After two weeks of dehydration and starvation, only Kolbe remained alive. The guards wanted the bunker emptied, so they gave Kolbe a lethal injection of carbolic acid. Kolbe is said to have raised his left arm and calmly waited for the deadly injection. He died on August 14. For his sacrifice, he was declared a saint in 1982, by Pope John Paul II. Gajowniczek - the man Father Kolbe saved died on March 13, 1995, at Brzeg in Poland, 95 years old - 53 years after Kolbe had saved him. [credit: Wikipedia]
History is punctuated with many stories of people who made similar sacrifices for loved ones and even unknown others. Some fell on grenades to save comrades; others plunged into floodwaters to save drowning people.
The 1961 movie, BARABBAS, tells the fictional account of the man who was released before Jesus was crucified. In the story-line, he goes on to live a violent and rebellious life of suffering and misfortune, until circumstances cause him to turn to faith in Christ. His is the proverbial story of a person who was granted life because someone else took his place in death.
I was reading the Bible this morning and came to my psalm for the day: Psalm 87. Verse 13 caught my attention for more than a few moments: [from The VOICE]
"...Your loyal love for me is so great it is beyond comparison.
You have rescued my soul from the depths of the grave."
I was captivated by David's (the psalm-writer) devotion and conviction that he had been rescued from death by the grace of God.
By divine coincidence (I love that phrase), I also read Colossians 1, today. I was stunned as I read verses 21-23a: [also from The VOICE]
"You were once at odds with God, wicked in your ways and evil in your minds; but now He has reconciled you in His body - in His flesh through His death - so that He can present you to God holy, blameless, and totally free of imperfection as long as you stay planted in the faith."
It hit me: I am Franciszek Gajowniczek! I am Barabbas! I live because someone else died! This person was a real, live person - even though He lived two thousand years ago. However, He was more than just a person - He was a God-man! This God-man, Jesus, said in John 8:51 (another chapter I coincidentally read today): [from The VOICE]
"I tell you the truth, anyone who hears My voice and keeps My word will never experience death."
Point taken: I have been rescued from death by Jesus!
According to his own reports, Mr. Gajowniczek felt guilty. The other inmates became brutal and mean to him because his outcry took away their confessor and confidant. He lived every day with a deep sense of gratitude to Father Kolbe for his sacrificial action. How could he not?
David seems to express that same measure of gratitude. Nearly half of our book of 150 psalms were penned by this man-after-God's-heart!
After thinking through the above, I have come to realize that I have not lived every day with a due sense of appreciation to the One who saved my life!
Oh, I
- visit His House once-a-week,
- read His Word from time-to-time,
- say a prayer before most of my meals,
- call out to Him when I have a problem,
- occasionally wear Christian T-shirts,...
Are you seeing (as I have) how pathetic this is?
He stepped into MY PLACE!
He took the punishment for MY SIN!
He declared ME innocent!
He rescued me from death ETERNALLY!
Is this the best I can do for someone who has given so much?
Do I, like Franciszek Gajowniczek, think of my savior EVERY DAY?
Do I live with a sense of deep, deep gratitude to the One who took MY PLACE?
Do I talk about Him daily? Do I praise Him to others?
Do I talk about Him daily? Do I praise Him to others?
Can I do better?
Oh, YES, I can do better. And I've spent some time this morning talking with Him about my determinations to live my life more purposefully as an expression of my gratitude for what He has done for me!
How about you? Have you acknowledged Jesus as YOUR Savior? If so, that means He took YOUR place, too! Are you thinking of Him with gratitude every day? Are you making your life count?
If you haven't acknowledged Him as your Savior - and want to, call or text me; I'd love to talk with you about that... (724) 944-3881
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