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

Bible Reading: John 14:15-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Kenna wrapped her arms around Milo, her orange tabby cat. A single tear slipped onto her kitty's furry face. Kenna felt more tears inside her, but she was tired from crying every day for the past week, and she didn't know if any more tears would come. "God, I miss my Mom. Why did you take her to heaven?" Kenna's whispered words hung in the air.

Mom had been sick for a couple of weeks, and everyone had been praying. Even when she went to the hospital, Kenna had been a little scared, but she really thought her mom would come home. "I feel so alone." Kenna rubbed her cheek against Milo's soft fur. She thought about her mom's smile--so bright, always full of joy, even when she had to go through her many surgeries over the years.

Kenna remembered her mom reading the Bible to her just a few months back. "Kenna-girl, do you know how much God loves you?" Mom had cupped Kenna's face in her hands. "I want you to remember that He is always with you. What did we just read in John chapter fourteen about how we know God is with us?"

"He gave us the Holy Spirit."

"That's right! Because you belong to Jesus, you have the Holy Spirit in you to be with you and remind you of everything He has said. He will never leave you, and He gives you His peace."

Kenna pulled out her pink Bible and found John 14. She read verse 18--I will not leave you as orphans. "God, I feel so alone because I really miss my mom. Will you keep reminding me of what You say--that You will never leave me? I'm not an orphan because I have You. Will you give my mom a big hug from me and tell her I'm going to shine my light for You just like she did?"

Kenna hugged her cat close. "Milo, I'm sad Mom isn't here anymore, but I have hope because I know she's in heaven with Jesus, and He promises He'll never leave either one of us." Kenna scratched Milo's chin as he purred. "One day, I will see Mom again and give her the biggest hug ever! I may feel alone right now, but I know Jesus is with me."

-Savannah Coleman

How About You?
Have you ever lost someone you love? When someone close to you dies, sorrow and the feeling of being alone can seem like it's never going to end. If you're a child of God, you have hope to hold on to. You are never alone because Jesus is always with you. He will be with you in your loneliness and sorrow, and one day He will wipe all your tears away (Revelation 21:3-4).

Today's Key Verse:
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (NIV) (Deuteronomy 31:8 )

Today's Key Thought:
God is with you always

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:9-16

"Look, Dad," said Tristan. "A chipmunk!"

Dad joined Tristan at the window and together they watched the little creature strip an ear of corn from the compost pile. "Look at him peel off those kernels!" said Tristan. "He eats fast!"

"He's not eating them," said Dad. "He's stuffing the kernels into little pouches in his cheeks. Watch what he does with them now."

Tristan watched as the chipmunk scurried over to the woodpile. He laughed when he saw what the little rodent did next. "He's using his hind foot to push the corn out of his cheeks!"

"He's storing it in spaces between the chunks of wood so it'll be there when he needs it later on," Dad explained.

Tristan and his dad watched for several minutes as the tiny animal dashed back and forth from the ear of corn to the woodpile. "I can't believe how much he can store in his cheeks!" Tristan said after a few minutes. "He's got all the kernels stripped from the cob already."

Dad nodded. "You know, Tristan, God has built a storage system into us too."

"I don't have any pouches in my cheeks to carry food," said Tristan, laughing at the idea.

Dad grinned at him. "I was thinking of a different kind of food--spiritual food. You store it in your heart, not in your cheeks."

"Spiritual food?" asked Tristan. "Oh, you mean like the Bible verses I have to learn for church, right?"

"Exactly," said Dad. "The Bible calls it hiding God's Word in our hearts. As we meditate on God's Word by learning what the Bible says and storing its truth in our hearts, it helps strengthen us spiritually. When we store it away, God brings it back to our minds when we need it. It can help us in times of trial or testing--like when we're going through a difficult situation or when we're tempted to sin--by reminding us of God's love and the power and hope He's given us through Jesus."

Dad nodded toward the chipmunk. "The corn being stored by that little guy will be there for him when he needs it in the cold winter months, and the verses we memorize will be there whenever we need them."

-Trula H. Bensinger

How About You?
Are you storing God's Word in your heart? Are you reading the Bible, studying it at church, and memorizing verses so you can carry His truth and promises with you wherever you go? Memorizing verses is a great way to store God's Word in your mind and heart so it will always be there, ready for whenever you need it. A good way to memorize a verse is to read it out loud three times a day for a week--by the end of the week, you probably won't even have to look at the page!

