His Love Endures Forever

May 28, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
    slow to anger, abounding in love.
⁹He will not always accuse,
    nor will he harbor his anger forever;
¹⁰he does not treat us as our sins deserve
    or repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who fear him;
¹²as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

Psalm 103:8-12 NIV

Forever by Michael W Smith

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“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.”

Psalm 136:1 NIV

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

Unconditional Love

May 12, 2023 / mcalcagno / 3 Comments

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸may 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, ¹⁹and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Ephesians 3:16-19 NIV

Love without limitations or conditions. Love that is faithful, love that only grows greater, love that is loyal and never changes based on events or circumstances. One of the best examples of unconditional love in this world is the love of a dog. Last month we had to say goodbye to our family dog, Lilly. She was 11 years old and exemplfied unconditional love daily. No matter where I went or what I was doing there was Lilly by my side…working in my office, Lilly laying down on the floor next to me…sitting and reading in my chair, Lilly in the room with me…outside in the yard, Lilly out there with me…even if I went to sneek in a nap, Lilly would eventually pop up on the bed. She was the first to greet me every morning and the last to say goodnight. She would get me up to go for walks with her irresistable joy and excitement…we loved her and she gave us her heart and her whole self with love, unconditionally. People would do well to learn from dogs on what true unconditional love looks like.

There is one person who is the best of example any of us will ever find of unconditional love…Jesus Christ. He came to this world to save you…He is with you and He will never leave you…believe in Him, give Him your heart because He has already offered His heart to you…why? Because He loves you, unconditionally.

^“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NIV

(This photo was taken in April of 2023 of our dog Lilly the day before she passed away)

Love One Another

April 25, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“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.”

1 John 4:7-10 NIV

Think about it…God sacrificed His one and only Son for other people just as much as He did it for you. He created all of us…yes even the person on your mind right now that chooses to reject God and shows it in their daily life. We are not here to be the judge of each other, we can’t because we are all sinful and we all need the Savior. Trust me I struggle with this in my faith as much as anyone else does…maybe that other person has never had anyone show them kindness, compassion or taken time to listen to them because society has decided they are not worth it. In the end it is not up to us…our purpose is to love God, love others and share the Gospel, that is how we can make a difference in our lifetime. Amen.

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“Dear 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 4:11-12 NIV

(This photo was taken in September of 2022 in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming)

His Love Endures Forever

April 3, 2023 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.”

Psalm 145:8 NIV

Trouble will come…we will experience suffering and loss in this world…yet we do not need to have fear and we do not need to be afraid. We are loved by God with a love that is greater than anything we face. Pursue a personal relationship with Jesus Christ our Savior and our Lord, meet with Him every day…He sacrificed everything to save you because He loves you and His love will endure forever. Amen.

Forever by Michael W Smith

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“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.”

Psalm 136:1 NIV

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

For All Of Us

March 7, 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 sent His Son into the world to save us from our sins…to reconcile us back to Him. God loves us…God created us…He sent His Son to save us…He gives us His Holy Spirit to guide us and lead us…He forgives us…nobody we meet in this life will ever be able to care for us like God cares for us. Turn towards God and give Him thanks and praise Him for His never-ending love. May you be comforted by God’s love today. Amen.

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“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:38-39 NIV

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

The Love Of Christ

December 24, 2022 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵from whom every family^[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸may 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, ¹⁹and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

²⁰Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

Ephesians 3:14-21 NIV

Jesus Christ loves you…He cares about you…He knows what is happening in your life…and He is with you. Put your Hope in Him, find your Peace with Him, live in Joy because of Him and know His Love for you. I hope you have enjoyed the last four weeks of Advent devotions and I wish you a very Merry Christmas!

Silent Night by Chris Tomlin ft. Kristyn Getty

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“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?…No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:35,37-39 NIV

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

God’s Love For You

December 22, 2022 / 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

The Creator of the universe knows all about you and He loves you and wants a relationship with you. Look what He has done to ensure that you have the opportunity to believe in Him and spend time with Him. The Old Testament is a back and forth of God and His people growing close together and people wandering off and then coming back together…so in order to put an end to the cyclical back and forth God put a plan together to reconcile us to Him once and for all…He put His plan into action at just the right time and now because of the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the penalty for our sin has been paid and we can be with God for eternity. He did it for you…He did it because He loves you that much.

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“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:37-39 NIV

(This photo was taken in June of 2020 at sunset at a lake in northwestern Wisconsin)

His Love Endures Forever

October 15, 2022 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

“The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.”

Psalm 145:8 NIV

Forever by Michael W Smith

DSC09023 publish

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.”

Psalm 136:1 NIV

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

Love One Another

September 13, 2022 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

1 John 4:7-10 NIV

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“Dear 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 4:11-12 NIV

(This photo was taken in September of 2022 in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming)

God’s Love Changes Lives

July 28, 2022 / mcalcagno / Leave a comment

1 John 4:7-11 NIV

God’s love is the most powerful thing in the world. Nothing can compare to it…no matter where you are, no matter what has happened or is happening…God’s love can change what you believe is impossible. Trust Him, seek His Word, believe, confess your sins and surrender your ways for His way. Amen.

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