The Name

Hey guys! I just started a really great book by Franklin Graham called "The Name". It attempts to explain the great and awesome power behind the name of Jesus Christ. One part I especially liked in the opening chapter reminded us that (roughly) "when someone uses His name to curse, no one thinks twice about it, but when it is used in a respectful, reverent way, you suddenly offend many." One true story he told brought tears to my eyes, as it illustrated what the Lord has done for us all.
Here it is roughly: "In a county in the middle east, there were two boys. One day, they got into a heated arugument while on a rocky hillside, and Abdul pushed Mohammed down the mountain, accidently killing him. Of course, he was horrified that he had killed his best friend, and scared, for in his culture, the rule still was "A life for a life". Abdul ran to the first tent he saw and threw himself down beside it, grabbing the tent peg. In that culture, if you held onto the peg of a tent, the person inside would offer you protection. In response to Abdul's cries, an old, respected man came to the door of the tent, and told the boy to go inside. He swore he would protect him. A few moments later some men who had witnessed the murder ran up, demanding that Abdul be brought outside and punished by being put to death. The old man stood firmly in the doorway and told them, "I have promised to protect this boy."
"But he's a murderer!" one man cried.
"Nevertheless, I have sworn that I will protect him. If you want the boy, you must come past me first!"
The men looked at eachother. "Do you know who he killed?"
The man shook his head.
One of the witnesses said in a very somber voice, "The boy you now protect killed your one and only son. You are harboring and protecting the murderer that killed your only child!"
The old man's face went pale. He set his mouth determinedly and said, looking steadily at the men, "It would do me no good to give him up to you to be killed. I will adopt this boy. He shall live with me in my tent, and be my son. When I die, he shall inherit all I have."

Isn't that amazing? It really made me look at God's love for us in a different light: My despicable sin cause Christ to have to die on the cross in order for me to be with Him in Heaven. My flesh and the flesh of each of us, killed the most noble, courageous, perfect hero of all time. He could have looked at my miserable sin and condemned me. Instead, he layed down his life for me, for He loved me so much. And then, God, having such mercy, looked at the sacrifice His son had made, and chose to adopt me, that I may have a place in His home beside Jesus, who was so powerful that no evil could hold him in the grave. Isn't that amazing? I'm afraid I sometimes take the whole ingenious plan for granted, and never stop to think of what an ironic thing it really was! Anyway, hope that made someone think, and, though I am only part-way through the book, I suggest you read it! -Rachel