Bible Reading: Galatians 6:1-5

"I don't see why Harper can't come Christmas shopping with us tomorrow," Sienna complained. "She always helps me find the best gifts."

"It's not a good idea for your sister to be in a mall right now, Sienna," said Mom. "She needs time to go through counseling and address why she feels the need to steal things."

Sienna sighed and put on her boots and coat. "I'm going to see if the ice is hard on the pond."

When she reached the pond, she tested the ice with her foot. It was firm at the edge, but when she cautiously moved forward, it cracked. No skating yet. So Sienna headed home, taking the back way.

When Sienna reached the house, Mom came out. "Ally was playing out here, but I don't see her anywhere," she said with a worried look.

"The pond!" said Sienna. "Maybe she followed me." She looked down and saw a tiny set of footsteps in the snow next to her bigger ones heading toward the pond. She dashed down the hill as fast as she could. As she approached the pond, she saw her little sister step out onto the ice. It held at the edge, and Ally took another step. "No, Ally!" yelled Sienna, and Ally stopped. When Sienna reached her, she took her hand and led her off the ice.

Mom met them at the top of the hill. "You know you're not allowed to go to the pond by yourself," she said as she hugged her little daughter.

"I thought Sienna was there," said Ally. "I was just following her."

Later that day, Sienna again begged her mom to let her older sister come to the mall with them, but Mom said no. "We need to be careful where our footsteps lead," said Mom. "Harper is struggling with an urge to shoplift, and she needs our support. She shouldn't be in an environment where she may be tempted to steal."

Sienna was quiet for a moment. "I wouldn't want to lead her into a situation where she'd be tempted," she said finally.

"I know," said Mom. "Sometimes we need to make sacrifices to help other Christians in their walk with Jesus, especially when they struggle with things we don't."

- Mary Rose Pearson

How About You?
Do you help other Christians who are struggling with sin? Are you careful where your footsteps might lead them? We all have different struggles in our lives, and even though you may not be tempted by certain things, the same might not be true for someone else. Trust Jesus to help you be sensitive to the needs and feelings of others so you can support and encourage them in their walk with Him.

Today's Key Verse:
Share each other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. (NLT) (Galatians 6:2 )

Today's Key Thought:
Help those who struggle

Bible Reading: Romans 6:12-18, 22

"Hi, Mom," said Taden as he came into the house. "Want to see the picture I painted at school today?" He held out a paper with a scene of a lake and trees, with mountains in the background.

"This is really good!" exclaimed Mom. "You're a wonderful painter."

Taden beamed. "I think I'm going to be an artist when I grow up. I love to paint." He went to a drawer and took out a fresh piece of paper and some paints.

"I think that would be great." Mom pointed to the paper Taden had spread out on the kitchen table. "Have you ever looked at your blank paper and wondered what it will look like when you're done painting?"

"Of course. I always have something in mind when I start painting." Taden grinned at his mom. "But it doesn't always turn out the way I imagined it. Sometimes I do a good job, but other times I mess it up."

Mom nodded. "Our lives are like that blank paper, and our choices are like the brush that applies the colors to the page, making something beautiful--or a mess!"

"But the brush doesn't paint by itself," said Taden. "It's the artist who chooses the colors and paints the picture. Whether it turns out good or bad depends on the artist."

"That's right," said Mom. "In our life pictures, we can either make ourselves the artists and paint things our own way, or we can trust God to be the artist holding the brush and let Him guide us and shape our lives."

Taden looked at the blank page. "I never thought about my life like that," he said thoughtfully.

"When we trust Jesus and give Him control of our life picture, He promises to make it beautiful," said Mom. "That doesn't mean our lives will be easy or that we won't still sin and make mistakes--we'll sometimes try to take control of the brush and do things our own way. But when we do, Jesus forgives us and paints over our mistakes. He promises to help us make good choices and love others the way He does. He's the greatest Artist there is, and when we give Him control of our lives, He will make them into masterpieces."

