Daily Devotional for May 28, 2017
Missed by a Hair
Andrew dashed out the door and ran down the street toward the bus stop. When he heard the long blast of a horn, he knew the bus was already there, and he hurried even faster. But as he approached the corner, he saw the bus driving away. There was nothing to do but run back home. “We missed the bus,” he told his sister Kaitlyn, who was just coming out the door.
“This is the third time this month you’ve missed the bus,” Mom said as she drove the kids to school a little later. “From now on, please be ready on time!”
“Well, I was way ahead of Kaitlyn,” said Andrew. “I just missed it by a hair.”
“Maybe so, but being closer didn’t help,” said Mom. “You still didn’t make it on the bus.”
“Yeah, Andrew. You missed it, same as me,” said Kaitlyn. “It’s just like my teacher at church said.”
Andrew gave her a puzzled look. “Your teacher said we’d miss the bus? I don’t believe it.”
Kaitlyn laughed. “No, silly. She said people who go to church every week and try to be good may seem to be closer to God than other people, but they’re not. The good things they do won’t save them. They need to trust in Jesus to be saved—just like everyone else. Without Him, they’re going to miss out on having a relationship and eternal life with God, no matter how good they are.”
“That sounds like my friend James,” said Andrew. “He doesn’t swear or lie or disobey the teachers like other kids do, so he thinks he’s okay. I’ve tried to tell him it doesn’t matter how good you are compared to others, we all need Jesus, but he doesn’t seem to get it.”
“Maybe he does behave better than other kids,” said Mom, “but that’s not enough to save him from sin. The only way for any one of us to have a relationship with God and eternal life is by trusting Jesus as our Savior.”
Andrew nodded. “Maybe missing the bus this morning was a good thing, because now I have something to help me explain that to James.” Seeing the look on his mother’s face, he quickly added, “But I’ll be on time for the bus from now on!” – Mary Rose Pearson
How about you?
Do you think you’ll go to heaven when you die because you behave better than other kids? It’s good not to do wrong things like cheat, tell lies, or treat others badly, but it won’t get you into heaven. The Bible says you can’t be saved by being good. Only those who trust Jesus as their Savior will go to heaven. (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?