Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Friday, February 4, 2022

"For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."¹

Les Brown, an Emergency Technician, was driving home from a busy day at work when he heard an emergency call on his car radio scanner. A child was choking and in need of immediate help.

The police dispatched a rescue squad but Les, realizing he was only a few blocks away, knew that he could get there sooner. He radioed the police to tell them that he was also on the way. When he tried to exit the freeway, he couldn't. A large caterpillar tractor had dug a deep trench right across the exit.

Les pulled to the side, jumped from his car and yelled to the tractor driver, "There's a baby in trouble down the street. I have to get there urgently!"

Immediately, the man filled in a large part of the trench he'd spent all day digging, packed the fill down and waved Les across. Les rushed to where the call came from. There he found a frantic mother waiting for help to arrive. The baby she was holding had turned purple. Les grabbed the child, put him over his knee and carefully hit him on the back and out popped a button from his mouth. Much to the mother's relief, the child breathed again.

On the way home the following evening Les noticed the tractor working at the same exit so he pulled over to tell the driver what had happened. When the man saw him, he jumped from his tractor and this time he yelled to Les, "The baby you saved yesterday ... That was my baby! Mine! Mine!"²

Here we see genuine love in action and such love has many facets. In the powerful words of Scripture, it is patient, thoughtful, kind and forgiving. It isn't jealous, proud, boasting, self-seeking, rude or easily angered. Nor does it keep a record of wrongs. "It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. It never fails."³

And that, dear reader, is the love that Jesus exhibited for you and me when He died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins and mine. And when we accept and appreciate the reality of what Jesus did for us and accept His forgiveness—and with it the gift of eternal life—we too can say to God with great appreciation, "The life You saved is mine! Mine!"

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, how can I ever thank You for all that You have done for me: for loving me, for giving Your Son, Jesus, to die for my sins, for accepting me, for forgiving me for all my sins, and for saving me for all eternity. Because You died to give me all of this, please help me to live fully and faithfully for You all the days of my life. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Romans 5:7-8 (NKJV).
2. Adapted from "The Power of Love" by Dick Innes.
3. 1 Corinthians 13:7 (NIV). 

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