Trust

Trust Requires Patience

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

God is working for good things in our life…we must be willing to wait for Him.  If we believe and know Jesus Christ is the Son of God and we confess our sins, and we know the sacrifice that Jesus made to save us…then we know how much God loves us and how far He will go to care for us.  As it says in Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”  Trust in the Lord, wait for Him and good things will come.  Amen.

DSC_0153 publish

“I remain confident of this:  I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

Psalms 27:13-14

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

Doing Good

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

It makes a difference…even when you don’t get to see it or know how it made a difference.  Do your best to offer what you can, to whoever you can, wherever you are.  Don’t start with trying to change the whole world…make it your goal to do good for at least one other person every day and let God take it from there.  Our job is to Love the Lord and Love our neighbor as ourselves.  Do good things, offer your best and let God take care of the rest.  Amen.

DSC_0013 publish

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

Galatians 6:9-10

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

Trust In The Lord

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

When you are facing trouble in this world…when it seems like everything you try or do is failing…when you don’t know what to do next…pray and trust in the Lord. Do something good and wait patiently for God and His will. Trust is hard, especially when we have put our trust in things that have let us down in the past…you can trust in the Lord, He keeps His promises and He is always with you. Amen.

DSC_0459 publish

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Psalm 37:3-4

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 while traveling through North Dakota)

Trust Him

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

God has fulfilled every promise He made to us, except one, and you can be sure that one will be fulfilled when Christ returns.  We so easily give trust to some that don’t deserve it and hold back our trust when we have more than enough evidence know that we can trust.  We will continue to struggle and be frustrated if we believe that other people and the things of this world are all we need.  We need God and when we read God’s Word we can learn about His past relationship with humanity and that when God makes a promise, He will fulfill it on His timeline, not ours.  Trust God believe in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord and connect with the Holy Spirit within your heart.  Amen.

DSC_0164 publish

“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

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on Lake Superior near the Apostle Islands)

He Knows…

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

All that has happened in our lives and in history.  The greatest blessings can come from the greatest tragedies.  This has been true throughout history…going back to the resurrection after the crucifixion.  God knows all these things and He will guide us through everything and anything we encounter in life…it is up to us to seek Him and His Word.  Amen.

He Knows by Jeremy Camp

DSC_0144 publish

“You have searched me, Lord and you know me.”

Psalm 139:1

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

Wait Patiently

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

This can be very difficult…just about every single part of society is pushing to go faster, hurry up, cram more into less time.  Instant messaging, immediate gratification and my favorite at work…’did you see the email I just sent?’  At some point we will all encounter a situation or circumstances that will require patience and we will be poorly prepared.  If we fail to learn patience, we could be setting ourselves up for greater frustrations and disappointments.  Turn to God’s Word and pray for God’s help in teaching you patience.  Amen.

DSC_0815 publish

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.”

Psalm 37:7

(This photo was taken in July of 2016 at Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park)

Trust In The Lord

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

What is an event or issue you sincerely brought to the Lord asked for Him to guide you and to take care of you and others?  What was the outcome?  It most likely wasn’t exactly the way you thought it was going to go or it wasn’t the way you wanted it to go…yet you may be thinking it all worked out in the end…it also could be that the issue worked out for the betterment of others, more than for you.  God is the God of all people.  Having a personal relationship with God doesn’t mean more things will go the way you want…it means you believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior and that you trust God even when you are unsure how things are going to turn out because you know He is working for the good in all things.  Put your trust and your hope in God.  Amen.

Find Rest by Francesca Battistelli

DSC_0022 publish

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Psalm 37:3-4

(This photo was taken in July of 2019 at a lake place in northwestern Wisconsin)

Turbulence

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

We are quick to conform to the world view of life and the world perspective.  Many of us believe it is bad when something unexpected happens and the world tells us this a bad thing.  This perspective has largely chosen to ignore God and His Word.  The foundation of our faith is Jesus Christ and His life, death and resurrection.  This is from God…the human race cannot conceive and complete what God’s plan is without God.  When we encounter turbulence in life and things are getting bumpy…that is the time to focus on God and pray.  Seek Him, seek wisdom and most importantly trust in Him to get you through all the moments of trouble you will encounter in your daily living.  Amen.

DSC07553 publish

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Romans 12:2

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

Be Courageous

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

Faith takes courage, to believe in what we hope for and not what we see.  It takes courage to trust, even when we are unsure how things will turn out.  The world may call you foolish, in fact based on the bible, you should expect it.  It will take courage to stay on your faith journey when things get hard or don’t go the way you want…what you need to focus on is Jesus Christ and God’s Word.  God is with you…trust in Him, seek His will and be courageous.  Amen.

DSC_1601 publish

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9

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

If God Is For Us…

/ mcalcagno / Leave a comment

What more could we possibly need?  He is our Creator.  The Old Testament tells us about the back and forth relationship between the people and God.  Eventually God decides there is only One way to save us and because of His great love for us, it is finished.  God tried many different ways to have relationships with people and Jesus Christ knows what it is like to be human in this world.  God knows you; He knows more about you than you realize and He loves you.  All that is good comes from God, He is with you and His plan is for good things in your life and even though things will go wrong because of sin in the world, He will still be with you to strengthen you and encourage you to keep going, keep trying and keep trusting in Him.  Seek out God and His plan and you will find peace.  Amen.

DSC_1250 publish

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things?  If God is for us,who can be against us?  He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

Romans 8:31-32

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