Bible Reading: Isaiah 1:16-18; 43:25

"Harrison, the ashes from the fire we built last night haven't been emptied out yet," said Mom. "Can you take care of that? And don't forget to bundle up--it's cold out there!"

Harrison put on his coat and boots and filled a bucket with ashes from the fireplace. He hurried out the door and trudged through the deep snow to the garden. Standing at the edge of the yard, he tossed the ashes from the bucket and then watched as the wind scattered the dark soot across the snow.

Dad came and stood beside him. "Those ashes sure messed up the beautiful snow, didn't they?" Harrison nodded, and they quietly watched as the wind continued to scatter ashes across the yard.

Harrison looked up at the sky. "It's starting to snow. The new snow will cover up those dirty ashes, and then the yard will be all white and clean again. Mom will like that--she likes it when a fresh layer of snow falls and covers up the dirt."

"I know," said Dad. After a moment, he added, "Those ashes remind me of what sin does. It leaves dirty marks behind. The only way to clean them away is for Jesus to forgive our sin."

"We had a lesson about that at church," said Harrison. "When we confess our sin, God forgives us and makes us clean. A verse we learned says He makes us whiter than snow."

"Yes," said Dad. "Another verse tells us that when God forgives us, He doesn't remember our sin anymore--He doesn't ever think about it." Dad pointed to the ashes. "New snow covers up the dirty ashes, but we might still remember that they're under that fresh, clean layer of snow. And even after God forgives our sin, we often remember the blot it has made. We don't always forget it so easily."

"So what should we do?" asked Harrison.

"We need to remember than unlike the ashes under the snow, our sin truly is gone," said Dad. "Jesus paid for our sins on the cross, and when He forgives us, He makes us completely clean."

Harrison and his dad watched as the falling snow began to cover the ashes on the ground. Then they smiled at each other and made their way back toward the house.

– Trula H. Bensinger

How About You?
Have you trusted Jesus to forgive your sins? When you trust Him as your Savior, all your sins are washed away and your heart becomes whiter than snow. And though you will still sin sometimes, your sins have already been paid for by Jesus's sacrifice on the cross. When you do sin, confess your sin to God and ask for forgiveness. He will wash your sin away and never think of it again.

Today's Key Verse:
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. (NKJV) (Psalm 51:7)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus cleanses you

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7; Ephesians 4:2-4, 32

"No!" cried Tynlee as her little brother pushed a pile of magazines off the coffee table. She sighed and turned to her mother. "What's with Bridger today? He made a mess with his food at breakfast, drew all over my math homework, and tried to drown my stuffed animals in the bathtub!"

"Some people call his age the terrible twos," said Mom. "But I prefer to think of it as the curious twos. It's an age when children are learning about the world and want to get into everything."

Tynlee grinned as she rearranged the magazines. "It must be hard having such a naughty little boy after having a perfect child like me."

Mom laughed. "You'll get a chance to see yourself at that age when Aunt Gina comes next week. She has a video she made the summer we went to her wedding. You were only two years old then."

"Oh, good," Tynlee said. "I'll make sure Bridger watches it and sees how a two-year-old is supposed to act!"

The next week, Tynlee and her family gathered around her aunt's computer to see the video. "Oh, look!" Tynlee said as the screen showed the family seated around the table. "That's me in my high chair, saying grace--how sweet."

"Look again," said Aunt Gina.

Tynlee gasped. "I can't believe it! I'm pouring milk on the floor." More scenes passed. "Why is the dog hiding under the chair?" asked Tynlee.

"You pulled his tail," replied Dad.

"Here you are dressed for the wedding," said Mom. "You did look really cute."

Tynlee smiled at herself wearing a fancy white dress with blue bows.

In the next scene, the white dress was covered with brown streaks. "Just when we were about to leave for the church, you got outside and played in a mud puddle," Aunt Gina explained.

Tynlee grinned as Bridger climbed up on her lap. "Hey, buddy. From now on, I'll be more patient with you. I can see I had a lot to learn when I was your age too."

Mom nodded thoughtfully. "That's exactly how we should treat our brothers and sisters in Christ too. We need to be patient with one another as we learn and grow in our relationship with Jesus. We all make mistakes, but Jesus forgives us and helps us learn to do better. We should be that way too."

– Ruth McQuilkin

How About You?
Do you have little brothers or sisters? Are you often critical of them? Remember that they're younger than you and need time to learn and grow, so be patient with them. How about your brothers and sisters in Christ--other Christians? Trust God to help you be patient with them too. He wants His children to love one another and help each other learn and grow.

Today's Key Verse:
Love is patient, love is kind. (NIV) (1 Corinthians 13:4 )

Today's Key Thought:
Be loving and patient

Bible Reading: Luke 17:11-19

Jaden took the glue his mom handed him and ran out to the shed. He worked for a while on his secret project, then ran back to the house to find his father. "Dad, can I use a hammer and nails?" Dad helped him find what he needed, and Jaden grabbed the items and ran back to the shed.

After working a little longer, Jaden made another trip to the house. "Paint," he said. "I need paint. Can I use some of yours, Maggie?" His sister agreed, so Jaden took the paint and darted out the door.

After school the following day, Jaden's friend Kwan came over. Mom set out cookies and milk for the boys. "Thank you, Mrs. Trent," said Kwan. And when it was time for him to go home, Kwan politely thanked her for letting him come.

Mom was impressed. "Kwan seems to be very polite," she said after he left.

"Yeah, he's like that," said Jaden. "He even says thank you when our teacher hands papers back to him." Jaden rolled his eyes.

