Romans 5:6-8 (NIV)
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still
powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a
righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us.
We can never fathom how much our Heavenly Father suffered
when He saw His own Son dying on a cross. Still, we will also never imagine how
much He suffered as He watched Adam and Eve follow their own way instead of
His, a way that would lead all humankind to suffering and death.
Had Jesus avoided the shame of the cross, humankind would
have been lost for eternity. We truly deserved death, but God thought
otherwise. We can't fathom this kind of love, either!
Imagine being willing to die to save the life of a
despicable criminal. None of us would even consider that. He deserves his lot!
God, however, knew it was worthwhile, even though it hurt Him to the very core
of His being. His love for us outshone all of this!
At times we can see glimpses in history of what salvation
means. One of these glimpses happened during the battle of Gettysburg on July
1, 1863. An artillery shell smashed into a huge oak tree. Branches and pieces
of splintered trunk rained down on the soldiers sheltered underneath.
One of these soldiers, from the 90th Pennsylvania
Infantry, noticed that a nest filled with baby robins had survived its fall
from the upper branches of the tree where it was once located. What should he
do? The battle was fierce, and any miscalculation could cost his life. Still
these baby robins seemed so vulnerable. Any of his comrades could unwittingly
trample them to death. He couldn't let that happen.
He stood up a midst the heavy fighting, and running to the
nest, he placed it tenderly back in the branches of the shattered tree, then he
watched as the mother bird fluttered down onto the nest.
This soldier was willing to sacrifice his own life to
save those chicks. Even though he had never even seen these baby robins before,
his love for the tiny birds was evident. When he finally found shelter under
the oak tree again, he must have smiled. Even a midst the fierce fighting of this senseless war, he had made a difference in the world.
His fellow soldiers noticed his bravery. Very soon,
rumors spread about what had happened that day under the oak tree. Today a
sculpture can be found on the very spot where the oak tree once stood. It
displays a mother robin sitting on her babies to protect them.
That soldier was truly a hero that day!
But if the soldier was a hero, then even more so Jesus,
our super hero! His love was truly evident when He willingly died for us.
Dear
Lord, Thank You for coming to save us. Help our love always show that. In this day of super heroes
thank You for being the best super hero ever. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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