Bonnie is a great nanny. She loves the children she cares for and they all love her. There are four children in the family—two older girls and then twin girls. Bonnie often reads them stories, and often the stories are from her own Bible. The four girls all cuddle up as close as they can get to her, because Bonnie makes the Bible stories come alive.
Every day before they eat their lunch, they all bow their heads and close their eyes while Bonnie thanks God for the food they are about to eat. But one day Meredith, the oldest girl, said, “Bonnie, you tell us often that we need to get saved so we can go to heaven when we die. I would like to get saved, but I don’t know how. Would you please help me?”
“Sure!” Bonnie said. “You need to tell the Lord Jesus that you are very sorry that you have been naughty so many times and ask Him to forgive you and wash all your sins away in His precious blood. You know that when He died, He paid the penalty for sin. So just tell Him you are sorry He had to die and thank Him for paying the penalty for your sins, and He will save you.”
So Meredith bowed her head and prayed out loud, confessing to the Lord Jesus that she was a sinner and thanking Him for coming to be her Saviour and paying for her sins. When she finished praying, she said with a big smile, “I’m saved!”
Then Julie, the next sister said, “I want to be saved too!”
“Go ahead,” said Bonnie. So Julie bowed her head and also prayed out loud. When she was finished she said, “I’m saved! I’m sure I’m saved!”
Then Terry, the first twin, wanted to pray too.
“You sure can,” Bonnie said. So Terry also prayed, telling the Lord Jesus she was sorry for her sins and would He please wash them all away.
Now all the sisters looked at Sherry, the other twin. “Don’t you want to be saved?” one of the sisters asked. “The Lord Jesus is coming soon, maybe today, and you won’t be ready. Come on, you can do it.”
But Sherry just sat quietly and fidgeted with her fingers. Then she looked up at Bonnie and said, “I don’t want to pray out loud in front of all these people.”
“You don’t have to,” said Bonnie. “Just bow your head and pray quietly. The Lord Jesus knows what’s in your heart, even if you don’t say it out loud.”
So Sherry prayed quietly and then said with a smile, “I’m saved too.”
What happiness and rejoicing there was around that lunch table as they gave thanks for their food and ate lunch together.
Now all four girls have the Lord Jesus living in their hearts and are trying to please Him in all that they do. They are praying also for their father and mother, that they both will be saved as well.
“I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:7). Think of the joy in heaven over FOUR sinners who repented that day! But what about you? What could be more special than YOU being saved from your sins and bringing joy to the heart of God and to all His angels?
MEMORY VERSE: “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth.” Luke 15:7
ML-05/01/2011