Down by the river, Ruthie and her family were enjoying a lovely fall day and watching the water-skiers, when ten-year-old Ruthie went over to Mother’s chair. She began to coax her mother to make some popcorn, but Daddy said, “Let Mother rest awhile. She has had a busy day, Ruthie. Do you know how to make popcorn?”
“Oh yes,” answered Ruthie. “I know just how to do it, and I can do it all by myself, too.”
Mother agreed to let her pop some popcorn and gave her a few instructions. “Be sure to use the big heavy pan with the tight-fitting lid.” Then she told Ruthie just how much oil and popcorn to put in the pan and reminded her to keep the burner low so the popcorn wouldn’t burn.
Ruthie skipped excitedly the whole way to the house. She had three older sisters, and she seldom got to do things in the kitchen all by herself.
Quickly, she put the heavy pan on the stove. She carefully measured the oil and popcorn and put them in the pan. Then she made sure she turned the burner on low and anxiously watched to see the first kernel pop in the sizzling oil.
There it went! “POP!” It was so white and fluffy. Then, “pop-pop-pop” went the corn as it began to fill the pan. Suddenly one kernel shot up out of the pan, then another, and another! Soon popcorn was flying all over the kitchen!
Ruthie was really frightened and she didn’t know what to do. She ran out of the house and down to the river screaming, “Mother! Mother! Help! Help!”
Everyone came running. What a popcorn snowstorm met them in the house! Popcorn was all over the kitchen! Ruthie had tried her best to do a good job of making the popcorn all by herself. But she hadn’t followed one important instruction — put the lid on the big pan.
Everyone helped clean up the kitchen. Even the dog was invited into the house for a popcorn feast. Then Ruthie started again, but this time, after she had measured the oil and popcorn and set the burner just right, she put the lid securely on the pan. All the popcorn stayed in the pan this time.
Soon the popcorn was finished, and Ruthie salted it as she had been told. She headed down to her family by the river with the apple basket in one hand and the big pan of popcorn in the other. When the family saw her coming, they all clapped their hands and cheered. They were happy that Ruthie had done everything right this time.
The most important instruction for Ruthie to follow if she didn’t want to end up making a big mess while making popcorn was to put the lid on the pan. God’s Book, the Bible, gives many instructions for us to follow if we want to have a happy life. But one of God’s instructions is the most important one to follow if your life is not going to end in disaster. Do you know what it is? It is very simple. Here it is: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and [you will] be saved” (Acts 16:3131And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. (Acts 16:31)). Have you done that?
Messages of God’s Love 12/8//2024