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

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:97-105

"Oh, look at this!" exclaimed Aunt Jessie as she and Melanie were cleaning Grandma's attic. "Here's a box of mementos from when I was in high school!"

Melanie took a pair of neon green sunglasses from the box and put them on. "Why did you keep these?"

"Tom gave those to me after he won them at the county fair," Aunt Jessie replied with a smile. "I haven't thought about him in years." As she sorted through the other things in the box, she told Melanie about each item and how she'd gotten it.

"Don't you forget anything, Aunt Jessie?" asked Melanie. "Everything you see reminds you of something! Your head must be stuffed fuller than this attic."

Aunt Jessie laughed. "Well, I've heard that people never really forget anything. Everything we experience is stored in our brains, but it may take something like a memento to bring it into a part of the mind where we can recall it." She stretched her arms. "I don't know about you, but I'm getting tired. Let's take a break."

They went to the kitchen to get a snack. "What do you have in your attic, Melanie?" Aunt Jessie asked as they ate. Melanie started thinking about the attic at home, but Aunt Jessie leaned forward and tapped her on the head. "What I mean is, what do you have stored up here? I hadn't seen the things stored in Grandma's attic for years, but they brought back good memories. Like her attic, your mind is storing things too."

"Yeah, I guess that's true," said Melanie. "Sometimes a song pops into my head, even if I haven't heard it for a long time!"

Aunt Jessie nodded. "Bible verses do the same thing. Even if you haven't thought of a particular verse for years, something may suddenly bring it to mind. So, are there lots of Bible verses in the storage area of your brain?"

Melanie shrugged. "I try to learn as many as I can."

"Once memories are in place, things we see or hear can bring them back," said Aunt Jessie. "When you memorize God's Word, He can use people and events to bring it to mind when you need it. That's one way the Holy Spirit helps you each day."

-Catherine Runyon

How About You?
Have you ever seen or heard something that reminded you of a verse you knew? By memorizing God's Word, you store it in your mind and make it part of your life. When you need help or encouragement, the Holy Spirit can use it to remind you of God's love, truth, and promises. Keep reading the Bible and memorizing verses, and God's Word will come to mind when you need it.

Today's Key Verse:
I will not forget your word. (NKJV) (Psalm 119:16)

Today's Key Thought:
Memorize Bible verses

Bible Reading: John 6:5-13

"Bye!" Amber waved as her aunt drove away. Aunt Nina had eaten dinner with Amber's family that night. Afterwards, Aunt Nina showed them pictures from the recent mission trip she'd taken.

Amber sighed as she returned to the kitchen. "I wish I could go on a mission trip. I never do anything important."

"Why do you say that?" Mom asked, handing Amber a plate.

"Aunt Nina traveled to another country and told others about Jesus. She helped doctors in that village serve sick people. Everything I do seems like no big deal." Amber shut the dishwasher and looked sadly at her mother.

"Here." Mom placed the leftover garlic bread in Amber's hands.

Amber glanced at the bread. "What do you want me to do with it?"

"Tell me what it is."

"Bread." Amber shrugged. "I don't get it."

"Do you remember the story of the miracle Jesus performed with a few fish and loaves of bread?"

Amber nodded. "A little boy gave his lunch to Jesus. Not much, but it was all he had. Jesus turned it into enough to feed thousands of hungry people."

"That boy believed Jesus could do something special with what he offered," Mom replied.

Amber tucked the leftover bread in a bag and waited for Mom to explain more.

"Jesus has forgiven your sins and given you a new life, Amber, and He promises to help you share His love with others so they can know Him as their Savior too. Don't you think He can use whatever you have to offer Him--just like He did with the boy in the Bible story?" Mom asked.

"What do I have to offer?" Amber wrinkled her forehead.

"Well, Aunt Nina needed to pack long skirts to wear on her mission trip. Remember how she found a big tear in one of them? You sewed it up for her."

"That's right! I saw her wearing it in lots of her pictures too."

Mom nodded. "You had a part in that mission trip."

"I guess my needle and thread were my loaves and fishes," Amber said. "And I can't wait for God to use them again!"

-Allison Wilson Lee

How About You?
Do you get discouraged at not being able to do the things others can do to serve God? Do you wonder if God can use you--right where you are? He can! As you trust and follow Jesus, He will show you what you can do to share His love with others and help build His kingdom. It doesn't matter if it doesn't seem like much to you--God can use it all, big or small. Give Him whatever you have to offer and trust Him to use it to do great things.

Today's Key Verse:
All glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. (NLT) (Ephesians 3:20)

Today's Key Thought:
God honors our faithful efforts

Bible Reading: Psalm 143:8-10; John 14:23-26

"Rerouting…rerouting…"

Landen heard his dad's GPS talking in a lady's voice. "What does rerouting mean?" he asked.

"It means to change direction. We need to stop by the grocery store on the way to Aunt Cyndi's party, so I went a different direction than the one my GPS recommended. Now the GPS is rerouting, figuring out a new way to get to the party."

"Is that a bad thing? The lady sounded mad."

Dad chuckled. "She doesn't get mad, Landen. She's a machine. But, to answer your question, rerouting isn't necessarily bad. It certainly wasn't in this case. We can't have a party without ice cream!"

"Let's get mint chocolate chip!" yelled Landen's younger brother, Archer.

"Good idea." A minute later, Dad spoke again. "Remember last summer, when you two played ball in the house?"

Landen wasn't sure he wanted to remember. He and Archer both nodded but didn't speak.

Dad continued. "God tells us to obey our parents, and you two usually do. But that day, you and Archer went off course and did what you were told not to do."

"Big mistake," admitted Landen. "It took six months of saving our allowance money before we had enough to buy a new lamp. Worse than that, Mom cried because the one we broke was her grandmother's."

"When we choose to go a different direction than the one God commands, it often doesn't end well. Instead of trusting God to help us obey Him and show His love to others, we follow our own selfish desires, and people get hurt." Dad parked in front of the store and turned around to look at the boys. "I think the Holy Spirit did some rerouting for you both. Once you made your wrong turn, the Holy Spirit guided you back in the right direction by showing you how your disobedience had been hurtful and prompting you to admit you were wrong and ask for forgiveness."

Landen sighed. "It would've been a lot easier to do the right thing from the beginning." Then he grinned. "But we sure won't be throwing balls in the house anymore!"

"No way!" agreed Archer.

"Good," said Dad. "Now, let's go buy that mint chocolate chip ice cream and get back on the road!"

-Bonnie Carr

How About You?
Did you ever do anything you knew was wrong? We all have. But, when we trust Jesus as our Savior, He gives us the Holy Spirit to be our GPS. The Holy Spirit fills us with the love of Jesus and guides us in loving others. When we don't follow the Holy Spirit's prompting and instead do wrong, hurtful things, the Holy Spirit will help reroute us in the right direction.

Today's Key Verse:
Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." (NIV) (Isaiah 30:21)

Today's Key Thought:
Let the Holy Spirit guide you