Bible Reading: Job 23:8-10; Romans 8:28

Soren quietly stepped onto the back porch where his grandpa was enjoying the sunshine. He watched as Grandpa began to shape the mustache of the wooden cowboy in his hands with his favorite knife.

"Carving again, Grandpa?" Soren asked.

Grandpa looked up and smiled. "Good to see you, Soren. Have a seat and tell me about your day."

Soren frowned and plopped down in a brown folding chair. "School was okay, I guess. Math is weird. I can't figure out this geometry stuff Mrs. Thompkins is trying to teach us. She keeps trying to explain it, but it's hard to pay attention, since I get kind of distracted sometimes."

"Thinking about the treatments your mom is going through?" asked Grandpa.

Soren nodded. "And Jasper told me today that he's moving because his dad got a new job. We won't be able to play together anymore. He'll be living too far away." Soren put his chin in his hands and frowned. "It seems like everything is going wrong all at once."

Grandpa slowly scratched his chin and looked at the wooden figure in his hand. "Soren, when I decide to carve something, what do I start with?"

"A block of wood," Soren replied.

"Right. I have to cut it, sand it, and carve it to make it a cowboy, or a bird, or whatever else I want it to be." Grandpa blew tiny flakes of wood off the cowboy's face. "That's what God is doing with you, buddy. Just like I work hard carving details on a figure to make it look just right, God is shaping you into the person He wants you to be, and He even uses the difficulties you face in life to do that. I know you're going through some tough times, but He can use them to teach you about patience and trust and other things that will help you grow in your relationship with Jesus. He loves you and promises to be with you all through your life--even in difficult times."

Grandpa etched a couple more lines into the cowboy's mustache, then handed it to Soren. "Finished. He's all yours."

Soren slowly ran his fingers across the cowboy's delicate wooden face and smiled.

-Mike Dize

How About You?
Are you facing a lot of problems right now? Maybe you're having trouble at school or someone you love is sick. Dealing with problems is never easy, but Jesus promises to be with you and can use those things to help you learn to trust Him and grow in your faith. Remember that He is with you in tough situations, and trust Him to use them to help you grow in your relationship with Him.

Today's Key Verse:
We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. (NIV) (Isaiah 64:8)

Today's Key Thought:
Let God shape you

Bible Reading: Psalm 139:1-5, 23-24

Lincoln woke up early, dressed quickly, and hurried down to eat breakfast. This was the big day he'd been looking forward to--his family was going to the county fair.

When they arrived at the fair, Lincoln went to look at all the horses, cows, and other show animals. He rode the rides and threw darts at balloons and won a prize. As he and his family walked through the fairgrounds, he saw a booth selling caramel apples, and he decided to buy the biggest and best one he could find. So when it was almost time to go home, he ran to the booth at the far corner of the fair. "I came to buy a caramel apple," he told the woman behind the counter. "Can I pick out a big one?"

"Sure," she replied. "Which one would you like?"

Lincoln carefully studied the apples on display. He pointed to a huge one, loaded with nuts and caramel, and the woman put it in a box so he could take it home.

That evening, Lincoln settled down to eat his prized apple. He took a big bite. "Ughhh!" He ran to the kitchen for a paper towel.

"What's wrong, Lincoln?" asked Dad, looking up from a Sunday school lesson he was preparing on his computer.

"This apple was the biggest, best-looking caramel apple in the whole fair, but when I bit into it, I found a worm hole!" Lincoln exclaimed. "It's soft and mushy inside too." He looked at the apple sadly. "It looked so delicious, but it's no good. I'm going to have to dump the whole thing!"

Dad nodded sympathetically. "That's too bad. It's the inside that counts, isn't it? This lesson I'm working on talks about that too. God says the same thing about us."

"Us?" Lincoln looked at Dad in surprise.

