All America waited anxiously. Many of us prayed. Captain Scott O'Grady's F-16 had been shot down as he was flying over Serbia. Had he been killed or captured? Was he seriously injured? The hours ticked by. Five days passed. On the sixth day another pilot picked up a faint message from O'Grady's radio. He was alive, managing somehow to hide from hostile soldiers.

Immediately all the resources needed for a daring rescue operation were set in motion. O'Grady was snatched up to safety by a helicopter--and the US rejoiced. Newsweek magazine reported that the weapons and machinery used for the rescue of that one pilot were valued at $6 billion.

We can't estimate the value of one human soul--because we could never calculate the price God paid to rescue us. In grace, motivated by His love, He sent His Son to become our Savior. Jesus Christ died on the cross and shed His precious blood to rescue us from the kingdom of darkness (1 Pet. 1:18-19). If all the stars in all the galaxies were changed into platinum, that incalculable sum could not begin to purchase our salvation!

Let us, therefore, give our lives in full surrender and obedience to the One who gave His all for us.  — Vernon C. Grounds