Bible Reading: John 10:2-5, 14

"Oh, look!" Amelia said as her mother parked the car at Grandpa's farm. "I see Grandpa's new sheep! Let's go pet them." The children climbed out of the car and raced toward the sheep, but the animals darted to the far corner of the pen.

"Oops! We scared them," said Josiah. "Let's try again. Let's pull some grass for them, and this time let's walk, not run."

Amelia agreed, and they each pulled a handful of grass and slowly carried it toward the corner where the sheep huddled. But as they approached, the flock spun around and dashed away. Amelia dropped her grass. "I give up."

"Me too," said Josiah, throwing his grass on the ground.

A moment later, the children saw their grandfather coming. They ran to give him a hug. "Grandpa, why do you have those baby bottles?" Amelia asked.

"Two of my lambs need these," replied Grandpa. "I feed them because their mother died."

"I wish I could feed one of them," said Amelia, "but your sheep don't like us. They run away."

Grandpa smiled. "Watch," he said as he led the children to a small pen beside the barn. They saw that it held two little lambs. "Here, Fluffy. Here, Snowball," Grandpa called as he opened the pen. The lambs scampered out and followed him as he crisscrossed the lawn.

Josiah laughed. "They're playing follow the leader!"

Grandpa handed each of the kids a bottle. "Here," he said. "You can hold these for them."

"Cool!" said Amelia, offering her bottle to one of the lambs. She giggled in delight as the lamb eagerly took it. "This one dances while he eats!" Amelia looked at Grandpa. "But why wouldn't your other sheep eat the grass we pulled for them?"

"Sheep know their shepherd's voice and follow him. They tend to run away from strangers," Grandpa explained. "It reminds me that we are like sheep. We follow our Shepherd--Jesus--by obeying Him and trusting Him to guide us and take care of us. We don't let anything or anyone lead us away from Him because we've heard His voice and know that He is the Good Shepherd who calls us to eternal life with Him."

–Margaret M. Primrose

How About You?
Are you following Jesus, the Good Shepherd? You may not have wool and four legs, but the Bible often refers to Christians as sheep who hear and follow Jesus's voice. He's the one who loves us so much that He gave His life to save us and promises to guide us, care for us, and supply our needs. If you trust in Jesus, you are following Him.

Today's Key Verse:
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. (NKJV) (John 10:27)

Today's Key Thought:
Follow your Shepherd--Jesus

Bible Reading: 1 Peter 2:19-25

Anissa leaned out the car window to watch a line of people walking along the side of the road. Accompanied by a police escort, a large number of children and adults followed a man who was dressed to look the way Jesus did in pictures. The man was wearing what looked like a crown of thorns, and he was carrying a large cross on his back. "One of the local churches must be reenacting what happened on Good Friday many years ago," Mom said as she slowed the car at the policeman's signal.

Anissa looked away. She didn't want to think about what really happened--how Jesus had suffered when He went to the cross to die for sinners. But she looked back when she heard the loud voice of a man in another car.

"Hey!" the man hollered. "You're nuts!" He honked his horn and then hollered some more. The man portraying Jesus didn't even look up. He and the crowd of followers continued their solemn journey.

"That guy wasn't very nice!" Anissa remarked.

"No, but that kind of thing--and much worse--happened when Jesus was crucified," said Mom. "People mocked Him, but Jesus kept on going too. He was committed to doing the will of His Father."

"That must have been hard," said Anissa.

"Yes," said Mom. "Christians today might get teased and mocked for following Jesus. When that happens, we need to look to Him for the strength to keep going and do God's will, just like He did."

"I know." Anissa sighed. "Sometimes I want to go along with other kids and do things even when I know they're wrong. But being left out or putting up with mean things they say is nothing compared to what Jesus went through for me!"

Mom nodded. "Jesus took up His cross, and He tells each of us to do the same. That means being willing to give up whatever is necessary to live the way He wants us to--from what others think of us to our very lives. The good news is that He is with us and will help each of us carry our cross the way He did so others can see His love in our lives."

–Nance E. Keyes

How About You?
Are you ever teased or rejected because of what you believe? Jesus understands. He suffered that kind of rejection too. He was scorned and mocked and even spit on. He suffered real, deep pain when He took the punishment for sin you deserve. He loves you that much, and He will help you follow Him and show His love to others, no matter what anyone else says or does.

Today's Key Verse:
[Jesus said,] "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me." (NLT) (Luke 9:23)

Today's Key Thought:
Take up your cross

Bible Reading: Matthew 25:14-21

Hunter and his dad chose a spot in the backyard to set up the rain gauge Hunter had made at school. He was proud of the hollow tube and its funnel-like top. "This is the best school project ever," he said. "I hope it rains soon!"

"Hunter," Mom said when he came inside, "Mr. Blake isn't feeling well, and he's afraid his garbage cans might roll out into the street if they stay in his driveway. Would you go bring in his trash cans?"

"Okay," said Hunter, and he headed out the door. He returned a few minutes later and sighed heavily.

"What's wrong?" asked Mom.

"Mr. Blake seems to be sick a lot," said Hunter. "And I know he's sad about losing his wife. I wish I could do something more to help him. When I brought his trash cans in, I noticed paint peeling off his house. I wish I could paint his house for him!"

A timer beeped, and Mom pulled brownies from the oven. "Well, you may not be able to paint his house, but you can run some of these over to Mr. Blake. That'll cheer him up."

"Okay. But it'd be cool to do something big instead of just this little stuff."

Mom smiled at him. "I know it may not seem like much, but remember the Bible says that we serve Jesus by serving others. By helping Mr. Blake--even in small ways--you're showing him the love of Jesus."

