For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life. Romans 5:10

Twenty-two-year-old Mindy Tran from Lawrence, Massachusetts, is in the hospital.

Tran is in the hospital because she has a broken leg, a dislocated shoulder and hip. She has those injuries because she put herself in front of a moving car.

Now you would be forgiven for asking, "Why would anyone lie down in front of a moving car?" That's a good question and to answer it I will have to tell you a bit of Tran's story. She and her twin daughters had just begun a new life. They had recently moved into an apartment building after having spent time at a shelter. The girls had started daycare and, all in all, things were going well.

Yes, things were going well until the day came when Tran threw herself in front of that moving car. The events went this way: the three had just returned home. The girls were strapped into their car seats while Tran got out of her vehicle. It took but a few moments before she realized her car was moving. The transmission wasn't in gear but, still, the car was moving ... moving backwards into a busy street.

Tran did the only thing she could think of; she stopped the car and saved her girls. She saved them by lying down beneath her backing-up auto. When a neighbor arrived and asked how she could help, from underneath the car, Tran called back: "Make sure the girls are all right." The neighbor did that and called the local fire department. The firefighters put blocks under the wheels and used an air bag to lift the car off of Tran.

Reading her story, I thought there has to be a better way of stopping a car and saving your children than risking your life and getting run over. Yup, that's what I thought, but for the life of me, I couldn't think of what that way might be.

Maybe there are times when you have to be willing to do whatever is necessary to save your children. Indeed, so the Heavenly Father's kidnapped children might be rescued from sin, death and devil, Jesus gave His life. Of course, Jesus' life ended on Calvary's cross because of the Father's eternal plan and not a split-second decision.

And if you're wondering, was there no other way for us to be saved? Was it really necessary for Jesus to die in our stead?

The answer is a simple one.

Yes! There was no other way. The demands of the Law had to be met. Our sin called for us to be punished, and that punishment was death. Of course, there was more to winning our salvation than having Jesus spend six hours on a cross. We need always remember that along with dying for us, Jesus also lived for us. That means He resisted the temptations the devil placed before Him, even as He kept the Law perfectly. From His first cry in Bethlehem at the beginning of His life until His victory shout on Golgotha's cross, Jesus did what was necessary to win our salvation.

He lay down His life so we might be saved.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, I give thanks for Your selfless act of grace, which saves me. May my life always reflect my gratitude for what You have done. In Your Name I ask it. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Deuteronomy 26-27    Luke 7:1-30

To Download Devotion MP3 to your computer, right click here and select "Save Link As" or "Save Target As" or "Download Linked File As"