Bible Reading: Psalm 102:25-27; Hebrews 13:5-8

"I'm going to run and jump into the leaves, Daddy. Are you watching?" Meliah asked.

Dad held the rake and smiled at his daughter. "Sure, honey. Go ahead."

Meliah grinned as she started running. When she landed in the pile of leaves, she laughed. "This is lots of fun! I like fall."

Dad raked the leaf pile back together. "I like fall too, though I wish it was warmer. I don't like the changing temperature."

Meliah put her foot into the pile of leaves. "Everything changes," she said with a frown. "Mommy went to live in an apartment. Grandma came to live here. It's getting cold. I got a new teacher because my other teacher had a baby."

Dad set down the rake and stood beside Meliah. "I'm sorry that Mommy moved to the apartment. You can still see her whenever you want if you ask me to drive you. And Grandma wasn't doing well living by herself. Weren't you excited about her coming to live with us? You always loved having her visit."

Meliah shrugged. "Yeah, but it's not the same. Nothing is the same."

"Well, there's one thing that never changes," Dad said.

"Never?" Meliah asked.

"Never. Jesus never changes. There's a verse in the Bible that says He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He will be with you no matter where you go, and He will stay with you no matter how many things change. He loves you, and because you trust Him as your Savior, He will always be with you."

Meliah was quiet. "I haven't been going to church," she admitted. "Mom and I watch TV shows instead."

"Jesus still loves you, no matter if you go to church or pray or read your Bible. He doesn't change. If you want to grow in your relationship with Him and understand more about Him, then going to church and reading your Bible are great ways to do that. And the more verses you learn, the more you can remember when you need them."

"Can we read that verse about Jesus never changing after dinner?" Meliah asked.

"That sounds like a great idea," Dad agreed. "Now, these piles of leaves need to be jumped into!"

-Kimberly Brokish

How About You?
Do you ever feel like everything is changing? Do you get scared when things change and wish you could go back to how things were before? Even though you will face many changes in the course of your life, Jesus will never change. No matter what happens, He is always there for you, and He will always love you. Go to Him for help and trust Him to be with you in times of change.

Today's Key Verse:
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (NIV) (Hebrews 13:8)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus never changes

Bible Reading: Matthew 10:29-31; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

"Listen to this," Mom said as Hope and her parents relaxed in the living room one evening. "The writer of this blog post says pennies should be discontinued in our money system because it costs too much to make them and nothing can be purchased for a penny anyway. What do you think about that?"

"I agree," said Dad. "Pennies are a nuisance. I don't like bothering with them, so I dump them in a jar on my dresser. It's almost full."

Just then Reuben came charging into the house after his youth club meeting at church. "Guess what! We're going to have a contest to raise money for missionaries. The team that fills their giant container with money the fastest wins. My team is changing the money we collect to pennies so it takes up more space. Will you help me?"

Hope laughed. "I guess the person who wrote that blog post didn't know about the needs of missionaries, Mom. There's a use for pennies after all."

Dad headed for the stairs. "Well, I'm all too happy to get rid of my jar of pennies by donating it to Reuben's penny drive."

A week later, Reuben had a huge smile on his face when he got home from youth club. "Guess what! The other teams had the same idea and filled their containers with pennies. They counted all the pennies donated, and we raised over twelve hundred dollars for the missionaries!"

"Wow!" said Hope. "Pennies seem worthless by themselves, but they really add up, don't they?"

Dad nodded. "Each penny has value, even if we don't see it right away. Perhaps remembering that will help us change our way of thinking in a few other areas as well."

"Like what?" asked Hope.

"Well," said Dad, "there's a verse in the Bible that says God often chooses things the world has no use for."

"I think that's especially true when it comes to people," said Mom. "Each and every person is incredibly valuable to God. He loves each one of us so much that Jesus died for our sins so we could have eternal life with Him. We're all so valuable to Him that He even knows how many hairs each person has on their head!"

Reuben looked at his father's balding head. "That's getting easier and easier when it comes to Dad."

They all laughed--even Dad!

-Catherine Runyon

How About You?
Have you ever taken a discarded object and made it into something useful? Or have you bought something no one else wanted and found it was just right for you? Maybe you know someone who the world sees as worthless. How do you think God feels about that person? God loves them very much--and He wants you to love them too.

Today's Key Verse:
God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. (NLT) (1 Corinthians 1:28)

Today's Key Thought:
God values each person

Bible Reading: Luke 14:16-24

"So are you coming with me to our church youth retreat next weekend?" Molly asked her friend Addison one day.

"No, my parents are going to the college football game," replied Addison. "I think I'll go with them."

Molly frowned. "But everyone's going on the youth retreat. It'll be so much fun! Why don't you come?"

"I don't have the right clothes for it," said Addison.

"Oh, you do too!" said Molly. "All you need is jeans and a T-shirt."

Addison shrugged. "It costs too much."

"You know that's not true! Like I told you, some of the families in the church offered to sponsor the whole group, so it won't cost you a thing." But in spite of Molly's best efforts to persuade her friend to go to the retreat, Addison stubbornly refused.

After Bible club the next week, Addison was quiet as she and Molly waited for their parents to pick them up. "I don't get it," said Addison suddenly. "It seems like every time I go to Bible club, Miss Ellis tells us we need Jesus to save us from sin. I don't think I've done anything all that bad."

"But the Bible says sin separates us from God, so all the wrong things you've done have to be forgiven," said Molly. "Even if they don't seem that big to you."

"Maybe so," said Addison with a shrug. "But Miss Ellis said that Jesus paid the price for everyone to be forgiven and go to heaven. So the price is paid, right? I don't need to worry about it."

Molly hesitated. "Remember the retreat last weekend?" she asked.

