Rescued by Martin Wiles

We adopted her on a cool fall day. Rejected by her mother and malnourished, we were her only hope. She was like any other kid with one exception: her baah. Gracie was a goat.

When my friend asked me to take her, I couldn’t resist. We had chickens and ducks, why not a goat? I made Gracie a warm home in our utility shed and introduced her to a baby bottle. After a few misses, she latched on. Her cries for milk kept us coming regularly during the day and night.

Gracie eventually grew into a beautiful nanny and was just like a pet. She wandered freely among the chickens and ducks as if one of them. If I accidentally left the gate open, she’d follow me around the yard never attempting to run away. She knew who had rescued her.

God rescued us just as I did Gracie. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6).

God didn’t send Jesus simply to set a good example, to demonstrate his love, to show divine justice or to be victorious over sin-although his life and death did all those things. Jesus was on a rescue mission. Faith in him is our only chance.

We can be good and even turn over a new leaf, but we’ll never be good enough and the leaf will eventually turn back over. Good works and good actions-though important, aren’t what it’s about. We needed someone to die for our sins, and that was Jesus’ sole purpose. Faith appropriates forgiveness and connects us to God. Have you let Christ rescue you?

Prayer: Merciful Lord, thank You for providing for our rescue and for saving us in the nick of time.