Bible Reading: Psalm 18:28-33; Matthew 5:14-16

"Mom, did you know that you can carry a light into a dark room and light it up, but you can't carry darkness anywhere at all?" Brody said. He and his sister Rey had begun a unit study on light and shadow.

Rey said, "That's silly! You can trap darkness under a bowl and haul it around." She giggled. "I have a book of hand shadows. Can we try some?"

Mom took a flashlight into the den, and the children followed the instructions in Rey's book. They shined the flashlight on their hands to make dog, butterfly, and goose shadows on the wall.

Mom handed them a few items. "Can you make shadows of these?"

Rey held up a miniature flag, an action figure, and a candlestick. Brody aimed the flashlight at them. Each one cast a distinct shadow on the wall.

Mom pulled out a box of long matches and lit one. "Shine the light on this. What do you see?"

The children had puzzled expressions. Rey said, "Not much."

"Watch the flame carefully." Mom held the match up so Brody could shine the flashlight on it.

"Nothing!" both children said almost at the same time.

"Weird," said Brody. "The matchstick has a shadow, but not the flame."

"Hey, that's like my Bible club verse from last week!" Rey said. "It was John 1:5. 'The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.'"

Mom blew out the match before it burned her fingers. "Good job. And Brody, I think you also learned one about light this week here at home."

"Yeah, let's see if I can remember." Brody squeezed his eyes shut. "God is light; in him there is no darkness at all."

"Wow," said Rey. "Light doesn't even have a shadow."

Mom nodded. "That's right. And Jesus calls believers the light of the world. Our world is a dark place full of sin, sadness, and death, but because we know Jesus, we can spread the light of His love to others and point them to the hope we have in Him. Think about how wherever you go, you carry His light with you, and no darkness can overcome it."

"Let's show our friends how light has no shadow when they come over after school," Brody said. "They'll be amazed!"

-Robin Steinweg

How About You?
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the bad news you hear? Take courage! No matter how dark, bad, or sad things seem in our world--or even in our lives--remember that if you're a follower of Jesus, He is in you. Wherever you go, you carry His light. And darkness can't overcome light, but light always overcomes darkness. Jesus has saved you and given you eternal life, and you can share that hope with others.

Today's Key Verse:
God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. (NIV) (1 John 1:5)

Today's Key Thought:
Share God's light with others

Bible Reading: Psalm 37:23-31

"You know how I've always wanted to be a doctor?" asked Ethan as he helped himself to a drumstick at his grandparents' house. "Well, we had a special visitor at church last week--a surgeon from a mission hospital in Africa. They need lots more doctors there, so maybe I'll go to Africa someday." Ethan beamed. "I told God I'd go wherever He wants me to."

Grandma smiled. "That's great, Ethan."

"Yeah, but…" Ethan paused. "I don't know if I can do it. It costs a lot to go to school to learn how to be a doctor, and it's hard work. I might not be smart enough."

"Well, I'm not saying it will be easy, but if that's what God wants you to do, He'll help you work it out," Grandpa assured him. But Ethan still looked doubtful.

After dinner, Ethan and Grandpa went out to the garden to pick raspberries to eat with ice cream. "Look at all the berries!" exclaimed Ethan. "We should have brought a bigger container. I'll go get one." He ran to the house and tried to take the four steps to the porch in one big leap, but ended up sprawled across the stairs.

When Ethan returned, Grandpa grinned at him. "You couldn't take all four steps at once, could you? Well, reaching the goal of being a missionary doctor is like reaching the top of those steps. You can't get there all at once--you need to take one step at a time."

Ethan looked back at the steps. "The steps to the porch are easy to see, but I'm not sure what steps God wants me to take."

"I think you took your first step when you told God you'd serve Him wherever He wants you," said Grandpa. "The next step will probably be to study hard. And maybe the third will be learning to save money. Trust God to show you each step and help you reach it. Most importantly, remember that He's working in your life so others can see His love in you. No matter what you end up doing, He'll help you point others to Jesus."

Ethan nodded. "Okay. I guess I'd better go home and start on my second step. I've got a test I need to study for." He grinned. "After we have ice cream, of course!"

-Mary Rose Pearson

How About You?
Do you feel like God wants you to serve Him in a way that seems hard? Whether it's something you think He wants you to do now or in the future, know that He will help you every step of the way. Trust Him to show you each step and how to get there, and remember that He may lead you somewhere different than you expect. No matter where you end up or what He calls you to do, He will help you share His love with others.

Today's Key Verse:
The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. (NLT) (Psalm 37:23)

Today's Key Thought:
Trust God to lead you step by step

Bible Reading: Ephesians 2:8-9; Revelation 21:2, 23-27

Judah played outside near his dad, who was working on his car and listening to a sermon on his phone. Judah heard clips of the message--something about a very important book God keeps. The pastor called it the Book of Life. He said only people whose names were written in that book would be allowed into heaven. Wow! I better be good, thought Judah, or else my name might not get in.

When Judah started to tease his little sister later that day, he remembered the Book of Life, and so he gave her a ride on his scooter instead. He also took out the garbage without being asked, and he didn't complain when his mom said he couldn't have a cookie so close to suppertime.

Judah made a list of all the good things he had done that day and proudly showed it to his dad. "Will God write my name in His book now?" Judah asked.

"Well, let's think about that," said Dad. "Do you think your teacher at church should write down your name as a winner in the Bible memory contest because you did all these good things? Would that be fair?"

Judah looked puzzled and shook his head. "I didn't learn enough verses yet."

