1 John 4:10 (ESV)
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he
loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
I remember reading about a Northwest Airlines flight that
departed the Detroit airport on August 16, 1987.
Soon after takeoff the plane crashed onto a highway,
causing the deaths of 155 people. When rescuers arrived, among the carnage of
cars and the aircraft they found a four-year-old girl. She said her name was
Cecelia.
Because of Cecelia's condition it was thought she had
been a passenger in a car rather than the plane. A quick check of the flight's
roster showed their first assumption had been wrong. Cecelia had been on Flight
225.
Only later, when things had calmed down, did Cecelia
explain how she had been spared. She said that her mother, during the plane's
last moments, had unbuckled her seat belt, knelt in front of her daughter and
held Cecelia as tightly as she could.
The mother had put herself between her daughter and
death.
That's the kind of thing a mother would do for a child.
It's also the kind of thing the Savior has done for all humanity. Of course,
there are differences. A mother would not make such a sacrifice for everybody,
but Jesus did. Jesus surrendered Himself for the entire world -- even those who
never appreciated Him.
Here's another difference: Cecelia's mother could only
save her child for a short time. Death will eventually have Cecelia, as it will
everyone. But Jesus' sacrifice has enabled those who believe on Him to be
completely forgiven as well as granted eternal life in heaven.
I am sure that Cecelia will always remember the sacrifice
her mother made for her. It would be the right thing for a grateful child to
do. Just so it is right for us to live our lives in thanksgiving for the Savior
who put Himself between us and eternal death.
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