What Will You Choose?

June 30, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”

2 Timothy 2:15 NIV

“You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.”

Isaiah 26:3 NIV

God provides us with everything we need…it is up to us to choose how we will live out our time in this world. Will we seek a personal relationship with Him? How will we treat others? What will be the center of our lives? Self or Christ? God has given us free will…how will you choose to live?

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“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^[a] have been called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:28 NIV

(This photo was taken in June of 2016 at a lake near Plymouth, Minnesota)

God’s Faithfulness

June 29, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.”

Deuteronomy 7:9 NIV

No matter what we have done or left undone…God is with us and God is for us. Even when we don’t see Him or the work He is doing in our lives…He is near. Every promise God made has been kept…He is faithful and His only promise yet to be fulfilled is when Christ returns. Trust in the Lord and His Word…He is trustworthy and faithful in everything.

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“The Lord himself will go ahead of you. He will be with you. He will never leave you. He’ll never desert you. So don’t be afraid. Don’t lose hope.”“

Deuteronomy 31:8 NIRV

(This photo was taken in August of 2021 at a field near Kimball, Minnesota)

He Makes All Things New

June 28, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“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

Anything is possible with God. No matter what you have been through or what you are going through…God can make all things new. Not on our timeline or when we want it…yet according to His plan. His plan and His way is better. God is with you and God is for you…He has shown you how much He loves you by sending His Son to the Cross to die for you and through the resurrection He has made your relationship with Him new. Choose God’s way and His plan…He makes all things new!

All Things New by Steven Curtis Chapman

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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; ²³to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV

(This photo was taken in September of 2020 at sunrise by a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

Trust In The Lord

June 27, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.”^[a]

Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV

Instead of trying to control things beyond your reach…put your trust in the Lord. Trust His way…trust His timing and trust the outcome to Him who has done more for you than any person in your life. He is with you, He is for you. Trust in the Lord.

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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

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

Put Your Hope In God

June 26, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Why am I discouraged?
    Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
    I will praise him again—
    my Savior and my God!”

Psalm 42:11 NLT

Where is your hope? What do you put your hope in? Do you put your hope in worldly values and worldly perspectives? I certainly have in my life. Is your hope in something that can be taken away from you and leave you disappointed and discouraged? Yep, been there done that. We must stop trying to fill the void in our hearts with the things or people of the world as that only leads to frustration…we were created for relationship with God. Only God can satisfy the desires of our hearts through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Put your hope in God.

Find Rest by Fracesca Battistelli

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“Have you never heard?
    Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
    No one can measure the depths of his understanding.
²⁹He gives power to the weak
    and strength to the powerless.
³⁰Even youths will become weak and tired,
    and young men will fall in exhaustion.
³¹But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
    They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
    They will walk and not faint.”

Isaiah 40:28-31 NLT

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

God Is Walking With You

June 25, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“The Lord is my shepherd. He gives me everything I need.
²    He lets me lie down in fields of green grass.
He leads me beside quiet waters.
³    He gives me new strength.
He guides me in the right paths
    for the honor of his name.
⁴Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid.
    You are with me.
Your shepherd’s rod and staff
    comfort me.”

Psalm 23:1-4 NIRV

“Here is what I am commanding you to do. Be strong and brave. Do not be afraid. Do not lose hope. I am the Lord your God. I will be with you everywhere you go.”

Joshua 1:9 NIRV

The peace and comfort we seek from worldly values and other people can only be found in our relationship with God and remembering that God has said that in this world we will have trouble but we need to remember He is walking with us through every moment of every day. He doesn’t take away the suffering He gives us the strength and courage we need to go through it. Put your trust in Him and give Him the worries and burdens of each day.

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“So do not be afraid. I am with you.
    Do not be terrified. I am your God.
I will make you strong and help you.
    I will hold you safe in my hands.
    I always do what is right.”

Isaiah 41:10 NIRV

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 at Sapphire Point near Dillon, Colorado)

It Is Sin That Divides Us And Christ Who Unites Us

June 19, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Romans 3:23-24 NIV

“So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever^[c] you want. ¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”

Galatians 5:16-26 NIV

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“If 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 1:8-10 NIV

(This photo was taken in May of 2023 along the North Shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota)

Hope In God’s Word

June 15, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.”

Psalm 119:105 NIV

No matter what you are facing or up against…no matter what your circumstances in life, you can always find Hope in God’s Word. The Bible is God speaking to us directly in the case of Jesus and through others as well. Believe in Jesus and spend some time reading God’s Word every day. You will not find hope in the things of this world…yet the Creator has provided His Word to lead us, guide us and to give us Hope. Amen.

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“You are my refuge and my shield;
I have put my hope in your word.”

Psalm 119:114 NIV

(This photo was taken in September of 2022 at Big Sky Resort in Montana)

Our Help Comes From The Lord

June 14, 2023 / mcalcagno / 1 Comment

“God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.”

Psalm 46:1 NIV

When things go side-ways or take an unexpected turn…what do we do first? Ask questions, try to figure out what happened, look for ways to get control of what is going on? All of these are natural human rections yet the first thing we should do is turn to the Lord and pray for help, pray for wisdom, pray for guidance. This is where our help really comes from and we typically wait to call on God as a very last resort. As you go through this day or this weekend try turning to God first for anything and everything…He loves you, He knows you and He wants to give you good things. Amen.

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“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
²My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.”

Psalm 121:1-2 NIV

(This photo was taken in July of 2021 in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado)

But God…

June 13, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8 NIV

God’s grace is greater than all of our sins. We know we are weak and we live in a fallen world…God knows us too. He knew we needed a way of salvation and He provided it through Jesus Christ. When temptation comes we need to turn towards God and His Word to strengthen us, the same way Jesus spoke the Scriptures when Satan tempted Him in the desert. When you do make a mistake or fail to resist temptation…remember this phrase, But God,… call on Him because His Grace is greater than our sin. Amen.

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