Paying homage to our donor

Modern medicine does it again.

For the first time in history, a person received a face transplant. Apparently, a 39-year old French woman -- disfigured from a dog attack -- became the first person ever to undergo this groundbreaking procedure. Feeling like she could never be accepted in society because of her disfigurement, she went for it all by going through the operation.

The reconstruction of her face was accomplished by using...well...another person's face. Various parts of her new face (a chin, a nose, and lips) came from a deceased donor. In an act of gratitude, the woman vowed to "pay homage" to the donor's family.

While I think that this is a truly remarkable story and a credit to the profoundness of modern medicine, I've got an even better story for you:

Years ago, on a wooden, cross-shaped operating table, a talented surgeon who we call God performed history's greatest transplant ever when He gave us a new heart; from a donor named Jesus. You see, Dr. God knew that we could never enter the Kingdom in our sinful state. So, He wilingly sacrificed His Son to allow us the transplant that we so desperately needed. God's mercy saved us (or, at the very least, gave us the opportunity to be saved). The Bible reminds us in Ephesians 2:8-9 that it's by God's grace that we are saved (the catch is: we have to show faith in Him). Grace isn't something that we've earned from our good works; nor is it something that we can take credit for. It's a gift from God.

So, instead of taking credit for our salvation, we should be like this French women. We need to "pay homage" to our donor.

- ACL