"That's right," said Dad. "We can look good to others--we may even act nice--but the Bible says God looks at our hearts. He knows all our secret thoughts and feelings. He can see any sin we're trying to hide. That's why it's important to be good on the inside. That's why we need Jesus--so He can remove our sin and give us good, clean hearts."

- Linda A. Prince

How About You?
Do you regularly comb your hair, brush your teeth, and put on clean clothes? Do you smile and act nice around other people? That's good. But what about what's on the inside? Other people can't see your thoughts and desires, but God can. He can see past good appearances and behavior to what's in our hearts. You can't hide your sin from Him, but Jesus can take it away. Trust Him to forgive you and make you good on the inside. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.)

Today's Key Verse:
People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (NIV) (1 Samuel 16:7)

Today's Key Thought:
God sees your heart

Bible Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Revelation 21:4

Whenever Gabriella visited her grandparents, Grandma usually called her into the kitchen to help prepare a snack. But Grandma didn't call her today. Gabriella sighed as she rocked slowly in her grandmother's favorite chair.

"How's school going?" asked Grandpa.

"Okay." Gabriella looked at the wall where a picture of her grandparents was hanging. She closed her eyes tightly and wished Grandma would be standing there when she opened them. But that couldn't happen, of course.

"You miss Grandma, don't you?" Grandpa asked quietly. A tear slid down Gabriella's cheek. "I miss her too," said Grandpa. "Sometimes I want to call out to her to talk with her. It's hard to accept the fact that she isn't here anymore." He opened the drawer of a table and pulled out a box. "When I feel especially sad, I look through this memory box. As each picture or item brings back memories, I thank God for the special times--and the ordinary ones--I could spend with Grandma."

Grandpa held out the box, and Gabriella took it. "Oh, here's a picture of Grandma planting flowers out front!" Gabriella said. "And here's one I drew of them." Gabriella and Grandpa talked a little about the lovely garden Grandma had each year.

"Shall we thank God for that?" asked Grandpa. Gabriella nodded, and Grandpa prayed, "Jesus, thank you so much for Grandma and for the time You allowed us to share with her. Thank you for the memory of the beautiful gardens she planted. We miss her so much, but we know she's with You now. We thank You for that too, and for the hope we have knowing we'll see Grandma again one day when you raise all those who know you from the dead. Help us remember that you're with us, and give us strength and comfort." A few tears wet Grandpa's face, and he hugged Gabriella very tightly.

"I have an idea," said Gabriella. She went to the kitchen, and Grandpa followed. He smiled as Gabriella began putting crackers and cheese on a plate, just like Grandma used to do. "Grandma used to tell funny stories when we were in the kitchen together," Gabriella said with a grin. "The funniest one was about how she met you." She giggled and gave Grandpa a hug. "I'll tell you what she said."

- Nance E. Keyes

How About You?
Has someone you loved died? Even when you know they're with Jesus, you'll still feel sad and miss them. Tell Jesus about it--He understands your pain. Look forward to the day when you'll be reunited with loved ones and Jesus will get rid of sin, pain, and death forever. In the meantime, thank God for the good memories you have of that person and the happy times you shared.

Today's Key Verse:
He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. (NLT) (Revelation 21:4)

Today's Key Thought:
Thank God for happy memories

Bible Reading: Isaiah 41:10; John 10:27-30; Ephesians 6:10-13

Riley watched the smooth, tranquil surface of the water as she and her grandfather drifted across the lake in his boat. Suddenly, twenty or thirty fish leaped out of the water all around Riley, a cauldron of boiling activity. Riley was terrified. What unseen enemy could be so frightening that it could catapult so many fish into the air? She quickly turned toward her grandfather, who was fishing from the opposite side of the boat with his back to her.

"Grandpa!" Riley cried. "What was that?"

"What was what? Did you see an alligator?" he asked, chuckling.

"I didn't see what it was, but something made the fish jump all around me!"

