Read: John 3:16; Colossians 1:13-14

As Jana sat at the dining room table doing her homework, she looked out the window and saw a beautiful butterfly. It was flying from flower to flower, getting nectar. Jana loved how gracefully the butterfly floated through the air and then landed on a flower for some nectar.

“How’s your homework coming?” Mom called from the kitchen.

“It’s coming!” Jana replied. She looked away from the window long enough to get another math problem done. When she looked back up—“Oh no!” Jana ran out the door. “Try to be nice and still, butterfly. I’m going to try to get you out of this spiderweb.”

Mom dashed into the dining room when she heard the commotion. She smiled as she watched Jana gently rescue the butterfly and set it carefully on a flower in their garden.

“Now you’re safe. I saved you from that spider,” Jana said softly. She stood back and observed the butterfly as it began to flutter around again. She was thankful she’d been able to rescue it in time. “I rescued that butterfly from a spider’s web,” Jana said as she walked back inside.

“I saw that. I’m sure the butterfly is really happy to be out of that web.” Mom smiled. “It reminds me of how happy I am to have been rescued too.”

“You were rescued?” Jana looked at her mom in surprise. “How?”

Mom took a Bible from the shelf and flipped through its pages, then began reading. “‘For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.’” She looked at Jana. “Jesus rescues us from sin when we trust Him as our Savior. He paid the price for our sins on the cross and then rose again so we could be given a new life and spend eternity with Him.”

Jana looked out the window and watched the butterfly again for a long moment. “Mom, I think I’m ready to ask Jesus to be my Savior.”

Mom held Jana’s hands, and they prayed together. “Thanks for praying with me, Mom,” Jana said. “Now I’ve been rescued too!”

–Lisa Fuller

How about you? Have you trusted Jesus as your Savior? The Bible says that our sin—our selfish desires and the wrong things we do—is like a web that we can’t break free of ourselves. We need to be rescued, and God loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to save us. When you trust in Him, He will rescue you and give you a new life of freedom with Him that will never end! (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins. Colossians 1:13-14 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Jesus rescues us from sin

Read: Proverbs 3:5-6; Hebrews 13:20-21

“I can’t wait to taste maple syrup!” Brady said, smacking his lips.

Mom laughed. She was chaperoning his field trip to the nature center to see how maple syrup was made.

As they trudged behind their group, Brady sighed. “I wish I was invited to my teacher’s wedding.”

Mom was surprised. “Why do you want to go?”

Brady frowned. “What if I get married someday? I need to know how to do it!”

“If you do get married, it won’t be for a long time, Brady,” said Mom.

Brady bit his lip. “But what if I’m not ready when the time comes?”

The group stopped in front of a large sugar maple. They watched a man drill a hole in the tree and tap a wooden peg he called a spile into the hole. After several seconds, the sap began to drip, and the class formed a line to get a taste.

“What do you remember about the temperatures needed to collect sap?” Mom asked Brady.

“It has to be twenty degrees Fahrenheit at night and forty-five degrees during the day, in the spring.”

Mom nodded. “God cares an awful lot about the details in preparing trees for maple syrup–making, doesn’t He? But He cares about people even more than trees. He sent Jesus to save us so we could be His children, and He’ll prepare us for whatever He has planned for our lives—like getting married or having a job. We can have confidence in His timing.”

Brady caught a drop of sap on his tongue. “This isn’t very sweet.”

“They still have to boil it before it turns to syrup,” Mom explained. “Preparing maple syrup is a process—and being prepared for the things God wants for us is a process too. We don’t have to know everything right away. See that little sapling?” Mom pointed to a tree no bigger around than Brady’s thumb. “It’s got a lot more growing to do before it can give sap for syrup. And you’ve got a lot more growing to do too.”

Brady smiled as they were handed samples of sweet golden syrup. “Let’s have maple syrup for dinner!” he said after tasting it. Mom arched an eyebrow, and Brady grinned. “You know, to remind us to be confident in God’s timing.”

–Pearl Allard

How about you? Do you worry about your future? Are you afraid you won’t be ready if you ever get married, attend college, or work at a job? You can have peace knowing that God cares about you and promises to be with you through life’s every step. He will prepare you for whatever He has planned for you in the future. You can be confident in His timing.

Today's Key Verse: Trust in the Lord with all your heart…and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Be confident in God’s timing

Read: Luke 16:10-12; 1 Corinthians 4:2

It was a warm day, and Dad had just finished digging up the garden plot so he and Eliza and Jeremiah could plant sweet corn. “Hey, look!” exclaimed Eliza, bending over a corner of the plot. “An earthworm! We learned about earthworms at school. They eat dirt.” She picked it up and waved it under her brother’s nose. “Doesn’t that sound yummy, Jeremiah?”

