Read
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
1 Timothy 2:5-6
Reflect
We don’t hear about this so much anymore, but I recall a time not so long ago when kidnappings were in the news frequently. In the 1980s and 1990s, it seemed like you could count on there being a story almost monthly about a child being abducted from his or her parents and held for ransom. The looks on the faces of those parents left an indelible impression on me.
So, what would you do if your child was abducted? How would you respond to a kidnapper’s request for $50,000 or $100,000 before your child was returned? I think every parent I know would sell practically everything they owned in an attempt to raise the money, and most would work around the clock or take on any job they could find if it meant getting their child home safely.
Take a few seconds to imagine this scenario. After you get the message that your child has been kidnapped, you go to work selling everything you have and then borrowing the rest of the money. You finally get all of the cash together, and you set up the money drop. After the exchange is made, your child is set free, and your heart soars as you see him coming toward you. You run to hug and kiss him and welcome him home – only to have the child push you away and shout, “Why did you bother? I never asked you to pay anything for me. I didn’t care whether I came home or not!”
It sounds ridiculous in a physical sense, but spiritually it isn’t nearly as far-fetched as we might like to think.
Jesus Christ gave Himself as a ransom for us. Through His death and resurrection, He rescued us from the bondage of sin and death and brought us back into relationship with God. The price of that rescue was not silver or gold. It was the life of the Son of God.
And yet, so many people treat that sacrifice as unnecessary or meaningless. Even those of us who have accepted Jesus as Savior can live as though the price He paid doesn’t matter very much. We embrace the very sins from which He rescued us. We insist on going our own way. We enjoy the freedom Christ purchased while forgetting what that freedom cost.
Today, make sure you thank the Lord for paying your ransom. It cost Him terribly, and He deserves far more than a casual word of gratitude. Let the life you live this day become part of your thank-you. Live in a way that shows Him – and the world – that you know you have been rescued, redeemed, and brought home as a child of the most loving Father.
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Reflection copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt and Charles Fulton.
