Even Muffins Matter

Read: John 15:9-14; 1 John 3:16-18

“Mom, there he is! Grab the bag!” Harper pressed her nose against the glass of the car window as Mom smiled and handed the man on the corner a bag filled with food and treats.

The man smiled and said, “God bless you!” as he accepted the free gift.

Whenever they went out, Mom, Harper, and Lincoln would bring a bag of food for anyone they saw who was in need. Then they would pray for the person after they received their bag.

“Dear God,” Lincoln prayed, “please help this man have enough food to fill him up today, and give him a warm place to sleep tonight. Most of all, if he doesn’t know You, we pray that he would open up his heart to you. Amen.”

“I bet he’ll love those chocolate chip banana muffins we made!” Harper said with a grin.

Lincoln laughed. “Yeah, good thing we went out today. There might not have been any left if we hadn’t—they were so tasty!”

Harper grew quiet as she looked out her window. “Mom? Do you think that man knows what love is?”

“Do you remember the verse we wrote down and put in the bag for him?” Mom asked.

“Yeah! First John 3:16. ‘This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.’”

“Exactly right,” Mom answered. “Do you know the rest of that verse? It says, ‘And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.’”

“We can’t die for people every day!” Lincoln reasoned.

Mom laughed. “No, we can’t. But we can let our words and actions tell others that Jesus loved them enough to die for them. We not only need to tell people about God’s love, we need to show it in the way we act toward others.”

“So I guess that man does know what love is, because we showed him!” Harper said excitedly.

“Hey, Mom?” Lincoln asked as they pulled into their driveway. “After we unload the groceries, will you show us the love of Jesus by making us more muffins?”

–Savannah Coleman

How about you? Do you want to show others love? God showed us the greatest love there is by sending His Son, Jesus, to die for us. You can share that love with others every day through your actions as well as your words. Can you make a card for someone who is sick or rake up leaves for an elderly neighbor? God will use whatever you do for Him to show others His free gift of love in Jesus Christ.

Today’s key verse: Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: Show God’s love in action