Bible Reading: Romans 3:10-12; 6:23

"There has been a lot of note-passing going on lately," announced Mrs. Barnes. "Anyone I see passing a note from now on will stay in at recess."

Cam nodded. He had noticed a lot of the kids passing notes too.

The next day, Cam watched as Lincoln and Josiah passed notes back and forth. They'd better watch it, he thought, or they're gonna have to stay in for recess. He decided to write a note to warn his friends to be careful.

As Cam slipped his note to Josiah, Mrs. Barnes looked up. "Cam, Josiah, and Lincoln--you will all stay in at recess today."

"Me?" asked Cam. "What did I do?"

"I saw you passing a note," said Mrs. Barnes. "You will stay in with the other boys." And so the three boys spent afternoon recess at their desks.

That evening, Cam complained about his punishment. "I wrote one note!" he grumbled. "The other guys wrote lots more. It's not fair!"

"How many notes did Mrs. Barnes say you could write?" asked Dad.

"Well…none. But I still think she could have let me play outside at least half the time since the others wrote so many more notes than I did!"

"Even though you only wrote one note, you were guilty as charged, weren't you?" said Dad.

"I guess, but I still wasn't as bad as the others," Cam insisted.

"Your argument reminds me of people who think God should excuse them because they don't think they're as bad as other people they know," said Dad. "The fact is that everyone has sinned, and the Bible says that makes each one of us a sinner guilty before God, no matter how our sins compare to someone else's. You passed a note in class knowing it was against the rules, and you got the punishment you deserved."

Cam sighed and propped his head on his elbows. "I guess I did deserve to stay in at recess," he finally admitted. He gave his dad a sideways glance. "You're gonna point out that we don't need to be punished for our sin though, aren't you?"

Dad grinned. "I sure am! Even though each one of us deserves that punishment, Jesus died on the cross to save us from it. He took the punishment for our sin so we wouldn't have to!"

-Hazel W. Marett

How About You?
Do you think you're pretty good--better than a lot of kids you know? God says everyone is a sinner. We're all equally guilty of breaking God's law, and we all deserve to be punished. But the wonderful thing is that Jesus died to take the punishment for our sin. Instead of suffering the eternal death you deserve, you can have eternal life with God! Trust Jesus as your Savior today. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.)

Today's Key Verse:
Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. (NIV) (James 2:10 )

Today's Key Thought:
All sin deserves punishment

Bible Reading: Matthew 10:29-31

"But I'm so scared!" Rebecca's little sister cried.

"I'm sorry, Cara, but you have to go. You'd better get your shoes on. We leave in fifteen minutes," Rebecca answered.

As Cara pulled on her clogs, she asked, "Rebecca, will it hurt very bad?"

"Well, it will hurt some. When the dentist pulls a tooth, it hurts for a little while. But the pain won't last very long," Rebecca tried to assure her sister.

Tears filled Cara's eyes. "Rebecca, I'm really, really scared. Scareder than you've ever been!"

Rebecca sat down on the bed. "Cara, do you want to know what you can do to help you not be so afraid?" When Cara nodded, she went on. "Whenever we're afraid, we can trust the Lord. We can pray He will help us remember that He's with us and that we can trust Him!"

Cara looked up at her sister. "I thought we prayed to God for big things like when someone is really sick or dying. Are you sure He'd hear my prayer about having a little tooth pulled?"

"God hears every prayer," Rebecca said as she took her Bible from her desk. "Matthew 10:29-31 says, 'Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.' See, Jesus told us that God even cares for the sparrows. And you're way more important than a sparrow, Cara! God gave His own Son so you could be saved and belong to Him. He loves you and wants you to go to Him for help when you're afraid."

"So God hears even the tiniest prayer?"

"Yes!"

"All right," Cara said. "I'll pray and ask God to help me."

Cara knelt down beside Rebecca's bed. "Dear God," she prayed, "please help me not be so scared when I go to the dentist. Please help it not hurt a lot. Thank you that I'm worth more than a sparrow. Amen."

Just then Mom called, "Girls! It's time to go!"

Cara jumped up and turned to Rebecca. "I'm so glad God cares about me!"

"Me too!" Rebecca answered.

-Evie Newton

How About You?
Do you worry about little things? Do you ever pray about these things and wonder if God cares? He does care! God cares even for sparrows, and you are worth so much more to Him than they are! Jesus died for your sins so you could be God's child. Bring your worries to Him, knowing He cares and promises to help you.

Today's Key Verse:
Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (NIV) (Matthew 10:31)

Today's Key Thought:
God cares about you

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:18-27

"Whoa! Why the long face?" asked Bristol's dad as she came in the back door.

Bristol frowned. "I was hoping to get a part in our youth pageant, but instead I have to make props. Carrie got picked for the lead." She saw that her dad was putting on his beekeeper's outfit and quickly changed the subject. "I want to go with you to the beehives!"

"Okay," Dad said, so Bristol quickly slipped into her own bee suit, and they went out to the hives.

At the beehives, Bristol watched as Dad pulled a honeycomb from one of them. "Oh good!" he said. "There obviously are workers in this hive. I'm glad there aren't just queen bees here, aren't you?"

Bristol was puzzled. "There's never more than one queen bee in a hive, Dad. You know that."

"Yes, well, that's a good thing too. Queen bees don't make honey, and I like honey!" Dad checked each of the remaining hives and took out additional honeycombs. "As it is, you could say each hive is a self-sufficient super-organism."

Bristol rolled her eyes. "English, Dad! You know I don't like talking scientifically."

Dad chuckled. "How about biblically?"

"Biblically?" Bristol gave her dad a confused look as they walked toward the house.

