Bible Reading: Proverbs 3:13-15; 9:10

When Malik got home from school, he plopped down on the couch and eagerly turned on the TV to watch the next episode of a show called "Treasures of the Deep." It was about the discovery of treasures found in the sea, and Malik loved to imagine what it would be like to find treasure and get rich.

Halfway through the show, Dad walked in. "What show is this that you've been so interested in lately?" he asked.

Malik hit the pause button, and his eyes shone as he told his dad all about the treasures found in the ocean and how he hoped he could be a treasure hunter someday. "I like the water, so I think it would be great to hunt treasure deep down in the ocean."

Dad smiled. "Why not start hunting treasure right now?"

"How can I hunt treasure now?" Malik asked in disbelief.

Mom came in and set a plant by the window. "I think your dad's teasing you."

Dad laughed. "I guess I am--a little. But you actually can hunt treasure of a different kind right now--wisdom."

"Oh, that's right," said Mom. "The book of Proverbs describes wisdom as being more precious than gold or valuable jewels. You could hunt wisdom, Malik."

"How do I do that?" asked Malik. "By studying hard in school?"

"That is important," Dad said, "but another verse in Proverbs says, 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.' We can only have wisdom by knowing God, and He reveals Himself to us in the Bible. It tells us about His goodness and greatness and power and how we need to trust in Jesus to be saved from sin. The Bible is full of treasures from God. You can dig deep into it by reading it yourself and by listening when we learn about it together at church."

"Right!" Mom nodded. "It's okay to dream of being a treasure hunter as long as you know the treasure of wisdom is far more precious than anything you'd ever find in the ocean."

Malik grinned. "I'll start treasure-hunting as soon as this episode is over! The book of Proverbs sounds like a good place to start."

-Vicki L. Reinhardt

How About You?
Do you want to be a treasure hunter? There's no greater treasure than the wisdom that comes from God. In order to have that wisdom, the Bible says you need to know Jesus as your Savior. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.) Then, as you read the Bible and learn about it at church, He will fill you with the wisdom of His truth and promises. Wisdom is more valuable than any other treasure you could find. Start hunting for it today!

Today's Key Verse:
She [wisdom] is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. (NIV) (Proverbs 3:15)

Today's Key Thought:
Wisdom is a treasure

Bible Reading: John 11:32-36; Revelation 21:1-4

Avery looked around with tears in her eyes. Everything still felt surreal. How could this be happening?

"Oh, sweetheart," her aunt whispered as she hugged her, "I want you to know that he loved you."

Avery couldn't believe she was at her uncle's funeral. He had been so young and healthy and full of life. Then, just like that, he was gone, and he wasn't coming back.

The next few months were hard for the whole family, and Avery was no exception. She loved her uncle, and she couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that he wasn't with them anymore. More than that, she couldn't understand why God would take him so suddenly. He was a good man, a Christian who loved his family and did what was right.

One afternoon as she was in her bedroom weeping softly, Mom walked in. "What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked.

"I just don't understand," Avery cried. "Why did God take him so soon? His family still needs him."

"To be perfectly honest with you, I don't know either," said Mom. "There are some things we just won't understand here on earth, and I'm afraid this is one of them. We just have to trust that Jesus will be with us through this and remember that He has conquered death and will make everything right again one day, just as He has promised us in His Word."

"I know that, and I do believe it," Avery said. "But is it okay that I'm still sad? I know he's in heaven and he's happy, but I miss him. My friends from church say I should just be happy for him and not think about myself." Avery sniffled again.

"It's perfectly normal and okay to be sad," Mom answered. "Jesus cried when His friend died, and He knew that he would soon be raised from the dead. There is nothing wrong with weeping or feeling sad when we lose someone we love."

Avery nodded. "Okay, good. Sometimes it helps to cry and admit when I'm sad."

Mom hugged her. "Anytime you need someone to talk to, I'm here. And remember, you can talk to Jesus about your feelings too. He understands."

"Thanks, Mom," Avery whispered. "With God's help, we're going to get through this."

-Madison Blizzard

How About You?
Have you lost someone you love? Do you feel sad about a tragedy in your life? Maybe it wasn't a tragedy, but something that made you really sad. Remember, Jesus cried, and it's okay for us to cry too. He understands and cares about our emotions. One day He will wipe all our tears away, but until then, He is with us when we cry. Talk to Him about your feelings, and don't be afraid to talk to an adult about them too.

Today's Key Verse:
Jesus wept. (NKJV) (John 11:35 )

Today's Key Thought:
It's okay to cry

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:1-7

"Bye, Naomi! See you tomorrow," Paige called as she got into her mom's car after school. "And congratulations on getting the lead in the play." As soon as she shut the car door, Paige muttered, "I can't stand that girl! She's such a snob."

"Paige!" exclaimed her mom. "From what I just heard you say, I thought she was a good friend."

Paige's brother Sean spoke up from the back seat. "You just want her to help you with math, don't you? That's why you pretend to like her."

Mom's cell phone rang, and Paige was relieved she didn't have to talk about Naomi anymore. When they got home, Paige heard a horrible clanging noise coming from her older brother's room. "What's that noise?" she asked, covering her ears.

Mom laughed. "Carter borrowed Grandpa's antique dinner gong for his science project on sound."

Paige remembered Grandpa's collection of brass antiques. She liked most of them, but not the gong. Carter will probably be banging that thing all night! she thought.

Paige was right. When her brother banged the gong while she was doing her homework, she called for help. "Mom! Make Carter stop that noise!" she pleaded.

Mom went to Carter's room, and the banging stopped. Then Mom came into Paige's room and sat down. "I don't like that noise any more than you do," said Mom, "but it reminds me of you."

"Me!" exclaimed Paige.

Mom nodded and picked up a Bible from Paige's desk. She opened it to First Corinthians 13. "Listen to this verse. 'If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.'"

Paige looked at the floor. "Oh."

Mom nodded. "When you talk about Naomi the way you do when she's not around and then act like you're great friends when you see her, the words you speak to her are like that brass gong Carter was clanging--just a lot of noise without any value."

Paige sighed. "So how do I change that?"

"You don't have to be close friends with Naomi, but remember that Jesus loves her just as much as He loves you. Trust Him to help you speak kind words to her out of love instead of selfishness."

-Linda Weddle

How About You?
Do you pretend to like people while inside you have mean thoughts about them? The Bible tells us to speak kind words to others, but they need to be spoken out of genuine love. If you say nice things to someone just to make yourself look good, your words are meaningless noise. Remember that Jesus loves that person and died for them. Trust Him to help you sincerely care about them too so your kind words match His love in your heart.

Today's Key Verse:
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. (NLT) (1 Corinthians 13:1)

Today's Key Thought:
Love others sincerely

Bible Reading: Psalm 37:3-7

"Hey, Mom, look!" Paisley held up a carton of milk. "Ryan and I were going to have a glass of milk, but it's partly frozen!"

"That's odd," said Mom, peering into the refrigerator. "Uh-oh! We have a problem. Other things are frozen too."

"Should we move the refrigerator out from the wall?" asked Ryan. "If I look at the back, maybe I can tell what's wrong."

Paisley laughed. "I doubt it. You don't know a thing about what makes refrigerators run. We need an expert."

"Yes," said Mom. "I'll call the repair man tomorrow."

When Paisley got home the next day, she took a carton of milk from the refrigerator and shook it. "The repair man must have been here," she said to Mom as she took a glass out of the cupboard. "I'm glad we called an expert and didn't try to fix it ourselves." Paisley sighed. "I wish I knew an expert I could call on to fix a problem I have. I try so hard to get along with both Molly and Sara, but they don't like each other, and they both want me to take their side."

"I know an expert who can help," said Mom.

Paisley was surprised. "You do? Who?"

"God," Mom replied. "When we have problems, we often forget to ask God about them and try to fix them ourselves. We need to pray and ask Him to help us."

"Okay, but…" Paisley hesitated. "I've heard that before, and it always sounds like my problems are supposed to just go away if I pray about them. But it doesn't work that way--at least not for me."

"Me neither," Mom replied. "But God does sometimes change the circumstances that trouble us. Other times He shows us how to handle them. He doesn't often give a sudden revelation of what to do, but as you trust Him and depend on Him, He'll guide you in what to do and give you the strength to do it. Jesus is always with us and promises to help us with all our problems. He may use things you've learned from the Bible to help you, or use people who give you advice."

Paisley smiled. "Okay. You said God uses people. Here's what happened today…"

-Wanda E. Brunstetter

How About You?
When you have a problem, do you call on God, the greatest expert of all time? Or do you try to figure it out yourself? Jesus cares about everything you go through in life, and He wants to help you with your problems. Talk to Him about the problem you're having. Then look to the Bible for help and talk over the problem with a trusted adult. Trust God to guide you in what to do in His way and in His time.

Today's Key Verse:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. (NKJV) (Proverbs 3:5)

Today's Key Thought:
Let God help with your problems

Bible Reading: 2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Peter 3:14-18

"Dad, there's something I've been wondering about," Lincoln said as he began fitting pieces of his new model plane together. "When I was at Brandon's house, I overheard his dad telling his mom about a man who is really mean to his wife and kids. This guy excused it by saying he was just being the head of the house, like the Bible says husbands and fathers should be." Lincoln sighed. "I guess it doesn't always work out right when you try to obey the Bible, does it?"

"It sounds to me like that man wasn't obeying the Bible," said Dad. "He was taking a verse out of context and wasn't interpreting and using it the right way."

"What does 'out of context' mean?" Lincoln asked.

"It means to use a verse and change its meaning by not paying attention to what is said in the rest of the chapter or in other parts of the Bible," Dad explained.

Lincoln threw down two of the model pieces he had been trying to fasten. "These things don't fit into each other right."

Dad inspected the model. "Are you sure you followed the directions?"

"Of course! It says right here, 'Snap section E onto section D.' I tried that, and it won't work!"

Dad pointed to the instructions. "But this says, 'First attach B to D, while pressing down on C.'"

"Oops! I guess I skipped that part. Thanks, Dad!"

"As you can see, it's not enough to follow part of the instructions," Dad said. "You have to read them carefully and make sure you understand them completely. It's like that with the Bible too. When we take verses out of context or choose to follow only part of God's instructions and ignore the rest, we're missing the complete picture. The Bible tells us about Jesus, who loves us all so much that He died to save us, and how He's freed us from sin and is making us to be like Him. Do you think His Word also tells us it's okay to be mean to people?"

Lincoln shook his head. "That's why we need to read and study the Bible carefully, right?"

"Right," said Dad. "And we need to trust God to help us understand what it says and live it out in our lives."

-Sherry L. Kuyt

How About You?
Do some things in the Bible sound strange to you? Have you heard someone claim the Bible says something that doesn't sound right? The Bible is God's Word, and everything it says is true. But it must be read carefully and with prayer. God will help you understand more as you study it on your own and with others. When something you read--or hear--doesn't sound right, discuss it with a trusted Christian who can help you understand what God really says.

Today's Key Verse:
[Scripture contains] some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort…to their own destruction. (NIV) (2 Peter 3:16)

Today's Key Thought:
Study the whole Bible