Later that day, it began to sprinkle, so Hunter and his parents went to check his rain gauge. "It's collecting water!" Hunter said.

"Good," said Dad. "But this is a very light rainfall. It will take a lot more rain than this to really measure water in your gauge."

"Maybe," said Hunter. "But look! A little water is running into it--and every drop counts! The water will build up over time."

"You're right," Mom said. "Every little bit does count, and you know what? Every little thing you do for Jesus counts too. No matter how small or insignificant it may seem."

"You mean like the stuff I do to help Mr. Blake?" asked Hunter.

"Yes," said Mom. "Jesus can use it to show him a big picture of God's love."

–Nance E. Keyes

How About You?
Do you think the small things you do for others don't amount to much? Do you wish you could do something big? The Bible tells us Jesus came down from heaven to serve us by dying for our sins, and He wants us to serve others--even when it doesn't seem like much to us. He uses the small things we say and do to show people how much He loves them. Serve Jesus by serving others.

Today's Key Verse:
The Son of Man [Jesus] did not come to be served, but to serve. (NKJV) (Mark 10:45)

Today's Key Thought:
Serving others shows them God's love

Bible Reading: Hebrews 9:11-15; 1 John 1:7-9

Cole followed his grandpa across his new backyard. "I want to see inside!"

Grandpa stopped at the door of a big shed. "Ready?"

Cole nodded. Grandpa pulled the door open, and Cole jumped back. The smell coming from inside was terrible. He moved to a place where he could take deep breaths of fresh air and looked over to see Grandpa laughing at him.

"We're going to need to take care of that." Grandpa held up a handkerchief. "Until then, I have this."

"You knew it was going to smell like that and you're still going in there to clean it?" Cole couldn't believe it.

"Your grandma needs a place to work on her pottery." Grandpa shrugged. "I love her, so I'm going to clean that place out and get it ready for her."

"Speaking of Grandma…" Cole backed toward the house.

Grandpa laughed again. "You go inside and spend time with her. I don't expect you to work with me."

Cole didn't go back to the shed until weeks later when Grandpa convinced him he had to see inside.

"I don't want to smell it." Cole dragged his feet as they made their way across the yard.

"It doesn't smell anymore." Grandpa pulled the shed door open.

Cole's eyes widened. Gone was all of the mess that had been in the place before. And the smell coming from the shed was one of fresh paint and stain. He saw shiny wood floors and perfect white walls. "It's amazing."

Grandpa grinned. "It's really different, isn't it?"

Cole dropped to his knees on the clean floor. "This reminds me of something."

"Yeah?" Grandpa asked.

"You know how Jesus loves us even though we're sinners?" Cole asked. "He's willing to step into the dirty, the gross, and make things better. He loves us enough to deal with the smelly stuff, just like you loved Grandma enough to do that. And now…now the shed has been made clean! Some people might have said it'd be best to just burn it down or something, but you made it new."

Grandpa squeezed Cole's shoulder. "I like that."

–Emily Acker

How About You?
Do smelly things bother you? How much love would it take for you to step into a smelly, messy place to make it better for someone you love? Because of His great love for us, Jesus came into our messy world and died for our sins. When we trust in Him, He cleans us and makes us new. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page or go to www.keysforkids.org/goodnews.) No matter how many times we mess up, He will always forgive us.

Today's Key Verse:
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. (NKJV) (1 John 1:7)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus cleans you because of His love

Bible Reading: Psalm 62:5-8

For as long as they could remember, Isla and Parker had lived a block away from the beach. Now they were at the water's edge saying goodbye to their favorite spot. Isla pushed her bare feet into the sand while Parker threw rocks out into the water. Tears trickled down Isla's cheeks as she thought of the moving van parked in front of their house--only it wasn't their house anymore.

Isla would always remember the last day of school before spring vacation a few weeks ago. She and Parker had bolted off the school bus, excited about heading to the beach. They'd burst through the front door. "Mom, we're home!" Isla called. The house was silent.

"Mom?" called Parker. They went into the living room and found Mom and Dad sitting there. Mom looked like she'd been crying. "What's wrong?" asked Isla. That's when her world fell apart.

"You've probably noticed that your mother and I haven't been able to agree on many things lately," said Dad. "We've decided that it will be better for all of us to live apart."

It just kept getting worse. Not only was Dad leaving, but Isla and Parker were moving with their mom to Grandma's. They'd have to find a new school and make all new friends. And there was no beach nearby.

Isla stared at the waves crashing against a huge boulder out in the water. "God, this isn't fair," she whispered. As the waves sprayed over the boulder, she remembered a verse she'd learned in church. The Lord is my Rock, she thought. He's always solid and never changes, and He'll always be with me and care for me.

Parker finished throwing rocks and came and sat beside Isla. "Don't worry, Isla. Everything will be okay," he said half-heartedly.

"I know," replied Isla. "I just remembered that Jesus is a solid, steady Rock to stand on. We may feel like those waves out there being tossed all over the place, but Jesus is like that big boulder. Even if everything else is changing, He's still the same. He cares about what's happening to us and will always be with us. We have to trust Him."

–Betty Yeider

How About You?
Are you going through a difficult time in your life? A time when you feel hurt and alone and life doesn't seem fair? Remember that Jesus is a close friend, one who is always there for you. He loves you so much He died for you, and He cares about what is happening. When everything around you seems to be falling apart, He is solid and unchanging--a Rock you can trust.

Today's Key Verse:
Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. (NIV) (Psalm 62:8)

Today's Key Thought:
Always trust God