We should always remember the willing sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ 
to redeem us from our sins. Only by the finished work of the cross can 
any of us receive forgiveness, redemption and a new beginning. The Lord 
in His infinite love and mercy chose to take upon Himself our sins and die
in our place. Such love is incomprehensible, yet thankfully exists to all
who open their hearts to our Redeemer and Savior Jesus Christ. Be 
encouraged to remember the great price that was paid for your salvation.
While anyone can be saved, it cost God a great price to bring salvation to
mankind. Be thankful that your name is written in the Lambs Book of Life 
and if you have never made the decision to accept Christ, you are welcome
to make that life changing decision today. (Isaiah 53:7-11) (Romans 10:9-13)

I hope this message inspires and challenges your heart to remember at what
a great cost your salvation comes. We don't deserve such grace, but God 
in His mercy saw that we were.


BECAUSE OF ME

“Why is that man so ugly, and the mommy so pretty?” Five-year-old Nancy 
tugged on her mother's arm, and pointed.

“Sh! Sh!” said her mother. “You wouldn't want them to hear, would you?”

“But Mommy, he's ugly! How can that pretty lady stand to look at him?”

The mother glanced toward the couple her daughter was pointing at, quickly
taking her child away. But every day during the sea cruise, they saw the 
couple. Whenever they did, Nancy buried her face in her mother's clothes.
“Mommy, I just can't stand to look at him. He is so ugly,” she would say.

One day Nancy and her mother, Maria, were on deck, enjoying the sea 
breeze. The beautiful woman came and stood beside them. She spoke a soft 
greeting, smiling down at Nancy. Smiling shyly back, while snuggling close
to her mother, the little girl blurted out. “Why are you so pretty, and 
your husband so ugly?”

Maria gasped at her daughter's rude question. She was about to scold her 
when the young woman spoke. “No, wait!” she said, “I've noticed your child
looking at us quite often. I would like to tell her a story about my 
husband, if you will let me.”

Maria, although quite embarrassed, nodded her consent.

“First,” began the young woman, “My name is Rosella. What is yours?” 
Learning that the child's name was Nancy, and her mother's was Marie, 
Rosella invited the two to a table, and ordered three glasses of lemonade.
And then she began her story.

“Five years ago my mother and I were visiting in Florida, where we were 
staying at a hotel. At the same time there were some service men billeted
at the same hotel. One very handsome colonel took special notice of me, 
persisting that I dine with him. He sent flowers to my room numerous times,
and smiled at me every time I happened to come across him. My mother 
encouraged me to accept his offer of a meal. So, at last I did. It was then
he told me that he had fallen in love with me. He asked me if I would like 
to see him on a regular basis. But I found him most obnoxious, and tried my
best to ignore him.”

“On one particular day I was especially rude to him, and I know it really
hurt him. I had gone into the hotel gift shop to pick up a book to read. 
And there it was that I came face to face with the colonel. He smiled. He
had a beautiful smile, and it made his already handsome face--well, he had
the face of an angel. But I didn't return his smile. I flung my head in 
the air, and walked right by him. I heard him say, 'I guess this is your 
way of telling me to get lost.' I continued on to my room, and went to 
bed. My mother was already asleep, and it wasn't long before I was.”

“About two hours later we were jolted out of bed by the most ear splitting
sound. My mother and I scrambled into our housecoats. It was then we heard
the frightening words. 'FIRE! FIRE!' Already we could see the smoky, orange
shadows encircling the hotel. Colonel Brown--that was his name--was one of 
the first ones out of the hotel. He watched as the hotel guests fled to the
safety of the fresh air. His eyes frantically searched the group in the 
court yard, but my mother and I were not there. He dashed inside to see if 
we had made it to the lobby. We hadn't.”

“Firemen were all around, but although they tried to stop him, Lionel broke
by them, dashing through the flames to our room. He kicked the door open. 
My mother and I, trapped and frozen with fright, were just deciding if 
jumping out the window was an option. It wouldn't have been. We were three 
floors up.”

