Bible Reading: Luke 12:13-21

On the one-hundredth birthday of her town, Evie watched as the mayor unlocked a time capsule on the evening news that had been created and stored a hundred years before. He pulled several papers and mementos out of it and held them up to the camera.

"Can I make a time capsule for our family?" Evie asked when it was over. "I could put family treasures in it!"

"Sure," said Mom. "That would be fun."

Evie found a box and placed some coins and a dollar bill from her desk drawer inside it. Then she packed in a DVD, a sweatshirt, and a storybook. Next she added an old teddy bear, swimming goggles, a beaded necklace, and a picture she had drawn. "Finding things for this box is fun, and there's still room for more," Evie told her mom. "When people in the future see this stuff, they'll get an idea of what we were like."

"I think future family members will find the things you have in there interesting," said Mom.

"But if you want to make a statement about our lives, I think you're missing the most important thing of all."

"A family photo!" said Evie's little brother, Walden. "So they can see what we look like."

"What about a newspaper?" suggested Evie. "That would tell them a lot about the things going on around us."

"Or we could write them a letter!" said Walden.

"Those are all good things to add," said Mom. "But I'm thinking about something that makes life important and worth living, even without any of the other things in the box."

"I know!" said Evie after a moment. "A Bible! And maybe a church bulletin too."

"And we can tell them about Jesus in the letter we write to them!" said Walden.

Mom nodded. "Those are both good ways to show future generations what's really important to us. Any physical items we put in our time capsule will be old and worn by the time our descendants open it. But the hope we have in Jesus, who saved us from sin and gave us eternal life with Him, is treasure that will last forever. Let's add some items to the box that point to the heavenly treasure we value most."

–Nance E. Keyes

How About You?
What do you treasure the most? Money? Clothes? Toys? Good grades? Those are good things God gave you to enjoy, but they don't last forever or bring meaning to your life. The only treasure that lasts is the gift of eternal life with Jesus. Store your treasure in heaven by trusting Him as your Savior and then sharing His love with others. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page or go to www.keysforkids.org/goodnews.)

Today's Key Verse:
Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. (NLT)

(Matthew 6:19 )

Today's Key Thought:
Store your treasure in heaven