Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Galatians 6:9-10

"Why do we have to pick up Mr. Cook?" asked Brady. "The nursing home is a long way from the park."

"If we don't pick him up, he won't get to come to the church picnic," Dad answered as he drove. "Since we pick him up on the way to church each week, we can bring him to the picnic too. It's a small thing we can do for the Lord."

Brady thought about that. "It seems like a funny way to do something for God. I mean, God could take Mr. Cook to the picnic on a flying carpet if He wanted to. He doesn't really need our help, does He?"

Just then they arrived at the nursing home. Mr. Cook was waiting outside just like each Sunday when they picked him up for church. But today he had a small brown bag, which he waved in the air. "I remembered it was a picnic," he said. "I brought some lunch."

At the park, Mom spread their lunch on a picnic table. She had brought ham and cheese sandwiches, potato salad, carrots with dip, lemonade, watermelon, and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Brady saw Mr. Cook open his bag at the end of the table and take out a bologna sandwich. Mom motioned for him to move closer to all the food. "Don't eat all by yourself," she told him. "Come on! Put your lunch with ours and we'll share. There's plenty to go around."

Mr. Cook grinned and scooted over. He carefully placed his sandwich next to the ham and cheese sandwiches. He might as well not have bothered with that, thought Brady. Who's going to eat it? They prayed and began to eat. To Brady's surprise, his little sister immediately reached for the bologna sandwich.

Dad leaned toward him. "Brady," he whispered, "we help God in much the same way Mr. Cook is helping us. God has all the power and all the resources, but He invites us to join Him in building His kingdom. He doesn't need our help, but He wants to bless us by allowing us to participate in the work He's doing. He will use whatever efforts we have to offer to work in people's lives and point them to the love of Jesus."

-Catherine Runyon

How About You?
Do you feel like God doesn't need your help? He's all-powerful, but He wants you to be a part of the work He's doing in the world. He'll use your small efforts to help more people know about Jesus and His love for them. The Bible tells how God used a boy to kill a giant and how one boy's lunch fed over five thousand people. Look around you and find ways you can be a helping hand for Jesus and show others His love.

Today's Key Verse:
God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty. (NKJV) (1 Corinthians 1:27)

Today's Key Thought:
You can serve God

Bible Reading: Isaiah 55:8-9

"Is it a boy? It is, isn't it?" Carter jumped around the kitchen while his grandmother talked to his dad at the hospital. Carter was so excited, he almost dropped the apple he was eating. "It's a boy, isn't it, Grandma?"

Grandma hung up the phone. "You now have a beautiful baby sister," she said gently. "Her name is Oakleigh."

"No!" Carter dropped his apple. "I've been praying for months for a brother." He felt like crying. "It's not fair! Oscar got a baby brother, and he didn't pray at all. Why wouldn't God give me a brother when I asked for one?"

Grandma leaned against the counter. "I remember how happy your mom and dad were when they were expecting you. When people asked if they wanted a girl or a boy, they said they just wanted a healthy baby."

Carter picked up his apple from the floor and rinsed it off at the sink. "I'm sure they were glad I turned out to be a boy."

"Yes, but I was a little bit disappointed. I was hoping for a little granddaughter."

"Grandma!" Carter was shocked. "You didn't want me?"

"Of course I did! But I already had three grandsons. I thought it would be nice to have a girl in the family. But another boy was God's choice for them, and you know what? Now I couldn't love anybody more." She gave Carter a big hug.

Carter sighed. "I still don't think it was very nice of you to wish I was a girl!"

Grandma's eyes twinkled. "No nicer than for you to wish your sister was a boy."

Carter looked surprised. "I guess I wasn't being nice either."

"I know you were hoping for a brother, Carter, but God has given you the gift of a baby sister instead. Remember that He loves her just as much as He loves you, and He will help you be a good brother to her." Grandma squeezed Carter's shoulder. "Even though a sister isn't what you were expecting, God's gifts to us are always good, and we can be thankful knowing the same God who loves us so much He saved us from sin promises to do what He knows is best."

Carter nodded and bit into his apple. "So when can Oakleigh come home?"

-Ruth McQuilkin

How About You?
Do you get upset when God doesn't answer your prayers the way you want? He has a purpose for everything, and when He answers your prayers in His own way, He's doing it to fit His perfect will. Remember how much He loves you--so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for your sins so you could be saved--and trust Him to make the choices He knows are best.

Today's Key Verse:
In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (NKJV) (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Today's Key Thought:
God knows best

Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:29-32

I didn't do anything wrong, Hayley thought as she stared at the TV, wiping away tears. Her dad never yelled at her like that. She had just been singing. He had told her before that he loved to hear her sing.

"Aren't you going to eat with us?" Hayley's older brother peeked into the room.

Hayley shook her head. "I'm not hungry."

"What's wrong?" Mikey walked over to her.

Hayley's brother was a teenager. He would think she was stupid for crying. "Nothing."

"Something is wrong, Hay." Mikey sat down beside her. "Spill."

"Fine." Hayley closed her eyes. "Dad yelled at me in the car. He told me to shut up."

"What?" Mikey looked shocked.

"I was just singing. And we're not supposed to say that." Hayley started to cry again.

Mikey hugged her. "I'll save you some dinner in case you're hungry later."

Hayley rested on the couch with her eyes closed, her dad's words playing over and over in her head, until she heard footsteps come into the room. She peeked her eyes open as her dad knelt on the floor beside the couch.

"Mikey told me you're upset," Dad said. "I was really stressed in the car. The traffic was bad and I was trying hard to focus." He brushed her hair back from her face. "I should have asked you nicely if you could be quiet instead of yelling at you."

"You hurt my feelings," Hayley said.

