Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

This time it was Policeman Justin Gower's turn.

It was his turn to pull over the truck which contained a young father. Earlier in the month his partner, Officer Cale Hawkins, had some dealings with the same fellow... a fellow who was having some difficulties financially. Yes, it was Officer Gower's turn to speak to the fellow. Indeed, he intended to do just that, but his interaction was cut short when he saw the man's three daughters in the vehicle's back seat.

Even worse, the girls, aged one, three and four were not in car seats. That's a dangerous proposition, and it is also against the law, which is why Officer Gower should have given the man a citation. Actually, the financially strapped man should have come away with three tickets.

But things didn't go down that way.

While Officer Gower engaged the man in conversation, his partner took their money, snuck off to Wal-Mart, and bought each of the girls their very own pink car seat. But the officers weren't done. They actually helped the man install those tricky protection devices in his car.

You know what's so great about that story?

That's right! These men could rightly have applied the law to this man and hit him up with three punishing tickets. They could have done that, but they were motivated by grace toward this struggling dad and they gave him a taste of that grace.

It's sort of an example of what the Lord does for us.

We are sinners and deserving of punishment. But God, seeing our helpless, hopeless condition, decided to pursue another path, a path of grace. Rather than condemning us, the Lord sent His Son into this world to fulfill the Law, carry our sins, and die the death we had coming. Jesus' third-day resurrection from the dead offers us assurance that complete forgiveness is there for all who are brought to faith in the Savior.

Looking back at what the officers did for him, the dad said, "It was nothing short of a miracle. It was something that was really needed. The officers have been a blessing."

Well, I don't know if the policemen's gesture was miraculous, but I will agree that it was needed and it was a pretty neat thing for them to do.

This takes me to the point where I can say if a father is grateful for three pink car seats, how much more grateful should we be to the Lord for all the grace He shows us, for all the blessings He has showered upon us in winning our salvation?

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, grant that I may be thankful for the grace You have shown to this lost world. May I always glorify You by the way I lead my life and forgive others. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: Jeremiah 33, 21    Hebrews 9

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