Daily Devotional for November 29, 2018
Instructions
Josephina beamed as she tore the wrapping paper off her birthday present. “Oh, thank you!” She hugged her parents, then looked at the gift. “I didn’t know bikes came in boxes.”
“They do when you buy the kind you have to put together yourself,” Dad said. “You can help me do that.”
“All right!” Josephina followed her dad out to the garage to work on the bike. “Here are the instructions,” she said.
Dad absently glanced at the paper she held out as he took pieces of the bicycle out of the box. “Thanks, honey, but I don’t think I’ll waste time reading all that. This should be easy enough to do.” He got busy organizing bicycle parts and fastening pieces together. After a while, he shook his head. “This doesn’t look right.”
Just then Mom came to the door. “Dinner is ready.” She looked at the pieces on the floor. “How’s it going?”
Dad sighed. “Not too good. I’ll come back to it after dinner. Let’s eat.”
After their meal, Dad looked at Josephina and grinned. “I guess I should have read that paper you tried to give me. I wasted a lot of time trying to put your bicycle together without reading the manufacturer’s instructions on how everything fits.” He looked at Josephina thoughtfully. “I wonder how much time we waste by not reading our manufacturer’s instructions.”
“Our manufacturer?” Josephina asked. “What do you mean by that?”
“I mean God,” Dad said. “His instruction book—the Bible—tells us how everything fits together; how He made us, how we brought sin and death into the world, and how Jesus died to save us and give us eternal life.”
“I guess our lives would be wasted if we didn’t know all that,” said Josephina.
“Yes,” said Dad. “We’d waste time living for ourselves or trying to make up for our sin by doing good things. Doing those things wouldn’t get us anywhere. God’s Word shows us that the only way to truly live is to trust and follow Jesus.” He reached for his Bible. “Let’s read a little together right now.”
After reading a few verses, Dad and Josephina went back to their project. This time, Dad started with the instructions. – Richard S. Maffeo
How about you?
Do you read God’s instruction book—the Bible? God made you and knows how your life should fit together. His instruction book shows you how you can have eternal life through Jesus. It encourages you to turn away from sin and trust Him in every situation. Read it every day so you’ll know what Jesus has done for you and how to live the life He wants for you.
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?