It is common to hear people saying on their deathbeds, “I only want the Lord to forgive me my sins, and take me to rest.” But those who say such things forget that the rest of heaven would be utterly useless if we had no heart to enjoy it! What could an unsanctified man do in heaven, if by any chance he got there? Let that question be fairly looked in the face, and fairly answered. No man can possibly be happy in a place where he is not in his element, and where all around him is not congenial to his tastes, habits, and character. When an eagle is happy in an iron cage, when a sheep is happy in the water, when an owl is happy in the blaze of noonday sun, when a fish is happy on the dry land - then, and not till then, will I admit that the unsanctified man could be happy in heaven.
J.C. Ryle

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Word for Today, Thu, 12 Feb 2004: God is Love - Original Love

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#1 · February 12, 2004, 10:02 pm

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Word for Today, Thu, 12 Feb 2004: God is Love - Original Love
Dear friends,

Today's message is from Charles Stanley,
Yours in Christ,
Brian

___________________________

Thursday, February 12
In Touch Daily Devotional

God-the Greatest Lover of All
Genesis 3:1-6

A highway sign is a flat piece of metal bearing symbols or words
that convey a message. Similarly, all of creation is a sign
communicating our Father's message to us. Through a full moon,
waves crashing against rocks, or a vividly colored aspen tree,
God is expressing, "I love you!" As we look upon the wonders of
nature, something inside of us resonates with the calm, the
power, or the beauty of what the Creator has made.

God expresses His message in still another way that may initially
seem hard to comprehend as love: the fall of man. You might
wonder, If God loved man, why would He let the first couple sin
and spoil the perfect arrangement they had in the garden?

The connection between God's love and man's sin is freedom. When
God gave Adam and Eve the privilege of deciding to obey or
disobey, He was indicating He does not want us to be robots,
incapable of making choices. Our Father's love is so great that
He does not restrict us by demanding we operate in a certain
fashion. Instead, He has endowed us with the freedom to do right
or wrong-even to say no to the God who created us.

Having freedom to choose does mean we will make mistakes. But the
wonderful news is that God expresses love in yet another way-
through His grace and forgiveness. Jesus Christ, who paid our
sin-debt on the cross, is the ultimate expression of divine
love. Have you used your privilege of choice to receive Him as
your personal Savior?

To delve deeper into this subject and more, visit the In Touch
Web site:
link.salemwebnetwork.com/UM/T.asp?A1.209.18865.1.293748.

For a free online discipleship study from Dr. Charles Stanley,
visit
link.salemwebnetwork.com/UM/T.asp?A1.209.18865.2.293748.

FREE Christian Book l.salemweb.net/swnoffer0203/UMit/

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=====
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/

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