"By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren." (1 John 3:16)

One summer morning as Ray Blankenship was preparing his breakfast, he gazed out the window and saw a small girl being swept along in the rain-flooded drainage ditch beside his Andover, Ohio home. He knew that farther downstream the ditch disappeared with a roar underneath a road and then emptied into the main culvert. Blankenship had to make a choice. He could remain in the safety of his home or risk his life in a rescue attempt. Immediately he dashed out the door and raced along the ditch. Once he was ahead of the floundering child, he leaped into the water and grabbed her. The two tumbled end over end. When they were about to enter the culvert, Blankenship's free hand grabbed a rock on the bank. A short time later he pulled the girl to safety.

Thanks be to God that Jesus Christ has pulled us to safety. "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." (John 15:13)