THE BOUGHT BACK CANDY DISH

 

Eleven-year-old Jimmy loved art class.  It was his favorite class in school.  The art teacher had each child working on a special project.  They were making candy dishes.  Jimmy carefully . . . oh, so carefully . . . molded his candy dish out of the special clay the teacher gave him.  It went from a wad of clay to a candy dish shape the first week. 

 

By the next week, the clay was dry.  Jimmy's teacher gave him lots of colorful paints that he could choose from to paint his candy dish any way he wanted.  Jimmy had already decided that his candy dish would be a gift for his 5th grade teacher when it was finished.  He would paint it with her favorite colors.  Jimmy carefully painted flowers and figures and little stars all over the candy dish.  He took his time painting it.  He wanted it to be perfect when he gave it to his teacher. 

 

The day finally came.  How proud and pleased Jimmy was when he handed that special gift to his teacher!

 

One warm Saturday many months later, Jimmy was with his mom at a yard sale in a nearby town.  The person who lived there was selling all sorts of things that they did not want anymore.

 

Suddenly something caught Jimmy's attention that made him stop in his tracks.  His heart was pounding and tears came to his eyes.  He saw his candy dish.  It was certainly the same candy dish he had made earlier that year and given to his teacher.  The price marked on it was 25 cents.  Jimmy had a quarter in his pocket, so he handed it to the man and took the candy dish home with him. 

 

Jimmy BOUGHT BACK his own candy dish. 

 

Just as Jimmy made his special candy dish, God made you special too.  You are God's special creation.  He loves you very much. 

 

When God made you, it was His perfect plan that you would forever be His child and one day live with Him in Heaven when your life here on earth is over.  But, something happened that changed all that . . .

 

Sin happened.  Sin is when we say or do or think something that is not right in God's sight.  God's Word, the Bible, tells us that all people sin.  It says, "There is none righteous (right like God is right), no not one."  You and I are born sinners.  We keep doing things that we know displease God.  Sin is very serious.  Sin separates us from God who is perfect.

 

Just as Jimmy BOUGHT BACK his special candy dish, God did something to BUY BACK His special creation.  The Bible tells us what God did -- "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten (special, perfect)Son, that whoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). 

 

God sent His perfect Son, Jesus, to take our punishment for sin by dying on the cross.  Jesus had nails put through His hands and feet to hang Him on the cross.  He gave His blood for us so we could be forgiven of our sin.  Jesus' death and resurrection (He came back to life) made it possible for all people to be BOUGHT BACK to God and to be ready to live in Heaven with Him someday.

 

The word the Bible uses for "BOUGHT BACK" is "redeemed."  The Bible says in I Peter 1:18,19, "You know that you were not redeemed (bought back) . . . with silver and gold . . . but with the precious blood of Christ (Jesus)."  No amount of money could ever make us right with God.  No amount of good works (doing good things) would make us right with God.  It is the precious blood that Jesus shed on the cross that makes us right with God.

 

All we have to do is accept Jesus as our Savior.  Believe with all your heart that Jesus died and gave His blood to pay for your sins.  Ask Him to come into your heart and forgive your sins.  Trust Jesus to be your personal Savior.

 

Have you done that?  Have you trusted Jesus to be your personal Savior?  If not, why not do that today.

 

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If you have any questions about this Mousetales story or if you want to talk further about receiving Jesus as your Savior, please e-mail Miss Missy at cef-cm@bwkip.com
 
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