Wait for The Lord

April 27, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Where have you seen God at work in your life? When you look back across your past, what moments or decisions do you believe God was working on for your good? He loves us and is always with us. When you pray? How do you pay attention for His response? He speaks to us many different ways. Be persistent, be patient and wait for the Lord. Amen.

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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

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

Holy Spirit

April 26, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Our Guide…our Advocate…our Counselor…the very presence of God. Amen.

Holy Spirit by Francesca Battistelli

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

John 14:26

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”

Romans 8:26

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“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity but one of power, love, and self-discipline.^[a]”

2 Timothy 1:7

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

We Must Humble Ourselves

April 25, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

It’s not about me. There is a significant difference between self-care and self-centered. To be humble takes courage, to admit that we make mistakes and poor choices with an attitude of seeking redemption is a path to peace. Jesus taught us about humility…

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹²I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

¹³“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

¹⁴“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Luke 18:10-14

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“…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

2 Chronicles 7:14

(This photo was taken in April of 2016 at a lake in central Minnestoa)

Nobody Like You

April 24, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Good morning. This morning has started as one of those days that I can’t stop hearing the words of a song playing over and over in my mind. The message in the words is clear…listen to the words of this song. I believe that God speaks to us in many different ways and it is up to us to listen. May peace and comfort be with you through the love of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Nobody Loves Me Like You by Chris Tomlin

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“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

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

Hope

April 23, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

What drives it? Why do we have it? It comes from belief…it comes from trusting. Even when no one believes there is any hope…hope persists. Think about the day Jesus was crucified…nobody, not even the disciples had hope. Jesus, their teacher, the one who performed miracles had died…yet with God anything is possible. Jesus is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia! The stories of hope with God in the bible go on and on…Sarah who was barren has a son…Moses and the Red Sea…Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego survive the fiery furnace…Daniel in the lion’s den…Mary the virgin gives birth to Jesus and on and on it goes. Don’t give up hope…trust in God. Amen.

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“For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Luke 1:37

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

Walking With God

April 22, 2020 / mcalcagno / 2 Comments

A faith journey. It begins with prayer. It grows as we read the Scriptures, spend time in devotions, engage in our communities, serve others…it transforms us with a new attitude centered on God and His will for us. Trust in God, spend time on your relationship with Jesus Christ and pray…pray about everything, every day. Amen.

“Rejoice always, ¹⁷pray without ceasing, ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

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“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

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

You Choose

April 21, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

God created us with free will…the ability to choose our actions and behaviors. The reason is because a love worth having is love that is chosen, however, the risk is people will choose to reject God. We were created out of love and as we live we can choose whom we will follow. How do you choose to live this day? Amen.

“…But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Joshua 24:15

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“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh^[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ¹⁴For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^[b] ¹⁵If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.”

Galatians 5:13.15

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 along Beartooth Pass in Montana)

Faithfulness

April 20, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Loyalty…dedication…devotion…commitment…dependability…truth. God is faithful in all He has promised. The struggles and the difficulties have been brought on by our chasing after sin and sinful desires. Even though we wander off…God the Father, our Creator and Jesus Christ His Son our Savior, with the Holy Spirit are faithful to loving us and saving us…if we are willing to confess our sins and trust in God. Amen.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:9

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“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
²³They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
²⁴I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”

²⁵The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
²⁶it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.”

Lamentations 3:22-26

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

Unfailing Love

April 19, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

God’s love is everything for us…there is nothing like it and there is nothing on earth that can separate us from it. Take time to worship and praise Him for His unfailing love.

“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. ⁹This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰This 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. ¹²No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

1 John 4:7-12

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“Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I entrust my life.”

Psalm 143:8

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

Trust His Word

April 18, 2020 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

God is with you. It is said over and over again in the Bible. The message is clear, we can rely on God…this does not mean your life will be free of trouble and suffering. It tells us that when those things come, we can count on God to guide us, strengthen us and give us hope through those times. Pick up a Bible and see for yourself in Deuteronomy 31, Joshua 1, Isaiah 41 or Hebrews 13 and other places…God is with you, trust Him and His word. Amen.

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