A Name That Fits

Bible Reading: Matthew 7:21-27; Romans 10:9-10

“Look, there’s a ladybird!” cried Olive.

Jocelyn dropped her doll on the grass and looked up at the sky. “Where? I don’t see any birds—or a lady either! Besides Mom, I mean.” She smiled at her mother.

Olive laughed. “A ladybird isn’t a bird—or a lady.” She pointed to a small red and black creature crawling its way up the stem of a plant. “That’s a ladybird.”

Jocelyn stared at it. “That’s a bug!” She placed her hands on her hips. “Why is it called a ladybird when it’s not a bird at all? That doesn’t make any sense!” She shook her head and picked up her doll again.

“Most people around here call it a ladybug,” said Mom. “That name fits it better, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, I guess,” said Olive. “My teacher calls it a ladybird, but she moved here from England, and sometimes they have different names for things there.”

“I can think of another creature with a name that doesn’t really fit,” said Mom. “What did Dad show you last night?”

“Fireflies!” said Olive. “He said they aren’t flies at all. They’re beetles.”

“That’s right,” said Mom. “Sometimes people use names for themselves that don’t match what they really are either. For example, we can call ourselves Christians, but that doesn’t make us Christians.”

Jocelyn tilted her head. “But we are Christians!”

“How do you know?” asked Mom. “Does saying so make you one?”

“No. I’m a Christian because Jesus died for me and I trusted Him to save me, and He did!” Jocelyn confidently replied.

“I get it!” said Olive. “Calling this insect a ladybird doesn’t make it a bird, and calling that beetle a firefly doesn’t turn it into a fly. And calling myself a Christian doesn’t make me one. The only way we can become Christians is by trusting in Jesus.”

Mom nodded. “When we trust Him as our Savior, He forgives our sins and puts His Spirit in our hearts. That’s how a person becomes a Christian.”

Jocelyn bent down close to the ladybird. “I’m not like you!” she declared. “You go by a name that isn’t what you are. But I don’t just go by the name Christian. I really am one!”

-Tanya Ferdinandusz

How About You?

Are you a Christian? Have you recognized that you’re a sinner and can only be saved through Jesus, who died for your sins and then rose from the dead? Trusting in Him is the only way you can become a Christian. Don’t be a Christian in name only. Trust Him as your Savior today. (To learn more, click the “Good News!” button in the right column of this page.)

Today’s Key Verse: John 1:12 As many as received Him [Jesus], to them He gave the right to become children of God. (NKJV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Trust Jesus to become a Christian