Have you ever had ice cream for breakfast? I hope not! It is not a good breakfast food, but that’s just what Peter wanted one morning. He thought he deserved it, and his mind was made up that ice cream was the only thing he would eat for breakfast that morning.
Peter was a lonely, 9-year-old boy. His family was in an unhappy state, since his mother and sister no longer lived with them. Peter and his father lived in an apartment together. His father drove a taxi and often was not there when Peter got home from school, so Peter spent many hours alone.
A friendly Christian couple, Albert and his wife Anna, lived in the same apartment building. They knew that Peter was usually alone in the afternoons, so they often invited him to their apartment to play games, have something to eat and hear Bible stories.
One afternoon, Anna thought she smelled something strange and opened her apartment door to the hallway. Smoke! She ran for the caretaker, and he came running. He quickly found that the fire was in Peter’s apartment. Peter was again alone and had tried to fix his own supper after he got in from school.
The fire wasn’t too serious, but it got Peter into a good deal of trouble, and he was sent to a foster home. Albert and Anna also moved to another home, and they did not see Peter for some time. When they did see him, it was a surprise.
One cold December night several months later, there was a knock on their front door. When Albert opened the door, there stood Peter! His father was also there, and he asked, “Could Peter stay with you for a couple of weeks? Things aren’t working out at the foster home, and I wondered if you could give Peter a place to stay for a while.”
Albert looked at Anna and Anna looked at Albert. They both looked at Peter. He had nothing with him except a bag of potato chips ... no clothes, no pajamas, not even a toothbrush!
Albert and Anna were both thinking to themselves, Stay for several weeks and he brought nothing with him but a bag of potato chips? However, they had become quite fond of Peter and wanted to help him, so they agreed that he could stay.
For several days all went well. Peter enjoyed the attention he received, and it was fun to go shopping with Anna to pick out some new clothes, a toothbrush and a few other things. Peter often said “thank you” and behaved himself quite well.
Several mornings later, Anna heard Peter already out of bed and in the kitchen, so she went downstairs to make his breakfast. To her surprise, Peter was already making his own breakfast! He had taken the ice cream out of the freezer and was piling it high in a dish.
“Peter,” Anna said, “you can’t have ice cream for breakfast!”
“Why not?” demanded Peter.
“Well, it’s not really good for you,” Anna explained. “You need something more nourishing than that for breakfast.”
“But I want ice cream!” Peter insisted.
Anna tried to gently explain and reason with Peter, but he thought he deserved something better for breakfast than any of the regular breakfast foods that Anna offered him. He wanted the best, and as far as he was concerned ice cream was the best.
Peter seemed to forget that he had been kindly received in this home. He apparently forgot about the new clothes, the good meals and the happy time he was having. He forgot to be thankful, and when he didn’t get something he thought he deserved, he got quite angry. He said, “If I can’t have ice cream for breakfast, then I won’t have anything!”
And so it turned out that Peter spent quite a long morning with an uncomfortably empty feeling in his stomach. I’m thankful to tell you that he accepted happily what was offered to him at an early lunch.
Now I have not told you this story just to show you Peter’s faults. No, I have told you because I am afraid that you and I sometimes are very much like Peter. Have you and I been thankful for the good things that God gives us? Have you ever thought that God owes you something? We do not deserve any of God’s good gifts, because we are sinners. The Bible says plainly, “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:2323For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; (Romans 3:23)).
God gave His only Son, the Lord Jesus, to die for us when we were still far away from God and loved our sins. He offers His free salvation to us, not because we deserve it, but because He loves us.
Peter refused to eat anything when he was not allowed to have ice cream. Have you refused God’s offer of salvation because you want to have it your way? If so, you will end up with no salvation at all—”Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:1212Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)). No salvation means you will have to bear the punishment that you deserve for your sins. “If ye believe not ... ye shall die in your sins.” “After this the judgment” (John 8:2424I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. (John 8:24); Hebrews 9:2727And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27)).
God loves you, cares for you and has given you many good gifts. He still offers you His greatest and best gift—the gift of salvation. Will you accept it? “By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-98For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8‑9)).
ML-09/12/2010