Bible Reading: Leviticus 19:16-18; Romans 12:17-21

"Mom, can we go to the park?" asked Harmony. "I want to go sledding."

"All right," said Mom. "But we've got to get this kitchen cleaned up first, including the refrigerator."

"Okay," said Harmony. "I'll start there." She opened the refrigerator door and started going through the items.

"Harmony, why don't you invite Tessa to come to the park with us?" asked Mom.

"No," said Harmony shortly as she dumped some moldy lemons into the trash.

"No?" Mom looked surprised. "Why not?"

"She's probably with Amy today." Harmony frowned. "Tessa is Amy's friend now."

"Can't Tessa have more than one friend? You could invite Amy too."

"No!" snapped Harmony. "Tessa knows I can't stand Amy. Last year Amy said some nasty things about me, and she--eww! What do I smell?" Harmony made a face.

Mom grimaced. "You must have uncovered something that's spoiled."

Harmony held up a bowl. "It's this old tuna casserole. Gross!" She held her nose.

"Quick!" said Mom. "Get rid of it!"

Soon the casserole was disposed of and the trash taken outside. "I guess we should clean out the fridge more often. Food smells really bad when it gets too old," said Harmony.

"Yes, it does." Mom paused for a moment. "Certain attitudes do too. For almost a year now, you've been holding a grudge against Amy, and frankly, that grudge is beginning to stink."

Harmony sighed. "But, Mom, she said--"

"I know--you've told me," said Mom. "But you've said some pretty mean things about her too." Harmony blushed. She hadn't thought of that. "Don't you think it's time to throw that grudge out?" Mom asked gently. "I know Amy hurt you, and I'm not saying you need to be friends with her. But as Christians, we need to be willing to forgive others when they hurt us--just like Jesus forgives us for our wrongs. Tell Him about the hurt you feel so He can help you let go of the bitterness in your heart and forgive Amy."

Harmony took a deep breath. "I'll ask Tessa if she wants to come to the park," she told her mom. "And if she wants to invite Amy, she can come too."

– Barbara J. Westberg

How About You?
Are you holding a grudge against someone? Do you refuse to forgive that person for what they did? When you let a grudge against someone grow stale and sour in your heart, it hurts you as well as others. If you trust in Jesus, He has forgiven you for all your wrongs, and He will help you forgive those who have wronged you. Trust Him to help you let go of bitterness and replace it with His love. *If you're struggling to forgive someone who hurt you deeply, tell a trusted adult so they can help.

Today's Key Verse:
Forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (NIV) (Colossians 3:13 )

Today's Key Thought:
Don't hold grudges

Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, 12-13; Ephesians 5:15-17

"I used to look forward to Saturdays before we moved here," Dad said as he crawled out from under the sink. "Since we began restoring this old house to its original splendor, it seems like there are never enough hours in the day to fix everything!"

"Well, now that the garbage disposal is fixed, you can move on to the next thing on the list," Gwen said with a grin.

Dad groaned. "Ugh, the list! What's next on that thing?"

Gwen laughed. "The faucet in the upstairs bathroom. It's leaking."

Dad got to his feet. "We probably should have fixed that first. I read somewhere that a dripping faucet can waste more than two thousand gallons of water over the course of a year."

"Really?" asked Gwen.

"Yep," said Dad. "It reminds me of my life." He laughed at Gwen's surprised expression. "The passing of time is something like a dripping faucet. As the water drips out, it doesn't seem like much, but slowly and surely it adds up to a lot. That happens with time too. Our minutes and days don't seem like they add up to much, but they do--one day you'll wake up all old and wrinkled like me and realize how valuable all those minutes were!"

"You're not old and wrinkled," said Gwen. She grinned. "Not that much, anyway."

Dad laughed. "Maybe not, but it's important to remember that we need to use our time wisely. It goes by fast."

"Yeah, it does," said Gwen. "I've been so busy with school and helping fix the house, I haven't had time for anything else!"