“Ew, gross!” Jeremiah batted at the worm in front of his face. “Cut it out!”

“Okay, you guys,” said Dad. “That’s enough of that. But you’re right, Eliza, in a way, earthworms do eat dirt. As they move through the soil, it passes through their bodies and gives them nourishment, and the quality of the soil is also improved. Millions of acres of the earth’s topsoil are loosened in this way, allowing all kinds of good things to grow. As Christians, we can learn a lot from earthworms.”

Eliza gave her dad a puzzled look. “What do earthworms have to do with Christians?”

“Well,” said Dad, “since they live underground, we don’t see earthworms working—and like Jeremiah, we may think their job sounds unappealing—but they keep at it anyway. That worm you’re holding is a good example of a faithful worker. Because he and all the other earthworms out there do their jobs faithfully, lots of people benefit from the things that are able to grow.”

“But Dad, a worm doesn’t decide to be faithful,” said Jeremiah. “It just does what earthworms do.”

“That’s right,” said Dad. “Earthworms are faithful because God made them that way—and He does the same for us as Christians. Jesus gives us the ability to faithfully serve Him, even in hidden places—places where no one notices or praises us, doing tasks that aren’t always fun or rewarding. In those times, we need to remember that we’re serving Jesus and depend on Him to help us be faithful in doing our work, trusting that He will use it to help others grow.”

Eliza looked at the worm squiggling in the palm of her hand. Then she put it down and smoothed dirt over it. “Thanks, faithful friend,” she said. “Keep working so we can have lots of good sweet corn!”

–Christi B. Kehn

How about you? Are you depending on Jesus to help you be faithful in the things He has given you to do? Trust Him to give you the ability and strength to do what He wants you to do—even when those things are difficult or others don’t seem to care. Remember that you are serving Jesus and trust that He will use your work to bless both you and others.

Today's Key Verse: A faithful person will be richly blessed. Proverbs 28:20 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Be faithful

Read: 1 Samuel 3:1-10

Konan looked at the fish lying in the bucket at Grandpa’s feet and frowned. “Why are they biting for you and not me?” he asked.

“Well, you keep pulling in your line to check the bait and moving to different sides of the boat,” Grandpa said. “If you want to catch fish, you can’t keep moving around all the time. Try sitting still.”

Konan sighed. “I don’t like to sit still.”

“I know, but you need to learn how. Otherwise you’ll miss out on even more important things than catching fish.”

“Like what?” asked Konan.

“Well, you need to sit quietly and listen to learn and do well in school. And you need to take time to sit still and listen to God so you can learn about Him and hear what He wants you to do.”

“You mean like how Samuel heard Him in the Bible?” Konan asked. “God doesn’t talk to us like that anymore, does He?”

“Maybe not,” said Grandpa. “But if you set aside time to spend with God, He may speak by bringing something to your attention.”

“I pray every night,” Konan told his grandfather.

“Good,” said Grandpa. “That’s one way to listen to God. He uses prayer to align our hearts with His and remind us to trust and depend on Him. Another way to listen to God is by reading the Bible—alone and at church with other believers. Before you read or go to church, be still for a moment and ask God to show you what He wants you to know about Him and what Jesus has done for you.” Grandpa smiled. “Now, why don’t you practice sitting still and see if you can get any fish to bite?”

“Okay.” Konan sat and quietly listened to the sounds of birds singing and water softly lapping against the boat. Thank you for all the beautiful things you created, Lord, he prayed silently.

Just then, he felt a jerk. “I’ve got a bite!” he yelled. Soon he was taking a fish off his hook. “Look at that fish!” he said, holding it up for Grandpa to see. “It paid to sit still that time, didn’t it?”

“It sure did,” said Grandpa. “And it will pay off in even better ways. Keep practicing!”

–Barbara J. Westberg

How about you? Do you take time to quietly wait for God to speak to your heart? Before you read the Bible, go to church, or say your prayers, pause and ask Him to bring something to your mind He wants you to think or pray about. Wait quietly so you can hear Him speak to you. Don’t expect to hear a voice like Samuel did, but let God bring the things He wants you to know and remember to your attention.

Today's Key Verse: Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Be still and listen to God

Read: Matthew 25:31-46

Simi pouted as she placed the bag of toys beside the other cartons in the back of the minivan. “Mummy, why do we have to go to the refugee camp on a Saturday?”

