Greeting Friends of our Lord and of Living Spring!
Perhaps you saw or read even as I just read a rather intriguing, yet tragic story that unfolded in France early this morning. This appears to be a terrorist activity, yet it was also one of tremendous bravery and sacrifice of one French Police officer.
The officer gave himself in exchange for a female hostage to the reported gunman. In a bold move the officer was able to have his cell phone one to alert other officers of the developments. Eventually shots were fired and the officer perished.
Here’s a link for this article you can click on or cut and paste into your preferred web browser:
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/03/24/french-cop-who-swapped-himself-for-hostages-has-died-official-says.html
If it were not for this one officer who courageously and willingly gave himself up in exchange for this hostage, she may very well have perished. But now, she has the opportunity to live her life touched by this act of heroism.
While we acknowledge and celebrate on Palm Sunday our Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem so many years ago, we know that the Israelites were hoping for a release from the tyranny of the Romans, not deliverance from the bandage of sin.
Jesus purposed to enter to Jerusalem to die in my place and yours on the cross. He willingly and boldly exchanged His life for mine, so that I would be impacted and changed by this event. Christ’s work on the cross will not be in vain IF we learn to walk the way Christ has called us to do. That’s the message of Ephesians 4 as Paul now calls his readers to live what they believe. We should as well.
Yes, we celebrate our Savior, but we also now live out our lives differently because of Jesus Christ and our faith in Him.
Read Ephesians 4:1-16 and see anew how our Lord calls and enables us to walk worthy of His name.
Until then…
Because He Lives,
Pastor Brian