"Yes, you've definitely been working hard," said Dad. "But we also need to use our time for things besides work. Playing, resting, enjoying friends and family, and spending time with Jesus are all just as important. The time we have in this life is limited, which is why we need to use it wisely. When we remember that Jesus saved us so we could live forever with Him, it helps us use the time we have now to get to know Him better and share His love with others." Dad picked up his toolbox. "Tell you what--let's go fix that faucet and then see how big a snowman we can build in the front yard. I think we've spent enough time on the list for one day."

– Mike Dize

How About You?
How do you use the time God gives you? Today's verse tells us to use our time wisely. Though it can seem like each minute or hour doesn't matter much, it adds up quickly, and one day our time on this earth will come to an end. As you make time for work, play, and rest and spend time with God and other people, look forward to the promise of eternal life with Jesus and use the time you have now to point others to Him.

Today's Key Verse:
Be careful how you live. Don't live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. (NLT) (Ephesians 5:15-16 )

Today's Key Thought:
Use time wisely

Bible Reading: Matthew 9:2-4; Hebrews 4:12-13

Jeremiah sat in Dr. Smith's examination room, his head pounding. I should have listened to Mom and Dad and stayed away from the construction site, he thought.

"How did you say this happened?" Dr. Smith asked as he finished stitching Jeremiah's forehead.

"I tripped and fell on the sidewalk." Jeremiah hoped his face wouldn't reveal the lie. He had actually tripped and fallen against a piece of machinery at the construction site.

"Well, you're going to be just fine," said Dr. Smith. "But I do want you to get an X-ray, just to be on the safe side."

Jeremiah and his mom went to the X-ray department at the hospital. Jeremiah's head still throbbed as they sat in the waiting room. I never had my whole head X-rayed before, Jeremiah thought. I wonder how they do that. Suddenly he sat straight up. "Will this X-ray show my brain and all my thoughts?" he blurted out. As soon as he asked the question, he knew it sounded dumb.

"Relax, Jeremiah," Mom said, chuckling. Then she frowned. "Or are you afraid it might show thoughts you don't want anyone to see?"

Jeremiah didn't answer. He leaned back in his chair, glad the X-ray couldn't show his thoughts. If it did, everyone would know he had lied.

By the time they were heading home, Jeremiah was feeling better. "Your question back at the hospital reminds me of something," said Mom. "We should never forget that God sees all our thoughts just like you imagined the X-ray machine might show yours. There's nothing we can hide from Him." She glanced at Jeremiah, who wore a guilty expression. "Is there anything you want to tell me?" she asked quietly.

Jeremiah nodded. "Yeah. I lied, Mom. I hurt my head at the construction site next to the school. I'm sorry."

Mom drew in a breath. "It's good you weren't hurt worse than you were, Jeremiah," she said. "We'll talk more about it with your dad at home, but I'm glad you told me the truth."

"Me too," said Jeremiah.

"I think you need to talk to Jesus about it too," said Mom. "He already knows about the wrong things we think and do, and He offers us forgiveness. Instead of trying to hide our sin, we need to confess it to Him and accept His forgiveness."

– Nance E. Keyes

How About You?
Would you want other people to know what you're thinking? Probably not, and that's okay--your thoughts are personal. But remember that God knows all your thoughts--good and bad. He sees everything that's in your heart. So when selfish thoughts lead to wrong actions, don't try to hide them. Instead, confess them to Jesus and He will forgive you.

Today's Key Verse:
The Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought. (NLT) (1 Chronicles 28:9)

Today's Key Thought:
God knows your thoughts

Bible Reading: Romans 12:4-11; James 1:17

"A few more days," said Miles, "and we can watch the best ball game of the year!" He picked up the football he'd gotten for Christmas. "The next best thing to playing football is watching the Rose Bowl game!"

"Huh!" scoffed his sister Heidi. "The best thing about football is that the season's almost over." She picked up her new tennis racquet and some fuzzy green balls. "Now this is much better. Way better than your funny-shaped football!"

Mom spoke up. "Well, I think my new bowling ball is the best. It's big and beautiful, and it's going to knock down a lot of bowling pins!"