Nancy and her mother hadn't touched their lemonade, so engrossed were they
in Rosella's story. Nancy had gripped her mother's hand and her eyes were
brimming with tears. Rosella paused for a minute, sipping on her lemonade;
then she continued.

“Lionel snatched two blankets off the bed, and flung them at us. 'Wrap 
this around your face,' he commanded—and it WAS a command. Then tossing a
small towel around his own face, he commanded, 'Grab my arms, and don't 
let go until we are outside.'”

“Blindly, we allowed ourselves to be guided by Lionel, until we were safely
outside. But what we hadn't realized was that the towel had come off 
Lionel's face. His face was burned beyond recognition. He was taken 
immediately to the hospital where he was treated for burns all over his body.”

“For weeks his life hung on a thread, his face bound completely with 
bandages. Although he couldn't see me, he knew I was there. My mother, by
that time, had gone home. Every day I sat by Lionel's bed, holding his 
hand and talking soothingly to him. At last they took off his bandages.”

“Gone was the handsome face...But to me it was beautiful, more beautiful 
than it had ever been. He had received those scars because of me. If he 
hadn't fallen in love with me, I would have been just another hotel guest,
and he wouldn't have known to single me out and worry over my mother's and
my safety.”

“During those weeks of attending Lionel, I had fallen in love with him. 
While he floated in and out of consciousness, I crooned to him how my 
scorn had turned to concern, and my concern had slowly been replaced by 
love. As soon as he was released from the hospital, we married, and have 
grown more in love with each other every day.”

“But how can you stand to look at him?” persisted Nancy.

Rosella smiled. “I don't see his scarred face. I see the face of the man 
he was before he became scarred. And I see the face of the one who loved 
me enough to risk his life for me. I see the face of the man who loved me
long before I loved him. I see the face of God, because that is what Jesus
did—became scarred because of me.”

Nancy and her mother saw Lionel and Rosella one more time before they left
the ship. Timidly Nancy tiptoed up to Lionel, and smiling shyly, she 
slipped her hand into his. She tugged on his arm. Lionel, suspecting that
she wanted to say something to him, bent his head towards hers. He had 
been used to being looked at scornfully. He had heard the remarks of both
adults and children alike. He had learned to ignore them. But he was not 
expecting what Nancy had to say. “Mr. Lionel,” she said, smiling up at him.
“I don't think that you are ugly anymore. I think you have a beautiful face.”

By Helen Dowd


Isaiah tells us that Christ had no beauty that we should desire Him. He 
would not have been an attractive sight, hanging on the cross, His face 
scarred from the piercing of the crown of thorns they had placed on His 
head; His body bloody from the whip lashes; His hands bleeding from the 
nail wounds. In the natural we would hide our face from Him, as Nancy did
from Lionel. But when we accept the fact that Christ got those scars to 
save us, we no longer look at Him like Nancy did, with scorn. We look at 
Him as Rosella did after the rescue. We see the face of the One who loved
us, who got those scars because of us.


Read and meditate on these scriptures:

Isaiah 53:4-7 “Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: 
yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was 
wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the 
chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own 
way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

2 Corinthians 4:8-11 “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed;
we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast
down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the
Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.
For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the
life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.”

Deuteronomy 4:30-31 “When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are
come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, 
and shalt be obedient unto His voice; (For the LORD thy God is a merciful 
God;) He will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the 
covenant of thy fathers which He sware unto them.”

Revelation 3:20 Jesus declares “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if 
any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will 
sup with him, and he with Me.”

All of these scriptures can be found in the King James Version Bible.


Today's Selected Poem: I WILL NOT WORRY
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/inpoem95.htm

Today's Selected Testimony: GOD'S GREAT PROTECTION
Click here to read --- http://www.Godswork.org/testimony160.htm


In Christ’s Service,

Dwayne Savaya
God’s Work Ministry