- Mary Rose Pearson

How About You?
Who is painting the picture of your life? No matter how hard you try, you can't paint a good life picture on your own. Everyone has already messed up their picture with sin, but Jesus can paint over your mistakes and make your life beautiful. Trust Him as your Savior today. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.) Then let Him guide you as you live your life, knowing He'll make it into a masterpiece.

Today's Key Verse:
Give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. (NLT) (Romans 6:13)

Today's Key Thought:
Give God control of your life

Bible Reading: Hebrews 5:12-14

"Lindy, have you learned your Bible verse for Sunday school?" asked Mom.

"No, but I don't like Sunday school anymore," Lindy grumbled.

"Why not?" asked Mom, spooning cereal into Gracie's mouth.

"We don't sing fun songs with motions anymore, and Mrs. Mac doesn't read from her Bible storybook either," replied Lindy. "Now we have to read right from the Bible and memorize verses and--" She paused as Gracie made a gagging sound. "What's the matter, Gracie?" Lindy asked as she tapped a spoon on the high chair, trying to distract her baby sister.

"She's used to milk and juice, and she's just learning to handle solid foods," Mom explained. "Sometimes they're a little hard for her to swallow."

"Poor Gracie." Lindy turned to her mother. "Why not just let her have milk then?"

"Because she's not a tiny baby anymore. Gracie has to get used to eating solid food to grow big and healthy like you. She already likes it."

"Oh," said Lindy. She stroked her sister's cheek. "Eat up, Gracie. Get big soon so we can play together!"

Mom put the spoon back up to the baby's mouth. "It seems like you're having the same kind of trouble as Gracie," she said.

Lindy looked indignant. "I don't have a problem swallowing my food!"

"Not physical food," said Mom. "But what about spiritual food? Like newborn babies, new Christians need milk--spiritual milk. When you were younger, you could only understand simple things about God, and your attention span was short, so you just sang cute little songs and read simple Bible stories. But now you understand more and are ready for something more solid. Studying harder Bible lessons and verses helps you learn more about Jesus and His love for you so you can grow in your faith." Mom spooned some more cereal into Gracie's waiting mouth. "It can be hard to get used to at first, just like solid food makes Gracie gag sometimes. But she already likes her new cereal, and I know you'll soon like your new lessons too. Remember that God wants to use them to feed you spiritually and help you grow."

Lindy looked uncertain, but then she nodded. "Okay," she said. "I guess I'll go learn my verse."

- Tanya Ferdinandusz

How About You?
Are you having trouble with your spiritual diet? Do you think the Bible is too hard to understand or that church isn't as fun as it used to be? Easy, fun things aren't always the things that help you grow spiritually. Take learning about God seriously, and put the things you learn into practice. Trust Him to help you understand more and more about how much He loves you and what Jesus did to save you. Let Him feed you the truth of His Word so you can grow in your faith.

Today's Key Verse:
Don't think like children. In evil things be like babies, but in your thinking you should be like full-grown adults. (ERV) (1 Corinthians 14:20)

Today's Key Thought:
Grow in your spiritual understanding

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-12; Luke 15:3-10

Zach ran frantically down the stairs. "Has anyone seen Mr. Bunny?" he cried. "I can't find him anywhere!"

"I'm sure he's around here somewhere, Zach," said Mom. "Have you looked in your closet?"

"Yes," said Zach. "I've looked in my room and closet, and in Hailey's room too. I just don't know where he could be!"

"Try checking the living room, and Hailey and I will check the other rooms downstairs," Mom said. Zach sped off to the living room.

"But Mom," said Hailey, "Zach is getting too old to be worrying about a raggedy stuffed animal. It's embarrassing that he takes Mr. Bunny to school with him."

Mom bent to look under the kitchen table. "Remember, Hailey, that Zach finds comfort in having familiar things around him. He gets anxious about going to school, and just knowing that Mr. Bunny is in his backpack helps calm him down."

"I get it, Mom. I'll help look for Mr. Bunny." Hailey headed to the laundry room.

