Carmen’s Cupcake

Read: Romans 3:21-28 “I have a surprise for you today!” Mom said as Carmen walked into the kitchen. “What, Mom?” Carmen sat down to a bowl of cereal. “I know about my birthday dinner tonight with Grandma and Papa. That’s not a surprise.” “This one’s different. I’ll tell you when you get home from school. Hurry with your breakfast so I can walk you to your bus stop on my way to work.” All day Carmen wondered about Mom’s surprise. When she climbed the steps to her apartment after school that afternoon, Mom was waiting for her at the door. She took Carmen’s bookbag and dropped it in the living room. “Let’s go, mija!” As they walked down the street, Carmen chatted about gym class. Then Mom stopped in front of a fancy bakery, one Carmen had wanted to visit. “We’re getting something here?” Carmen asked. “That’s my surprise! I signed you up for their birthday rewards, so today you get a free cupcake.” Carmen laughed. “Really?” Mom nodded. “Let’s go in!” “Oh, Mom, it smells just like I imagined—even better!” Carmen breathed in the aroma of delicious baked goods. After choosing a chocolate cupcake with buttercream frosting, she and her mother sat down by the windows. “What a great surprise, Mom! Something so tasty—and it’s free!” Carmen wiped gooey icing from her mouth. “Does it remind you of something we heard at church last week? About receiving something wonderful for free?” Mom asked. “Oh yeah! When we trust Jesus to save us and make us God’s children, we get forgiveness for our sins. We also get eternal life with Him…so much good stuff!” Mom smiled. “Yes, and just like this cupcake, we didn’t have to pay for it. We didn’t have to work to earn God’s love either.” “Just like I didn’t do anything to earn this cupcake,” said Carmen. “Right,” answered Mom. “Jesus paid the price so we could be God’s sons and daughters, mija. He died for our sins and rose from the dead to make us part of His family—that’s how much He loves us. We have a lot to celebrate on your birthday—and every day!” –Allison Wilson Lee How about you? Have you wondered if you could ever be good enough to receive God’s perfect love? God tells us in the Bible that we don’t need to earn His love or forgiveness—and we could never do that anyway. God loves us so much that He offers us a relationship with Him, along with forgiveness of our sins, as a free gift paid for by Jesus. Receive this free gift today by trusting in Him. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?) Today's Key Verse: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NIV) Today's Key Thought: God’s love is a free gift