone.

Confidence by Sanctus Real

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“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by 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 4:6-7

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