Read: James 4:13-15

When Journey and her dad clapped their hands and shouted loudly, two barn swallows quickly flew out of the garage, their tails looking like forks against the blue sky. “Why can’t we let them nest in the garage, Dad?” Journey asked as she watched the birds fly over a neighbor’s house and disappear.

“Our garage wouldn’t be a safe place to raise baby birds,” said Dad. “See what happens when the garage door is closed?” He pressed a button to lower the garage door. Instantly, it became dark, and the cool breeze was gone.

Journey nodded. “Our garage would get too hot for them, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes, and not just that. When the door is closed, the mother and father birds wouldn’t be able to go in and out and bring food for the baby birds.” Dad opened the garage door and let the cooler air back in.

“I guess they’ll have to change their plans and find a new home—just like we had to change our plans and find a new home when we moved here.” Journey sighed. “Sometimes I wish our plans hadn’t gotten changed. I like living here, but I miss my old school and the friends I had there.”

Dad nodded. “Mom and I liked where we lived before too. We were surprised when my company wanted us to move here, but I’m sure we’ll grow to like it.” He leaned against the wall and thought for a minute. “We can make our plans, Journey, but like the Bible says, it’s the Lord who determines our steps—and we want to follow Him wherever He leads us.”

“But why would God want us to move?”

“Why did we chase those birds out of the garage?” Dad asked.

“Well, because we know they need to build their nest someplace else,” Journey replied.

“Right. The birds don’t understand that, but we know it’s best. And we don’t know why God would want us to move, but because He loves us so much that Jesus died for us, we can trust Him to know what’s best—even when it doesn’t make sense to us.”

“I know,” Journey said. “And I’m thankful He’s with us and promises to help us through the things we don’t understand.”

Dad smiled. “Me too.”

–Mary F. Watkins

How about you? Is it hard for you to accept a change in your plans? It’s good to plan ahead, but remember that God is the one in control and that your plans may have to change in order for Him to do what’s best. Trust Him to work things out for your good, knowing He’s with you and will always help you through any difficult changes in your life.

Today's Key Verse: We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Accept God’s plans for you

Read: Ephesians 2:19-22

“Hey, Blaine, what are you working on?” Dad asked as he walked into Blaine’s room.

“I’m making a building out of interlocking blocks for the library contest,” Blaine said. “If I post a picture on their website, I could win a free meal at a local restaurant.” Suddenly, he frowned. “Hey, where’s my baseplate? Can you help me find it, Dad? It’s the big flat one that I have to build on to make sure the structure won’t tip over.”

“All right.” Dad kneeled and began to look through the chest of blocks. He pulled out a large flat piece like Blaine had described. “Is this it?”

“Yeah! Thanks, Dad.”

“Do you mind if I build something too? I loved playing with blocks like this when I was younger.” Blaine nodded. “Sure.”

“I think I’ll build a minivan like ours.” Dad began looking for black blocks to use for the tires. “So, did you finish reading this week’s Bible passage for Sunday school?”

“I started, but I don’t really understand it. It talks about something being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Jesus Christ being the cornerstone.”

“It’s talking about the church,” Dad explained. “Everyone who joins the church by trusting in Jesus is an important part of it.” He pointed at the blocks Blaine was attaching to his building. “It’s like those blocks. Imagine if you only got one block in a set! You wouldn’t be able to build a complete car, or building, or much of anything with one block. But when you have many blocks that fit together perfectly, you can build a structure that is complete.”

“So, are we the blocks?” Blaine asked.

“Yes! Christians make up the church the way your blocks make up the building you’re working on. And just like your baseplate, Jesus is the base of our church. It’s built on what He did to save us from sin—His death and resurrection. Like blocks that connect together, we are connected through the Holy Spirit, who dwells in us and is shaping us to be more like Jesus.”

Blaine nodded. “I think I understand better now. And I’m finished with my building!”

“All right. I’ll take a picture,” Dad said. “I can already taste that free meal!”

–Jessica Kleeberger

How about you? Have you ever built something with interlocking blocks? If so, you know how much fun it is to see a bunch of tiny pieces come together to form a complete creation. The church is the same way! Each Christian belongs to the church and has a part to play in what God is building on the foundation set by Jesus. His Spirit lives in us and works through us so others can see Jesus’s love.

Today's Key Verse: In [Jesus] you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:22 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: The church is built on Jesus

Read: Ephesians 4:26-32

Mei hung up the phone and walked into the living room with her arms crossed and her jaw clenched. “That was Everly.”

