AUGUST 8

Ephesians 2:8-9

Andrew ran down the street toward the bus stop. When he heard the long blast of a horn, he knew the bus was already there, and he hurried even faster. But as he approached the corner, he saw the bus driving away from him. There was nothing he could do but run back home. “We missed the bus,” he told his sister Lyn, who was just coming out the door.

“This is the third time this month that you’ve missed the bus,” scolded Mom as she drove the kids to school a little later. “From now on, please be ready on time!”

“Well, I was way ahead of Lyn,” said Andrew.“I just missed it by a hair.” “Sometimes being close doesn’t help a bit,” replied Mom.

“Yeah, Andrew. You still missed the bus, same as me,” said Lyn. After a moment, she added, “It’s just like my Sunday school teacher said.”

Andrew frowned as he looked at her. “Your teacher said we would miss the bus?” he asked. “I don’t believe it.” Lyn laughed. “No, silly. What Mrs. Peck said is that people who attend church faithfully and try to be good may seem to be closer to God than other people, but being close doesn’t help them,” she explained. “Their good works won’t save them. They need to accept Jesus just like everyone else. Without Him, they’re going to miss heaven.”

“Hm-m-m,” murmured Andrew, “sounds like my friend James. A bunch of guys at school swear and lie and disobey the teachers. James doesn’t do those things, so he thinks he’s a lot better than they are.”

“Maybe he is better,” said Mom, “but being better isn’t good enough to get him to heaven. Make sure he knows that he needs to trust Jesus as Savior.”

Andrew nodded. “Maybe missing the bus was a good thing,” he suggested, “because now I have something to tell James.” Seeing the look on his mother’s face, he quickly added, “But of course, that’s no excuse for being late any other day!”

Thought: Do you think you’ll go to Heaven because you behave better than other children?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I know salvation is only by grace through faith. Please remind me that good behaviour is nice, but even my best behaviour isn’t good enough to get me to Heaven. Help me to have faith in and trust Jesus, for it is in His name that I pray, Amen.