TAKEN OR FREELY GIVEN

A few days ago a local bank was robbed. I bank at one of the branches in our town and I learned about the robbery from one of the tellers. It was early in the day. Some people were in the bank. It was a regular day. Nothing looked amiss. People in the bank were talking and going about their business. Suddenly there was an unusual noise at the counter. Some people standing close by looked around to see what was happening. A man was at the counter with a gun. They could see it. They didn't see the note passed to the teller. All eyes were on the gun. There was a silence that could not be explained. No one seemed upset at the time. They just watched to see what would happen next. Then the teller started to cry. The would be robber told her to shut up and give him the money. Her hands trembled as she placed some money on the counter. She was afraid. She did what she was told. The robber turned around and pointed the gun at some others in the bank. The robber left the bank with a paper bag clutched in his hand. He jumped in a waiting car and fled from the scene. People stood around talking excitedly about what had happened. Some ran out the door. Some stood there in shock. The robber took some money but he also took something else. He took the feeling of safety from the people in the bank. They suddenly felt like their lives were in danger. They were afraid.
When I returned home I walked into my den. I looked at the Bible on the coffee table. I thought about Jesus on the cross. I wondered if  He was afraid. When the soldiers put the crown of thorns on His head, was He afraid? When they nailed His hands to the cross, was He afraid? He knew He was going to die. He knew why He was sent to the earth. He was going to die for our sins. I opened my Bible to Matthew. There was the answer. The soldiers did not take the life of Jesus. He gave it freely. He chose to die on the cross. He gave His life because He loved us. He gave His life in order to pay for our salvation.
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FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD