Hidden Inside

Bible Reading: EPHESIANS 2:4-10

“Hi, Mom. What’s for supper?” asked Aubrey as she came into the kitchen. Mom grinned. Aubrey asked the same question every day when she got home from school. “I’m sooo hungry when I get off the bus,” Aubrey said. She went to the stove, lifted a lid off a pan, and peered inside. “Is this what I think it is? Are we having tacos?” Mom nodded, and Aubrey let out a whoop.

“Put your things away, and then you can help me cut up the rest of the veggies,” said Mom. Aubrey grabbed her books and bounded up the steps to her room.

“Well, what should I do first?” asked Aubrey when she returned.

“First wash your hands,” said Mom. “Then you can cut up those tomatoes. I’ve already washed them.”

Picking up a shiny red tomato, Aubrey began to slice it. “Ugh, Mom! It’s all rotten in the middle!” she exclaimed. “We can’t use this.”

Mom came over to see. “Hmm, that’s funny,” she said. “It looks perfect on the outside—there isn’t even a bruise. But you’re right. We can’t use that one.”

At the dinner table, Mom added tomatoes to her taco. “You know, Aubrey,” she said, “that rotten tomato reminds me of us.”

Aubrey gave her mother a puzzled glance, then looked down at her hands. “Huh?”

Mom laughed. “I was referring to people in general, and how many of us put on what we call a good front. We may do good things and look fine on the outside, but God sees the sin in our hearts. He knows what we’re really like on the inside.”

“And we’re rotten and useless, like that tomato?” asked Aubrey.

“Not exactly,” said Mom. “We couldn’t fix the tomato and make it good, so we just dumped it. But God can fix people. When we stop trying to make ourselves good and instead trust Jesus to save us, He removes our sin and gives us His goodness. Then we’re whole and useful. Isn’t that great?”

“Yes.” Aubrey smiled. “More like these good tomatoes,” she said, putting them on her own taco. “Yum!” CHRISTINE P. HONEY

How About You?

Do you do a lot of good things? Do you think you look good to God for that reason? It doesn’t work that way. While you may look good to other people, God sees your heart—He knows you’re a sinner. You need Jesus. Only He can save you from sin and give you a good heart. Trust Him as your Savior. (To learn more, click the “Good News!” button in the right column of this page.)

Today’s Key Verse:
ISAIAH 64:6 WE ARE ALL INFECTED AND IMPURE WITH SIN. WHEN WE DISPLAY OUR RIGHTEOUS DEEDS, THEY ARE NOTHING BUT FILTHY RAGS. (NLT)

Today’s Key Thought:

Good deeds can’t save you