Dad nodded. "In the beehive, each bee needs to do its job so the whole thing works together efficiently. The bees can't all be drones. They can't all be worker bees either. And they can't all be queens. Each kind of bee is needed. It's that way in the church too--what the Bible calls the body of Christ. Jesus gives Christians different jobs to do so we can work together to share the gospel--the message of hope about what Jesus did to save us--with the world. Even in all the everyday things we do--schoolwork, chores, church service, or whatever--in everything, all kinds of workers are needed."

Bristol sighed. "You're talking about our youth pageant, aren't you? You're saying the job of making props is just as important as the lead part, right?"

Dad nodded. "By making props, you'll be doing your part to help share the love of Jesus with others."

"Okay," Bristol said. "Then I'll be busy as a bee making props!"

-Dolores A. Lemieux

How About You?
Are you content with what God has given you to do? Or do you often wish for a better, more important position? The Bible says no position in God's family of believers is better than another. Each one of us is a sinner saved by His grace, and we've all been given different roles in helping more people know about Him. Do your part in whatever work He's given you so we can share the gospel as the body of Christ.

Today's Key Verse:
Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (NIV) (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Today's Key Thought:
All tasks are important

Bible Reading: Matthew 6:19-21, 33

Miles dreamed about the hoverboard he was saving up for as he raked leaves in his grandmother's yard. His dad had agreed to pay him for his help since Grandma couldn't rake them herself, and Miles was brainstorming more ways to earn some extra money. Maybe some of his neighbors would pay him to rake their leaves.

Just then, he noticed a large hole in the base of a big tree. "Look, Dad!" he called as he knelt to peer inside. "I never noticed this before. This would be a good place to hide stuff."

Dad walked over to look. "Maybe there's a cache of jewels or a sack of stolen money inside," he teased. He poked his rake into the hole, and they heard a scraping sound as the rake hit a metal object.

"Something is hidden in there!" exclaimed Miles. Plunging his hand inside the cavity, he felt around and finally pulled out a small box. "Wow! A real treasure chest! I wonder who put it there." Miles eagerly opened the old box and looked inside. He felt a pang of disappointment when the treasure turned out to be a soggy pair of shoelaces, a rusty pocketknife, and a moldy book about fishing.

"Somebody must have hidden these things and then forgot about them," said Dad. "Now look at them. I hope whoever stored these here put most of their treasures in a better place."

"Yeah. Somewhere they won't get ruined, like in a closet or one of those safe deposit boxes at the bank."

"I was thinking of an even better place than that," said Dad. "Jesus said we should store our treasures in heaven, where they'll never be ruined or stolen." Dad shook his head. "We often put so much emphasis on material things like houses and clothes and cars…"

And hoverboards, thought Miles.

"We need to remember those things won't last," said Dad. "The only treasure that lasts is found in Jesus--being saved from sin and having a relationship with Him for all eternity."

Miles nodded as he looked at the rusty pocketknife. I still want a hoverboard, he thought. But I'm glad I already have what really matters--treasure in heaven. He put the box back into the hole in the tree and picked up his rake.

-Ellen C. Orr

How About You?
Is there something you really want? Maybe it's something your friends have or something you saw on TV. It's okay to enjoy things like that, but remember that treasures on earth don't last--anything you buy will eventually get old or wear out. The only treasure that lasts forever is free--eternal life with Jesus. When the focus of your life is on Him instead of material things, you are storing treasure in heaven, where it will last forever.

Today's Key Verse:
Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. (NLT) (Matthew 6:20 )

Today's Key Thought:
Store treasures in heaven

Bible Reading: Romans 5:6-11

"There you are!" Miss Jayla called brightly as Cassidy joined the other kids. Normally one of the first to arrive, Cassidy had been late to children's church that morning. She had tripped on the stairs while walking to class, and some of the kids had laughed at her. Embarrassed, Cassidy had sought a few minutes of alone time in the bathroom.

Now, she plodded to her seat, where the day's activities dragged by as Cassidy waited to ask Miss Jayla the questions whirling in her mind.

"What's going on, Cassidy? You look troubled," Miss Jayla said when most of the kids had been picked up at the end of the morning.

"I need to ask you something. I know I could talk to my foster mom, but I don't want her to get mad at me."

"Let's sit down." Miss Jayla directed them to bean bags by the door so she could watch for other parents arriving.

"I need to know how God punishes us," Cassidy began. "I want to know if God is punishing me if I bump into a table and hurt myself. Or when I stub my toe. Or today…I stumbled on the steps. Does God let me get hurt because I did something bad?"

"I'm glad you asked! No, God doesn't let you trip on stairs or bang into a table to punish you, sweetie. Sometimes accidents happen. But those are not punishments for things we do wrong. Do you remember who Jesus is, Cassidy?"

"Jesus is God's Son who came down to earth, died on a cross, then returned to life," Cassidy answered.

Miss Jayla nodded. "Do you know the reason He died?"

Cassidy shrugged.

"Wrong things we do--what the Bible calls sin--must be punished because our sins go against what God says is good," Miss Jayla explained. "But God wanted to save us from that punishment, which is death and separation from Him. So He sent Jesus, who lived a perfect life, to take our place and pay for our sins so we can be forgiven." Miss Jayla smiled at Cassidy. "That's how much He loves us."

Cassidy took a moment to think about that. "If Jesus died so I could be forgiven, I want to ask Him to pay for my sins too!"

-Allison Wilson Lee

How About You?
Do you ever wonder if God is punishing you when things go wrong in your life? We live in a sinful, broken world, and that means bad things just happen sometimes. But God loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to save us. Jesus took the punishment we deserve by dying on the cross for our sins. If you trust in Him, you can be confident that all your sins are forgiven by God! (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.)

Today's Key Verse:
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (NKJV) (Romans 5:8 )

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus paid for our sins