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The cheerful girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them: a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box.
"Oh please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please!"
Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face. "A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma."
As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.
Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere ~ Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.
Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night when he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?"
"Oh yes, Daddy. You know that I love you."
"Then give me your pearls."
"Oh, Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess ~ the white horse from my collection. The one with the pink tail. Remember, Daddy? The one you gave me. She's my favorite."
"That's okay, Honey. Daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss. About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?"
"Daddy, you know I love you."
"Then give me your pearls."
"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my babydoll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is so beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."
"That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you." And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.
A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian-style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek. "What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?"
Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver,she finally said, "Here, Daddy. It's for you."
With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's kind daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime-store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny. He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her genuine treasure. So like our heavenly Father. What are you hanging on to?
Author Unknown
God is a giver. He loves you very much, so much that he gave you the greatest gift in the world. He sent His Son to die for you, so that you can go to heaven some day. He has paid the price, and is offering it as a free gift. Just like Jenny, you might think that you have some things that you don't want to give up. God has better things for you than you can ever imagine. And His is not the cheap dimestore stuff, it is the "real thing".
If you have never made Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior of your life, and you are not sure that Heaven would be your home, I would like to invite you to do that right now. Do you believe that Jesus was the Son of God, that He died for us, and God raised Him from the dead? You qualify for heaven as your eternal home!
The Bible says that "If you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart, man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
Romans 10:9 & 10
Please pray this prayer with me... And if you mean it from your heart the Word of God says that you will go to Heaven some day.
God in Heaven
I know that I am a sinner, and I need your help. I ask You to forgive me of all of my sins, and make me clean. I believe that Jesus is Your Son, that He came and died for me, and that You raised Him from the dead.
Jesus, right now, I invite you to come into my heart. Keep me from evil, and make me the person that You want me to be. Be my Lord and Savior.
amen
I would encourage you to get into a good, Bible believing church, to read the Bible every day, and to pray. Prayer is just talking to God, just like he is your best friend. You can tell Him about your every day life, your wants, your desires and your needs. He want to fellowship with you.
This life that you have just received is not a religion, but rather a relationship with God. He loves you and wants to hear from you. And I would like to hear from you, too. If you prayed that prayer, please send me an e-mail to let me know. I would like to pray for you.
Do you need to find a good church? If you don't have a church of your own, I have included a list of church directories that you might find helpful in your search.
Churches in your Community
Association of Faith Churches
Rhema Church Directory
His Way Church Directory
Fishthe.net Church Directory
Gautengchurches (Africa)
Worship Links
Cross Search Links
Cross Daily Church Links
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