Everyone Has A Role

February 4, 2019 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

The body of Christ is discussed in several areas of the Bible. It is compared to the makeup of the human body. Stating that every part of the body has certain contribution to the whole body and everything is functioning at its greatest ability when all the members play their role. A sports team could be described in a simialr way. If every member of the team does what they are responsible to do the team can be and will be very successful. The same is true for Christians. We all have a role in the body of Christ and even though some roles get taken for granted they have the same value as every other role. We never notice how much we use our pinky on either hand or our little toe on either foot until it gets broke or dislocated and suddenly we really notice how often we need it. We are created out of love, we are created for a purpose, every single person has value in God’s plan. Seek wisdom from God to understand your role is His plan. Amen.

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“Just as each one of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts according to the grace given us…”

Romans 12:4-6

(This photo was taken in February of 2013 in a neighborhood near Plymouth, Minnesota)

Serving Others

December 18, 2018December 17, 2018 / mcalcagno / 1 Comment

We have been saved by the grace of God our Father and the sacrifice of His One and Only Son…Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord. We have been blessed so that we can be a blessing to others. As you reflect on your life or this past year…how has God blessed you? What are you thankful for? What gift, talent or skill has God given to you and how can you use that gift to help and serve others? Seek the blessings you have been given, give thanks and pursue the ways you can be a blessing to others. Amen.

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“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”

1 Peter 4:10

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

The Needs Of Others

June 21, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We all have been given gifts and talents to use in the world. While we are all unique the gifts we have are to be used to not only support ourselves, they are also the way we can help others in need. It is important to learn and accept the gifts and talents God has given us and to seek out ways to use them to honor God. Selfishness is running rampant all over the world and therefore the needs of people are many. Can we help everyone? No. Does that mean we should only worry about ourselves? No. We should strive to do whatever we can, for whomever we can, whenever we can, wherever we are…even if it only helps one person in that moment in time, it is helping someone in need. May God’s grace and peace be with you.

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“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Philippians 2:4

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 at a rest area in South Dakota)

Serve To Meet The Needs

March 1, 2018 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When we look at what we do each day for work or what we are doing as a part of our daily routine…sometimes we find ourselves asking, ‘Why am I doing this?’ What is my purpose here?’ It is difficult to remember that our reason sometimes is just to provide for our families, friends or relatives who need us. A parent who stays at home to care for a child actually can easily see their purpose, it is to provide for the needs of the child, not to serve themselves but strictly to provide for the needs of another. The interesting part about this, is that purpose is true for all of us all the time…God wants us to love our neighbor as ourselves, care for the needs of others. For some reason we get caught up in the messages of the world that we become focused more of ourselves and less on others and then when we get older we start to wonder, ‘Why am I doing this?’ ‘What is my purpose?’ If we spend time in the Word of God and read about what He has planned for us, it is simple…focus on meeting the needs of others, not just financially but in all ways in relationship, spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, etc. May God’s peace be with you and those you serve today.

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“Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

Philippians 2:4

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 at a rest area in South Dakota)

What is your Spiritual Gift?

February 1, 2014 / mcalcagno / 1 Comment

We all get into routines in life and several days begin to look the same. Depending on what you choose to focus on in life, this repetition can become mundane and begin to feel like a rut you have created for yourself. God has created each of us with a purpose in mind and that purpose also came with a spiritual gift. This gift is something that comes naturally to us and sometimes it gets overlooked because it comes to us so easily. This doesn’t have to be something complicated to figure out…we typically make things much more complicated in the world than necessary (I speak from personal experience).

In the Bible, the gifts of the spirit are as follows…

“We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a person’s gift is prophesying, let them use it in proportion to their faith. If it is serving, let them serve; if it is teaching, let them teach; if it is encouraging, let them encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let them give generously; if it is leadership, let them govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let them do it cheerfully.”

Romans 12:6-8

Think about moments in your life where it was easy for you to provide for another…not financially, there are far greater needs in the world than money. The gifts described above are all related to our interactions with others…what have we been given that we can share with other people? Many of us go about the business of “our” lives first and wonder why we get discouraged so easily? One of the best ways to cure your discouragement or disappointment is change your perspective…

Begin by approaching your situation by thinking what can I do that helps others…don’t be so quick to think “nothing” it simply is not true. You are a valuable part of God’s world…you are his creation…and I have heard it said often “God don’t make no junk!”

Look at the list of Gifts…one of these does apply to you…you just need to spend time praying that God will guide you to opportunities to use it and then be very aware of invitations or things you may read or just hear about that are happening in your community…there is a place for you…do you believe it?

The Gifts given according to grace: