Read: Isaiah 55:8-9; Romans 8:28-29

“What do you want first, the bad news or the good news?” Mom asked when Morgan got home from school.

“The bad news, I guess.” Morgan knew that when Mom played bad news/good news, the news was never terribly bad.

“Dad’s job is now transferring to Dalton instead of Briggs,” Mom said.

“Dalton? But we already found a nice house in Briggs!” Morgan sighed. “What’s the good news?”

“Dalton isn’t as far from here as Briggs, so you and your friends from school can get together more often.”

“Well, that is good news, but I still wish we didn’t have to move at all.” Morgan stood up. “I’m going to check on Trixie and her kittens.”

Soon Morgan was back. “Mom, Trixie moved her kittens again. She put them back in my room under my bed. I wish they could stay there.”

“I know, but that isn’t a good place for them,” said Mom. “It’s too busy with you and your friends coming in and out so often. The kittens are better off in the laundry room.”

“Yeah, I guess so. I’ll move them back.” After she moved the kittens, Morgan returned to the kitchen. “I shut the door to my room so Trixie won’t be able to move the kittens there again.”

“Good idea,” said Mom. “Did you explain to Trixie that you have a good reason for shutting her out? And that she and her kittens are better off where you put them?”

Morgan laughed. “It’s too bad she can’t understand that, right?”

“Trixie is just like us,” Mom said. “We thought that the best place for us to live was right here. We expected to stay here a long time, but God has apparently shut the door on that idea.”

“And He probably has a good reason too, huh?” said Morgan.

Mom nodded. “Even though we don’t understand, we can trust His promise to work everything out for good. He loves us more than we can imagine—so much that He sent Jesus to die for us. We can trust Him to use this move to help us grow in our relationship with Him.”

Morgan smiled. “Okay, Mom. Now that the kittens are out of my room, I’m going to do some packing.”

–Katherine R. Adams

How about you? Have you experienced disappointing changes in your plans? Sometimes change is hard to accept, but God only wants what’s best for you. Trust Him even when things don’t go the way you wish they would. Remember that Jesus loves you so much He died to save you. He will be with you and help you through difficulties you don’t understand.

Today's Key Verse: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. Romans 8:28 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: God knows what’s best

Read: Psalm 51:10-17; Ezekiel 36:26-27

Aunt Dee must be here! Qian thought when he saw a blue mini van parked in their driveway. Maybe she brought Grandma home from the hospital—the doctor said she might come home today. Grandma had been very sick, but she’d had an amazing operation. She’d been given a heart transplant—her diseased heart was removed and a different one was put inside her body. Now she was doing much better.

Qian rushed into the house. “Grandma!” he called when he saw her sitting in the living room. She looked pleased to see him. Hugging her gently, Qian asked, “Do you feel better, Grandma?”

“Yes, I do, Qian. I was just thanking the Lord for both of my new hearts.” Grandma’s eyes sparkled as they often did when she was happy.

“But Grandma,” said Qian, “you just got one new heart.”

“I got one new heart in the hospital,” said Grandma. “But I got my first new heart when I was about your age.”

“You did? I didn’t know that! Was your heart bad then too?”

Grandma smiled. “We often use the word heart to describe our innermost being,” she explained. “And yes, my heart—that innermost part of me—was full of sin. When I asked Jesus to come into my life and take away my sin, it was as if He gave me a new heart—He changed my thoughts, feelings, and desires. After that, I wanted to do things that would help me get to know Jesus better and show others who He is.”

Grandma paused, letting Qian think about what she had just said. Then she patted his hand. “I’m thankful for the heart the doctors gave me, but I’m even more thankful to Jesus for saving me from sin and giving me a new spiritual heart.”

Qian nodded. “I have a new spiritual heart too, don’t I?”

“You do if you trust Jesus as your Savior,” Grandma told him. “Do you?”

Qian nodded again. “Yes, I do, Grandma,” he said with a grin. “We both have new hearts.”

–Esther M. Bailey

How about you? Do you have a new heart? Getting a new heart means that God will change your inner being when you trust Jesus to save you from sin. You’ll start wanting to do what God wants more and more because the Holy Spirit will begin changing your desires. Have you trusted Jesus as your Savior? Don’t wait. Trust in Him right now! (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. Ezekiel 36:26 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Get a new heart from Jesus

Read: Hebrews 11:1-3; 1 John 5:4-5

“Look out!” said Benjamin as his sister stumbled over a chair. “You must be blind as a bat if you didn’t see that chair, Eliza!”

Eliza huffed as she righted the chair. “Bats aren’t blind!” she said.

“Yes, they are,” said Benjamin. “They find their way around by listening to sound waves instead of by seeing things with their eyes.”

“Yes, but they can see,” said Eliza. “They just don’t see very well, so they rely on their ears to get around.”

“Eliza’s right,” Dad said. “The phrase ‘blind as a bat’ is an expression people use, but bats aren’t actually blind.”

“My teacher said they fly at night and make squeaky, high-pitched sounds and then listen for the echoes,” said Benjamin. “The amount of time it takes for the sound waves to bounce off something and echo back tells the bat how far away the object is.”

“Very good!” said Dad. “And did you know that, like bats, we should depend on more than just what we can see?”

“You mean we should use our ears?” asked Eliza. “Like how a train whistle warns us that a train is nearby?”

“Well, yes,” said Dad, “but I was thinking of something even more important than eyes or ears. What we need is faith—faith in Jesus, who’s in control of everything even though we can’t see Him. Some people refer to it as ‘blind faith,’ but it’s not blind at all. It’s faith in a living God who loves us, died for us, and promises to help us and guide us.”

Eliza grinned. “Just like bats! Bats aren’t really blind—they just depend on something better than what they can see to guide them.”

“Exactly,” said Dad. “Bats depend on their ears to help them fly safely at night, and we need to depend on Jesus to keep us safe—even during the dark times of our lives when we don’t understand why things happen or what God’s plan is. At times like that, we can rest in our faith that Jesus has given us eternal life and will always be with us.”

“So I guess we’re like bats because we rely on something better than what we can see,” said Benjamin.

“Right,” said Eliza. “We rely on Jesus!”

–Tanya Ferdinandusz

How about you? Do you have faith in Jesus? The things you can see that make you feel secure—food, shelter, possessions, even friends and family—can only go so far. People make mistakes, and the things you have can’t help you when bad things happen. Only Jesus can give you eternal security. Though you can’t see Him, He cares about you and will always be with you, even in difficult times. Live by faith and trust Him to guide you day by day.

Today's Key Verse: We walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Live by faith

Read: 1 Corinthians 3:5-9

“We can make applesauce, apple dumplings, apple strudel, apple pies, apple butter…” Hannah’s voice trailed off as she lugged a basket of apples into the kitchen.

“Sounds like you’ve got big plans for all these apples we picked,” said Aunt Maria. She took some of the apples from Hannah’s basket. “We’ll make a batch or two of applesauce and freeze some of it. Would you like to start peeling apples?”

“Okay,” said Hannah. She got out a peeler and some bowls and started working. “How many do we need to do?” she asked after a while. “It will take forever to peel all these and take the cores out.”

Aunt Maria laughed. “I don’t think it will take that long.” She looked down at the apple she was peeling. “Have you ever wondered how many apples could come from just one of these seeds?”

Hannah shrugged. “Lots and lots, I guess.” She grinned. “Just think, if one seed grew into a tree and produced a crop of apples, and if each seed from each of those apples grew into another tree and each of those trees produced a crop of apples, and each seed from each of those apples grew into a tree and—”

Aunt Maria rolled her eyes. “You’re making me tired! That story could go on for a very long time—but that’s an interesting thought. I’m sure the numbers would get beyond what we could count.” She removed the core from an apple and held it up so Hannah could see the seeds. “Here’s another interesting thought. If I plant just one seed for Jesus—if I tell someone about Him or treat them with the same kindness He would show them—who knows what He could do with it? Who knows how many people He might reach through my small effort? It’s easy to forget that all I need to do is plant—God is the one who makes everything grow.”

As she was speaking, Uncle Matt walked in. “That’s right,” he said, “and I’m very thankful He made these apples grow!” He grinned. “Now, who will volunteer to make me an apple pie?”

Hannah laughed. “Aunt Maria and I will make you one—but only if you help us peel more apples!”

–Katherine Chapman

How about you? Are you planting seeds for Jesus? Do you tell others about Him and show them His love? God can use any word or deed to make a difference in countless people’s lives—and He wants to work through you! Start planting seeds in other people’s hearts through your words and actions today and trust God to make those seeds grow.

Today's Key Verse: I planted the seed in your hearts…but it was God who made it grow. 1 Corinthians 3:6 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Plant seeds for Jesus

Read: 2 Timothy 3:14-17

“This isn’t working!” said Lucas. “Josiah is really good at math, and today he showed me how to do these math problems, but I still can’t figure them out.”