"It's big all right," said Dad. "But if you want to see beauty, you need to take a look at my golf balls." Glancing around at his family, Dad grinned. "Whoever thought buying everybody sports equipment for Christmas would start a family feud?"

"Well, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree," Mom said, smiling. "Better yet, let's agree that everybody's sport is great. Tennis balls or golf balls, bowling balls or footballs--no one kind is better than the others. They're just all different. Each is designed to do the best job possible for its own sport."

"That's true," said Heidi. "You wouldn't knock many bowling pins over with my tennis balls."

"No," said Miles. "And I can just imagine you trying to play tennis with Dad's golf balls while he plays golf with my football."

Heidi laughed. "And you trying to play football with Mom's bowling ball--that would be funniest of all!"

"You know," said Dad, "that's the way it is with people too. We all have different abilities. Some people can sing or speak well. Others are good with kids or at building things. Some are good in science or sports or math. But that doesn't make one person better than another. Just like it's unfair to compare a tennis ball to a bowling ball, it's unfair to compare people to one another."

Mom nodded. "God gave all of us different talents and abilities, and each one of us is special and loved by Him. We don't need to compare our abilities to anyone else's. Instead, we can trust Him to help us use the gifts He's given us to show others His love and point people to Him."

– Hazel W. Marett

How About You?
Can you think of someone who can do something better than you? Do you think that makes them more special or valuable than you? Wrong! Or maybe you think you're better than someone else because you can do something they can't--wrong again! God made each person different and special, and He loves each one of us. Trust Him to help you develop the skills He gave you so you can use them to share His love with others.

Today's Key Verse:
In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. (NLT) (Romans 12:6 )

Today's Key Thought:
Use the gifts God gave you

Bible Reading: Matthew 1:23; Luke 2:8-14

There weren't enough gifts under the tree.

Alexis stood in the living room doorway and looked at the place where there were typically stacks and stacks of colorful gifts each year. This year, there were only two small piles. One for her, one for her sister.

Alexis had wanted a new bike this year. Her mom told her it might not happen, but now it looked like she hadn't gotten much at all.

She wasn't supposed to be looking at the presents yet--it was early in the morning and no one else was up. But Alexis had snuck downstairs to see what she had gotten, and now she wished she hadn't.

The floor creaked behind her. "You're up early," Mom said.

Alexis sighed. "I was excited, but…"

Mom put her hands on Alexis's shoulders. "It's not as many gifts this year. I know. I'm sorry. But we'll still have a great day, right?"

Alexis looked up at her mom's hopeful smile. She wanted to agree with her, but it was hard.

"Presents are fun, and I know there are all kinds of things you want," Mom said as they sat down on the couch together. "But Christmas is so much more than that."

Alexis turned her gaze away from the small stacks of presents to the Bible on the coffee table. She gave a sigh and a nod. "It's about Jesus."

Mom smiled. "It is. He's the greatest gift of all." She wrapped her arms around Alexis. "This year might look a little different for you in how many gifts you receive, but you still have the greatest gift. Jesus came to earth as a baby that first Christmas so He could save us from sin and bring us into God's family, and He loves you and will always be with you. And you also have this family, and we'll all be together today."

"And we can still go caroling later?" Alexis asked, suddenly feeling a bit more hopeful about the day.

Mom grinned. "Yes."

"And we'll still have hot chocolate?" Alexis asked.

"Yes," Mom said again, giving her a hug. "There is still so much to be grateful for this Christmas."

– Bethany Acker

How About You?
Has your family ever had to cut back on gifts for Christmas? Did you have fun even when you didn't get all the things you wanted? While giving and receiving presents is a fun way to celebrate the holiday, Christmas isn't about having lots of gifts under the tree. It's about God giving us the greatest gift of all--Jesus, who became human and died for our sins so we could enjoy His peace and presence for all eternity. Celebrate Him with your loved ones this Christmas.

Today's Key Verse:
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! (NIV) (2 Corinthians 9:15)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus is the greatest gift