Daily Devotional for November 10, 2020
Rescued Kitten
“Mom! Pepper sharpened his claws on the couch again!” called Emma as she and her friend Olivia went into the living room to play a game.
“Oh no!” Mom exclaimed, coming in and inspecting the couch. “We’re going to have to get that cat a scratching post.”
“When did you get him?” asked Olivia. “I didn’t even know you had a cat.”
“He was meowing outside our door during the thunderstorm we had a couple weeks ago,” Emma replied. “We put up some signs, but nobody reported a lost kitten, so now he’s ours. We named him Pepper.” Emma picked up Pepper and stroked his fur. “When we found him, he was cold and wet and scared and trembling all over.”
“Poor thing,” said Olivia.
Emma nodded. “We rubbed him down with a soft towel and fed him. Now he has a home and a family who loves him.”
“That’s right,” said Mom. She turned and spoke to the kitten. “But you need to learn not to scratch the furniture.” Then she smiled. “Though I guess I need to be patient with him, because we humans are often the same way.”
“Who, us?” asked Emma, pretending to have her feelings hurt.
“Yes,” said Mom, “all of us! I’m sure you both know that before we were saved, we were in much worse shape than Pepper. We were sinners with no hope. When we trusted Jesus as our Savior, God forgave our sins and gave us a brand-new life. But we still do wrong things sometimes. Just like Pepper gives in to his instinct to sharpen his claws on the couch, we give in to our sinful nature.”
“So how do we change?” asked Olivia.
“Yeah,” said Emma. “Didn’t you say Pepper can learn not to scratch the couch?”
Mom nodded. “Since Pepper is now part of our family, we can teach him not to be destructive. And God teaches us how to act like members of His family too. He gives us His Holy Spirit, who gives us the power to live a godly life. We’ll still do wrong things sometimes, but when we do, Jesus will always forgive us.”
“Just like we forgive Pepper for scratching the couch!” Emma said, petting the cat’s head.
Mom nodded. “But we’re still going to get a scratching post!” • Holly F. Cepeda
How about you?
Are you learning how to be a member of God’s family? You’ll still sin sometimes, but if you know Jesus, the Holy Spirit is teaching you to change your ways. Thank God for making you part of His family through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus. Thank Him for the Holy Spirit, who gives you power over sin. Trust Him to guide you in turning from sin and doing what’s right.
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