FEBRUARY 12, Romans 5:9 

“Oh, no!” moaned Megan. “I won’t be able to mail this birthday card to Grandma until Monday.”

“Why not?” asked Megan’s little sister. Megan shook her head. “We’re out of stamps,” she said. “Without a stamp on the envelope, this won’t go anywhere, Stacy.”

Stacy looked thoughtful for a moment and then bounded off to her bedroom. She soon returned with her hands behind her back and a grin on her face.

“What are you hiding?” asked Megan.

Stacy’s face beamed with pride as she held out a roll of her cute dinosaur stickers. “You can use one of my stamps to mail your letter,” she offered.

Megan smiled at her sister. “Thanks, honey. That’s so nice of you, but your stickers won’t work,” said Megan. “A letter has to have a postage stamp on it. Your stickers are nice, but letters have to have the real thing.”

Stacy frowned, and Megan tried to explain. “Postage stamps are a special kind of stickers, Stacy. You buy them at the post office,” she said. “When you stick one on a letter, it shows the mailman that you’ve paid for the letter to be delivered. Then he makes sure it goes on its way. Sorry, honey.” Megan gave her sister a hug.

Stacy hesitated, then peeled off a dinosaur sticker and stuck it on the back of Megan’s hand.“You can have a sticker anyway,” said Stacy with a grin.

Mom was standing nearby, and she smiled as Stacy skipped away. “You know, Megan,” she said, “your explanation of how payment has to be made for a letter to be delivered reminds me of salvation. Sometimes people try to make that payment. They try to pay their own way by doing good deeds, but that’s like using a dinosaur sticker on a letter. To get to heaven you need the real payment - the blood of Jesus.”

Megan nodded in agreement. “We can’t pay for heaven at all,” she said. “Only Jesus can. He died on the cross to make the real payment that guarantees our sins are forgiven and we have a place in Heaven.”

Thought: Did you know that the price for your salvation has been paid in full?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus to give His life to purchase a place in heaven for me. Remind me that none of the good things I do can pay for heaven. Thank You so much. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.