Mom frowned. “You’re not still angry with her, are you?”

“Of course I am!” said Mei. “She shouldn’t have made fun of me that way. She did it right in front of everyone, and they were all laughing at me!”

“I know she hurt you, Mei, and what she did was wrong. But you can’t let bitterness fester in your heart. That’s wrong too.” Mom knelt down to scrub a spot on the carpet. “You need to deal with your anger.”

Mei watched as her mother vigorously rubbed the dark spot on the carpet. “Do you think that will ever come out?” she asked. “It doesn’t really look much better than before.”

“I hope it will,” said Mom. “Of course, it would have come out a lot easier if I had cleaned it right after the juice was spilled.” Mom wiped sweat off her face and glanced up at Mei. “You should deal with your anger the way I should have dealt with this stain.”

Mei frowned. “What do you mean?”

Mom continued to rub the dark blotch. “Time has allowed this stain to penetrate into the carpet fibers. Once it’s soaked in and dried, it’s really hard to remove all traces of it. Anger does something like that to your heart. If you let it stay and saturate there, it becomes more and more difficult to remove. Over time, it can grow into bitterness and rage.”

Mei looked at the stain on the carpet and sighed. “I don’t know how I can stop being mad at Everly, but I want to.”

“Good for you!” Mom said. “Start by talking to Jesus about it, and trust Him to help you forgive others the way He’s forgiven you. And pray for Everly too. It’s hard to be angry with someone you’re praying for. With God’s help, you can replace your bitterness with His love. Then maybe you should call Everly and ask her to come over so you can talk about what happened.”

Mei nodded. “Okay,” she said. “I will.”

–Suzanne Daly

How about you? Are you angry about something? Anger isn’t a bad emotion, but left unchecked, it can fester into bitterness or rage. Don’t let anger build up in your heart. Ask Jesus to help you when you’re struggling with something someone did to you. He is with you and knows your pain, and He gives you the power to forgive others the way He’s forgiven you. Trust Him to replace your anger and bitterness with His love.

Today's Key Verse: Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm. Psalm 37:8 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Deal with anger now

Read: Psalm 143:8-10; 1 John 4:1-6

“Dad, what are those ropes on the side of the road?” asked six-year-old Arthur as they drove down the highway.

“Those are called guardrails,” Dad replied. “Sometimes guardrails are made of wide metal bands, and sometimes they’re heavy wire ropes. They’re to make sure people driving on the highway stay on the road.”

“Why would they want to leave the road?” Arthur asked.

“They wouldn’t want to leave the road,” said Arthur’s brother, Keaton. “But sometimes people have accidents. Like in winter. If the road gets slippery, cars might run into each other and go off the road.”

Dad nodded. “Or drivers may not be paying attention to what they’re doing, or they may get sleepy and swerve off the highway. Then those guardrails would catch their cars before they could roll down the hill at the side of the road. Without the guardrails, the cars would suffer much more serious damage—and the people inside them could have more serious injuries.”

“Wow!” Arthur said. “Then I’m glad they’re there. They’re really important!”

“Yes, they are.” Dad smiled. “You know, God’s Word can be like a guardrail. Just like guardrails protect us on the highway, reading the Bible can protect us from false teaching.”

“What do you mean?” asked Keaton.

“The Bible shows us what comes from God and what doesn’t,” said Dad. “It shows us who God is, and if we know Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit to help us understand His Word and use it to test ideas we come into contact with. The Bible helps us recognize when something is false teaching and not the truth.”

“Like what that person was saying on the radio earlier?” asked Keaton. “The one who said all religions lead to God?”

“Right. That’s not what the Bible says—it says the only way to have eternal life with God is by trusting Jesus to save us from sin.” Dad sighed. “We hear so much in the world that’s untrue, which is why we need to be careful not to veer off the right path in our spiritual lives. As we read the Bible and learn about it at church, we can trust the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom about what it says so we can guard our hearts against falsehoods.”

–Robert Truesdale

How about you? Do you read the Bible regularly? Do you check it when you’re not sure about something you’ve heard? As you learn what God says in His Word, the Holy Spirit will use it to give you wisdom and help you recognize Satan’s lies. So keep reading the Bible and studying it, and trust God to use it to help you stay on the right road in your walk with Jesus.

Today's Key Verse: Do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. 1 John 4:1 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: God’s Word contains truth

Read: Ephesians 2:4-7

Harvey threw a baseball toward his dad. “What if I do all this practicing and I still don’t make the team?”

Dad grinned. “I’ll still love you.”

