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By Terry George

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\"A ccording to an article in The Advertiser, a South Australian newspaper, “Daniel O’Donnell died keeping a promise that he would sacrifice his own life for those entrusted to his care.

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“The heroic Kangaroo Island tour guide, in his late thirties, was one of two men who drowned off Remarkable Rocks as they attempted to rescue a distressed member of their tour group. Mr. O’Donnell and a Scottish tourist in his mid thirties were swept from slippery rocks by a large wave as they tried to reach a German tourist who had fallen down a steep rock face onto the rugged coastline on the island’s southwest.

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“Mr. O’Donnell, a father of two, lived by the rule he would put his life on the line for those in his care when he began his company, Daniel’s Tours, several years ago.”¹

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Having visited Kangaroo Island, just off the coast south of Adelaide, South Australia, on a number of occasions, I have stood at the top of the granite boulders called Remarkable Rocks and been completely spell-bound by the awesome sight of the huge waves rolling in from the Southern Ocean and crashing onto the rocks below.

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The sheer beauty of this rugged and remote coastline is breathtaking. So when I read the article in The Advertiser by journalists Matt Clemow, Bryan Littley and Laura Anderson, I was immediately able to visualize the area and the danger it presents. I can only imagine the courage of the two men whose lives ended in such a tragedy.

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When he started his company"); document.writeln("he
"); document.writeln("told me he would sacrifice"); document.writeln("himself
"); document.writeln("for them … one of"); document.writeln("those guys who
"); document.writeln("would do"); document.writeln("anything to help people.

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“‘When he started his company, he told me he would sacrifice himself for them,’ Mr. O’Donnell’s friend said. ‘Even if it meant he might drown himself. He was very experienced at what he did—one of those guys who would do anything to help people.’”²

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At this Easter time this tragic event vividly reminds me of an even greater sacrifice that Jesus Christ made 2000 years ago for each one of us.

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Although God created us to be in relationship with him, we were also given a free will to follow his ways or choose to go our own way. According to God’s Word, the Bible, we have all sinned and therefore been disconnected in our relationship with him.

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Many people try to earn God’s favor by doing good works, being good, or by attending church regularly. While these are worthwhile goals, not one of us can earn our way into God’s presence via these means.

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The Ten Commandments and all the rules and regulations contained within the Bible simply show us that we are not capable of meeting God’s standards by our own means. In his love and grace God devised an alternate plan that would allow us to once again be accepted back into relationship with him.

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However, we need to accept his offer.

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The truth, according to God’s Word, is that each of us will live for eternity. The question is, where will we reside and in what form? The answer to that will be determined by our relationship with God, the Creator of the entire universe, and that choice will be ours alone.

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When Jesus was crucified all those years ago, he took upon himself all the sins of humankind: past, present and future. Because God accepted Jesus as being the only perfect, sinless sacrifice that would satisfy his righteousness and justice, he can now forgive us, if we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior.

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However, the exciting and wonderful news doesn’t end there. On the third day, after Jesus was crucified on the Cross, God raised him back to life and, in so doing, defeated death forever, thus completing his plan.

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In the same way, if we believe in and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we, too, because of Jesus’ s sacrifice, will defeat death and be reconciled in our relationship with God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, forever, in a place the Bible calls Heaven.

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The alternative, if we reject Christ (making no decision is to reject him by default) is to live forever separated from God, the source of all love, light and life.

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While God is filled with perfect love, grace and forgiveness towards us, he is also a God of perfect holiness and justice, the demands of which must be met. God’s holiness means that no sinner can survive in God’s presence any more than darkness can survive where there is light. Furthermore, God’s justice demands that all sinners must be judged, the penalty of which is eternal death, which is eternal separation from a God of holiness. However, it was God’s love that gave his own Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place to meet the demands of God’s justice—death—so we could be fully forgiven for all our sins and qualify to meet the demands of God’s holiness and be made fit for God’s Heaven when we die.

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It was God’s love that gave his "); document.writeln(" own
"); document.writeln(" Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place to
"); document.writeln(" meet the demands of God’s justice.

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Our hearts and thoughts go out to the families involved in the tragedy on Kangaroo Island, and we can only stand in awe of the remarkable courage shown by the two men who paid the ultimate price for the love and concern for their fellow human being.

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By his sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary, Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price for each one of us. We are now faced with a choice. The starting point is to say ‘yes’ to God’s Son, Jesus, and to ask him to be your personal Savior.

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If you truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died in your place on the cross of Calvary to pay the penalty for all your sins, I encourage you to accept God’s forgiveness today for all your sins by praying a simple prayer such as the following:

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“Dear God, I believe that Jesus Christ is Son of the living God (your Son) and that he died on the cross in my place to pay the just penalty for all my sins. For this I will be eternally grateful. And Jesus Christ, I invite you to come into my heart and life and in so doing accept you as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer.”

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If you prayed this prayer, please let us know by clicking on the “Yes to God” button below, fill in the form, and we will send you helpful articles which will help you in your new Christian life. There is no charge for these articles.

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Note: For further help click on the “Know God” button below for the article, How To Be Sure You’re a Real Christian—without having to be religious.

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1. The Advertiser, Adelaide, South Australia, November 10, 2003.
"); document.writeln(" 2. Ibid. Used by permission.

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