"What's for breakfast today?" asked Julie as she and her brother John came to the table one Sunday morning.

"Bacon and hard-boiled eggs," Mom replied. "Though if anyone wants an egg fixed some other way, I could manage that too."

After thanking God for the food, they began to eat. Julie held up an egg and gazed at it thoughtfully. "The mighty egg," she murmured. "In science, we learned stuff about eggs--like how the shell of an egg is strong enough so that the hen can sit on it without breaking it. It protects a chick from many dangers. Because of the rounded shape of the shell, it's quite strong when struck from the outside. In fact, the shape of the egg makes it difficult to break just by squeezing it in your hand."

"But what about when we ate at that restaurant where you sit around a big table and watch them cook your meal?" asked John. "The chef broke eggs for the stir fry by squeezing them. I bet I could too. Can I try one, Mom?"

"Maybe another time," said Mom.

"So how is the small, helpless chick able to hatch out of such a tough egg?" Dad asked.

"It pecks its way out, doesn't it?" said John.

Julie nodded. "Yep. We learned that the shell resists pressure very well from the outside, but it cracks easily when pecked from within."

"That sounds a lot like the church," Mom observed. "When Christians are united together in love, we're better able to resist persecution and outside pressure. But when we start criticizing and picking on each other, our fellowship with one another can be broken."

"It's a good lesson for all of us to remember when we're tempted to be critical--especially of other Christians," said Dad. "None of us is perfect, but Jesus loves us anyway and gave His life to save us. And He gave us the church--God's family of all those who trust in Jesus--so we can strengthen each other with His love."

"That's right." Mom looked around the table. "Speaking of church, we'd better finish eating and get ready to go."

"Yeah," John said with a grin. "If God wants His church to be united in love, we don't want to be late!"

-Sherry L. Kuyt

HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are you in the habit of criticizing others—including those in your church family? A critical attitude is not right for a Christian. Jesus loves us so much He gave His life so we could be saved, and He wants us to show His love to others—especially other Christians. When we do that, we can stand strong against pressure from the world around us. Instead of looking for faults in others, look for ways you can show them God’s love.

TODAY'S KEY VERSE: 1 John 4:11 (KJV)
Since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. (NLT)