Daily Devotions
(Jesus said) “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10
Having been to Egypt any number of times, I have been watching that historic country’s civil unrest with some degree of attention.
Of special note was the interest given to the Egyptian Museum which holds many of the finest and most familiar of the nation’s treasures.
When we heard the nearby party headquarters of Hosni Mubarak had been burned down, we became worried. “What if-“we asked, “those fires spread and sweep away these most unique of antiquities? They are quite irreplaceable.”
We were able to breathe a sigh of relief when we heard some young Egyptian men had placed themselves around the museum to keep things safe.
That sigh of relief came too soon.
Somewhere before these men saw the danger, some looters climbed a fire escape to the museum roof and lowered themselves down on ropes from a glass-paneled ceiling. They broke open glass cases and damaged about 70 objects. Now, with an inventory having been made, museum administrators say the thieves got away with 18 items, including a statue of Pharaoh Akhenaten, a gilded statue of Tutankhamun and a statue of Queen Nefertiti.
That’s a terrible loss I thought to myself.
That’s a terrible loss is probably what the Lord said when He saw Adam and Eve fall victim to Satan’s suggestion to sin.
And while I can’t do anything about the loss of Egyptian antiquities, the Lord was able to do something to save and restore our eternal souls. So that we might be rescued and redeemed, the Heavenly Father sent His Son into this world.
Here Jesus lived. Here He ministered and called people to repentance. Here He lived, died and rose. Now because of what He has done, all who believe on Him with repentant hearts have been rescued, redeemed and restored.
But there’s more. Our living Lord Jesus has set Himself between us and those thieves who wish to rob and destroy and murder. It is a job which He and He alone can do. It is a job which each of us needs to have done.
Let us give thanks and pray.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, You made a great and undeserved sacrifice for us when You came into this world. It was a sacrifice which took Your life. Now may we, redeemed by Your blood, offer our thanks for Your ongoing protection and care. In Your Name. Amen.