GOD’S WORD AND HIS COMMANDS ARE INTENDED TO LEAD US TO A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.
Bible Reading of the Day: Read Isaiah 55:6-7.
Verse of the Day: “Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near” (Isaiah 55:6).
“Can I carry some of the balloons, Daddy?” Valerie asked.
Dad carefully separated the strings that tied the bundle of balloons together and handed five to his daughter.
“Don’t let go of them, OK?” he warned.
Valerie nodded and tightened her fist around the strings as they walked out the front door of their house and down the sidewalk. Valerie watched as Dad tied five balloons to the mailbox in front of their house. Then Dad took Valerie’s free hand in his, and they turned down the sidewalk and walked toward the next intersection. At the end of the block, Dad tied his last five balloons to the street sign at the corner.
“Daddy,” Valerie asked, “why do we have to leave the balloons here? Why can’t we just keep them and play with them?”
Dad grunted from the effort of tying the strings high on the street sign. “Well, because the balloons will help people find our house. You don’t want your new friends to get lost coming to your birthday party, do you?”
“How will they know how to get here?” Valerie asked, suddenly worried.
“Because when I told all their parents how to get to our new house, I told them to look for the balloons.”
Valerie looked at the balloons in her hand. “What are these balloons for?” she asked.
Dad leaned over and touched her lightly on the nose. “Those are for you!” That night, after a very successful-and tiring-birthday party, Dad read to Valerie from the book of Isaiah in the Bible. He read the words “Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.”
As he finished reading, Valerie said, “Maybe God needs some of our balloons!” “Why do you say that?” Dad asked. “So people can find him, like they found my birthday party.” Dad thought for a few moments. Finally, he said, “You know what, Valerie? I think you’re right. But I think God uses his Word instead of balloons. He gave commands to his people to show them how to find and follow him. That’s why he wants us to read his Word and follow his commands-so we can find him and stay close to him.” “The Bible is like a trail of birthday balloons?” Valerie asked. Dad nodded. “A little bit. If we follow it, we’ll become closer and closer to God.”
TO DO: Tie or tape a balloon to your family Bible today to remind you to seek the Lord by reading and obeying his Word.
TO PRAY: “Lord, you tell us that if we seek you, you will be found by us. We want to seek you today and always.”
