The Wrong Bulbs
THE WRONG BULBS
Read Ephesians 2:1-10.
Six-year-old Nadine pointed to a picture of some tulips. “Can we get seeds and grow some of these?” she asked.
Her mother looked at the picture. “Those are tulips, and they grow from bulbs,” she said.
The next day Nadine planted some bulbs by the fence. She had seen a neighbor, Mr. Jenks, throw them away. Every day Nadine checked to see if the flowers were coming up. When the dirt became dry, she watered it. Several weeks later she dug in the dirt and brought the bulbs to her mother. “They aren’t growing,” said Nadine.
“Oh, honey!” Mom gave her a hug. “These are light bulbs, not flower bulbs. There’s no life in these. Even flower bulbs seem to have no life in them for a long time.
“I’ll tell you what—we’ll go buy some flower seeds and plant those now. Then we’ll get some tulip bulbs in the fall. They will need to be in the ground all winter, and next spring you will see them come to life as the tulips come up.”
That evening Nadine told her dad about the bulbs that wouldn’t grow. He smiled. “Yes, there has to be life for there to be growth,” said Dad.
Nadine answered, “My Sunday school teacher said Jesus gives us life, and we’re to grow to be like Him.”
“She’s right,” agreed Dad. “Sometimes we expect people to grow when there’s no life—when they’ve never accepted Jesus as Savior. They try to do good, but they’re dead in sin—as dead as those light bulbs you planted. They need the life only Jesus can give.”
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are you growing in the Lord—developing the characteristics He wants to see in you, such as love, kindness, helpfulness, and honesty? If not, search your heart—you can’t “grow in Jesus” unless you have His life planted there.
TO MEMORIZE:
Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.
Ephesians 2:1
JESUS GIVES LIFE.
From the book
