Romans 5:7-8 ‘For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

DAILY READING – – Romans 6; 1 Samuel 15; Psalm 60

Franciszek Gajowniczek was a Polish army sergeant who was captured by the Nazis during their 1939 invasion of Poland. He was sentenced to forced labour at the infamous Auschwitz death camp. While there, Franciszek met a Franciscan priest named Maximilian Kolbe who was arrested by the Nazis for publishing articles criticizing them.
One day, there was a jail break and some prisoners escaped. The greatly infuriated Nazi officers then ordered that ten prisoners would die as punishment for the escape. Franciszek was terrified when he heard his name mentioned among ten. At 41 years old, with a wife and two sons, he was not yet prepared to die. Full of fear, he began to cry, pleading for his life to be spared.
Maximilian was moved by Franciszek’s tears and asked the Nazi officers if he could take his place in death. He told the officers that he was a priest without a wife or kids, but Franciszek had a family and deserved to live for their sake. When the officers agreed, a switch was made. Franciszek was spared and Kolbe was killed in his place.
After five years in prison, Franciszek was freed when the Allied forces defeated Nazi Germany. Franciszek reunited with his wife and would later live to be 93 years old. He dedicated the rest of his life, to telling everyone about Maximilian’s heroic act of sacrifice and love.
He was invited two times to the Vatican by the pope during events that honored Maximilian’s heroic death. And in 1972, he was also a speaker at an event where over 150,000 people made a pilgrimage to Auschwitz to honor the memory of Maximilian Kolbe.

Romans 5:7-8 says ‘For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’

History sometimes has records of people like Maximilian who dared to die for someone they perceived to be good and deserving to be alive.
But Christ’s sacrifice is amazing and unprecedented because He chose to die for a people completely unworthy and totally undeserving of His life.
The drama at Calvary is the greatest love story ever told. The cross is the symbol of the deepest love and greatest sacrifice ever made in human history.
Mankind didn’t deserve redemption or salvation, yet on Golgotha’s hill, the Lamb of God took our place and was slain to save us from eternal death and hell.
The spiral of sin that began in Genesis 3 was stopped by the precious of Blood Jesus shed at Calvary. He didn’t die for what He did. He died for what we did.
Christ’ death on the cross is God’s statement of love to the world. Christ died young that we might live long. He was forsaken that we might be accepted. He was abandoned that we might be adopted by God.
We now have the responsibility to tell everyone the good news of what Christ has done for us.
In Luke 8:39. Jesus told the man He had healed, “‘Return home and tell how much God has done for you.’
And so should we.
We should go about sharing Christ’s love and shedding His light and telling the world our Redeemer lives!
Because of Christ’s sacrifice, we have been freed from the bondage of sin and ushered into a new life of righteousness. However, we should never take this salvation for granted!
If after Christ gave His life for us, we still chose to live in sin, Hebrews 2:3 asks ‘How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation”?

Indeed let us never neglect the great price paid for our soul. Therefore let us always take heed to live in ways that daily glorifies God.
Through the Blood of Jesus, let us come against any weakness or temptation that attempts to still keep us in bondage.
Indeed by the power in the Blood, our victory is established over every force of sin, sickness and evil afflictions in Jesus Name.

PRAYER; Lord I thank You for the price You paid at the cross for my deliverance and salvation. Please grant me the grace to live a life that glorifies You, even as I continually share the good news of redemption with everyone that comes my way in Jesus Name.

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Whenever God places a demand on you, He is only positioning you to receive more from Him. WORDBITE 222