"I know, and I'm sorry." Dad sighed. "It's like how you sometimes get angry if your brother makes a lot of noise while you're trying to practice for your recital. Sometimes we let anger take over when we're nervous and say hurtful things. But we don't have to let that happen. We can trust God to help us control our anger instead of letting it control us."

Hayley knew her dad was right--she sometimes got angry when she was stressed too. She just hadn't expected that from him. "If God helps us control our anger, why did you let it control you?"

Dad gave her a sad smile. "I'm not perfect. God's still working on me. I let anger take control today, but I'm glad I can always depend on God to forgive me and help me do better. I hope you'll forgive me too."

-Emily Acker

How About You?
Do you sometimes let anger take over? Do you yell or say hurtful things? Even adults struggle with anger sometimes.* But as Christians, we don't have to let anger control us. Through the Holy Spirit's power, we can control what we say and do when we feel angry. Remember He's working to make you more like Jesus, and trust Him to help you control your anger. *If an adult is hurting you because they can't control their anger, tell another adult who can help.

Today's Key Verse:
Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city. (NIV) (Proverbs 16:32)

Today's Key Thought:
Don't let anger control you

Bible Reading: Psalms 19:1-4; 111:2-4; Hebrews 1:10

Della sighed as she sat on the porch steps, staring off into space. "What's wrong, honey?" asked her dad as he put down the garden hose.

"This girl in my class--Raven--says there's no God," replied Della. "I told her there is, but she said, 'Prove it.' I didn't know how. We can't see God, so how could I give her proof?"

Dad nodded. "You may not be able to prove it to her satisfaction, but there are things she can see that may convince her of the truth. Come with me."

Della stood up and followed her dad into the house. In the dining room, he pointed at the embroidered tablecloth. "Who made this?"

"Grandma did," Della replied.

"What about this casserole in the oven?" asked Dad. "Who put it there?"

"Mom did," Della answered.

Dad nodded and removed a drawing of a flower from the refrigerator door.

"Who made this?"

Della grinned. "I drew that in art class."

Dad smiled. "No matter what I point to in this room, somebody made it, right?"

"Right," said Della.

Dad took Della outside again and told her to look around. "What do you see?"

"I see the little birds in the trees," said Della. "And a bumble bee on a pink rose. And I see the grass and the sky and the sun shining."

"And did they just appear there by themselves, or did somebody make them?"

"Somebody made them," replied Della. "God did!"

"Yes, indeed He did," said Dad. "Everything made has a maker. Even things made with human hands start with materials made by God. One way we know God exists is that our eyes see the things only God could make. The beauty and complexity of nature and our own bodies point to His existence and His love for us."

"I'll have to tell Raven about that," said Della.

"It might not change her mind, but hopefully it will give her something to think about," said Dad. "You can also pray for her and ask God to help her see that He's real and that He loves her." Dad nudged Della with his elbow. "You can ask Him to help you be a good friend to her so she can see His love in you too."

Della grinned. "Okay, Dad. I'll do that."

-Suzanne Daly

How About You?
Do you know anyone who doesn't believe in God? Even though you can't make people believe in God, you can point them to the truth that He exists and that He loves them. The Bible teaches that He is the Creator of the universe and that He loves us so much He sent His Son, Jesus, to save us from sin. Point others to the greatness of God that's evident in His creation, and let His love be evident in you.

Today's Key Verse:
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (NIV) (Psalm 19:1)

Today's Key Thought:
Creation points to God

Bible Reading: Romans 3:23-24; Ephesians 2:4-10

"Hey, look at that, Killian!" Nathan pointed out the car window to a big crane. "Mom, can we stop and watch?"

"Okay." Mom pulled over and watched with Nathan and his friend Killian as the crane lifted a golden statue to the top of the courthouse.

Killian pointed to the statue. "Why is she blindfolded?"

"And what's in her hand?" asked Nathan.

"That's a statue of Lady Justice," said Mom. "She's blindfolded to show that justice shouldn't be influenced by who people are or how much money they have. She's holding a balance scale, which represents fairness. Both sides of the scale have to hold equal amounts. If a wrong is committed, the penalty has to balance the crime."

"Balance the crime?" asked Nathan. "What does that mean?"

"The crime is on one side of the scale, and if the right penalty is on the other, they balance," Mom explained. "Say someone steals a pair of shoes from a store. To balance that, they'd have to pay for them, or give them back, and probably pay a fine for doing wrong."

"Oh, I get it!" said Nathan.

"Is that how it works with God too?" asked Killian. "My sister says He's keeping track of all the bad things I do, and I'll have to pay someday. If I do lots of good things, will it balance out?"

Mom shook her head. "People often think that's how it works, but all our good deeds can never be enough to balance the wrong things we do. The Bible says that what we do wrong is sin--and sin puts a lot of weight in the bad side of the scale."

"Yeah. It's like our sins are a pile of stones," said Nathan. "And our good deeds are like feathers. We can't put enough feathers on the scale to balance the stones."

"So how can we make it even?" asked Killian.

"We can't," said Mom. "But Jesus can. He paid the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross, and if we trust in Him, He puts His goodness on the scale for us."

Nathan grinned. "His goodness does more than balance the scale. It knocks our sins right off, so it's like we never sinned at all, right, Mom?"

"Yep!" said Mom with a smile.

"Wow," said Killian. "Then that's what I want!"

-Kathy Gustafson

How About You?
Do you do good things to try to make up for bad things you've done? You can never do enough good things to balance your account with God. Today's verse applies to anyone who isn't a Christian--and if you've never trusted Jesus to be your Savior, that includes you. Trust in Jesus and receive His goodness in place of your sin. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.)

Today's Key Verse:
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (NKJV) (Romans 3:23)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus offers you His goodness