By Pat Fraher
In lieu of our upcoming Referees Embracing Faith Conference, where this year's focus is 'Salvation: A gift and a call', I thought that we should begin doing some serious thinking about salvation. Over the next five Sundays, we will be discussing different aspects of salvation, and doing some critical, honest thinking about where each of us stand.
Before we go any further, please watch the following short video to preface this week's entry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xu5mA59knbI
In this salvation metaphor, we are the people on the train of life, entrenched in our own lives and issues. God is the man that loves his only son, and Jesus is the little boy. The tragic mistake that caused the man to have to make a terrible decision is the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.
Because of the mistake, the man was faced with a choice to allow everyone on the train to die and save his son, or let his son get crushed by the bridge to save all those on the train.
Put yourself in the control room. Would you do the same if it were your son?
The salvation of all required the sacrifice of a Beloved One.God made this difficult choice to sacrifice His son for our salvation.
John 3:16 states clearly, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that whomever believes in Him shall not perish but shall have eternal life."
That is how much He loves us! Back to the train metaphor; we can learn from the people on the train. They didn't deserve the sacrifice of the man, just like we didn't deserve Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. They didn't even know that their lives were saved. Just the same, there are many people who either don't know, or don't care that Jesus died for them, and are unappreciative of His sacrifice.
No wonder it pains God to watch us ignore His sacrifice, and go right on by. Put yourself in that train in your mind... Do you realize what God did for you?
- PF
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Referees Embracing Faith Conference is fast approaching! Join fellow officials from across North America at Prasco Laboratories in Mason, OH, on August 17!
Register today for just $10 -- https://www.sportsofficialssurrendered.org/events-1/2nd-annual-referees-embracing-faith-conference
