Lost on the Train Track. Only in Jesus, Part 21

"Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." (John 17:3, NIV2)

God’s kingdom is built on a broken relationship that was reconciled not by the offender itself, but by the victim. The lures of this world had caused us to ignore the pleas of our Loving Heavenly Father and had led us all astray. There was no way we could ever hear God’s voice again, no way we could have a personal relationship with Him.

At the appointed time however, Jesus showed up on our own rebellious planet. He was sent for an impossible mission: to reconcile these rebellious creatures (Us!) to our loving God.

All those who encountered Jesus noticed His unconditional love. Even the “religious” of the day, though they only saw Him through hateful eyes, for wasn’t Jesus capturing the hearts of their own followers? They are the ones who planned Jesus’ execution, which, according to prophecy, would not only seal their destiny, but would also offer hope to humanity.

Jesus took our penalty and nailed it to the cross, offering all of us the opportunity for reconciliation to our loving God. It’s now in our hands whether we want to get to know Him or not. But those who accept this offer are the ones who become intimately acquainted with Him and the one He has sent.

Love will shine only when we can see who God truly is.

How could it be otherwise? Genuine love is the answer to all of our problems!

This summer I saw something quite unusual at the Brussels-North train station. A little child accidently dropped the ball she was carrying. Despite her mother’s best efforts to catch it, that ball bounced unhindered off the platform and onto the train tracks below. Naturally, the little girl started to cry. She had lost her ball!

The girls’ mother looked horrified. No one in their right mind would try jumping down onto the train tracks to retrieve that ball. A train could appear at any moment, and the ball’s rescuer risked being turned into a squeezed potato!

Then the unthinkable happened. The girl’s dad came to the rescue. Jumping down off the platform and onto the train track, he grabbed the ball and threw it back to his daughter. He then pulled himself back up onto the platform to receive the warm embrace of his very grateful little girl.

What if a train had suddenly appeared on the track? What would he have done? What if a policeman had noticed him? Or anyone who worked at the train station? Couldn’t he have been charged with unsafe trespassing?

But it didn’t matter to the dad! He knew that love is worth any risk!

This is exactly why God never gave up on us! He loves each one of us as His very own.

Would you like to start experiencing Him?

Rob Chaffart