Last Sunday night, Fresno (CA) police officers went to the home of Mayra Varela in search of her brother, Gerardo Varela, who was a suspect in a robbery committed the previous night.  Gerardo was in the home and tried to elude the police by setting fire to his sister’s home.  Gerardo was apprehended, but the house was lost.  That left Mayra and her three-year-old child homeless.

Sgt. Stacie Szatmari was one of the police officers who responded to the call.  The plight of Mayra and her daughter touched her heart.  She resolved to try to help the small family.  Szatmari reached out to the police chaplaincy to get the family a room for the night.  She also contacted the Red Cross to secure more long term housing.  Szatmari also collected toiletries, clothes, and shoes for the family and delivered the supplies to the family last week.

“It was like Christmas Day,” Valera told KFSN-TV, an ABC affiliate. “She was bringing Christmas gifts.  Some stranger just said, ‘Here's everything you need for your family now.’”

When asked why she helped the Varela family, Szatmari responded, “That's the way I was raised.  If someone is in need, I need to help out.” *

When we were in dire need, Someone came to our rescue.

Our greatest need is salvation from sin.  Our sin puts us on the path to eternal destruction in the fires of hell (Matthew 7:13-14).

But despite the fact that our sins are a direct affront to the God who created us, God loves us so much that He made provision for our salvation from sin.  He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to our rescue.  Jesus had to give His life to pay the price of redemption for our sins.  He died for us so that we can be saved from sin and receive the gift of eternal life.  “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

God will save and give eternal life to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  He will continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7-9).

When “our house was burning to the ground,” God sent Jesus to save us.  Jesus “gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father” (Galatians 1:4 NIV).

Won’t YOU accept His offer of salvation and eternal life by trusting and obeying Christ today?

-- David A. Sargent

* Information gleaned from “California cop brings summer 'Christmas' to family left homeless by fire” by Julia Musto, www.foxnews.com, and “Fresno police officer helps family that lost home in house fire” by Nathalie Granda of KFSN Television, LLC - ABC30, www.abc30.com.

David A. Sargent, Minister

Church of Christ at Creekwood 
1901 Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama  36695

Archived issues of Living Water can be viewed and accessed from our website at: www.creekwoodcc.org