Tommy’s cousin Matthew, who lived in Canada, was planning to visit Tommy’s family sometime in the summer. Before he came, he received this letter.
Dear Matthew,
I’m glad you are coming to see us this year. I hope we can go to the beach while you are here. Please try to get here by July the fourth.
Love,
Tommy
Matthew didn’t know why Tommy wanted him to arrive by the 4th of July, and he didn’t think too much about it. Probably, Tommy just wanted him there as soon as possible!
Matthew’s family began the long trip to Tommy’s house, and it happened to work out that they arrived on the afternoon of the 4th of July.
Tommy and his family welcomed them with smiles and hugs, and any thought of the 4th of July was lost in the excitement of cousins being together again. It was lost, that is, until after supper when it began to get dark. Then, several neighbor boys came over to Tommy’s house because they knew Matthew’s family and they also knew what the 4th of July meant! But Matthew still didn’t know.
The noise and activity of all the children after supper made it seem almost impossible to have the usual family Bible reading. But Matthew’s dad got all the boys settled down, and they read in the Bible about God’s love in sending the Lord Jesus to die for our sins.
After the reading, Tommy and the neighbor boys jumped up, grabbed little paper bags and ran outside. Matthew and his brothers followed. It was then that they found out why Tommy wrote what he did in his letter. Each of the paper bags was full of fireworks!
While the parents watched, the boys enjoyed those fireworks. Some of them popped with a loud bang, others shot up into the sky with a burst of colors, and others whistled before they popped. Talk about excitement! Just put 12 boys together with bags of fireworks and, well, Matthew knew now that Tommy’s letter was more important than he realized. What if he had missed all this fun?
Matthew was glad to join Tommy on the 4th of July even though he hadn’t paid much attention to the letter. But later he and his Dad thought about another letter which was even more important to read. If they had not read God’s Word, the Bible, the greatest of all letters, they would have missed something far more wonderful than colorful and noisy fireworks with Tommy and his friends.
Did you know that the Bible is the most important “letter” ever written, because it is from God? It is so important that Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:44And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. (Luke 4:4)). You cannot live the right way without God’s Word, and you cannot be saved from hell and live forever in heaven without it.
Jesus is coming soon, so God’s letter to you is not only important, but it is also urgent. Read God’s Word today and believe it when it says, “He that [believes] on the Son [has] everlasting life: and he that [believes] not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God [abides] on him” (John 3:3636He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36)).
Messages of God’s Love 10/6/2024