Harvey sighed. “You’ll always love me. You say that all the time.”

“God will always love you too.” Dad lifted his arm. “Get ready to swing.”

The ball came toward Harvey. He swung hard, but his bat didn’t connect with the ball.

“This is what I mean.” Harvey went to get the ball so he could try again. “What if I somehow make the team and then I strike out every time I’m up? My teammates are going to hate me.”

“If we keep practicing, I don’t think that will happen,” Dad said. “But even if it does, I will still love you, and God will still love you too.”

Harvey threw the ball back to his dad. Dad held on to it as he looked over at him. “God and I will still love you, Harvey, but how will you feel about yourself? Do you feel like you have to do well to be deserving of love? What’s going through your head, bud?”

Harvey looked down at the ground. “Ever since Mom left, I find it hard to believe that anyone really loves me. Even you and God. Sometimes I don’t like myself too much either.”

He heard footsteps and knew his dad was coming over to him, but he was surprised when Dad knelt on the ground in front of him. “Bud?” His dad looked up into his eyes. “You are so worthy of love. You can’t imagine how much I care about you and how much God loves you. He sent Jesus to die for you so you could be His child! Your mom leaving had nothing to do with you or anything you have or haven’t done.”

“But…a mom shouldn’t leave her kid.” Harvey blinked his eyes hard.

“No, she shouldn’t.” Dad dropped the baseball and wrapped his arms around Harvey. “But what she did doesn’t change your value in my eyes or God’s eyes, and it shouldn’t change how you think about yourself either. God will always love you, and I will too.”

–Emily Acker

How about you? Do you let what others think about you affect how you see yourself? You have great value in God’s eyes, and nothing will ever change how He feels about you. He loves you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for your sins so you could belong to Him forever. He cares about you so much and will never, ever leave you. When others let you down, know that He is with you and that you are loved.

Today's Key Verse: As the Father loved Me [Jesus], I also have loved you; abide in My love. John 15:9 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: You are very loved

Read: Luke 16:1-10

Mina pouted as her older sister, Jackie, folded a pastel quilt and placed it on top of a large stack of quilts their mother had made.

“Ready to go?” Mom asked as she hurried into the living room. Kitty, Mina and Jackie’s toddler sister, giggled as she bounced on Mom’s hip.

“Ready!” Jackie replied, grinning.

“Why can’t I go to the craft fair too?” Mina whined.

“Dad will take you and Kitty this afternoon,” Mom said.

“But babysitting Kitty is boring,” Mina said. “I want to help at the fair!”

“Shh, don’t listen to her,” Jackie said teasingly, cupping her hands over Kitty’s ears.

Mom passed Kitty to Jackie and led Mina to the couch. “Mina, we’ve talked about this. You are helping me by babysitting.”

“But why does Jackie get to work at the booth and I don’t? Do you love Jackie more than me?” Mina wailed.

Jackie groaned. “Mina, please. You don’t really believe that. If it means that much to you, I can watch Kitty and you can go with Mom.”

“Really?” Mina asked, hopping to her feet. “Yay!”

“Hold on,” Mom said. “I appreciate your willingness, Jackie, but I will make the final call. Mina, there’s a reason why I chose Jackie, even though I love all three of you equally.”

“Why?” Mina asked, slumping back down.

“Jackie already spent years babysitting both you and Kitty. Because I can trust her with smaller responsibilities, I can give her bigger responsibilities. Even now, she put your interests before her own.”

“Oh,” Mina whispered.

“Believe it or not, I’m doing this out of my love for you, based on Jesus’s example,” Mom said. “Jesus loves us and is shaping us to be more like Him, and He offers us opportunities to be faithful and show His love to others. But because He knows us so well, He only gives us challenges we can handle. I want to give you a task you can succeed in to encourage and prepare you for bigger challenges to come.”

Mina nodded. “I guess you’re right. I’ll be faithful by taking care of Kitty today.”

Mom hugged Mina. “Thank you.”

–Hannah Chung

How about you? Have you ever been given a task that felt too simple? Maybe you’ve compared yourself to older siblings or friends who were given tasks you wanted instead. Jesus was always willing to do anything God asked of Him, from washing dirty feet to dying on the cross for us. As you experience Jesus’s love, you will realize any task is important when it shows others His love and faithfulness.

Today's Key Verse: Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much. Luke 16:10 (CSB)

Today's Key Thought: Even small tasks help us grow

Read: Luke 15:11-24

Brock was sprawled on his bed with a book when Seth, his older brother, came into the room. “Hey, Brock, did you know that Dakota Smith talked with Pastor Briggs after church yesterday and decided to trust Jesus as his Savior?”

