The Things You Can’t Lose

Bible Reading: Romans 8:35-39

Patting the front pocket of his backpack and finding nothing, Nathaniel searched all the other pockets. “Caleb, I lost it!” he said, his heart sinking.

Caleb frowned. “What did you lose now?” he asked his friend.

“The little leather Bible my dad gave me for my birthday. He had my name engraved on the front, so it means a lot to me. I shouldn’t have taken it to school.”

“Probably not, the way you lose things!” agreed Caleb.

When Nathaniel reached his house, he went to the kitchen to find his mom. He was surprised to see his dad there too. “I didn’t know you were home,” said Nathaniel. “Your car’s not in the garage.”

“I lost my car keys, so one of the guys at my office brought me home to get another set,” Dad explained. “He’s waiting out front.”

Just then Olivia burst through the back door. “It’s terrible!” she wailed. “I’m losing my best friend! Marissa just told me they’re moving to Arizona next month.”

“Wow!” said Nathaniel. “Dad lost his keys, Olivia is losing a friend, and I lost my new Bible. We’re all losing things today. How about you, Mom? Did you lose anything?”

Mom laughed. “Not me! At least not today,” she replied. “As your grandma used to say, it’s a good thing your heads are fastened on, or you’d lose them too!”

“Yeah!” exclaimed Olivia. “That would be bad.”

Dad smiled. “Well, I’m glad there are also some other things—very important things—that we can never lose,” he said.

“Like what?” Olivia asked.

“Like the love of God,” Dad replied. “God’s amazing love is always ours. And how about our salvation? Because God loves us, He offers eternal life to us through Jesus Christ. Anyone who trusts in Jesus is saved from sin and becomes God’s child, and nothing can ever separate us from Him.”

“Hey, yeah,” said Nathaniel. “So even though we lose things, we can’t ever lose the really important stuff!”

Olivia nodded as she placed her bag on the table. Then, seeing a strange bulge in the front pocket, she unzipped it. “Hey, Nathaniel,” she said. “What’s your Bible doing in my backpack?”

-Harriett A. Durrell

How About You?

Do you ever lose things? It’s inconvenient if you lose a book, a homework assignment, your favorite baseball cap, or some other thing you’re fond of or use regularly. Aren’t you glad you’ll never lose the most important things—God’s love and the hope you have in Jesus? If you trust in Jesus, nothing can ever separate you from Him. You can count on Him for the rest of your life and for all eternity!

Today’s Key Verse:
Romans 8:39 Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NLT)

Today’s Key Thought:

God’s love is forever