Mine Again

Read Hebrews 9:11-15

“Mom, can I have some money for the lost-and-found auction today?” asked Joel as he ate his breakfast. Mom nodded. At lunchtime, Joel’s school was going to auction off everything left over in the lost-and-found box.

That noon, most of the students gathered in the auditorium. Joel watched as they bid on scarves, mittens, and sweaters. But when the auctioneer—the principal—held up a pair of gym shoes, Joel sat up straight. He realized they were a pair he thought he had left at his grandma’s house! So Joel decided to buy them back. Back and forth the bidding went. He wondered if he’d have enough money. After bidding his last cent, he held his breath, but no other bid came, and the shoes were his.

Back home, Joel grumbled a little. “The shoes are mine again,” he said, “but they really were always mine. It doesn’t seem fair that I had to buy them back. They cost me all my money!”

Dad nodded. “I can understand how you feel,” he said, “but you know what? Your experience is a good example of what God has done for us. He made us, you know, so in a sense everyone belongs to him. But just like your shoes, mankind got lost—lost in sin. And just like your shoes, we had to be bought back, too.”

“That’s right,” agreed Mom. “And just like it took all you had to buy them back, it took all Jesus had. He left heaven and came here to die so that we could be brought back to God.” She smiled at Joel.

“I guess maybe that’s where the comparison ends,” said Dad with a grin. “Your shoes didn’t have a choice—they had to come home with you whether they wanted to or not. But we have a choice. We can accept what Jesus did for us and go to live with him someday, or we can refuse it. It’s up to us.”

“Yeah,” said Joel thoughtfully, “but who’d refuse it?”

How about you?

Have you accepted what Jesus did for you? He paid a great price to save you from your sins and offer you a home in heaven. If you haven’t already, will you accept him now?

Memorize:

“You were redeemed . . . with the precious blood of Christ.” 1 Peter 1:18-19, NIV