Pen Pals

Read: John 20:24-31; 2 Corinthians 5:7; James 2:23 “We’re going to have pen pals for an English project this semester!” Moriah told her parents. “We each got the name of a kid our age in another state, and we’re supposed to exchange letters—real letters, no texts or emails or anything like that. My pen pal’s name is Ryleigh.” Moriah sat down that evening and wrote her first letter to Ryleigh. She told all about herself, her family, and her church. Soon a reply came from Ryleigh. It contained a picture and told about Ryleigh’s big family and their house in the country. Ryleigh also mentioned that her family didn’t go to church. During the next several months, Moriah and Ryleigh wrote many letters. Then one afternoon, Moriah came running into the kitchen, holding a letter in her hand. “Mom! Mom! Ryleigh’s dad is coming here on a business trip, and he said Ryleigh could come too. Can she stay with us that weekend? Please?” Mom laughed. “Sure, honey. That’s fine if it’s okay with her dad.” Ryleigh’s dad dropped her off at Moriah’s house a couple weeks later, and the girls had a great time together. Each night after supper, Dad read a few verses from the Bible. One night, he read a verse that referred to Abraham as a friend of God. “Mr. Davis,” Ryleigh said, “I don’t know who Abraham was, but how could he be God’s friend? We can’t see God or hear Him, so how can anybody be friends with Him?” “Tell me something, Ryleigh,” said Dad. “Before this weekend, you and Moriah never met. Yet you seem to be good friends. How did that happen?” “Well, Moriah told me all about herself in her letters. So by the time I came here to visit, I felt like I already knew her.” Dad nodded. “Well, God has written us a letter too—the Bible. It tells us who He is and how much He loves all of us. It tells the story of Jesus, God’s Son, who died for us and rose again so we could become God’s friends and know Him personally, even though we can’t see Him.” Ryleigh thought about that, then looked at Moriah. “Well, I’m sure glad I got to know Moriah. I think I’d like to know more about Jesus too.” –Jan L. Hansen How about you? Are you a friend of God? Even though you can’t see Him, you can learn about Him by reading the Bible—His letter to you. You can become His friend by trusting in Jesus. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?) You can have faith that He’s given you eternal life and will always be with you. And you can look forward to one day seeing Him face-to-face and living with Him forever! Today's Key Verse: You have never seen [Jesus] but you love Him. You cannot see Him now but you are putting your trust in Him. 1 Peter 1:8 (NLV) Today's Key Thought: You can know God by faith