Bible Reading: Matthew 7:7-11

Leighton was excited to spend time with his aunt. Since his new cousin was born, he hadn't seen her much.

"Let's get right to the card tricks," said Aunt Ellie. "Where did I put my cards?"

There was baby stuff everywhere. Leighton helped his aunt go through it. Finally, they found a deck of cards under a stuffed giraffe.

Aunt Ellie was emptying out the card box when they heard crying coming from down the hallway. She stood. "That's River."

Leighton shuffled the cards as he waited for his aunt. His sister had a birthday party coming up, and he wanted to surprise her guests with the tricks that his aunt knew.

"She needs to eat. Sorry." Aunt Ellie reappeared, sitting down and sticking a bottle into the mouth of the crying bundle in her arms.

Leighton waited as his cousin ate and as his aunt held her and patted her back. He waited as Aunt Ellie changed the baby's diaper, and he watched her lay her in a bassinet.

"Watch Mommy impress your cousin with card tricks, okay?" Aunt Ellie moved back over to Leighton. She was about to do a card trick when River started to cry again. She dropped the cards. "Maybe she has a burp that's stuck."

"She needs help burping?" Leighton watched his aunt pick up the baby and start patting her back again. "I'm never going to learn this trick."

"Babies need a lot from us," said Aunt Ellie. "I was talking about that with your grandma. She reminded me that's how we are with God. First, we need Jesus to save us from sin and give us new life in Him." Aunt Ellie sat down. "Then we need His forgiveness when we don't listen to what He says. We need His protection. We need His encouragement. We need His peace and joy and the hope He offers…"

"Do you think He gets tired of all our needs?" Leighton asked.

His aunt shook her head. "Never." River had quieted in her arms, and she looked at Leighton with a smile. "Know what she needs now? Her cousin." She reached over and placed the baby in Leighton's outstretched arms, and he held her carefully.

–Emily Acker

How About You?
Do you know any babies who are always needing something from you and the adults in your life? Babies can't do anything for themselves--they're dependent on others to take care of them and give them what they need. And we need God to take care of us. He is always patient and never grows tired of helping you with your needs. Bring your problems and worries to Him in prayer and trust Him to take care of you.

Today's Key Verse:
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. (NIV) (Philippians 4:19)

Today's Key Thought:
Trust God with your needs

Bible Reading: Matthew 5:43-48; 1 John 4:7-13

"I'm not going to Topher's birthday party," Declan told his mother as they walked down the grocery aisle. "Not if Walker's there."

"That's not very nice," said Mom. "For Topher or Walker."

"Yeah, well, they both deserve it! Walker's mean and makes fun of people, and Topher just wants to be friends with him so the other kids will think he's cool."

They stopped in front of a display filled with bags of heart-shaped candy, and Declan's younger brother eagerly looked for something to pass out to his kindergarten class with his valentines. "Can I get this kind?" Ben asked, picking up a bag.

"Let's see," Mom said, reading the package. "We'll need two bags of these. There are only twenty pieces in each bag, and there are twenty-one kids in your class."

"One's enough," said Ben. "I'm not giving one to Steven. He's mean, and he doesn't deserve candy."

"Ben," said Mom, "Valentine's Day is all about love, remember? It's not very loving to bring treats for all but one person in your class. As Christians, we need to love others the way Jesus loves us--even those who aren't nice to us. Either we buy enough to share with Steven or we don't buy any at all."

Ben scowled. "No! I'm not getting one for Steven," he said, crossing his arms.

Mom placed the candy back on the shelf and started walking away. "Wait!" Ben exclaimed, tugging at her coat. "Okay, okay, I'll get one for Steven!"

Declan smirked at Ben's sudden change in attitude. "You know," Mom said, eyeing him, "that goes for friendships as well as candy."

Declan looked at her and grimaced. "You're talking about Topher's party, aren't you?"

Mom nodded. "The truth is, we don't get to decide whether someone deserves to have us show them God's love, because none of us deserve it. Yet God showed His love for us all by sending Jesus to take the punishment for our sins on the cross. As His followers, He calls us to love others--even those we don't get along with."

"Like Walker," Declan said. He sighed, then nodded. "I'll tell Topher that I'll go to his party. Maybe I can get some candy to share too."

–LeAnn Campbell

How About You?
Do you find it hard to love people who aren't nice to you? Some people aren't easy to love, but God wants us to love them anyway. He loves us so much that Jesus came to earth, suffered a painful death, and raised Himself back to life to save us from sin. We don't deserve His love, but He gives it to us freely, and He will help us love others--even those who aren't easy to love.

Today's Key Verse:
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. (NKJV) (1 John 4:7 )

Today's Key Thought:
Show love to everyone

Bible Reading: John 6:37-40; Romans 6:23

"Mom, Sheba won't come when I call her!" said Adam. "Sometimes she comes toward me, but if I try to touch her, she runs away again. Watch!" Adam called to Sheba, his new puppy. Sure enough, Sheba looked at Adam, and when he kept calling, she ran in circles. Each time, she came close to Adam but always dodged away at the last moment. When she was finally exhausted, Sheba lay down, panting. Adam walked over to her. "You need to learn to obey," he said.

"You're right," said Mom. "I know! Try offering her a reward to encourage her to come to you. Try a dog biscuit--and when you call her, ignore her silly antics. When she comes, praise her, pet her, and give her the biscuit. Eventually, she'll get tired of wearing herself out for nothing. She'll learn that she needs to come to you so she can have her reward."

"Okay," said Adam. "It's worth a try."

