Josh McDowell's Youth DevotionsSample

THE LITTLE HERO. There once was a boy named Peter who lived in Holland. Now, Holland is a place where much of the land used to be under water. The people of Holland built great walls called dikes to keep the waters of the North Sea from rushing back in and flooding their fields and homes. One day Peter's mother sent him to take some cakes to a friend's house. "If you go straight there and don't stop to play along the way, you can get home by dark," she said. Peter delivered the cakes and turned back toward home. On the way home, however, he saw a sight that struck him with fear: There was a small hole in one of the dikes. A tiny stream of water trickled through the hole. If the water kept flowing, the hole would soon become larger, and before long all their yards and homes would be washed away. Peter climbed down the side of the dike and poked his finger into the tiny hole. The flow of water stopped. But now what could he do? He couldn't take his finger out, or the water would begin flowing again. He tried calling for help, but no one seemed to hear. It began to get dark, and Peter began to get cold. He tried calling again, but no one answered. "Mother will come look for me," he told himself, "when I do not come home." But Peter's mother assumed that he had spent the night at his friend's house, and she was preparing to scold him the next morning for not coming straight home as she had said. It grew colder and colder, and Peter's arm began to ache. He began to cry, but he refused to give up. "I must stand it somehow," he said. "I must save my family and friends. I must keep the water out if I have to stay here all night." Peter did stay all night, with his finger stuck in that hole. Early the next morning a man walking to work thought he heard a groan. He leaned over the edge of the dike and called to Peter, "What are you doing?" "There's a hole in the dike!" Peter said. "Get help, quickly! Please!" The man sounded the alarm, and soon all of Peter's neighbors showed up with shovels and dirt, and the dike was soon repaired. The whole town thanked Peter for saving them and their homes. All the other kids, who had slept safe and warm in their beds that night, wished that they had done what Peter did. And to this day, Peter is a hero-the little hero of Holland. REFLECT: How did Peter's faithfulness benefit his family and friends? Do you think you could be as faithful as Peter? In what ways? Do you think being faithful to God and to others will bring blessings to you? Why or why not? PRAY: "Lord, help me to remember that a faithful person will be blessed. Help me to be that kind of person every day."