There once was a king who had a favorite jester in his court. Because of all his good work for many years, cheering up the king and making him happy, the king finally retired him, gave him some property and a good income, and sent him off to see the world.
For his journey, the king presented the fool with his favorite walking cane—a very beautiful wooden cane with gold inlay. “I want to give you this,” he said, “as a special present to you from me. It’s my special gift to you for being the greatest fool I ever had!”
Some years later the king’s fool heard that the king was dying. The fool came to the king’s deathbed and began to sympathize with him.
“Are you ready to go?” The fool asked the king.
“What do you mean?” The king replied.
“Well, since I last saw you,” the jester explained, “I have met Christ and have received Him as my Savior. I am now ready to die because I know I’ll go to be with Jesus in Heaven. Have you made preparations for this journey into death? Have you received Jesus as your Savior?”
“Preparations? What preparations would I need?” The king exclaimed. “I don’t believe in all that `Jesus’ and `Heaven’ talk. My kingdom is here! That’s all that matters to me!”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” the king’s jester said quietly. He then added, “Do you remember when you once sent me off on a long journey, and you gave me this walking cane as a present because you said that I was the greatest fool you ever had? Well, I have returned from that journey and made my preparations for the next—a journey that we all must take. But you have not made preparations for it. So here, I want to give you back this cane. You’re a greater fool than I am.”
God loves you, and He’s looking forward to living with you in heaven for eternity. You can receive His love and a place in heaven by simply praying this little prayer:
Dear Jesus, I believe that You love me and died for me, so I can live in heaven for eternity. Please give me Your gift of salvation, help me to get to know You better, and help me to share Your love with others, so they can be happy too. Amen.
Text and images © TFI. Used by permission.
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