Mom walked to the table where Lucas was doing his homework. “Doesn’t your textbook tell you how to do them? Let’s take a look at it to make sure Josiah gave you the right information.”

“Okay,” said Lucas. He opened the book and found the chapter they were studying.

“All right,” said Mom. “Now try it one more time. Follow these directions step by step.” She pointed to the instructions listed in the textbook.

Lucas started again. “Now it’s working!” he said a little later. “Josiah left out a step when he told me how to do these. Thanks for helping me, Mom.”

That evening, Dad asked Lucas to read their family devotional out loud. “Read the Bible passage first,” he said, “and then the story.”

“But some of the words in the Bible are too hard for me, and I don’t know what a lot of the verses mean anyway,” said Lucas. “Can’t I just read the story?”

“The stories help us understand the Bible passage, but they’re not God’s Word,” said Dad. “We need to read the Bible to hear God’s truth and direction for our lives and trust Him to use His Word to make us more like Jesus. Mom and I will help you with any hard words.”

Mom nodded. “Lucas, think about what happened when you were doing your homework today. You couldn’t get the correct answer going by Josiah’s directions, could you? They were missing a step, right?”

“Right,” said Lucas. “But when I read the book, I got it.”

“Exactly,” said Mom. “I’m sure Josiah meant to teach you how to do it the right way, but people make mistakes. That’s why we need to read God’s Word for ourselves.”

“That’s right,” said Dad. “It’s important to listen to others who can help us understand what the Bible says, but we also need to read it ourselves to know what they say is true. God speaks to us through His Word, and He doesn’t make mistakes.”

Lucas flipped through the Bible’s pages. “Okay, I found the verses for tonight, and I’m ready to read.”

–Shelley L. Russwurm

How about you? Do you find the Bible hard to read? Are some of the words difficult for you to understand? Keep on reading anyway! As you get older, it will become easier for you to read and understand. You can ask parents, teachers, and pastors to help explain what some of the verses mean. Above all, trust God to help you understand the truth of His Word and use it to make you more like Jesus.

Today's Key Verse: All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true…It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 2 Timothy 3:16 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Read God’s Word

Read: 1 Peter 1:17-21

“Oh no!” said Mei. “I won’t be able to mail this birthday card to Grandma until Monday.”

“Why not?” asked Mei’s little sister, Anya. “The mailman hasn’t come yet. I’ll go put it in the mailbox for you.”

Mei shook her head. “We’re out of stamps. Without a stamp on the envelope, this won’t go anywhere.”

Anya looked thoughtful for a moment and then bounded off to her bedroom. She soon returned with her hands behind her back and a grin on her face.

“What are you hiding?” asked Mei.

Anya beamed with pride as she held out a roll of dinosaur stickers. “You can use one of my stamps to mail your letter.”

Mei smiled at her sister. “That’s very nice of you, Anya, but I’m afraid your stickers won’t work. A letter has to have a postage stamp on it. Your stickers are nice, but letters have to have the real thing.”

Anya frowned, and Mei tried to explain. “Postage stamps are a special kind of sticker. You buy them at the post office, and when you stick one on a letter, it shows that you’ve paid for the letter to be delivered. Then the people at the post office make sure it gets where you want it to go.” Mei gave her sister a hug. “Sorry, Anya, but thanks for trying to help.”

Anya hesitated, then peeled off a dinosaur sticker and stuck it on the back of Mei’s hand. “You can have a sticker anyway,” she said with a grin.

Mom, who was standing nearby, smiled as Anya skipped away. “You know, Mei, your explanation of how payment has to be made for a letter to be delivered reminds me of the payment needed for us to get to heaven. We might try to pay our own way by doing good things, but that’s like using a dinosaur sticker on a letter. To get to heaven, we need the real thing.”

“Right,” said Mei. “Jesus!”

Mom nodded. “We can’t pay our way to heaven at all—only Jesus can. He died on the cross to make the payment that guarantees our sins are forgiven and we have a place with Him forever. Only He can deliver us from sin into a new life with Him.”

–Kelly M. Schaefer

How about you? Did you know that the price for you to go to heaven has been paid in full? Jesus gave His life so your sins could be forgiven and you could have eternal life with Him. So don’t try to make that payment yourself! None of the good things you do can pay for the wrong you’ve done—only Jesus can. Accept His payment by trusting in Him. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: Since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. Romans 5:9 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Accept Jesus’s payment for sin

Read: Ephesians 4:31-32; Colossians 3:12-13

Aaron and his mom sat on the floor with one of his dresser drawers beside them. “I want to keep that!” Aaron said as Mom tossed a worn-out toy into a trash bag. Mom was helping him clean out his drawers, and she kept wanting to throw things away.

