Our church parking lot and the nearby park were full of happy children. They came for the air castles, games, train rides, egg hunts, and lots of good ol' family fun — it is called Eggstravaganza. In a large, roped-off area, eggs are basically spread all over the ground and children, in age-appropriate groups, are given the opportunity to pick up as many as they can. Some of the eggs are specially labeled. These prize eggs entitle the finder to a neat prize.

The children come and claim these special prize egg gifts with great delight. The gifts are cool! However, they never would have found the special prize eggs if they had not searched among all the eggs. It is only when they picked up all their eggs, and then looked at them closely, that they could see they had found one of the special prize eggs.

Over the last several days, I've been doing my daily Bible reading in 2 Timothy. Now I don't know about you, but I haven't had anyone, ever, volunteer that 2 Timothy was his or her favorite book of the Bible. In some "scholarly" circles, 2 Timothy is part of what is called "The Pastoral Epistles" — an often overlooked and sometimes belittled part of the New Testament. Even among the most devoted believers, 2 Timothy doesn't compare in popularity to Philippians or the Gospel of John.

Using a different translation than I normally use, several passages jumped off the page at me. Not only were they powerful messages for me, they were also especially appropriate for this weekend. As I read them, I remembered the excitement and joy of the children who realized they had found the special prize eggs. I hope that you will claim your gift found inside them and find great delight in God's good news!

He [Christ Jesus] destroyed death and showed us the way to have life. Yes, through the good News Jesus showed us the way to have life that cannot be destroyed (2 Timothy 1:10 b ERV).

Remember Jesus Christ. He is from the family of David. After Jesus died, he was raised from death. This is the Good news that I tell people (2 Timothy 2:8).

My life is being given as an offering for God. The time has come for me to leave this life here. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have served the Lord faithfully. Now, a prize is waiting for me — the crown that will show I am right with God. The Lord, the judge who judges rightly, will give it to me on that Day. Yes, he will give it to me and to everyone else who is eagerly looking forward to his coming (2 Timothy 4:6-8).

The Scriptures are full of surprises
The Scriptures are full of surprises if we are willing to look. Some of these surprises are small. Some of them are perfectly timed for us. Some of them are prizes of grace, just waiting to be claimed by those who are willing to spend a little time looking!

So why not pick up the Scriptures, ask God to speak to you, and do a little looking and listening. You might be surprised at prizes that you can find!