Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-11-25

love and the expression of that love
in His provision for their happiness.
''2. If God is love- He cannot be
unmindful or forgetful of those who
are the objects of His love. But we
are not left to abstract thought to
gain this knowledge. His word
teams with assurance that this is so.
History proves it, whether that his
tory be CLEANED from the sacred writ
ings, or from human experience. And
yet, it is true that sometimes we for
| get, or fail to properly keep it be-
fore our minds.
No Plan Contrary to Love.
SO. If God is love- then all His
thoughts, purposes and plans must
| partake of that love, and be the out
come of His love. Remember l said
that love was the essential character
! istic of God. Essence is what the
object is God is love- No thought,
no purpose, no plan can be contrary
to His love. The divine anger is
really the expression of His love, in
that it is directed against that which
would hinder His service for those
whom He loves. His people are in
| His mind. and in His heart. and an
examination of the principles and ac-
| tivities of God will reveal to us, more
and more, the tenderness and
/ strength of the divine affection.
-. Love is satisfied only in Civ
| ing. To be unable to give is loves
greatest privation. The young moth
er cannot be satisfied for a moment
without holding the child closer to
her breast, and lavishing upon it
every possible form of endearment.
In sickness, the loved one is the OBJ
/ ject of constant thought and con-
slant service, and no sacrifice is too
great that will possibly bring relief.
Christmas time is coming, and you
will not complain because you will
have to give some present to your
| loved one; but your only complaint
will be that you are not able to give
as much as your love prompts you.
/ Do you suppose that your love is SO
/ superior to the divine love, or so
different from His? Your love is
/ only a weak intimation to you of that
/ which constitutes the greater love of
/ God. And with a desire for your
! greatest happiness, He is seeking, day
after day, to bring into your life the
rich treasure which He can secure
| for you.
Gifts for Our Good.
"5. His gifts being prompted by
His love. and the outward expression
of His love, must be good gifts, if
we admit that He has the wisdom to
direct His love. This qualification
cannot, of course, be doubted. Our
proposition becomes self-evident. But
we can we'll afford to look for mo-
ment, and impress upon our minds
the fact, Gods gifts are good gifts.
They are what He sees will be for
our best good, both for the present.
and for the long future ahead of us.
And this leads us to the next gener-
thought, that
IS. His gifts are not always what
we would have asked. Sometimes
we complain when we see His gifts
we say that we do not understand
why we should have to pass through
the experience which is ours. We
feel that we cannot bear it. Well, we
do not understand; and it is true,
we cannot understand, but we shall
know hereafter He saw the end
from the beginning, and Peter,
grasping by faith somewhat of the
truth, asked that Christ even do
more than that which a moment be-
fore, he himself was unwilling to re-
ceive. Misfortune and disaster, loss
and sorrow, individual or wide
spread, come upon us, and individ
ually, or perhaps even nationally, we
stand dazed by what has happened.
hJy 60 sNNhaf
Go thou knowest not now, but thou
shalt know hereafter come the COM
| forting words; and our knowledge Of
! God, and that He is love, calls upon
/ our faith to believe that He doeth
all things we'll
Love Is Constant.
az. Gods love is constant; there
/ fore His thought of us is constant,
/ His plan for our best good is con-
/ slant, and His gift to us must be
| constant. l frequently hear people
| ask what they have for which to be
| thankful. They are looking for some
| exceptional blessing, so large that
| they cannot possibly fail to see it.
/ Unless such an extraordinary bless
| ing bursts into their lives, they feel
| that they are neglected by God, and
/ life is hardly worth living. They fail
to see the everyday blessings which
come so constantly, and without
which life indeed would be poor
Our eyes should be open to perceive
Gods daily gifts.
IS. Too often, in our ignorance,
we are looking for the exceptional
/ gifts, and mag, flying these to the de-