Duke is a friendly, three-year-old boxer dog. One afternoon, Duke’s owner took him for a walk and let him off his leash for some exercise on the empty top deck of a parking garage. Duke took an interest in a bird that had landed on the top deck. The bird flew, and Duke chased.
Duke’s owner didn’t know what happened next, having turned away for a moment. But she heard the impact - the thud of a sixty-five-pound dog hitting the pavement after jumping over a waist-high railing and falling three floors.
Poor Duke! Three of his four legs were broken and his head had taken a very hard blow. His owner now had to decide how much the dog was worth to her. Should she tell the animal doctor to end his life? or should she tell the doctor to save his life at a great cost to mend those three broken legs and his head injury?
Let me tell you about another terrible fall that was far more serious than Duke’s life-threatening fall. God had placed Adam, the first man, into the garden of Eden where God had given Adam everything he could ever need or want. God gave him instructions that he was to follow: “Of every tree of the garden [you may] freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, [you shall] not eat of it: for in the day that [you eat] thereof [you shall] surely die” (Genesis 2:16-1716And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Genesis 2:16‑17)).
Then Satan, that evil enemy, entered the garden and tempted Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. They disobeyed God’s instructions and ate the fruit. That fall of disobedience brought sin into the world, which has resulted in suffering, wickedness, sorrow and death to every person, starting with Adam and Eve. “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:1212Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Romans 5:12)).
God knew the only way He could save man from his sins and sinfulness was going to be at the greatest cost this world has ever known! He was going to have to send His only Son into this sinful world to die for sinners and bear the punishment for their sin. Were sinners worth such a tremendous cost?
Because God loved you and me so very much, He said “yes”! To Him we were worth the cost! The Bible tells us what He did: “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)). “The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world” (1 John 4:1414And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. (1 John 4:14)).
You will be glad to know that Duke’s owner loved her dog so much that she was willing to pay the high cost to save Duke’s life. Duke has almost completely recovered from his fall, and he and his owner are both happy, even though Duke will never be able to understand what saving his life cost his owner.
For those of us who have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our very own Saviour, we will always be happy in His presence, but we will never be able to understand what our eternal life cost Him when He paid our debt on Calvary’s cross. But we will have all eternity in heaven to thank Him and praise Him for paying that tremendous cost to save us.
Do you believe that Jesus died to save you from your sins?
ML-08/31/2003