"Well, that's good," Mom said. "After all, God says we should be thankful for everything. That means little things too. God has done so much for us--Jesus died and rose again to save us from sin, and He shows His love to us in so many ways. One way is through the people He puts in our lives who love us, teach us, and help us. We should thank Him for that, and we should thank other people for their kindness too."

After dinner, Jaden worked on his secret project for a little while. When he returned to the house, he was grinning. "Look," he said. "I'm finally done with my project. We learned how to make these in shop class at school." He handed out the things he had made. For Mom, there was a bird feeder; for Dad, a shoe rack; and for his sister, a jewelry box.

Jaden beamed as his family exclaimed over the gifts and thanked him warmly. Then he thought of something. "Thanks for letting me use your paint for my project, Maggie. And thank you, Mom and Dad, for the glue and the hammer and nails. I couldn't have done it without your help."

– Nance E. Keyes

How About You?
Do you thank God for all He's done for you? Do you thank others for the things they do to help you? In today's Bible reading, only one man out of ten came back to thank Jesus for healing him, and Jesus appreciated it! Don't take anything for granted. Give thanks to God for all the love and kindness He shows you each day, and let the people He's put in your life know that you're grateful for them too.

Today's Key Verse:
Always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (ERV) (Ephesians 5:20 )

Today's Key Thought:
Say thank you

Bible Reading: Ephesians 2:4-9

As Cypress sat down at the kitchen table to eat breakfast, an advertisement on the cereal box caught his attention. "Free gift!" he read. "Turbo power race car! See details on back." Cypress turned the box around so he could see the back. "Mom, look! I can get a turbo power race car for absolutely nothing! A car like that costs at least twenty dollars at the store."

"Let me see that package," said Mom. "That offer sounds too good to be true." She studied the information about the car. "Cypress, did you notice what you need to include in the online order form for this car?"

"No," said Cypress. "What?"

Mom pointed to the small print on the box. "You need to upload receipts showing that you purchased four boxes of cereal this month. And you also need to pay a shipping and handling fee so the car can be mailed to you."

"What!" Cypress reached for the cereal box and read the words on the back. "After buying the cereal and paying for shipping, you'd probably be spending more than you would if you bought one of those cars at the store. That doesn't sound free to me!" Disappointed, Cypress put the cereal box away.

"When something is offered for free in cases like this, there's often something to buy first or some other requirement," said Mom.

Cypress sighed. "I guess people have it right when they say if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

Mom sat down at the table next to Cypress. "Well, that generally is the case. But I do know of one offer that also sounds too good to be true, and the gift really is free."

"It is?" said Cypress. "What is it? Have you gotten it already?"

"Yes, I have. It's the gift of salvation--the gift of eternal life," Mom replied with a smile. "It's free to anyone who trusts Jesus as their Savior."

Cypress grinned. "I guess I should have thought of that. Since I trust in Jesus, I've already gotten that free gift too!"

"It's a gift anyone can have," said Mom. "Now, let's thank the Lord for our breakfast and for His free gift of eternal life."

– Dawn E. Maloney

How About You?
Do you like gifts? A gift is something that's free--you can't earn it or buy it, but you do need to receive it. Jesus offers us the gift of eternal life--He paid the price for it by dying on the cross for our sins. Have you received that gift? Trust in Him today and accept the gift He's offering you. (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:
The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NKJV) (Romans 6:23)

Today's Key Thought:
Salvation is free

Bible Reading: Proverbs 3:11-12; 1 John 5:1-3

Aurora's new puppy wriggled in her arms. "I'll call him Duke!" she announced.

"Duke has a lot to learn," said Dad. "You'll need to train him by rewarding him when he's good and disciplining him when he's bad."

Aurora laughed as Duke licked her face.

"He won't be bad. I'll love him so much that he'll want to be good. You'll see. Duke will be the best dog in the whole world!"

But Duke was not a good puppy. He dug up the flower bed and chewed on shoes. He didn't come when he was called. Aurora scolded and disciplined, but Duke went right on getting into trouble. "When I scold Duke, he acts like he's sorry," Aurora said one day. "So then I pet and hug him. But he turns around and does the same bad things all over again. Can't he see how much I love him? Why does he keep on being bad?"

"Sometimes it takes a long time to train a puppy," Dad said. "I'm sure Duke will learn eventually. But you know what? You and I have a lot in common with Duke."

"What do you mean?" asked Aurora.

"When you got Duke, you said you were going to love him so much that he'd want to be good for you, remember? Instead, he gets into a lot of trouble--and we're often that way with God. He loves us so much that He sent Jesus to save us by dying for our sins, and He is teaching us to obey Him as His children. Yet we still go our own way and do things we know we shouldn't do."

"So we have to learn to obey God, just like Duke needs to learn to obey me?" asked Aurora.

"Right," said Dad. "Even though we still sin and make mistakes, God is patient with us and always forgives us. He corrects us when we're wrong and teaches us to obey Him and show His love to others."

Aurora picked up her squirming puppy and looked him in the eye. "Don't worry, Duke. I still love you, and I'll help you learn to obey me. And you'll help me remember how much God loves me!"

– Deborah S. Marett

How About You?
Are you an obedient child of God? He loves you so much and wants only the best for you. He sent His own Son to die for you so you could become His child. Do you love Him? Then obey Him as your heavenly Father. Trust Him to help you live in a way that shows His love to others. When you mess up, confess your sin to Him. He will forgive you and patiently teach you to do things His way instead of your own.

Today's Key Verse:
If you love Me, keep My commandments. (NKJV) (John 14:15)

Today's Key Thought:
God teaches us to obey