Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1

It was on a rainy night in October of 2012 that Brandon Majewski and his two pals were riding their bikes to get some hot dogs.

That was when the lads were clobbered from behind by a lady driving a sports utility vehicle. Seventeen-year-old Majewski died; the two others were injured. The lady driving the SUV admits she was going about six miles an hour over the speed limit, and she doesn't deny it was a wet, dark road.

Even so, the woman, Sharlene Simon, is now suing the three bike riders whom she hit.

She is suing them, or their families, for $1.35 million. She feels she is owed that amount because of the emotional trauma she suffered in the accident. Simon maintains the accident might not have happened if the "incompetent" bicyclists had applied their brakes properly.

Now I'd like you to stop for a minute and reflect on what you've just heard. The lady is suing the family of the boys she killed or injured because their tragedy traumatized her.

Does anybody else think something is wrong here? Good, I'm glad it's not just me. Now I would like you to hold on to your outrage for a few minutes, or at least until you finish this devotion. It's important that you do, because in some ways that lady represents humanity.

How many times have you not heard someone who has suffered a tragedy say, "Why did God do this?" or "How can you say God is a God of love when He allows cancer, or wars, or rapes, or prejudice, or everything else that is wrong with the human race?"

Once again, stop for a minute and reflect.

It is humanity's greed, selfishness, lust and general sinfulness that are responsible for the sad conditions of this world. Originally, our perfect God gave us a perfect world. It was our disobedience which messed things up -- which still messes things up. God wants us to live in harmony, but we don't. He wants us to love each other, but we refuse. He wants us to trust in Him, but we prefer to rely on ourselves, and then we blame Him when our sins cause things to go wrong and unravel.

Now God, like you, could have become outraged at such injustice. In disappointment and discouragement, He could have washed His hands of humanity and let us wander our own way. He would have been perfectly right in doing just that, but He didn't.

Instead, He continued to love us and reach out to us.

In an incredibly wonderful and absolutely unpredictable act of love, He sent His Son to save us from ourselves. Through Jesus' life, death and resurrection, He calls people to repentance, a change of heart, and a recognition that He still wants what is best for us.

Now, by His grace and the Holy Spirit's power, there is forgiveness, eternal life, and the knowledge that we have received from a loving Lord incredible and unending blessings, which we never earned or deserved.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, let me realize that You have saved me because of who You are and not because of anything I have done. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Psalms 32    Psalms 51    John 3:16-36

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