Read: Matthew 7:7-11

Keaton watched a frog as it hopped around the yard. When it stopped, it blended in with the grass. If Keaton looked away, he had a hard time finding it until it started hopping again.

When Dad got home, he joined Keaton on the porch. “Hey, Keaton. How was your day?”

Keaton shrugged. “I just spent the last half-hour playing hide-and-go-seek with a frog.” He sighed. “Not that he ever tried to find me.”

Dad sat down on the step. “Sounds like an interesting game. How about a contest to see who can find the frog first?” Keaton nodded, and the two spent the next several minutes trying to spot the frog.

“Thanks for playing with me, Dad,” Keaton said after the frog hopped underneath the porch. “It’s a lot more fun than playing by myself.” He kicked at a stick in the grass. “I’m thankful you got a new job and we got this nice house, but I miss my friends from our old neighborhood.”

“I know,” Dad said, patting Keaton on the back. “Have you tried praying about it?”

Keaton frowned. “Doesn’t God already know what I’m going through? Why doesn’t He just give me what I need without me having to ask Him for it?”

Just then Keaton’s stomach let out a loud grumble, and he and Dad laughed.

“It sounds like you’re as hungry as I am,” Dad said. “I’m sure Mom has something for dinner, but she won’t bring it to us out here. We have to go to the table. Sometimes that’s the way Jesus does things too. He always knows what we need, but sometimes He waits for us to bring our worries and problems to Him first.”

“Why?” asked Keaton.

“To help us look to Him as our Savior and trust Him to provide us with everything we need—even when He doesn’t give us exactly what we ask for.”

Keaton’s stomach growled again. “Okay, Dad. I’m ready to go in for dinner. But first can we pray and ask God to help me make some friends?”

Dad nodded, and they bowed their heads and prayed together.

The next day when Dad got home from work, Keaton was sitting on the porch with two other boys his age, all of them trying to spot the frog.

–Melissa Yeagle

How about you? Do you bring your worries and problems to God? Do you ask Him to provide the things you need? He already knows exactly what you need—and sometimes it may be different from what you ask for. But He still wants you to bring your needs to Him so you can learn to trust Him in all of life’s situations. Jesus loves you and gave His life to save you. In Him, you have everything you need.

Today's Key Verse: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Bring your needs to God

Read: Psalm 51:7; Philippians 2:1-11

“I’m glad I’m not like Rachel,” Mackenna said as she gazed at the falling snow through the car window.

“What do you mean?” Mom asked with a slight frown.

“Well, Rachel is kinda—oh, I don’t know—stuck on herself a bit. Whenever we talk, she does most of the talking, and it’s usually about all the things she’s good at.” Mackenna rolled her eyes. “What an ego!”

“Rachel is good at a lot of things,” said Mom. “But so are you! You don’t think you have an ego?” She gave Mackenna a sideways glance.

“Of course not! Do you ever hear me bragging about what I can do?”

“No, but that doesn’t mean your heart is humble. And isn’t your heart what we really should be concerned about?” Mom pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine. “Tell you what, why don’t you go get Bumpkin and let her run around outside for a while?”

Mackenna gave her mother a confused look, but she went and got her pet bunny.

“Before you set her down,” Mom said, “tell me what color Bumpkin is.”

Mackenna laughed as they both looked down at the fuzzy bunny. “White, of course!”

“Are you sure?” Mom asked. “Put her down in the snow.”

Mackenna set her rabbit down at the edge of the snowy yard and stood back. “Ew!” she said. “She looks so dirty!”

“Yep,” agreed Mom. “She doesn’t look so white anymore! Snow has a way of making other white objects look gray.” Mom turned to Mackenna. “It’s the same with us. We may think we’re pretty good when we compare ourselves to other people. But when we compare our hearts to Jesus, we see how dirty they really are.”

Mackenna nodded sheepishly. “I guess when I compare myself to Jesus, I’m a lot like Rachel after all.”

“We all are,” said Mom. “That’s why Jesus died on the cross for our sins. When we trust in Him and ask Him to forgive us for the wrong we do, He makes our hearts whiter than snow!”

“I guess I need to remember that when I’m around Rachel,” Mackenna said as she watched Bumpkin hop around in the snow. “And ask Jesus to forgive me for comparing myself to her instead of Him.”

–Rebecca Thomas

How about you? Do you ever compare yourself to others? It may make you feel better about yourself sometimes, but it doesn’t give an accurate picture of what your heart is really like. Jesus is the only perfect standard. When we compare ourselves to Him, it’s easy to see our hearts are dirty with sin—but He can make them whiter than snow. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: They are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant! 2 Corinthians 10:12 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Compare yourself to Jesus

Read: Matthew 5:23-24; Romans 12:18; 1 John 1:9

“Jia’s mad at me,” Lara told her mother as they drove down a country road toward town. “When she got an A on our spelling test and I got a C, I—well, I said she must have cheated. I know I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Why don’t you text her and apologize?” suggested Mom.

