A New Story

Read: Matthew 28:18-20

I’m part of God’s family now, Brock thought happily.

Earlier that day he had decided to trust Jesus as his Savior. He smiled, thinking of others he knew who were also part of God’s family—his parents, grandparents, and his friends at church. But then he thought of his two best friends at school. Clay and Miles don’t go to church, he thought. I wonder if they’ll still want to be my friends when they find out I’m a Christian.

The three boys had been friends since kindergarten. Clay was a practical joker, and Miles was a storyteller. In fact, they all liked to tell funny stories and make each other laugh—but now Brock was afraid they’d be laughing at him.

Maybe I won’t tell Clay and Miles I accepted Jesus, Brock thought when he got to school the next morning. He shuffled to his seat just as the bell rang. Clay waved and pointed to a plastic spider he had put on the chair in front of him. Clay would do anything for a laugh, but today Brock didn’t feel like laughing.

“Hey guys, wait till you hear the new story I’ve got!” Miles said as they went out at recess. “You got any new ones you want to tell first?”

Brock took a big breath. He suddenly knew this was the right time to tell them he had decided to trust in Jesus. “Yeah.” Brock spoke quickly before he lost his nerve. “You’ll never guess what happened to me yesterday…”

When Brock finished telling them his new story, it was quiet for a moment. “Oh. Well, that’s cool,” said Miles. “I don’t really know much about Jesus.”

“I can tell you more, and you can come to church with me if you want,” said Brock. “That’s a good place to learn about Him. You can come too, Clay.”

Clay shrugged. “I don’t know. I have other stuff to do on the weekends. Hey, let’s go get a ball game started.”

“I’ll ask my mom if I can come to church with you,” Miles said as he and Brock followed Clay out to the ball field. “I’d like to hear more about Jesus. It sounds like a really good story.”

–Darlene M. Root

How about you? Are you afraid to talk to your friends about Jesus? Lots of kids don’t know they need Him to be saved from sin. They need someone to tell them—and Jesus may want you to be that person. Trust Him to help you know what to say, and don’t get discouraged if they don’t respond right away. Keep praying for them and letting them see Jesus in the way you live your life.

Today's Key Verse: Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you. (NKJV) Mark 5:19

Today's Key Thought: Tell your friends about Jesus