“Great,” Brock said halfheartedly. “Maybe he’ll stay out of trouble now.” Then he frowned. “But what if he doesn’t? What happens if he sins again? I always wonder about that. Or even you—you’re a Christian. What if you sin again?”

“You mean you think I don’t sin?” Seth grinned. “Wow! Go on thinking that!”

“But what if you started doing really bad things?” Brock asked.

“Well, sometimes Christians do really bad things, Brock. But when I do something wrong, that doesn’t mean I’m not saved anymore. I’m God’s child forever.”

“I don’t know,” said Brock doubtfully. “I don’t want to trust in Jesus till I’m sure I can live right.”

“Brock, no one can live right—that’s why Jesus died on the cross for our sins. We can only be good in God’s eyes by trusting in Him.” But Brock still wasn’t sure, and Seth couldn’t convince him otherwise.

A few days later, an older boy from church crashed his parents’ car while driving it recklessly. “Mr. and Mrs. Peterson are so upset,” Mom said. “But they’re glad Caden’s okay.”

After Mom left the room, Seth turned to his brother. “It’s too bad Caden’s not a Peterson anymore, isn’t it?”

“What are you talking about?” asked Brock.

“Well, Caden took his parents’ car without permission and crashed it into a tree.”

“But he’s still a Peterson,” said Brock. “He’s still their son.”

“Right,” said Seth. “And just like Caden still belongs to the Peterson family, a Christian who sins still belongs to God’s family. Once you trust in Jesus, you’re God’s child forever. Christians still sin, but when we admit our mistakes to Jesus, He forgives us. If you wait until you’re good enough to trust in Jesus, it’s never going to happen. Only He is good, and once you’re part of His family, He will help you live in a way that shows His goodness to others.”

Slowly, Brock nodded. He was beginning to understand.

–Agnes Livezey

How about you? Have you put off trusting in Jesus because you think you can’t live the way a Christian should? When you know Jesus, He forgives you when you sin and gives you the ability to do what’s right. Once you become part of God’s family, you’re His child forever. Nothing can change that. If you haven’t joined His family, don’t wait any longer. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. John 10:28 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: You are God’s child forever

Read: Matthew 25:31-40; Philippians 2:3-8

“Mom!” Jade called as she ran into the kitchen.

“What’s up?” Jade’s mom asked from where she stood kneading bread dough.

“I just saw an ad about kids who don’t have enough food to eat or clothes to wear, and I want to help, Mom!” Jade explained in a rush.

Mom dusted flour off her hands. “Jade, I’m so glad you want to help and serve others. Why don’t we start with Mr. Barton?” Mom turned to the cabinet and pulled down two cans. “I have this chicken noodle soup that we can drop off to him since he’s sick.”

Jade frowned. “But he lives just down the street. I want to help people in a poor country in another part of the world.”

“He’s an older man who lives alone,” said Mom. “It’s hard for him to afford groceries or cook, and he can’t drive anymore. We can show kindness to Mr. Barton by helping him out.”

“He’s just one person, Mom! I want to help lots and lots of people!” Jade exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

Mom removed her apron. “Jade, remember when you trusted Jesus as your Savior last year?” Jade nodded. “Of course I remember.”

“Well,” Mom continued, “when you trusted Jesus to forgive your sins, the Holy Spirit came to live in your heart. He gives you the desire and ability to love and help others so they can know Jesus loves them too.”

“Then isn’t it good that I want to help lots of people?” Jade asked.

“Of course!” Mom smiled. “Jesus doesn’t want us to forget about people in faraway places. But He wants us to look for opportunities to bless people who are nearby too.”

“So serving one person is just as important as helping out lots of people?”

Mom nodded. “Jesus said that whenever we serve even one person, we are actually serving Jesus Himself.”

“Wow!” Jade’s eyes grew big. “Let’s take Mr. Barton the soup right now. I’ll grab a jug of orange juice from the fridge too. Come on, Mom! We have important helping to do!”

–Allison Wilson Lee

How about you? Has God given you a desire to help people around the world who are struggling? What about people in your hometown or church? Or just one person down the street? When we help others, we show them Christ’s love. You don’t need lots of money or have to go someplace far away to live out His love. Helping a neighbor, friend, sibling, or whoever God places in your life is a wonderful chance to serve Jesus by serving others.

Today's Key Verse: The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Serve others near and far