“Okay, I will, but not right now,” Lara said. “I’ll wait until she’s in a better mood.” As Mom turned down a side road, Lara looked at her in surprise. “Why are we turning here?”

“This is a shorter way to town,” said Mom. “I don’t know how good the road will be after all the rain we’ve had, but let’s give it a try.”

For a short distance the road was good, but then the pavement ended and the road became very muddy. “I think we should go back,” said Lara.

“I think you’re right,” said Mom. “We’ll have to find a place to turn around.”

“How about there?” Lara pointed to a narrow path leading into a field.

Mom slowed down, but then shook her head. “Those ditches at the side of that path are awfully deep. We need to find a better spot.”

A little later, Lara motioned toward a wider spot in the road. “How about here?”

But Mom passed by that one too. “That’s not exactly the perfect spot either,” she said.

“Mom!” Lara threw her head back against the seat. “If you ask me, the first possible spot is always the perfect spot!”

“I’m beginning to think you’re right,” Mom said as she stopped the car and began to back up.

After they turned around, Mom spoke. “Waiting for a perfect spot was pretty silly, huh? We made a mistake in coming this way, and the first chance to correct that mistake was the best chance. That’s also true when we make mistakes that hurt others. When we realize what we did was wrong, we need to confess our sin to Jesus so He can forgive us and help us make things right. That includes apologizing to those we’ve hurt right away.”

Lara sighed. “Okay, I get what you’re saying. Can I use your phone so I can text Jia?”

–Corrine Canavan-Fifield

How about you? Do you have a hard time saying you’re sorry when you’ve done something wrong? It’s not easy to admit our mistakes, but putting it off usually makes things worse. Jesus promises to forgive us the moment we confess our sins to Him, and He’ll help us restore our relationships with others. So don’t wait for a better time—apologize and ask for forgiveness right away.

Today's Key Verse: First go and be reconciled to them. Matthew 5:24 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Say you’re sorry right away

Read: Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 10:29–31; Hebrews 4:16

As soon as Carolina wiped away one tear, another lousy one slid down. She grew tired of crying over her sinus issues because it only made her throbbing head worse. She sniffled. “I don’t understand how Jesus promises to wipe away every tear. That sounds exhausting!”

G-ma kissed Carolina’s forehead. “Darling, crying is okay, especially when we cry out to Jesus. Have you prayed about it?”

“Yeah, sure,” Carolina huffed. “During prayer this morning, Jesus said there are bigger problems.”

G-ma lifted an eyebrow. “He said that to you, sweetie?”

There was silence as Carolina gathered her thoughts. “I mean…I think I just felt guilty praying about my sinus issues when Lily has leukemia.” Carolina pointed to her little sister Lily who was collecting red berries from the bushes. “My pain seems so small compared to hers.”

“Look, G-ma!” Lily tossed berries in the air and giggled.

“Don’t you eat those!” G-ma turned to look at Carolina as she ran to stop Lily. “Oh, honey, yes, Lily is hurting, but so are you. If Jesus knows how many hairs are on our heads and our every thought, then our small problems are a big deal to Him. That’s why He encourages us to pray about everything.”

“Sounds like Jesus really cares,” Carolina replied.

“He does. Do you remember earlier when Lily was sad that she couldn’t find any little red berries and you immediately helped her find some?” Carolina nodded. “You cared about her small request because you love her and knew it was important to her,” said G-ma. “How much more would the Lord help us with our problems, big or small? Because of His love for us, Jesus suffered and died for all our sins on the cross. He cares about all our pain because He experienced all kinds of pain too, and He wants to help us and comfort us.”

Carolina relaxed her shoulders. “Wow, Jesus really was listening…”

“CANNONBALL!” Lily jumped on top of Carolina and squeezed her tightly. They erupted in laughter.

G-ma smiled and leaned over to wipe another tear out of Carolina’s eye. “Remember to keep praying. Jesus is always with you, darling.”

–Toria Keyes

How about you? Are you afraid that the Lord won’t fight your battle because others are dealing with worse problems? We serve a God who knows what it feels like to bump a funny bone or get a paper cut. Whatever your situation is, He wants you to know you are not alone. What are the little red berries in your life—small things that are still really important? Jesus cares about those things and wants to help you with them.