Several days later, Adam called to Mom as she walked outside. "Look, Mom! Watch Sheba now!" Mom turned to watch as Adam called to his puppy. "Sheba, come!" The puppy stopped chewing on her dog toy, looked at Adam, and cocked her head. Adam repeated the command. "Come, Sheba!" He held up a dog biscuit. Sheba quickly trotted over to Adam. She stood silently beside him, stared at the biscuit, and remained still. "Good girl, Sheba!" Adam patted her and gave her the biscuit, which she ate eagerly.

Adam beamed. "Sheba's really smart!" He knelt down and hugged the happy puppy.

Mom smiled. "Yes. She is smart to come to her master." Mom came over and scratched behind Sheba's ears. "Sheba reminds me of the way we must come to our Master."

"Come to our Master?" asked Adam. "I guess you mean Jesus, right?"

"Right," Mom said, "and Jesus offers a reward too. He offers the greatest reward of all--eternal life with Him. Running in circles trying to make life work on our own doesn't get us anywhere--it just tires us out. But Jesus is patient with us, and He calls us to come to Him for forgiveness, peace, and eternal life. When we answer His call, the reward is ours."

–Susanna B. Chenoweth

How About You?
Have you come to Jesus? Do you hear Him calling? He's offering a great reward--the gift of eternal life with Him. It's wonderful and it's free--but you must come. He promises that when you do, He will accept you; He will never turn anyone away. Will you come to Jesus today? (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page or go to www.keysforkids.org/goodnews.)

Today's Key Verse:
All that the Father gives Me [Jesus] will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. (NKJV) (John 6:37)

Today's Key Thought:
Come to Jesus

Bible Reading: Colossians 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 2:13

"I've tried to get into the habit of reading my Bible every day," Alanna said as she reached for a piece of pizza, "but I never seem to be able to." Several others in the room nodded in agreement. They were having a pizza party for their Bible study group, and their leader was encouraging them to set aside time for daily devotions.

"Bible reading is a bit like eating," said Mr. McRay. "First you take a bite, then you chew it, then you swallow it, and finally you digest it."

"How do you take a bite of the Bible?" asked Chloe.

"Well, look at this pizza," said Mr. McRay. "It's cut into sections, and the Bible is also divided into sections. You choose one section of pizza, and you can choose one section of the Bible--a book or chapter or even just a verse or two."

"So if that's like taking a bite, how do you chew?" asked Marc. "My grandma's always telling me not to bite off more than I can chew!"

Mr. McRay laughed. "She says that so you won't choke on your food, but don't worry, you won't choke from reading your Bible. Chewing your bite of Bible just means thinking and praying about the verses you've read."

"Okay, but then how do we swallow what we've read?" asked Alanna.

"Have you ever heard someone say, 'That story is hard to swallow'? That means it's hard to believe. So swallowing means believing God's Word is true."

"So we read a little, think about it, and believe it," said Chloe. "Then what?"

"We digest it, remember? And we just studied that in school," said Marc. "Food is changed into something the blood can take to the rest of the body."

Mr. McRay nodded. "When we digest food, its nutrients become part of our bodies. And when we digest what we've read in the Bible, its truth becomes part of our lives. We let it make a difference as we listen to what it teaches us about Jesus and who we are as God's children who have been saved from sin." Mr. McRay picked up a piece of pizza. "I think it would be a good idea to eat four meals a day--breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a slice of your Bible."

–Sheri Shaw

How About You?
Are you getting four meals a day? Just like eating is important for a healthy body, reading God's Word is important for a healthy life. If you find it hard to read the Bible, start with small bites. Try reading just a verse or two and think about what God is saying. Then let it make a difference in your life by believing it and doing what it says. Have a bite of Bible every day!

Today's Key Verse:
People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. (NLT) (Matthew 4:4)

Today's Key Thought:
Feed on God's Word

Bible Reading: Psalm 139:13-16

Everyone in Daphne's family had blond hair except for her. Her hair was bright red. She stood out in every family picture and too often heard comments about being her parents' "red-headed girl." Some people told Daphne her hair was pretty, and others just looked at her strangely, like she didn't belong.

Daphne sat on a camp chair at her little brother's soccer game and tried to cover as much of her hair as possible with her bucket hat. She heard someone sit down beside her and glanced over at her grandpa. "How's my little redhead?" he asked.

Daphne sighed. "Do you have to call me that?"

Grandpa's gray brow lifted. "No, I don't have to. But what's wrong with it?"

"I'm tired of having red hair." Daphne frowned and sat forward, watching as her brother kicked the ball to his teammate. "I don't like being different from everyone in my family. I wish I had blond hair too."

"But then you wouldn't stand out," Grandpa said.

"Exactly!" Daphne turned to him. "I want to fit in. I want to have blond hair and look like them instead of being the redhead of the family."

Grandpa tapped his chin. "I think your grandma felt that way too sometimes."

"Grandma?" Daphne asked.

"She had red hair like yours before it went gray," Grandpa said. "She's where you get it from."

Daphne couldn't remember her grandma well because she had passed away when she was young, and she'd never realized she had red hair.

"I think it's a special thing that God passed on to you," Grandpa said. "I love seeing your red hair. And I know God makes no mistakes. If He wanted you to be just like the rest of your family, He would have made you that way." Grandpa smiled at her. "Sometimes it's hard to be different, but it's also good. God made each of us unique in many ways, not just in our looks. It's good to enjoy and embrace that rather than fight it, knowing God created each of us with care because He loves us."

"Okay, I'll try," Daphne said. It felt better knowing her grandma had been a redhead too and to be reminded that God had made her that way.

–Bethany Acker

How About You?
Do you embrace the unique qualities God has given you? Or do you feel frustrated because you don't look or act the same way as your family or friends? God made you just as you are, and He loves you so much that Jesus gave His life to save you. Instead of wishing you were different, let Him help you enjoy being the unique person He created you to be.

Today's Key Verse:
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (NIV) (Psalm 139:14 )

Today's Key Thought:
God made you just right