Unexpected Arrival

Bible Reading: Luke 12:37–43

“Who wants to go to a movie this afternoon?” asked Dad as he opened the door to leave for work.

“Me!” chorused Liv and Shaylee.

“Okay,” said Dad. “Have your rooms cleaned by the time I get home, and then we’ll go.”

After Dad left and Mom went downstairs with a load of laundry, Liv turned on the TV. “Let’s watch cartoons and then clean our rooms,” she said. “We’ve got plenty of time.”

After lunch, Liv gasped. “Oh no! We forgot to clean our rooms.”

“I know,” said Shaylee, “but we still have plenty of time. Let’s have one more quick round of our new game first.”

“Okay,” said Liv. They got out the game and began to play. Before they knew it, it was almost three o’clock. “We’d better get started on our rooms,” said Liv with a sigh. “Mine’s really a mess.”

“Yeah, mine too,” said Shaylee. Just then they heard the door open and looked up. “Dad!” Shaylee exclaimed in dismay. “You’re home early! We were just going to do our rooms!”

“You mean you haven’t even started on them?” Dad asked. Liv and Shaylee shook their heads, embarrassed. “Sorry, girls, but we’ll have to forget about going to the movie,” Dad told them.

“But we didn’t know you’d be home so early!” said Liv. “Can’t we go as soon as we finish our rooms?” Dad shook his head, and the girls knew it would be useless to argue.

“You girls remind me of something Jesus says in the Bible,” Dad said. “He tells us we need to be ready for His return, but we don’t know just when that will be. It would be too bad to be caught unprepared when He comes—like you were unprepared for my coming today.”

“Yeah,” said Shaylee, and Liv nodded.

“That’s why we shouldn’t put off trusting in Him. We need Him to forgive our sins and give us new hearts right now,” said Dad. “Having a new, clean heart is much more important than having a clean room!”

“I trust in Jesus, so I know my heart is clean!” said Liv.

“Me too,” said Shaylee. “And the next time you offer to take us to a movie, I’ll make sure my room is clean too!” •Sherry L. Kuyt

How About You?

Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Have you trusted Him to forgive you for your sin? Don’t wait. He is coming again, and you need to be ready. Don’t be caught unprepared. Trust Jesus now, and He will give you a clean heart today!

Today’s Key Verse:
Luke 12:40 Be ready, for the Son of Man [Jesus] is coming at an hour you do not expect. (NKJV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Be ready for Jesus to return