Sacrifice

by Dr. Paul Chappell

"Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:"

Colossians 1:12-14

The sun had just risen on a hot August day in 1944, in the small village of Plelo, in German-occupied France. The fifteen-year-old boy did not know why he and the other citizens of Plelo had been lined up before a firing squad in the middle of the town square. Perhaps they were being punished for harboring a unit of Marquisards, the French underground freedom fighters. All the boy knew was that he was about to die.

As he stood before the firing squad, maybe he thought back to the carefree days of his early childhood, before the war. Perhaps he thought of all he would miss by never growing up. Most of all he was probably terrified of dying.

Suddenly, the boy heard the sound of exploding mortar shells beyond the limits of his little village. Quickly rolling tanks could also be heard. The Germans were forced to abandon the firing squad and face a small unit of U.S. tanks with twenty GI's led by Bob Hamsley, a corporal in Patton's Third Army. A Marquisard captain had asked Hamsley for help. After three hours, fifty Nazis were dead, and the other fifty were taken prisoner.

In 1990, the town of Plelo honored Bob Hamsley on the very spot where dozens of the town's citizens would have died if not for him. The man who initiated the search for Hamsley to honor him in that ceremony was the former mayor of Plelo, that same fifteen-year-old boy. He was grateful for Hamsley who had risked his own life to save his and many others' and now as a grown man had determined to find and honor him.

When you are truly thankful for what someone has done for you, you will desire to express that thanks to them. Years ago, a much greater sacrifice was made willingly for you and for me. Are you thankful for what Christ did for you on Calvary? How often do you thank Him for His sacrifice? How many times do you thank Him for being mocked, rejected, spat upon, beaten, and nailed to a cross for your sake-in your place?

Take time today to think of the sacrifice Christ made for you on the Cross and the eternal benefits you will reap because of it. The more we reflect upon the Cross and what He has done for us, the more thankful we will be for His sacrifice.