Jesus is Coming Again

Keys for Kids Daily Devotional for December 18, 2007
TITLE: Maybe Today
SCRIPTURE: 2 Peter 3:3-4, 8-9
AUDIO: listen here
THE STORY FOR TODAY:
After finishing their picnic lunch, Alex and Nick leaned over Dad's shoulder to see the map. "Where's the space center we're going to see on this trip?" asked Alex.
"Right here." Dad pointed to a dot on the map. "And here's where we are now," he added, pointing to another dot about an inch from the first one.
"Well, let's get on our way," said Mom, and soon they were back on the road.
"I hope they have some literature that I can take back to my science class," said Nick a little later. "Mr. Grant would probably like to see it."
"Yeah," agreed Alex. "My teacher would, too."
"You know what, Dad? Mr. Grant doesn't believe the Bible," added Nick. "He says his grandmother did, and that she was already expecting Jesus to come back to earth when she was a little girl. Now she's dead, and Jesus still hasn't come. Mr. Grant says it's silly to believe He'll ever come."
Alex pressed his nose against the window. "Aren't we almost there?" he asked.
Dad glanced at the odometer. "Well, we have about fifteen more miles to go," he replied.
"Fifteen miles!" exclaimed Alex. "It looked like such a short way on the map."
Mom smiled. "The map is drawn to scale-that means every inch represents several miles," she said. "If we forget that, the distance will seem long to us even though it looks short on the map."
Dad nodded. "It's like that with time, too," he said. "Maybe Mr. Grant doesn't realize that on God's scale of time it hasn't been long at all since Jesus made the promise to return." The boys looked at Dad curiously. "The Bible is our map to heaven," he explained. "To people, it seems like a long time ago that Jesus promised to return, but as God sees it, it's been only a short time."
Nick nodded. "How close are we to the space center now, Dad?" he asked.
Dad chuckled. "There's another example of how time doesn't seem the same to everyone," he said. "I thought I had just answered that question-we're only a few miles closer than the last time someone asked-but to you, it seems like a long time has passed, right?" Nick nodded again. "So don't doubt that Jesus will come back," added Dad. "In fact, He may even come today!"
MEMORY VERSE: Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. Matthew 24:42
HOW ABOUT YOU? Do you sometimes wonder if the Lord Jesus will ever come to earth again? To you, a couple thousand years seems like a very long time, but compared to eternity, it's not long at all. Jesus will come again. It may be that He'll come this very day. Are you ready? Are you trusting Him as your Savior? (See the ABC's at the end of this book.) Are you living to please Him instead of yourself? Joyfully do what you can to serve Him, and look forward to His coming again.
THE KEY: Jesus is coming again

How about you questions:
I've been feeling lonely lately due to rejection from my dad and stepmom. I know God loves me, and is my real Dad, so here I am, Dad...you and me.
Do I sometimes wonder if Jesus will ever come to earth again? No, I know he will because he said he will. Are you ready? As ready as I know to be. He is my Savior, and I am trying to please him as best as I understand. I pray for more understanding about how to please him. I often think he must be so disappointed in me nomatter what I do or don't do. I guess that's left over from my experience with my mom and dad here. Most of my bosses and clients have been very pleased with my work for them, but the disappointment of my parents just always seems to overshadow everything. I even worry that God is displeased with me because I can't just seem to get over it. It seems the older I get, the sadder I get about it, because there is less and less opportunity for me to ever amount to anything in my dad's eyes. I want so much to get the negative stuff out of my head. I want to get as far away from him as possible so I can quit thinking about him or his hateful wife. Lord, please move us or heal my mind.
I hate Christmas in the same way I hate Ghatti Land. I just hate this! Jesus, help me to get away either physically or mentally. I wanted to go somewhere for Christmas, but oh, no...Mike won't have it. I feel so desperate to get away. Lord, please help me to find peace in this chaos of excess, and relief from the rejection of my father and stepmother. I actually think I hate her. What I hate is the way I feel about myself around her. Lord help me to be who you created me to be, and help me to not let it bother me if I never amount to anything in my father's eyes.
Amen.