Today's Key Verse:
Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against you. (NKJV) (Psalm 119:11)

Today's Key Thought:
Memorize Bible verses

Bible Reading: Psalm 34:4-9, 17-19; Romans 8:28

Lucy didn't feel like going on the class field trip to the rock quarry. She just wanted Ginger, her lost cat, to come home and her dad to get his job back. I just want everything to be okay again, she thought as she got off the bus with the rest of the kids.

The quarry foreman handed out hard hats to everyone. "We're going to have a dynamite blast today to loosen and break the stone in the quarry," he said, motioning to the other side of a large pit. A loud horn blared. "After the horn blasts three times, cover your ears!" the foreman called out. The horn sounded two more times, and then--BOOM! A loud explosion sent dust and rocks flying. Once the all-clear horn sounded, the foreman let the kids move closer so they could see what had happened. "Don't worry, kids. They've got it all under control," he said, pointing to the workers who controlled the operation and set off the blasts.

When Lucy got home, she picked up one of Ginger's cat toys as she told her mom about the quarry trip. "Sometimes I feel like everything's being blown apart here at home too," said Lucy.

"I know, honey. When bad things happen it can feel like our whole world is being blown to pieces. Maybe that's when we should remember the workers at the quarry."

"The workers?" asked Lucy. "Why them?"

"They made sure the blasts were safe and controlled, right?" asked Mom. Lucy nodded. "They remind us that someone is in control of our lives too--God. Nothing can happen to us unless He allows it, and He promises to be with us and see us through whatever experiences we face."

"But why does He let bad things happen--like Ginger getting lost and Dad losing his job?" asked Lucy.

"Well, there's no easy answer to that, but remember the workers need the explosions in the quarry to loosen the stone, otherwise they wouldn't be able to get it out. Perhaps God allows explosions in our lives at times to loosen our hearts and get good things out--things like growing in our relationship with Jesus and showing His love to others who are going through hard times."

-Nance E. Keyes

How About You?
Have you had difficult things happen to you recently? It's okay to feel sad about it, but remember that God is in complete control. Jesus understands how you feel because He suffered too, and He'll be with you through whatever hard situations you have to face. Trust Him to bring good things into your life out of difficulties and to use them to make you more like Him.

Today's Key Verse:
The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all. (NIV) (Psalm 34:19)

Today's Key Thought:
God is in control

Bible Reading: Luke 6:43-45; Galatians 5:22-23

"Mom!" Tucker shouted as he dashed into the house. "A dump truck just hit the curb, and now there's a huge pile of gravel blocking our street! Come out and see it."

"I can't leave this pizza sauce right now," Mom said as she sprinkled oregano into the bubbling red mixture she was stirring on the stove. "I'll come out as soon as it's finished."

"Well, I hope they get rid of the gravel before Dad tries to come home," said Tucker. "He won't get past that pile on the road!"

"He may have to go a bit out of his way, but I'm sure he'll find a way to get here," said Mom.

By the time Dad came home, the road had been cleared. Tucker was kneading dough for the pizza crust as he told his dad the story of how the dump truck spilled its load. "All that gravel fell out when the truck hit the curb," said Tucker. "Good thing they had a big scooper to clean up the mess."

"Good thing." Dad nodded thoughtfully. "You know, people are like that truck."

"What?" Tucker asked in surprise. "How?"

"We all run into curbs at some point--bumpy times in our lives," Dad explained. "When we do, whatever is in our hearts comes spilling out."

"That's right," said Mom. "If we trust in Jesus and depend on Him to guide the way we think and act, His love in our lives will be evident to others by the way we treat them, even when things aren't going so well. But if we ignore God and live life however we want, the pride and selfishness in our hearts comes spilling out when we face a difficult situation."

Dad nodded as he tasted the pizza sauce and sprinkled a little more oregano into it. "When we hit a curb in life, the contents of our hearts spill out for everyone to see. That's why it's important to have a relationship with Jesus and trust Him to help us love others. Then when we face a bumpy situation, others will see that He's filled our hearts with good things."

-Dalan Decker

How About You?
What happens when you hit a curb in the road of life? Do you look to Jesus for help? Or do you complain and lash out at those around you? You can often see the way people really are when they're going through hardship. If you know Jesus as your Savior, you have His goodness and love in your heart. Trust Him to help you show it through your words and actions, even when the hard times come along.

Today's Key Verse:
What people say with their mouths comes from what fills their hearts. (ERV) (Luke 6:45)

Today's Key Thought:
Show love in hard times