More than Leftovers

Bible Reading: Psalm 42:1-2; Daniel 6:1-10

Mom wiped her hands on a kitchen towel as she went into the den. “Uncle Jim and Aunt Karen are coming over tonight to celebrate Dad’s birthday,” she said.

“Cool.” Kyler kept his eyes on the television screen as his thumbs tapped the buttons of the game controller.

“Have you read your Bible and learned your verses for church tomorrow?” Mom asked. “You’d better do that before they get here.”

“Okay,” Kyler said. “I’ll do it after this game.”

Later, Kyler joined his mother in the kitchen and sat on a stool at the counter. “Have you had your Bible and prayer time yet?” she asked.

“Not yet. The game went long.” Kyler eyed a platter on the counter. “Yum! Cookies! I didn’t know you baked today.” He reached out to take one.

“I didn’t,” Mom said, shooing Kyler’s hand away from the cookie platter. “I baked them last week to take for coffee time after church, but we didn’t need them all. These are the leftovers. They’ve been in the freezer, and we’ll have them tonight.”

“Can’t I have one now?” Kyler asked. “Tonight I’ll be too full from Dad’s birthday cake.”

Mom shook her head. “The cookies are the cake.”

“No real cake?” Kyler frowned. “But you make the best birthday cakes!”

Mom shrugged. “I’ve been busy, so I figured the cookies would have to do.”

“But we can’t have leftovers for Dad’s birthday!” Kyler said. “Dad deserves a birthday cake. I’ll help you make it!”

Mom looked at the platter of cookies. Then she looked at Kyler thoughtfully. “You’re right,” she said. “We love Dad, and he’s important to us. He deserves more than leftovers on his birthday, so we should take time to bake him a cake. And Jesus deserves more than leftovers too—like a few leftover minutes of your time after you play video games. We need to spend time with Him and get to know Him better by praying and reading His Word.”

Kyler looked at the plate of cookies. “I hadn’t thought of it that way.” He pushed away from the counter. “I’ll go do that right now.”

Mom smiled. “And when you’re finished, we’ll get to work on that birthday cake!” – Debra VanDyke

How About You?

Do you make it a priority to spend time with Jesus? Or does He just get your leftovers—whatever minutes are left after everything else you want to do is done? He loves you, and you’re important to Him. He wants to spend time with you. Take time to pray and read the Bible every day so you can get to know Him better and learn about all He’s done for you.

Today’s Key Verse:
Psalm 42:2 My soul thirsts for the living God. When can I go to meet with him? (ERV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Spend time with Jesus