"That's right," said Dad. "You have to meet the requirement to be a winner in the contest, and it isn't that you need to be good. And you have to meet God's requirement to get your name in His book."

"What's that?" asked Judah.

"God's requirement is that you trust Jesus to be your Savior," said Dad. "Heaven is a perfect place--no sin can enter there. But we're all sinners, and sin must be punished. Jesus took the punishment for our sin so those who trust Him can have their sins forgiven and enter heaven. Would you like to trust Him to take your sin away and write your name in His book?"

Judah nodded, and Dad prayed with him. In his mind, Judah could see Jesus writing in a big book in heaven: Judah Ellery. His name was listed in the book--not because of what he had done, but because of what Jesus had done for him.

-Matilda H. Nordtvedt

How About You?
Is your name written in the Book of Life? It's the only way you can get into heaven, and you can't make it happen by being good. It only happens when you trust Jesus as your Savior. Then your sins are all forgiven and your name is written in God's book in heaven. Trust in Jesus today, and He will give you eternal life! (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.)

Today's Key Verse:
Rejoice because your names are written in heaven. (NKJV) (Luke 10:20)

Today's Key Thought:
Be sure your name is written in heaven

Bible Reading: A Friend's Denial

Maddie buried her face in her pillow. She heard footsteps come into her room and then her mom's voice. "Maddie, what happened?"

"Alexa." Maddie didn't move. "I was waiting for her by the bus, and she walked right past me."

"She did?" Mom frowned. "Did you two have a fight?"

"No," Maddie moaned. "It's that new girl. Summer. Alexa sat by her instead of me."

"I see," Mom said, the bed shifting as she sat down on it.

"She acted like she didn't even know me," Maddie said. "She just walked by without even looking at me or anything." Maddie started to cry. "It hurts so bad. No one knows what this feels like."

"I'm sorry, Maddie," Mom said. "I wish I could take away your pain. Friends can really hurt us badly."

Maddie cried while her mom rubbed her back. "If she had just looked at me and said something, it would have been okay. She could have just told me she was going to sit with Summer."

Mom nodded. "You said that no one understands how you feel, but this reminds me a bit of something in the Bible."

Maddie wiped her eyes. "It does?"

Mom patted Maddie's back. "Do you remember when Jesus was arrested, how Peter had followed after Him but then denied knowing Him when asked if he was Jesus's disciple? Jesus was going through the most difficult experience of his life, and Peter told people he didn't know Him. Instead of being there for Jesus, Peter looked away and pretended they had never been friends."

"Why do people do that to their friends?" Maddie asked.

"In Peter's case, he was probably scared," Mom said. "With Alexa, maybe she wanted to sit with someone new and didn't know how to tell you. She may or may not stay friends with Summer, but for today she wanted to try that out." Mom kissed the top of Maddie's head. "I'm not sure why friends choose to hurt us, but I do know that you're not alone in what you're feeling. Jesus understands your pain. He knows what it's like to have a friend ignore you and pretend you were never friends. But He won't ever abandon you like that--whenever you feel hurt and alone, remember He's right there with you."

-Emily Acker

How About You?
Have you ever been hurt in a way that made it feel like you were all alone and no one could understand what you were going through? Has a friend turned their back on you? Jesus knows how you feel. He had friends turn on Him and abandon Him, and He knows how much it hurts. When you feel sad and alone, remember He's with you and won't ever leave you.

Today's Key Verse:
I [God] will never leave you or abandon you. (CSB) (Hebrews 13:5)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus understands the hurt you feel

Bible Reading: Psalms 138:8; 139:1-6

"I wish I was good at sports," complained Quinn. "I was playing kickball with the neighbor kids and totally missed the ball when it was my turn to kick…twice! I'm so uncoordinated. I think God messed up when he made me."

Mom sat down beside Quinn on the porch swing. "Honey, God never makes mistakes, and you know your value isn't based on how well you can kick a ball--it's based on God creating you in His image and Jesus dying to forgive your sins and make you God's child. But I know it can be frustrating when we feel like we aren't as smart, attractive, or athletic as our friends."

Quinn sighed. "I don't have to be good at everything. I just want to have a little bit of athletic talent--like being able to dribble a basketball without it hitting my foot."

"You are good at a lot of other things though," Mom said. "You really have a gift for understanding scientific concepts. You can explain body systems with such great detail and accuracy. I don't know many ten-year-olds who can draw a diagram of the heart from memory!"

"I just like learning about that stuff, Mom!" said Quinn. "None of my friends really care about that anyhow."

"Maybe not yet, anyway," replied Mom. "I'm reading a book about Gladys Aylward, an English missionary to China in the 1930s and 1940s. When she was a teenager working as a maid, she wondered why she was so short--less than five feet tall--and had black hair and dark eyes when it seemed like everyone around her was taller with blond hair and blue eyes. However, when God called Gladys to be a missionary to China years later, she realized her looks helped her fit in with the people she would be ministering to. God had made her perfectly suited to spread the good news to the Chinese people at that time. Remember, Quinn, that God has made you perfectly suited for the plan He has for your life too."

"Wow, that's a neat story, Mom," said Quinn. "So instead of wishing I was different, maybe I should start looking for ways God can use me just like I am."

Mom smiled. "Exactly!"

-Kendra Angle

How About You?
Do you wish you were taller or better at sports or smarter in school? God created you and loves you just the way you are, and He has made you with exactly the skills and talents you need for the plans He has for you. Look for the things you are good at and see how God will use you for His purposes!

Today's Key Verse:
For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (NIV) (Ephesians 2:10)

Today's Key Thought:
You are God's handiwork