Simi’s mum shut the van’s back door. “You already know why, Simi. Those children need all the love and attention they can get.”

“I know.” Simi kicked a stone into the sand as she walked to the front seat of the minivan. “But Saturdays are supposed to be for fun and games.”

Mum opened the driver’s side door. “I know you feel like you’re missing out,” she said, buckling her seat belt once they were inside. “But just think of the trauma those children have been through. Their villages were raided, houses burned, and some of them lost their parents and close family members. That’s sad, isn’t it?”

Simi nodded her head.

“So, the least we can do is put a smile on their faces,” Mum continued. “When we do, we put a smile on Jesus’s face too. There’s a verse in the Bible where He says that ‘whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

Simi looked up. “I don’t understand.”

Mum smiled. “When we give food and clothes to people who don’t have any and take care of them, it’s the same as doing it to Jesus.”

Simi brightened up a bit. “Oh! Just like what we’re doing for the people at the refugee camp?”

Mum nodded. “Jesus loves us so much that He became human and sacrificed His life to save us from sin. Because we trust in Him, we’re able to show His love to others. When we make sacrifices to help others, He counts it as us doing those things for Him.”

Some hours later at the camp, Simi’s mum was serving food to a line of children while Simi stood beside her, glancing around. Then her eyes caught a baby crying. The volunteer nurse holding her couldn’t seem to calm her down.

Simi walked over. “Can I help?”

The nurse gladly released the baby into Simi’s outstretched arms. Simi cradled the baby, and she stopped crying.

Simi’s mum, who had been silently watching, beamed.

–Elo Omonkhogbe

How about you? How can you show the love of Jesus to others? Perhaps there’s someone at your school or church who needs a friend. Maybe you can help meet the needs of people in your community or another part of the world by sharing what you have and telling them about Jesus. When we make sacrifices for others to show them Jesus’s love, we’re doing those things for Him. How can you make Jesus smile today?

Today's Key Verse: Do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:16 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Show love through sacrifice

Read: Matthew 5:44-48; Ephesians 4:32

“No, not Amie! Now we’re really gonna lose!”

The entire team sighed in unison as Amie approached the plate and waited for the kickball. She hadn’t felt well all morning, and now the weight of her teammates’ disgust seemed to make her insides churn even more. Just as the teacher was about to roll the ball, Amie gasped. “Mrs. Anderson! I have to—”

It was too late. She threw up all over home plate as both teams squealed and retreated. Tears streaming down her face, Amie stumbled to the restroom as Mrs. Anderson tried to corral the howling class.

Since nobody was available to come pick up Amie, she had to wait and ride the school bus home. No one asked to sit with her. As she looked out the window, her mind replayed the words of her classmates over and over.

“Amie will make us lose.”

“Who picked her?”

“You mean you’re gonna stay the rest of the day and make us all sick?”

Amie knew it was wrong, but part of her wanted to see them get hurt. She imagined some of the meanest kids throwing up all over the principal and getting suspended.

Shaking her head, she tried to dismiss her vengeful feelings. But instead, more memories flooded her mind of all the times her classmates had ignored her or purposefully humiliated her.

“Jesus,” she whispered, “I want to forgive them. But they don’t even care that they’ve hurt me. How can I love people who like seeing me sad?”

Immediately the Bible verse she’d read that morning came to her mind. Pray for them.

Amie gulped. “Really, Jesus? Did You just say to pray for them?”

The verse repeated in her mind. Pray for them.

Still feeling angry, Amie leaned her forehead against the cool glass of the window and squeezed her eyes shut. Dear Jesus, please bless my classmates. Help them do well on their tests and in kickball, and please don’t let any of them get sick. Please help me forgive them as you’ve forgiven me so I can show them Your love. In Your name, amen.

Amie opened her eyes and smiled. Jesus was helping her forgive.

–Rebekah Love Dorris

How about you? Have you ever wondered how to forgive people who don’t seem sorry for hurting you? Forgiveness isn’t a feeling—it’s an action. One of the best ways to begin forgiving others is to pray for them. Try praying the same things for your enemies you’d want someone to pray for you. Then thank Jesus for forgiving you for your sin and for empowering you to forgive others.

Today's Key Verse: But I [Jesus] say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. Matthew 5:44 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Pray for your enemies

Read: Philippians 4:4-7

“What if I don’t make the team, Dad?” Felix asked as they hiked a rugged trail. He had spent most of their backpacking trip finding things to worry about.

