What Manner of Love Is This

Rachel wasn't even 25 but she had been in jail and through rehab more times than she cared to admit.Her father had cashed in his retirement, lost his savings and re-mortgaged his home to get Rachel clean. Time after time, with hope in his heart, he watched as she left the security he provided and went back to the streets. One day his heart was breaking as he looked out the window of his office, he wondered how his daughter was faring down on the streets below. That was the day he made the decision to take a leave from his job. His plan was to walk the city until he found his daughter.He would never force Rachel to stay with him,but he would just gowhere he might see her and offer her lunch. Then if she needed anything, he would take her shopping.If she needed a dentist he would get her teeth fixed.Nothing would be too much to make his daughter safe.The beauty is that his plan actually worked.

It wasn't long before he found Rachel, hungry and cold, so she willingly accepted his kind offer to buy her a new coat. Day after day, he bought her lunch. Over these lunches, they had conversations they never would have had if he had stayed at his job on the 57th floor while Rachel was combing the streets. One day, he offered Rachel his keys. He promised if she would come home that he would pay once again for her rehab. He figured he could cash in his retirement. Throughout their recent contact, Rachel had begun to realize how much her dad loved her. Before, when she had gone to rehab, it had been just to get her driver's license back. This time she felt loved and worthy of a better life.  Rachel agreed to the idea, but she still had one problem.

She owed someone money. If she left today, he would probably try to kill her. She knew he'd killed others and she was scared.The father knew there was nothing that he wouldn't do for his little girl, so he handed her the keys, "If I'm not back in an hour, call the cops." Then he went to bargain for His daughter. As Rachel waited in the car, she began to fear the worst.  Finally, she saw that familiar form walking toward her. It caused her heart to soar. Oh how her father's smile warmed her heart. No one but her dad could do that for her! Then suddenly, out of nowhere, a black car struck him down...

Rachel screamed as she recognized the vehicle, but it was too late. She ran to his side to comfort him While sirens blared and an ambulance pulled up. Her heart sank as she watched the ambulance driver shake his head. "Not another hit and run," He said. Rachel was stunned and in shock. She knew this was no random act, the person who did this knew what he was doing. How could he kill someone so full of love? Her heart broke as she remembered her father's keys. Slowly, she walked toward the car and turned on the ignition. Rachel sat there for what seemed like hours with her head in her hands. Will Rachel take the keys and get cleaned up? Or will she go back to her old lifestyle?Does this story seem a little familiar? God knew He couldn't reach us from heaven. So He took a break and came down to live among us. Walking with us, He filled our needs. But His greatest desire was for us to trust Him and allow Him to bring us to safety.

Just as Rachel's father paid the ultimate cost for her wrong choices, Jesus has paid an enormous cost for each of us. The cost of God saving His children was whatever it took to get us back. God Himself did not demanded the ransom - no, the wages of sin is death. It is sin itself that calls for the ransom, because sin is the unhealthy condition of living apart from God. Sin is so very expensive that it cost Jesus His life to win us back to God. For all of eternity, Jesus will wear His divinity clothed with our humanity. It is part of the price He paid to get us rehabilitated so He could bring us home to safety. Every one of us is a sin addict, headed for death, but Jesus is offering us a better deal than sin. The question is how many of us will believe Him and come clean so that we can be safe to live with others and God for eternity?

-  Copyright © 2008 Cherilyn Christen Clough. All Rights Reserved.