"I found him!" Hailey called a minute later. "He was hiding in the laundry basket under some of Zach's clothes."

"Oh, thank you!" cried Zach, and he gave Mr. Bunny a big hug.

Mom smiled. "I'm so glad we found Mr. Bunny. It's amazing how much joy we feel when we find something important to us that has been lost. Do you remember the stories of the lost sheep and lost coin in the Bible?"

"Yeah," said Hailey. "The shepherd looked all over for the lost sheep, and when he found him, he called all his friends and neighbors over for a party to celebrate! And the lady did the same thing when she found her lost coin."

"That's right," Mom said. "But the most important part of those stories is that they illustrate how much joy there is in heaven when someone comes to trust in Jesus. And just like Zach didn't give up looking for Mr. Bunny, God will never give up on us. Jesus came to earth to rescue us when we were lost in sin, and when we are found, God rejoices over us."

"I'm so happy about that," said Zach. "And I'm so happy I found Mr. Bunny!"

- Lori Haynie

How About You?
Have you ever lost something very special to you? How did you feel when you lost it? Did you keep searching and searching until you found it? Remember that you are very special to God. He loves you and sent His Son, Jesus, to save you from being lost. No matter what you've done, He wants you to come to Him. He is seeking you. Trust in Jesus so you can be found. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.)

Today's Key Verse:
For the Son of Man [Jesus] came to seek and save those who are lost. (NLT) (Luke 19:10)

Today's Key Thought:
God seeks and rejoices over us

Bible Reading: Matthew 13:31-32; 17:14-20

Gianna and her cousins were spending the day at Grandpa's house. "Will you measure us, Grandpa?" asked Alex. "I want to see how tall I am."

"All right." Grandpa followed them to the wall where he had been measuring them since they were toddlers. He made a mark on the wall for each of them and wrote their name and the date beside it.

"I'm the tallest!" exclaimed Alex.

"Gianna, you're not even as tall as I was when I was nine, and you're ten!" said Joy.

"Gianna is a shortie," said Alex, grinning.

Gianna's cheeks grew hot. She hated being teased for her size.

"Enough!" said Grandpa. "Come with me." He led the cousins to his garden shed. "Hold out your hands."

Grandpa placed a large white seed in Alex's hand, a smaller yellow seed in Joy's hand, and a tiny black seed in Gianna's hand.

Of course I get the tiny, unimportant seed, Gianna thought. Just like me.

Grandpa pointed to an open gardening book. "Alex, tell us about your seed."

"My seed is a lima bean," Alex said, looking at the information in the book. "They grow into plants that are fifteen inches to nine feet tall." Alex looked at the seed in his hand. "This seed is tiny to grow so big!"

"Let me see mine," said Joy, pushing Alex aside. "My seed is corn. The plants grow seven to ten feet tall. That's bigger than yours, Alex!"

Alex frowned. "But your seed is smaller than mine!"

"My seed is a mustard seed," said Gianna. "It grows a tree twenty feet tall. It produces purple fruit, and in some places people use the branches to brush their teeth."

"No way!" said Alex. "All that from a tiny seed?"

"It isn't how big the seed is that matters," said Grandpa. "What matters is what God created it to do." He smiled at the kids. "That's true for us too. The Bible says those who have faith in Jesus are new creations. He's made us new people and given us the Holy Spirit to help us do the good things He wants us to do."

Gianna thought about the tiny seed growing into an amazing tree. It wasn't unimportant after all. "If this seed can grow a tree," she said, smiling, "just imagine what we can do!"

- Tracey Eagan

How About You?
Do you ever feel like you're too small to do anything important? What matters is how big God is and what He's created you to do. If you have faith in Jesus, He has given you the Holy Spirit so you can do great things that show others His love. Just like a tiny seed can grow into a huge tree, God can use you in amazing ways as He builds His kingdom. Be content where God has placed you, and trust Him to show you how you can serve Him.

Today's Key Verse:
For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (NLT) (Ephesians 2:10)

Today's Key Thought:
God created you to do great things