“Felix, all you’ve done today is worry,” Dad said. “I could understand your concerns if we were fending off mountain lions or something, but the most dangerous animal we’ve seen was the timid gray squirrel that scurried across our path a few minutes ago.”

Felix wasn’t listening. He was too busy worrying. “What if I make the team but none of my friends do? I won’t know anyone!”

When Felix stopped to take a drink from his water bottle, Dad picked up a handful of stones from the side of the trail. As they continued walking, he reached over and slipped a rock in an open pocket of Felix’s backpack. Felix didn’t even notice.

“What if I don’t figure out the new stuff we’re doing in my math class? It’s so hard!” With each new worry Felix brought up, Dad managed to sneak a rock into his backpack.

“I’m getting kind of tired,” Felix said after a while. “What if I get too tired to finish the hike? Maybe we should turn back.”

Dad added another rock to the backpack. This time Felix noticed.

“What are you doing?” he asked. He stopped, took off his backpack, and opened it. “Dad!” he said with a groan. “My pack is heavy enough without these rocks! Why are you making it heavier?”

Dad shrugged. “It’s not much different from what you’re doing yourself, is it?”

“I’m not picking up rocks!” Felix said.

“No, but worrying about every little thing is kind of like carrying a load of rocks. It just makes you tired and doesn’t solve anything.” Dad took off his backpack. “Let’s take a break. We’ll dump the rocks from your backpack, and I think it would also be a good time to pray and give your burdens to Jesus. Don’t you agree?” Felix nodded. “Good,” said Dad. “He gave His life to save you and promises to take care of you. When you remember that, you’ll be able to live life without being weighed down by worries.”

–Mike Dize

How about you? Do you spend a lot of time worrying? Has it ever helped you? Instead of fretting about things you have no control over, go to Jesus with your worries. He’s in control of everything, and He loves you and cares about every detail of your life. Trust Him to handle the problems you face and to give you wisdom. Then you can live without the burden of worry weighing you down.

Today's Key Verse: Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Give your burdens to Jesus

Read: Psalm 25:6-7; 1 John 1:9

Jacki and Blake waited anxiously in line with their uncle at High Seas Tees—the best mini-golf course in the entire world. Blake stretched himself tall to see to the front of the line when he noticed a sign that read: Mulligans $2, all proceeds go toward field trip funds!

“What’s a mulligan?” Blake asked Uncle Lee.

“It’s a redo in golf,” Uncle Lee answered. “The first attempt doesn’t count on your scorecard; it’s like it never happened. You might ask for one if a gust of wind messes up your shot or the ball lands in an obstacle. Or if you just take a terrible swing.”

Jacki laughed. “Might need to buy some for Blake!”

“Hey!” Blake scowled at his sister. “I’m going to win the whole tournament!”

“How about I get one mulligan for each of us,” Uncle Lee said. “That way we each have a redo swing.”

The kids nodded and soon got their clubs, balls, and scorecards. On a particularly difficult hole, Jacki swung off the tee, but her ball sunk into a shallow pool of water. Jacki groaned.

“Use your mulligan,” Uncle Lee offered.

Jacki fished her ball out of the slimy water, shook it off, and set it back at the start as if her mess-up never happened. Just as she was about to hit the ball, Blake shouted, “I know what this reminds me of!”

Startled, Jacki swung off course again, and her ball landed back in the pool.

Blake gasped. “Sorry, Jacki! I just wanted to say your mulligan reminded me of forgiveness.”

Jacki crossed her arms in frustration. “You couldn’t have waited until after I swung?”

Uncle Lee chuckled. “You’re right, Blake. When you use a mulligan, it wipes your score card clean, much like how God wipes our sin away when we confess our wrongs to Him. Jesus died to pay for all our sin so we could be forgiven and have a redo whenever we need one.” Uncle Lee looked at Jacki. “God also wants us to forgive each other.”

Jacki sighed. “I forgive you for messing up my shot, Blake.”

Blake grinned. “I’ll give you my mulligan for free.”

“Oh no,” Jacki said, a smile growing on her face. “I’m winning fair and square.”

–Zoe Sherman

How about you? Have you ever done something and wished it never happened? Although we can’t go back in time and change our past, God offers us forgiveness when we sin and wipes our record clean. He loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross so that we can always be forgiven. Tell Him what you’ve done wrong and He will forgive you so you can start over.

Today's Key Verse: I will forgive their sins. I will remember their sins no more. Jeremiah 31:34 (NLV)

Today's Key Thought: God forgives sin