Good
morning boys and girls!
Who
likes getting gifts? I certainly do.
Let
me ask you this. Is something a gift if you have to pay for it? If you have to
pay for it or do something for it, it isn’t a gift. When someone gives you a
gift, it doesn’t cost you anything. All you have to do is accept it. What is
the one thing you should not do when someone gives you a gift? The one thing
you should never do is ask “How much did it cost?”
What
do you think is the greatest gift anyone can receive? It is the gift of eternal
life. Jesus talks about this gift in John 3:1-17, and I’m going to take a few
minutes and read that passage to you.
Now let me
tell you a story that will explain why Jesus gives us the gift of salvation.
It’s a story about Mia, Rafael and a dog. As Mia and Rafael
walked down Main Street with their father, Rafael noticed an unusual display in
a shop window. "Hey, Dad!" he exclaimed. "There's a real dog in
that cage!" Rafael stooped and looked at the small, brown dog. A large
hand-lettered sign was attached to the cage.
Mia read it aloud. "Death row! Without your help, this animal will
have one more day to live. Call the local animal shelter and make arrangements
to adopt this puppy." She looked at her father. "What does that sign
mean, Dad?" she asked.
"It's a new program the animal shelter is trying," said Dad.
"They can't take care of all the stray animals they find, so by letting
people know about the problem, they give the animals a better chance to be
adopted out. If no one takes this dog, they'll have to put it to sleep."
The kids stared in dismay at the little animal. "I've heard that the
program is very successful," Dad assured them. "I'm sure someone will
claim this cute little puppy."
"But, Dad! What if nobody does?" wailed Mia. "Can't we
take him home with us? Look-he likes us already. He's wagging his tail!"
"Yeah, and he needs us, Dad!" Rafael pleaded.
"Well . . ." Dad hesitated. "Let's wait till this evening,
and I'll call and check on him. If nobody rescues this little guy by then-and
if Mom agrees and you kids promise to take care of him-we'll come back and get
him tomorrow. Okay?" Mia and Rafael nodded eagerly.
When Dad called the animal shelter, he learned that the dog was still
waiting to be rescued. Since Mom had agreed, they went the next day to get the
puppy. As they drove home, Mia looked up at Dad. "It's kind of like what
Jesus did, isn't it, Dad?" she murmured.
"What do you mean?" Dad asked.
"When we had devotions yesterday, the verses you read from the
Bible said that before Jesus saved us, we were condemned," explained Mia.
"In a way, that's like being on death row, isn't it? But Jesus died on the
cross to take our punishment. When we trusted in Hi m, He rescued us-kind of
like we rescued this puppy."
Dad smiled. "Good thinking," he approved.
"The puppy will be a reminder that we've been rescued by
Jesus," Rafael added.
Boys and girls, God loved us
so much that he sent Jesus to earth to die on the cross so that we could have
the gift of eternal life. Can you imagine how much Jesus loved us to be willing
to die on the cross so that we can have eternal life in heaven? Jesus paid the
price so we could receive the greatest gift of all.
Let’s bow our heads for a
moment of prayer. Dear God, thank you for the greatest gift of all. Thank you
for Jesus, who loved us so much that he paid the price for our sin to give us
the gift of eternal life. In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN.
Bibliography
3.
Real Life Devotional Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zonderkidz; 2008)
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