FEBRUARY 15

EPHESIANS 2:4-5

LIVE OUT THE CHRISTIAN LIFE!

Jeffrey was so excited that he could hardly open his birthday gift. He was pretty sure it was a puppet – something he’d been wanting ever since he’d seen a missionary perform with one at church. He tore off the wrappings and opened the box. Sure enough, there was a puppet inside. His little sister, Debbie, looked on with wide-eyed wonder. "A doll?" she asked. "You’re going to play with dolls?"

"No way!" responded Jeffrey. "This is a puppet like the one the missionary had at church. Remember? I’m a boy and boys don’t play with dolls!""His puppet was alive," said Debbie. "It could move and talk, but yours just lies there. I still think it’s a doll."

"Mine will come to life, too," declared Jeffrey. "I’m going to learn to be a ventriloquist like that missionary. I’m naming my puppet ‘Andy.’" And starting that very day, Je rey worked hard at learning how to make his puppet move and speak. "Andy is alive now." declared Debbie several weeks later. Jeffrey beamed. He figured he was truly getting good enough to perform as a ventriloquist.

At family devotions one evening, Dad turned to the second chapter of Ephesians (see today’s Scripture reading). "As for you, you were dead in transgressions and sin," read Dad.

"Dead!" exclaimed Debbie. "Who’s dead?"
"God says everybody is a sinner and spiritually dead," Dad told her.
He looked at Jeffrey. "We’re like Andy – Jeffrey’s puppet. Andy is entirely limp and lifeless except when Je rey slips his hand inside him, operates the controls, and speaks for him. Andy needs Jeffrey to have any kind of life, and sinners need to trust Jesus as personal Savior to receive spiritual life. When we trust Him, He makes us alive."

Thought:Have you tried to live the Christian life – but nd you can’t do it? If you’ve never accepted Jesus as Savior, you’re dead in sin. Trust Jesus to save you, and you’ll begin to live.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I thank You I’m not like the puppet, but have been made alive spiritually through my accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour. But I know it is a daily battle – that it is not easy to live a good Christian life, that I still get angry for wrong reasons, still am rude at times towards mum or dad... As Andy the puppet is empowered by Je rey, may I be empowered by You. In Jesus’ name – amen.