Real Love

Bible Reading: Romans 5:6-8; 1 John 4:9-10

“Hey, Jared, come over here! Look!” Hailey whispered excitedly to her brother as they explored the field behind their grandparents’ home.

“Look where?” Jared asked. “What do you see?”

“That bird up ahead of us. Shh!” Hailey’s attention was on a little bird fluttering frantically on the path ahead.

“Looks like it has a broken wing!” Jared whispered. “Let’s catch it. I bet Grandpa can set its wing so it will heal.”

“Good idea.”

They walked quietly toward the bird, but it hobbled away from them, covering the ground quite quickly in spite of its handicap. They stood still for a moment, and the bird did too. “Stay put,” said Jared. “Let me try.” He took a few slow steps toward the bird, then made a quick grab toward it. The kids were astonished to see it fly off with no sign of weakness or injury.

“That bird wasn’t hurt!” Hailey exclaimed. “I wonder why it acted that way.”

When they got back to the house, Jared and Hailey told their grandfather about the bird. “That was probably a killdeer. They make their nests on the ground,” said Grandpa. “When anything gets too close to the nest, the mother bird pretends to be wounded in order to distract the enemy. Then when the intruder is lured far enough away, she flies off to safety.”

“Do you think a mother bird ever died doing that?” Hailey asked.

“It’s possible,” Grandpa replied.

“Wow!” said Jared. “The mother bird is willing to risk her life for the baby birds!”

Grandpa nodded. “That’s real love, isn’t it? It’s the kind of thing parents are willing to do for their children. And it reminds me of God’s love for us. Jesus didn’t just risk His life; He actually died for us! He loved us so much he was willing to take the punishment we deserve because of our sin so we could be saved.”

“Wow,” said Hailey. “That is real love!” – Karen R. Locklear

How About You?

Can you imagine someone loving you enough to die for you? Jesus loves you that much! He died to take the penalty for your sins and give you eternal life. No one loves you more than that! Do you love Him in return? Trust Him as your Savior today.

Today’s Key Verse:
Ephesians 5:2 [Christ] loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us. (NLT)

Today’s Key Thought:

Jesus loves you and died to save you