Devotion
Where's The LIFE?
By Craig von Buseck
CBN.com Contributing Writer
CBN.com
– My middle son
had fallen asleep on the floor in front of the TV and I had just put my
daughter in her crib. But it had been a rough night for my
oldest son, Aaron. A short time earlier I had caught him in the baby's
crib with an ink marker in his hand. He had written on important
papers, his shoes, and on the wall. I had to send
him to bed early.
It had been a half-hour and he was still whimpering in his bed. Finally,
he came out to the living room where I was reading, to tell me he was
hungry. Usually when Aaron says he's hungry, he really is hungry.
I told him to get the cereal and milk while I pulled out the bowl
and spoon.
When he finished eating his Life cereal, Aaron brought the box over to
me. On the back of the box were hidden the letters to the word L.I.F.E.
amidst a maze of cartoon characters at a party being held at the "White House." The
object of the game was to get through the maze while finding the letters
L.I.F.E.
I pulled out a red pen and we began our search. Together we followed
the twists and turns of the maze, traveling from the roof of the cardboard
"White House," through bedrooms and ballrooms and ending at the famous
portico. In our journey we were only able to find the letters "E"
and "F."
We began to retrace our steps, searching for the "L" and the "I." We
found what we thought was the "I" in a support pillar from the main ballroom,
but the "L" remained elusive. I finally gave up and looked at the
side panel to find out where they had hidden it. To my astonishment
I discovered that the people at Life Cereal did not provide a cheat sheet
-- there was no answer to the puzzle.
I imagined some mad designer at the cereal company art studio laughing
at all the frustrated people across the continent who were looking for
an "L" that did not exist.
Aaron and I scanned every square inch of that cereal box and, try as we
may, we could not find that pesky letter. It was getting late, so to end
the frustration I created an "L" out of a window ledge on the side of
the "White House" and sent my skeptical son off to bed.
Thank God that we are not on such a futile search for true life.
Sometimes this journey through life feels like a maze. It seems
like we are not really a part of the party, we're just passing through
-- all the while we are looking for the missing pieces. But unlike the
artists at the cereal company, God has provided a road map for our journey
-- it's called the Bible.
Have you ever tried to put a puzzle together and needed to look to the
top of the puzzle box to see the overall picture. That's how life
is. God has given us that picture, that overview, in His Word.
We don't have to be frustrated. We don't have to invent our own
way, creating letters out of the window ledge. Jesus said, "I am the way,
and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me"
(John 14:6).
We need only look to the Bible -- the box top, the overview -- to discover
God's plan and His will for our lives! And when you follow Jesus, LIFE
is truly delicious. If you want to experience God's
abundant LIFE, pray this simple prayer with me:
Heavenly Father,
I come to you in Jesus' name. I know that I am a sinner and need your forgiveness.
I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and rose from the grave to give
me life. I know You are the only way to God so now I want to quit disobeying You
and start living for You. Please forgive me, change my life and show me how to
know You. In Jesus' name. Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, please send
us an e-mail to let us know. Or chat live with a CBN Prayer Counselor.
Or you can call (800) 759-0700. We would love to talk with you and send you some
information to help you begin your new LIFE with the Lord.
Learn
more about living for Jesus
Read other CBN teaching sheets
More Devotions
on CBN.com
More from Spiritual Life
Check out Craig's ChurchWatch Blog on CBN.com
Other articles and interviews by Craig von Buseck
Craig von Buseck is Ministries Director at
CBN.com. Send
him your comments on this article.
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