Read: Matthew 24:35-51

Madelyn picked up the tissues and old drawings off the floor and threw them in the trash can. As she was making her bed, her little sister Aria ran into the room. Madelyn’s dad followed her.

“Grandma’s coming!” Aria yelled. She had already told all her friends and teachers at preschool, and she still wanted to tell someone else the good news.

“I know, Aria.” Madelyn picked up a toy and set it on her shelf. “That’s why I’m cleaning my room.”

Aria bounced up on the bed, wrinkling the neatly spread covers.

“Aria,” Madelyn said, frowning as she watched her hard work being destroyed, “why don’t you go watch TV?”

The little girl beamed. “I can’t. I have to get ready for Grandma!”

“By bouncing on the bed I just made?” Madelyn asked with a sigh.

Dad smiled and lifted Aria off the bed. “That reminds me of someone else who’s coming too.”

Aria’s eyes grew wide. “Someone else is coming? Who?”

“Jesus!” Dad said. “We can be just as excited about His coming as we are about Grandma’s. And just like Madelyn is tidying her room for Grandma’s visit, we have to prepare for Jesus’s return. Like you said, Aria, we can’t just sit around watching TV when a visitor is coming!”

“How do we prepare for Jesus’s coming, Dad?” Madelyn asked.

“First we need to get our hearts ready. We do that by trusting Jesus to forgive our sin. Then we need to do what Aria’s been doing. We need to tell others about Him and let them know He’s coming again so they can get their hearts ready too.”

Aria looked around the room. “Madelyn’s room is ready for Grandma, but I know some of my friends at school aren’t ready for Jesus. I’ll tell them about Him on Monday so they can get ready too!”

“Good idea,” Dad said. “He’s the only one who can make our hearts as clean as your sister’s room.”

Madelyn smiled and grabbed Aria’s hand. “Come on, Aria. Let’s go watch for Grandma’s car!”

–Jessica Kleeberger

How about you? What do you do when a friend or family member is coming to visit? Clean your room? Plan fun things to do together? It’s exciting when someone comes to visit—and when Jesus comes again, it will be even more exciting! Will you be prepared for Him? Make sure your heart is ready by trusting Him to make you clean. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?) Then tell others the good news of what Jesus has done for you!

Today's Key Verse: Always be ready. You don’t know the day your Lord will come. Matthew 24:42 (ERV)

Today's Key Thought: Be ready for Jesus’s coming