The Only Antidote

Bible Reading: Acts 4:1-12

“Jeremy, come eat!” Mom called. “Dinner’s ready.”

Jeremy groaned. He was at an exciting spot in his book and didn’t want to stop reading. He raced to finish the chapter, then dashed to the kitchen.

“What took you so long?” Mom asked. “Reading another adventure book?”

“Yeah—the best one ever,” Jeremy said. “The bad guy tricked Buckman into drinking poison! If he doesn’t find an antidote in three hours, he’ll die!”

“What’s an antiboat?” asked Jeremy’s little sister, Ella.

Dad laughed. “It’s antidote, sweetheart. An antidote is something that will counteract the poison—that means it will keep it from working.”

Jeremy helped put chicken, vegetables, and rolls on the table, and after Dad gave thanks, he helped himself to mashed potatoes and continued the story. “Buckman realized what happened and went to the village doctor, who showed him lots of potions and told him any one of them would work. But the doctor is working for the bad guy. Only one of those bottles has the real antidote.”

“Did Buckman pick the right one?” Ella asked.

“No! So now he’s in real trouble because he thinks he’s cured!”

“That sounds like what Pastor Roberts talked about in church last week,” said Mom.

Jeremy looked up in surprise. “Did Pastor Roberts read Buckman’s Last Adventure?”

Mom laughed. “No, but he explained that we won’t go to heaven without the antidote for sin—God’s antidote.”

“You’re saying Jesus is God’s antidote to sin?” asked Jeremy.

“That’s right,” Dad said, “and when people think other things will save them, they’re in real danger because they think they’re okay without Jesus. None of us are okay without Him—we’re all sinful, and sin leads to death. We need Jesus to save us from sin and give us eternal life.”

“Wow! You’re right,” said Jeremy. “That is a lot like the story.”

“Well,” Dad said, “as soon as you help clear the table, you can find out if Buckman realizes his mistake before it’s too late. And let’s help others know about the only antidote that will save them from sin before it’s too late—Jesus!” – Carol T. Karaszewski

How About You?

Have you taken the antidote for sin? The Bible says everyone has sinned and no sin can enter heaven. What are you depending on to take away your sin? Doing good deeds? Being better than someone else? Those things won’t work. God provided the only antidote that will—His Son, Jesus. Trust Him to save you from sin and make you fit for heaven. (To learn more, click the “Good News!” button in the right column of this page.)

Today’s Key Verse: John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Today’s Key Thought:

Jesus is the antidote for sin