Today's Key Verse: Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:30–31 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Jesus cares about small things

Read: Psalm 150

“What’s all the racket about?” Mom came out of her office and stood in the doorway of the living room. “You two have done nothing but fight and complain all afternoon.”

Asher and Olivia glared at each other silently.

“Praise the Lord!” Mom suddenly shouted. Asher and Olivia jumped in surprise. Mom smiled as the kids looked at her curiously. “You were yelling and complaining in loud voices, so I thought I’d praise the Lord in an equally loud voice.” She raised her voice again. “I’m thankful for the rain, aren’t you? It’s been so dry lately!”

“But Mom, when it rains, there’s nothing to do,” Asher said.

“I have an idea.” Mom went into her office and came back with paper and pencils. “Why don’t you make a praise list by writing down all the wonderful things God has done for us? Let’s have a praise day instead of a complaining day. Now, I have some work to finish up, but you can show me your lists before dinner tonight.”

Asher sighed as Mom went back into her office and shut the door. After a moment, he wrote, God helped me not miss the bus after school.

Olivia took a sheet of paper and wrote, God gives us food every day.

After working a little while, Asher said, “Hey, let’s tape our pages together to make one long sheet. Let’s see how long a list we can make.” The list was still growing when Dad got home.

“How was your day?” Mom asked him as she pulled a chicken pot pie out of the oven.

“Terrible,” he said. “First, the rain got my clothes all wet, and then—”

“Praise the Lord!” Asher shouted. Dad looked startled, and Asher grinned. “Mom says this should be a praise day.” He held up the list for his father to see.

“Come on, Dad,” said Olivia. “Praise the Lord for something. We’ll add it to our list.”

Dad grinned. “I praise the Lord for creating your mom,” he said. “I love her, and she teaches us to count our blessings—and blesses us with good food for dinner!”

Mom smiled. “And I praise Jesus for the best thing of all—dying on the cross for our sins!”

–Carol A. DeCesare

How about you? Do you complain when things don’t go your way? Sometimes difficult things happen that you need to talk about with someone, but there’s a big difference between sharing struggles and complaining about every little thing you don’t like. Instead of complaining, think about all the good things God has blessed you with and the people He’s put in your life—and most importantly, how He’s given you eternal life through Jesus!

Today's Key Verse: Let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God…giving thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:15 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Praise instead of complaining

Read: Galatians 5:22-25

The pocket of Octavia’s red sweater bulged. She didn’t want Miss Allen to notice, so she quickly slipped into her seat. She removed a big orange from her pocket and hid it behind the box of crayons in her desk.

The morning dragged by. Usually Octavia liked reading class, but not today. She couldn’t keep her mind on the story. A classmate—Ford—had agreed to give the signal for the special activity the kids had planned. He said they should wait until math time and be ready when Miss Allen turned to the whiteboard.

Excitement built up when Miss Allen told the class to take out their math books. Everyone kept looking at Ford. When he put his hand in his desk, Octavia covered her mouth. She didn’t want Miss Allen to see that she was giggling. She reached inside her desk and took hold of the orange.

At last Miss Allen turned her back to the class. Octavia drew a deep breath as Ford yelled, “Fruit roll!” In a flash, Octavia’s orange rolled down the aisle with lots of other fruit. The room became noisy, and Miss Allen looked puzzled. “It’s for you,” Ford said, pointing to the fruit. “For your birthday!”

“For me?” Miss Allen asked in surprise. “How thoughtful of you! Thanks, kids.”

That afternoon Octavia told her mom all about it. “Miss Allen said she’d never heard of a fruit roll, but she liked it! She got oranges, grapefruit, some tangerines, a few lemons, and even a lime.”

“I knew she’d enjoy it.” Mom smiled at Octavia. “What about you? Have you gotten any fruit rolled to you lately?”

Octavia gave her mom a confused look. “What do you mean?”

“I mean the fruit of the Spirit,” Mom said. “Once you trust in Jesus, the Holy Spirit produces fruit in your life—the qualities of the new person He wants you to be. It’s quite a list. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control—all these make you more like Jesus.”

Octavia thought about it. “I guess He is helping me be more patient—and helping me be kind to kids at school I don’t know well.” She smiled. “It’s like I’m getting a fruit roll from Jesus every day!”

–Margaret M. Primrose

How about you? Did you know that, if you’re a Christian, you’re getting a fruit roll from Jesus every day? He helps you develop the qualities that make you more like Him. As you grow as a Christian, others will start to see more and more of these qualities in your life. Trust Jesus to help you grow and fill you with the fruit of the Spirit so you become more like Him.

Today's Key Verse: May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:11 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: God fills your life with fruit

Read: Matthew 6:25-34

“This state park is really nice, isn’t it?” Dad said as he and Henry walked along a wooded path.

