Daily Devotional for April 30, 2017
Dirty Sneakers
“All right!” Oliver exclaimed as his mom presented him with a pair of bright new sneakers. “They’re just what I wanted!”
“I’m glad you like them,” said Mom, “but let’s try to keep them clean. Save them for school or when you’re out with your friends. You have plenty of old shoes to wear when you’re in the yard or playing basketball at the park.”
“Okay, Mom,” said Oliver as he put the new shoes on.
He did remember to be careful with them for a while, but one day when he came into the house, he left a trail of muddy tracks through the kitchen.
“Stop right there, Oliver! Oh, your new sneakers—they’re a mess!” Mom pointed to his mud-caked shoes.
“I’m sorry, Mom,” said Oliver. “I forgot I had them on. Mrs. Alberts needed help in her garden, and I guess I went a little bonkers with the garden hose.”
Mom sighed, shaking her head. “It was nice of you to help her, Oliver,” she said, “but despite your good deed, your shoes are still dirty.”
“Yeah.” Oliver looked down at his feet and sighed. “They look pretty bad.” Then he smiled. “It’s kinda like the verse we learned at church last week. My teacher said some people think the good things they do can cover up the wrong things they’ve done. But the verse we learned says our good deeds are like dirty rags—or in this case, dirty sneakers. They can’t make us clean.”
“Good thinking,” Mom said. “Nothing we do can ever clean up the sin in our lives. That’s why we need Jesus.” She bent over to help Oliver pull off his dirty shoes. “Jesus promises that when we confess our sins and turn to Him, He will wash us white as snow. He forgives us.”
“Can you forgive me too, Mom?”
Mom smiled. “Of course I’ll forgive you, Oliver.”
“I’ll try to be more careful.” Oliver looked at his muddy shoes. “Will you make my sneakers clean again?”
“Not as clean as Jesus can make your heart,” said Mom, “but I’ll do my best. Bring them over to the sink and I’ll check the cleaning supply cabinet.” – Nathan Runyon
How about you?
Do you ever feel like your life resembles a pair of dirty sneakers? Do you think if you do enough good things you can make up for the stuff you do wrong? The Bible says that good deeds are never enough. Only Jesus can cleanse your heart and replace your wrongs with His right. Confess your sin to Him today and be forgiven. (See “The ABCs of Salvation” in the column to the right.)
Thank you for reading this Keys for Kids devotional! Did you enjoy the story? Has Keys for Kids been an encouragement to you and your family? If so, would you please consider supporting Keys For Kids Ministries in our effort to continue to provide these daily devotionals to children around the world?