This past week, Fox News carried a wonderful little Associated Press story that beautifully illustrates the gospel of Jesus Christ. It all unfolded down in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where, as the May 18, 2021 headline reads: “NFL Player Isaac Yiadom’s Maserati Taken Apart to Rescue Kitten Trapped Inside.”
It seems that local firefighters were called to the home of New York Giants cornerback, Isaac Yiadom, in order to rescue a cat that was stuck under the player’s car. According to an update posted on their Facebook page, officials said the kitten had somehow become stuck “above the rear differential of his car.”
When the rescue was completed, it was determined that the animal did not appear to be injured. The same could not be said Yiadom’s Maserati. The super-expensive sports car had to be partially disassembled in order to affect the rescue of the cat.
Now, I’m glad all turned out well - especially for the kitten. Kudos to the firefighters for their ability to pull off the rescue with no loss of life or limb, as well as to Isaac Yiadom for acting swiftly to avert any tragedy when he discovered the poor cat’s plight.
For my part, I don’t live in an upscale beachfront Florida locale. Moreover, my garage contains a couple of homegrown Fords, the combined value of which would probably not even constitute a good down payment on an imported Italian luxury vehicle. Nonetheless, I have enough sense to know that even a highly paid professional athlete was well aware of the cost he was incurring by allowing his sports car to be damaged in order to save the little cat.
After all, my research indicates that Maserati are quite valuable. The company has placed an annual production output cap at 75,000 units globally, keeping the number of available vehicles relatively low, and the prices high. The various ones I found for sale on Autotrader.com were all used, and still ranged between c. $75,000 and $150,000 each.
And for me, this is precisely what makes Yiadom’s actions so laudable. Let’s be honest, not everyone out there would make such a sacrifice for so small a creature. But to his credit, he chose saving the life of the little kitten over the value of some mere possession.
In all of this, I cannot help but see a picture of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Like the little kitten, I found myself in peril. The weight of the world was pressing down on me. And like the kitten, I chose to cry out for help. Like the homeowner, the Lord of the Universe heard my despairing cry. And in His grace, He chose to come to my rescue, no matter the cost to Himself!
Literally, the God of this universe was willing to sacrifice anything necessary to achieve my salvation. For this reason, He allowed the One entity which He loved above all else, His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, to be damaged bodily on a cross in order that I might be saved.
I’m sure that if a certain little kitten could grasp the significance of the sacrifice undertaken on its behalf by Mr. Yiadom, it would be quite grateful. Likewise, knowing how much I was loved and how great was the sacrifice undertaken on my behalf, I will be forever grateful to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
The Apostle John understood this well. He wrote extensively of the great love God has for each of us. In chapter 3, verse1 of his First New Testament Letter, he encourages us to “See what great love the Father has lavished on us…” His choice of words is well put here, for as he goes on to remind us…
9“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
Notice that the pronouns here all plural and inclusive. What God did for one, God did for all. And this includes you, my friend. God loves you; and He paid an incredible price to set you free. Even now, He stands ready and willing to come to your assistance. As the hymnwriter of old puts it, “He your savior wants to be; be saved today!”
STORY SOURCE:
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/nfl-isaac-yiadoms-maserati-rescue-kitten.
SCRIPTURE SOURCES:
https://www.biblehub.com/1_john/3-1.htm;
https://biblehub.com/niv/1_john/4.htm.
HYMN SOURCE:
"Love Lifted Me", 1912 by James Rowe. Lyrics available at:
https://hymnary.org/text/i_was_sinking_deep_in_sin_far_from_the.
It seems that local firefighters were called to the home of New York Giants cornerback, Isaac Yiadom, in order to rescue a cat that was stuck under the player’s car. According to an update posted on their Facebook page, officials said the kitten had somehow become stuck “above the rear differential of his car.”
When the rescue was completed, it was determined that the animal did not appear to be injured. The same could not be said Yiadom’s Maserati. The super-expensive sports car had to be partially disassembled in order to affect the rescue of the cat.
Now, I’m glad all turned out well - especially for the kitten. Kudos to the firefighters for their ability to pull off the rescue with no loss of life or limb, as well as to Isaac Yiadom for acting swiftly to avert any tragedy when he discovered the poor cat’s plight.
For my part, I don’t live in an upscale beachfront Florida locale. Moreover, my garage contains a couple of homegrown Fords, the combined value of which would probably not even constitute a good down payment on an imported Italian luxury vehicle. Nonetheless, I have enough sense to know that even a highly paid professional athlete was well aware of the cost he was incurring by allowing his sports car to be damaged in order to save the little cat.
After all, my research indicates that Maserati are quite valuable. The company has placed an annual production output cap at 75,000 units globally, keeping the number of available vehicles relatively low, and the prices high. The various ones I found for sale on Autotrader.com were all used, and still ranged between c. $75,000 and $150,000 each.
And for me, this is precisely what makes Yiadom’s actions so laudable. Let’s be honest, not everyone out there would make such a sacrifice for so small a creature. But to his credit, he chose saving the life of the little kitten over the value of some mere possession.
In all of this, I cannot help but see a picture of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Like the little kitten, I found myself in peril. The weight of the world was pressing down on me. And like the kitten, I chose to cry out for help. Like the homeowner, the Lord of the Universe heard my despairing cry. And in His grace, He chose to come to my rescue, no matter the cost to Himself!
Literally, the God of this universe was willing to sacrifice anything necessary to achieve my salvation. For this reason, He allowed the One entity which He loved above all else, His One and Only Son, Jesus Christ, to be damaged bodily on a cross in order that I might be saved.
I’m sure that if a certain little kitten could grasp the significance of the sacrifice undertaken on its behalf by Mr. Yiadom, it would be quite grateful. Likewise, knowing how much I was loved and how great was the sacrifice undertaken on my behalf, I will be forever grateful to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
The Apostle John understood this well. He wrote extensively of the great love God has for each of us. In chapter 3, verse1 of his First New Testament Letter, he encourages us to “See what great love the Father has lavished on us…” His choice of words is well put here, for as he goes on to remind us…
9“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
Notice that the pronouns here all plural and inclusive. What God did for one, God did for all. And this includes you, my friend. God loves you; and He paid an incredible price to set you free. Even now, He stands ready and willing to come to your assistance. As the hymnwriter of old puts it, “He your savior wants to be; be saved today!”
STORY SOURCE:
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/nfl-isaac-yiadoms-maserati-rescue-kitten.
SCRIPTURE SOURCES:
https://www.biblehub.com/1_john/3-1.htm;
https://biblehub.com/niv/1_john/4.htm.
HYMN SOURCE:
"Love Lifted Me", 1912 by James Rowe. Lyrics available at:
https://hymnary.org/text/i_was_sinking_deep_in_sin_far_from_the.