La route de la rédemption
I. Une rédemption pour tous. v. 22
Humanitarian aid is an effective way to improve how Muslim countries view the United States of America. That’s what a poll conducted in January 2006 by the Terror Free Tomorrow organization showed.
In May 2003, research indicated that only 15 percent of people in Indonesia—the world’s most populous Muslim nation—had a favorable view of the United States. However, after the country was devastated by a tsunami in December 2004, humanitarian aid poured into the affected areas from the United States and other Western nations. As a result, the favorable view of the United States nearly tripled, jumping to 44 percent. What’s more, the well-respected Indonesian Survey Institute reported, “Support for bin Laden and terrorism has dropped to its lowest level since 9/11.” And Indonesians with a “very unfavorable” view of the United States fell to 13 percent—down from 48 percent prior to the tsunami.
II. Une rédemption non-méritée v. 23
If someone offered you a twenty-dollar bill, would you take it? What if that person wadded up the bill and threw it on the ground—would you still want it? What if he stepped on it, kicked it, and even spit on it? Could you still go to the store and spend it?
The answer is yes. That bill has value because of what it is, not because of how it looks, where it’s been, or what it has been used for. A crisp, clean twenty-dollar bill is worth the same amount as an ugly, old, abused one.
You may feel like you’ve been stepped on, beat up, or kicked around. You may feel dirty, unworthy, or useless. But be encouraged by the twenty-dollar bill—no matter what you’ve been through, you still have value to God!
—Mike Silva, Would You Like Fries with That? (Word, 2005)
III. Une rédemption gratuite v. 24
Lou Johnson, a 1965 World Series hero for the Los Angeles Dodgers, tried for thirty years to recover the championship ring he had lost to drug dealers in 1971. Drug and alcohol abuse cost him everything from that magical season, including his uniform, glove, and the bat he used to hit the winning home run in the deciding game.
When Dodger president Bob Graziano learned that Johnson’s World Series ring was about to be auctioned on the Internet, he immediately bought the ring for $3,457 and gave it to Johnson, sixty-six, who has been drug-free for years and a Dodger community relations employee. He did for Johnson what Johnson could not do for himself.
The ball player wept when given the gold ring. “It felt like a piece of me had been reborn,” he said.
Likewise, Christians can testify to a spiritual rebirth as a result of the price that Jesus paid on the cross in their place. He did for them what they could not do for themselves.
—Rick Kauffman, “Team President Redeems Athlete,” PreachingToday.com