“Why keep all this junk?” Mom asked. “It doesn’t leave any room for all the good things you have.”

“It’s not junk!” said Aaron. “These are good things too.”

“Good things?” Mom pointed to a pair of broken sunglasses and a small motorcycle with only one wheel. “These don’t look like good things to me. They look like they should be dumped in the trash!”

Aaron picked up the motorcycle. “But this was my favorite motorcycle. It would still be good if Reece hadn’t broken it! He always wanted to play with it, and he took it home one day without asking. When he brought it back, a wheel was gone!” Aaron scowled. “It makes me mad when I think about it.”

“Aaron, that happened a long time ago,” Mom said gently.

“I don’t care,” said Aaron. “It still makes me really mad!”

Mom sighed. “I think you may need to put more than this junk in the trash.”

“What do you mean?” asked Aaron.

“It sounds like you’re hanging on to some anger and resentment. The Bible says to get rid of all bitterness and anger. That’s like dumping it in the trash, and I don’t think you’ve done that yet.”

Aaron spun the single wheel of his motorcycle. “I don’t know how.”

“To get rid of it, you need to give it to Jesus,” said Mom. “He’s forgiven you for all the wrong things you’ve done, and He wants you to do the same for Reece. I know it’s not easy, but He’ll help you do it—just like I’m helping you clean out the junk from your drawers. Trust Him to help you let go of the bitterness and anger in your heart and replace it with love so you can forgive Reece.”

Aaron was quiet for a moment, then slowly placed the broken motorcycle in the trash bag. He took a baseball mitt from the drawer. “Reece asked if he could borrow this.” Aaron smiled at Mom. “I’ll bring it to him tomorrow.”

–Pamela J. Kuhn

How about you? Are you holding a grudge against someone? It hurts when others wrong us, and it can be hard to forgive them. But you don’t have to do it on your own. If you trust in Jesus, He’s forgiven you for all the wrong things you’ve done, and He will help you forgive others. Trust Him to help you dump the junk in your heart and replace it with His love.

Today's Key Verse: Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger…Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:31-32 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Don’t hold grudges

Read: James 3:5-10

Milo looked up as his little sister limped into the kitchen. “What’s wrong?”

“I need new shoes!” Presley said. She lifted her right foot. “This one hurts me!”

Milo smirked. “Because you don’t know how to put shoes on right. You probably have them on the wrong feet.” He laughed. “You’re such a baby!”

Presley crossed her arms. “I’m six years old. I know which shoe goes on which foot!”

“Let me see,” said Dad, and Presley lifted her foot for him to check. “It’s the tongue of the shoe, honey,” he said, untying it. “It’s twisted and all bunched up. We’ll just straighten it out.” Dad pulled hard on the tongue and retied the shoe. “How does it feel now?”

Presley ran around the room and jumped. “That’s better! It’s all fixed!”

“Well, you may have gotten your shoe on the right foot, but you didn’t put it on correctly,” said Milo. “Like I said, you’re such a baby.”

“Stop it, Milo!” said Presley, close to tears.

“Milo, that’s enough,” said Dad. “It was the tongue in Presley’s shoe that was causing a problem, but there’s another one causing a much bigger problem.”

Milo looked down at his feet. “My shoes are fine, Dad.”

“You may not have a problem with the tongue in your shoe, but what about the one in your mouth?” asked Dad.

Milo sighed. “I guess you mean I need to be nicer to Presley.”

Dad nodded. “The Bible says the tongue is small but can do a great deal of damage—just like the tongue in Presley’s shoe.”

“Yeah,” said Presley. “It didn’t seem like such a little thing could hurt my foot so much.”

“Words can hurt people a lot more than shoes can hurt feet,” said Dad. “That’s why we need to be careful with our tongues. Jesus wants us to use our words to help others and show them His love. If we’re using them to hurt others instead, we have a big problem—one only Jesus can fix by straightening out our hearts and helping us love others the way He does.”

Milo nodded. “I’m sorry, Presley,” he said. “Here, let me show you how I put my shoes on so you’ll always know how to do it right.”

–Mary F. Watkins

How about you? Do you have a problem tongue? Do you say things to hurt others and make them upset? Tongues are small things that can cause a lot of damage and pain. If you’re using words to make someone feel bad, talk to Jesus about it and trust Him to help you love that person the way He does. Then use your words to help that person instead of hurting them.

Today's Key Verse: I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin. Psalm 39:1 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Watch your words