"Beyond all question, the
mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the
Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in
the world, was taken up in glory." - 1 Timothy 3:16
It was a quiet Saturday morning on March 5, 1994 at
the Salt Lake City Library as eighty people quietly watched a Tibetan
sand-painting ceremony. Then suddenly, a bearded man carrying a handgun and a
bomb leapt onto a table.
"Don't anybody leave! Don't anyone go anywhere! I've got a bomb!" he shouted, waiving his .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun.
Stunned and confused, people began screaming.
The gunman, Clifford Draper, then began clearing the room. Hearing the commotion in the library room next door was Lt. Lloyd Prescott, who was teaching a class for police officers. As he stepped into the hallway he noticed a gunman herding 18 hostages into a room. With a flash of insight, Prescott, who was dressed in street clothes, joined the group as the nineteenth hostage.
There was a five-hour standoff. Then the gunman began making preparations to execute one of the hostages.
At this, Prescott sprang to his feet, identified himself and shouted, "Everybody hit the floor!" The plainclothes officer then fired five shots at the gunman and subdued him.
One of the hostages was Michael
Greer, who said" "I do believe Lloyd Prescott is a hero. Part of being a hero
was his absolute humanity."
God dressed himself in street clothes of this world
and joined us who are being held hostage to sin. On the cross, Jesus Christ
defeated Satan and freed us from the power of sin. Are you grateful for Christ's
becoming a man and dying for your sins? Today in prayer, praise Christ for His
selfless, heroic act and freeing us from sin's power.
"Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail, the incarnate
Deity, Pleased as Man with man to dwell, Jesus our Immanuel!" - Charles Wesley
God's Word: "But when the time had fully come, God
sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that
we might receive the full rights of sons." - Galatians 4:4-5
By Peter Kennedy
pkennedy@devotional.com
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
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