Greater");
document.writeln("love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.1
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document.writeln("Maxwell Maltz tells the story of a man who had been severely injured while");
document.writeln("attempting to rescue his parents from a fire. His heroic efforts proved to be");
document.writeln("in vain, though. His mom and dad died in the burning house.
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document.writeln("During his rescue attempt the fire badly scorched his face and disfigured it.");
document.writeln("He was so ashamed of his appearance that he refused to allow anyone\'€”including");
document.writeln("his wife\'€”to see his face.
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document.writeln("For help, his wife went to Maltz, a plastic surgeon. \"Not to worry,\"");
document.writeln("he assured her, \"I can restore his face.\"
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document.writeln("Despite the good news, the wife still felt disheartened. Her husband had always");
document.writeln("refused any medical treatment. Assuming he would not change his mind, she said");
document.writeln("to Maltz, \"I want you to disfigure my face so I can be like him! If I can");
document.writeln("share in his pain, then maybe he will let me back into his life.\"
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document.writeln("
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document.writeln("Maltz tried to mask his horror at the request. He refused to perform the");
document.writeln("operation, but was so moved by this woman\'s love for her husband that he went");
document.writeln("to visit her husband. Through closed door, he yelled, \"I am a plastic");
document.writeln("surgeon. I want you to know that I can restore your face.\"
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document.writeln("No reply.
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\"Please, will you come out? At least let me see your face. At least talk");
document.writeln("to me.\"
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document.writeln("Silence.
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document.writeln("Still speaking through a door, Maltz told the man of his wife\'s request. \"She wants me to mutilate her face in order to make her face like yours.");
document.writeln("She hopes that you will then let her back into your life. That is how much she");
document.writeln("loves you.\"
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document.writeln("Ever so slowly the doorknob turned.2
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document.writeln("True, it can be extremely painful to feel as though no one will ever accept you");
document.writeln("because of your physical appearances. But just as the great love this wife felt");
document.writeln("for her husband slowly opened his heart, may we also be a constant channel of");
document.writeln("God\'s love and acceptance to others, especially those who feel alone.
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document.writeln("Our sinfulness was truly something that God could not see, and there was");
document.writeln("nothing we could possibly do to change that on our own. But because of his");
document.writeln("unconditional love for us, and his desire to spend eternity with us, God sent");
document.writeln("Jesus to die on the cross to make us clean and give us new life. If you have");
document.writeln("not already done so, my prayer is that you would open the door of your heart to");
document.writeln("Jesus and allow him to love you and wash your sins away for good!
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document.writeln("
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document.writeln("Suggested prayer: Dear God, thank You for loving me despite being sinful and");
document.writeln("unworthy. Help me to truly accept what You have done for me and live a life");
document.writeln("that will bring honor to Your name. I want to love you and others, just as you");
document.writeln("have loved me. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.
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document.writeln("1. John 15:13 (NIV).
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document.writeln("2. Maxie Dunnam, \"This Is Christianity\"");
document.writeln("(Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994), pp. 60-61.
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document.writeln("Today\'s Encounter was written by: Crystal B.
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This and other devotionals by Richard (Dick) Innes can be read online.
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