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” Henry mumbled in response. But he hadn’t really noticed—he’d been too busy wondering if Dad would be able to find a new job. The place where his dad worked was going out of business. “Dad, what if we run out of money for food and stuff?”

Dad was about to answer, but then he saw where Henry was walking. “Henry, watch out for that poison ivy! Stay on the path.”

But the warning came too late. Henry had already wandered off to the side. He stopped and looked down at the patch of low bushes around his feet. “Poison ivy!” He groaned and quickly returned to the path. “Now I’ll be itching all week!”

“Maybe not.” Dad pointed to a tall plant with yellow-spotted horn-shaped flowers. “Here’s something that might help you.”

“What’s that?” asked Henry.

“It’s called jewelweed, and I’ve used it before when I’ve gotten into poison ivy.” Dad broke off some leaves, crushed them in his hand, and handed them to Henry. “Rub these over your legs. It ought to stop the poison ivy reaction.”

“Really?” Henry rubbed the leaves on his bare legs, hoping Dad was right. And as they continued their walk, Henry was careful to avoid further contact with the poisonous weed.

When Henry was getting ready to go to bed that night, Dad stopped at his room. “So how are your legs?” he asked.

“My legs?” repeated Henry. Then he remembered—the poison ivy! He looked down. “The poison ivy isn’t doing anything!” He grinned at his dad. “The jewelweed really worked. Wow! Medicine for poison ivy in the middle of the woods!”

Dad nodded. “God often provides for us in surprising ways. We should always remember that. I know we’ve all been concerned about my job, but if God can provide a poison ivy cure in the middle of the woods, He certainly can provide for our family’s needs as well. He’s already provided for our greatest need of all by sending Jesus to save us from sin. We don’t need to worry. God is with us, and we can trust Him.”

–Jane K. Chase

How about you? Are you worried about something right now? Maybe a family member is sick or a parent is out of work. No matter what it is, trust God to take care of you. He may not give you everything you want, but you may be surprised by the way He provides for you. When you needed to be saved from sin, He provided His own Son, Jesus, to die for you. Depend on Him to provide what you need.

Today's Key Verse: My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Trust God to provide for you

Read: Luke 8:26-36

FLASH! Lightning ripped across the black sky. Instantly every street light went out.

“Whoa,” Luke said. “Talk about a spooky night! It looks like a ghost town out there.”

Beth peeked out from under her covers. “Don’t say the word ghost.”

Mom came into their bedroom with a flashlight.

“Hey, Mom.” Luke put bed covers over his head to look like a ghost. “Tell us a ghost story.”

“On a night like this?” Beth whipped off the covers. “Are you kidding? How about a Bible story—with a really good ending.”

Mom smiled. “I’ll tell a ghost story from the Bible—but it has a happy ending.”

“Great,” Luke groaned. “How scary can that be? And I didn’t think the Bible talked much about ghosts.”

“Actually, this story is about evil spirits,” Mom said. “Demons.”

Now it was Beth’s turn to groan. “That sounds worse!”

“One day, Jesus went into a cemetery to visit a man who lived there,” Mom said.

“Creepy.” Luke rubbed his hands together. “So far, so good.”

“He lived…”—Beth was wide-eyed—“in the graveyard?”

“Yes,” Mom said. “The man was filled with many, many evil spirits—and they made him do awful things. And the spirits made him super strong—everybody was afraid of him.”

Lightning flashed and lit the room. “I thought this wasn’t going to be scary!” said Beth.

“Wasn’t Jesus scared?” Luke asked.

“No,” said Mom. “Jesus is the Son of God, and when He talked with the man, He told the evil spirits to leave him.”

Luke leaned closer. “Did they?”

Mom nodded. “Every single evil spirit left—immediately. Because He had come to defeat Satan through His death and resurrection, Jesus had the power to send them all away.”

“Wow,” Luke said. “Those evil spirits were busted—big time!”

“And the man who lived in the cemetery was finally free and could go back to his real home again,” Mom said. “The man was so grateful that he became a follower of Jesus.”

The lights came back on all over the neighborhood.

Beth stood and hugged Mom. “You’re right, this story did have a happy ending!”

“Wow,” Luke said. “Jesus is the ultimate ghost tamer!”

–Matt Shoemaker

How about you? Did you know that Jesus has complete authority over everything in heaven and earth, including demons? Evil powers exist in our world, and they can be scary—but you don’t have to be afraid. If you know Jesus as your Savior, He has freed you from Satan’s power, just like He freed the man in the story. Nothing is more powerful than our God!

Today's Key Verse: [Jesus said,] “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Matthew 28:18 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Jesus holds all authority