Addison sighed. "Yeah. I didn't go, but it sounds like you guys had a lot of fun. Now I wish I'd gone, but I was worried there'd be a lot of people I didn't know, so I made up a bunch of dumb excuses."

"Well, you could have gone," said Molly. "The price was paid for you to go, but you refused to accept the offer. It's like that with being saved too. Jesus paid the price for your sins to be forgiven so you could spend eternity with Him, but unless you accept the gift He offers, you don't get to go."

Addison was quiet. "I guess I need to accept the offer then," she finally said.

-Hazel W. Marett

How About You?
Have you accepted God's offer to save you from sin so you can live with Him forever? Or do you say things like, "I'll think about it," or "I want to do some fun things first"? Jesus paid the price for you to have your sins forgiven, but you must accept the free gift of eternal life He offers. Stop making excuses. Accept God's offer today! (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.)

Today's Key Verse:
"Come now, let's settle this," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow." (NLT) (Isaiah 1:18)

Today's Key Thought:
Accept God's offer of salvation

Bible Reading: Psalms 25:4-5; 143:5-8

Liliana let out a long sigh as she closed her four-year-old sister's bedroom door.

"Whew! I went in to say goodnight to Emma while Mom was getting her ready for bed, but I barely even got to say it! Emma was talking non-stop."

Liliana's brother Milo laughed. "Whenever I talk to her, I feel like all I can say is 'mmm' and 'oh' every once in a while. Did she ask about your field trip to the pumpkin patch today?"

"She did, but before I could answer her, she started talking about something else, and I never got a chance to tell her I brought her back a pumpkin." Liliana giggled. "In our social studies class, we had a lesson on communication, and Mrs. Butler emphasized that it's a two-way thing! Emma must not have figured that out yet, because she just talks and talks."

"She'll learn as she gets older," said Dad. "Though I guess we're all like that sometimes."

Milo and Liliana shook their heads. "Not me!" they said at the same time.

"What about the way we communicate with God?" asked Dad. "Don't we spend most if not all of our time with God telling Him what's going on in our lives, pouring out our problems, and asking Him for things we need or want?"

"But that's what prayer is," said Liliana. "It's talking to God."

"Yes, and spending time in prayer is important. But we also need to spend time being quiet and hearing what God says to us. For instance, if you ask God what you should do about a problem you're facing, shouldn't you stop and listen for His answer?"

"But God doesn't actually talk to us, does He?" asked Milo. "I mean, we don't hear a voice or anything."

"He doesn't talk in a voice like mine, but He speaks to us through the Bible, and Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit to help us hear His voice and understand what the Bible says. As we read it and meditate on it, He often quietly impresses on our hearts and minds promises found in His Word and principles He wants us to follow. Just like conversations with other people shouldn't be one-sided, the time we spend with God should include listening to what He has to say."

-Tanya Ferdinandusz

How About You?
Do you spend most of your time with God pouring out all your problems and worries? God cares about what's going on in your life and wants you to bring your needs and concerns to Him in prayer. But He also wants to speak to you through the Bible. He has things to tell you, and you won't hear them if you don't stop and listen to what He has to say. So keep talking to God, but also spend time quietly reflecting on the truth of His Word.

Today's Key Verse:
Be still, and know that I am God. (NKJV) (Psalm 46:10)

Today's Key Thought:
Listen to God

Bible Reading: Psalm 19:7-11; John 14:26

Lydia ran into the house waving a paper she'd brought from school. "Guess what? Miss Peterson gave us an assignment to do!" she said, out of breath with excitement. "Her projects are always so much fun!"

Mom smiled. She was used to hearing about Miss Peterson. Lydia liked her teacher very much and talked about her constantly.

"Miss Peterson gave us these pictures of birds, and we have to look them up online and color them in with the right colors," said Lydia. "I love coloring! I'm so glad I got her for a teacher this year. She's just perfect!"

Lydia pulled out her laptop and started coloring in the birds. But when she came to one of the pictures, she was confused. The bird Miss Peterson had labeled blue jay didn't look like the blue jays she found online. Lydia took the problem to her mother. "Can you help me, Mom? Where can I find this kind of blue jay?"

"I think Miss Peterson labeled this wrong," Mom said after looking at the picture. "This isn't a blue jay."

But Lydia shook her head. "Miss Peterson knows birds!" she insisted. "And she said this is a blue jay."

"Just leave it then," said Mom. "You can ask her about it tomorrow."

When Lydia came home the next day, she got out her bird homework again. "Miss Peterson did write down the wrong name," she told Mom. "This is a bluebird, not a blue jay." Lydia sighed. "Maybe she's not perfect--but she's still a really great teacher!"

Mom nodded. "Yes, and I'm glad you like her so much." After a moment she asked, "Do you know who the only perfect teacher is? The only one who never makes a mistake?" Lydia looked puzzled and shook her head. "It's God," said Mom. "When He tells us something, we know for sure it's right. He teaches us through His Word, the Bible, and He gives Christians the Holy Spirit to help us understand the truth of His Word and guide us in how to live our lives as followers of Jesus."

"I never thought of God as my teacher," Lydia said. "But I guess He'd be the best teacher of all!"

-Carolyn E. Yost

How About You?
Do you know anyone who never makes a mistake? Every human being makes mistakes--even the best teachers, pastors, parents, and friends. But God is perfect, and when He says something, you can be sure it's true. He teaches us truth through His Word, the Bible, and guides us in how to live our lives. As you read and study the Bible and listen to what God is telling you, you'll be learning from the greatest teacher there is!

Today's Key Verse:
As for God, His way is perfect. (NKJV) (2 Samuel 22:31)

Today's Key Thought:
Only God is perfect