Fire And Blood

A story passed down from 1916 in our family is of my grandfather yelling to my grandmother, in a frantic moment when their farm house was on fire with no hope of it being saved, "If you go into that house one more time, I'll not go in. Our children are not going to be left with neither parent." So my grandmother stayed out. Very soon, my grandfather, too, had to stop running in to drag out whatever he could grab. The smoke had become too dense to see anything.

God did not require that our grandfather make the sacrifice of himself. The parents, with their five children, lived in a granary that summer while a new house was being built.

God did allow, in fact, require His Son to make the sacrifice of Himself for us all. So, willingly, Jesus "gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father" (Galatians 1:4 NIV). "Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God" (1 Peter 3:18a NIV).

Only Jesus could do this for us, for He was perfect. At 1 John 2:1b-2, we read, "Jesus Christ, the Righteous One … is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."

Thank God that we also have the re-assurance of John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." And we can put with this, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Even more, God didn't just forgive our past sins and leave us; He gave us a new future: "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). "The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin" (1 John 1:7b), past, present, and future, even for eternal life.

In shady, green pastures, so rich and so sweet,
God leads His dear children along.

Some through the waters, some through the flood,
Some through the fire, but all through the blood;
Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,
In the night season and all the day long.

Away from the mire, and away from the clay,
God leads His dear children along;
Away up in glory, eternity's day,
God leads His dear children along.

       – George A. Young, 1903

Prayer: Thank You, God, for Your Son Jesus, who gave Himself for our sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to You. May we so appreciate Your love and forgiveness that we will love and forgive all persons for Your sake. Please guide us in passing on to many the message of Your acceptance in Jesus. May Your Holy Spirit keep us on fire with Your love. Amen.