He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. --Psalm 91:4

Sundar Singh, an Indian evangelist, wrote about a treacherous forest fire that swept through the Himalayas where he was traveling. Many men were trying their best to fight the fire, but there was one group that stood staring up at the flaming branches of one tree.

They watched as a mother bird flew frantically in circles above the treetop. She was chirping an alarm and warning to her nest full of babies. As the flames reached her nest and it began to burn, she didn't fly away. Instead she swooped down and covered her fledglings with her wings to protect them. However, in a matter of seconds she and her nestlings were consumed by the fire.

The men standing below were awe-stricken. Singh then used the opportunity to share with them: "We have witnessed a truly marvelous thing. God created that bird with such love and devotion that she gave her life trying to protect her young. …That is the love that brought Him down from heaven to become man. That is the love that made Him suffer a painful death for our sake."

What a stirring, vivid portrayal of Christ's love for us. How often have you stood in awe and amazement as you think of the cross where Jesus gave His life for you? Where the fire of holy judgment burned down upon Him? It was on Calvary that Jesus willingly suffered, gave His life for us, and "bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness…" (1 Peter 2:24). And it is "by his wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24).

PRAYER CHALLENGE: Thank Jesus for dying in your place and forgiving you of your sins. Show Him every day how grateful you are for what He did on the cross by living for him. 

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