Just then something thumped the boat from below, sending them rocking back and forth. Riley screamed and clutched the railing next to her. Grandpa turned around, startled, and peered out across the water.

"I heard on the news that someone spotted an alligator in this lake, but they never come this far north. I didn't believe it," said Grandpa, rapidly reeling in his fishing line. "Maybe it was an alligator." He saw the petrified expression on Riley's face and smiled. "But you don't need to be afraid, Riley."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Riley as she gripped the railing tighter.

"Quite sure. This boat is too big and the sides rise too high above the water for an alligator to get in." Grandpa started the motor and began steering the boat to another part of the lake. "And besides, this boat isn't the only thing keeping us safe."

"It's not?" Riley asked in a shaky voice.

Grandpa shook his head. "God is with us." He smiled at Riley reassuringly. "The Bible says that no matter what happens, we are safe in His hands. Because you and I both trust in Jesus, nothing can separate us from Him. Even if something terrible were to happen to us, we can have peace knowing that Jesus has saved us from our worst enemies of all--sin, death, and Satan. He is like this boat--He protects our souls just as surely as this strong boat hull keeps us safe from alligators."

Riley relaxed a little, but continued to hold on to the railing. She was not going to stick even her pinky out of the boat!

- Vicky Kaseorg

How About You?
Are you ever afraid of unseen dangers in the world? Our world can be a scary place, and even Christians have bad things happen in their lives. But Jesus promises never to leave us. We don't need to be afraid because, no matter what happens, we have eternal life with Him. Our enemy Satan can never snatch us from God's hands, and even in death Jesus will be with us. If you trust in Jesus, He is your boat, and He will always take care of you.

Today's Key Verse:
Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NLT) (Romans 8:39)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus keeps us safe spiritually

Bible Reading: Psalm 103:10-12

"Mom, how much longer on this airplane?" Danny asked. "I liked seeing our cousins in South Korea, but I feel like we've been on this plane forever!"

"Let's look." Danny's mom touched the screen in front of her. "It says here we have three more hours to go. Maybe you can practice memorizing your Bible verses while you wait. I know the perfect verse to start with."

Mom reached down into her purse under the seat and pulled out a tiny pocket-sized Bible. She cracked it open. "Right here," she said, pointing to Psalm 103.

Danny was quiet for a few moments as he read the psalm, but then he looked up and asked, "Mom, what's a transgression? It says here that God removes our transgressions. What does that mean?"

"That's a great question! Remember how we talked about Jesus dying and coming back to life again to save us? Well, that was when God removed our transgressions, or our sins."

"So, transgressions is just a fancy word for sins?" Danny asked.

"Yes, and it gets even better. See here in the next line?" Mom pointed to the page. "It says here that God separates us from our sins as far as the east is from the west."

Danny looked puzzled for a moment. "But those are opposites!" he proclaimed.

"Exactly! You know how we've been on this plane for hours and hours? We've gone all the way from one side of the world to the other. We traveled all the way from the United States in the west to South Korea in the east. And God tells us that He takes our sins even further away from us than that."

"Wow! So, God took my sins all the way to the other side of the world?" asked Danny.

Mom laughed. "Not exactly. The verse is more of a figure of speech--it's saying that, for those who trust in Jesus, God has removed our sin and made us completely clean and whole in His eyes. He no longer holds our wrongs against us. When God forgives our sins, we are completely separated from them."

"Well, that's good, 'cause I don't have any room left in my suitcase to take them home with me!" joked Danny.

-Naomi Zylstra

How About You?
What's the farthest you've ever been from home? Did you have to fly in a plane or take a long car ride to get there? God can take your sins even further away. He removes the sins of anyone who trusts in Jesus. Has He taken away your sins? If not, trust in Jesus today. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.) Then, when you do something that's wrong, you can confess your sin to Him knowing He will forgive you.

Today's Key Verse:
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. (NKJV) (Psalm 103:12)

Today's Key Thought:
God removes our sins