Bible Reading: Romans 11:5-6; Ephesians 2:1-10

Asher ran to the door when he heard boots on the stairs. "Dad!" he cried.

Dad scooped Asher up into a big hug. "I've missed you!" Dad said. "My work trip was only a few days, but it felt too long." Dad hugged Mom, then bent to unzip his suitcase. "I've got something for you." Dad handed Asher a bag.

Asher opened the bag. His face lit up when he saw his present. "Cool! Thanks, Dad!" Asher pulled out a small notebook with the Golden Gate Bridge on the cover.

"I thought you might like a new notebook for your drawings," Dad said.

Asher grinned. The first thing he would draw would be a thank-you card for Dad.

Before bedtime, Asher gave Dad the card.

"Asher, I love it! Thank you!" Dad said.

Asher smiled, then worked up the courage to ask the question he had been thinking about all day. "Dad, I've been wanting to ask you something." Asher took a deep breath. "How can I ever be good enough to go to heaven?"

Dad looked up from the card. "Why would you say that?"

"Because no matter how much good I do, I always do more bad things! Why would God let me into heaven if I can't do enough good things?" Asher asked.

"Asher, why did you give me this thank-you note? Why didn't you give me money instead to pay me back for the notebook?"

"But it was a gift!" Asher exclaimed.

"Exactly," Dad said. "Because it was a gift, you don't need to pay me for it. The same is true with our salvation. Jesus forgives our sins free of charge, just like a gift. All we need to do is receive His gift." Dad held up the thank-you card. "Our good works are just like this card. We can't use them to buy our way into heaven. Christians do good things because we are grateful to God for saving us and want to say thank you."

Asher thought about what Dad said. "I want to do that too. Can I ask Jesus to save me and then thank Him for His forgiveness?"

Dad smiled. "Let's pray."

-Olivia Summers

How About You?
Do you do good things because you want to get into heaven? The Bible says good works can't save us. The only way to be saved from sin and have eternal life is by trusting in Jesus, who died and rose again so our sins could be forgiven and we could have new life in Him. Trust Him to save you. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.) Then you can use your good works to show your gratitude and bless others.

Today's Key Verse:
And if by grace, then [salvation] cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. (NIV) (Romans 11:6 )

Today's Key Thought:
Good works don't save

Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:31-32

Brooklyn plopped into a chair at the kitchen table and wedged her cheeks between her fists. "I was just at Quinn's and asked if she wanted to go for a bike ride, but all she wants to do is sit on her porch and read," she told her mother. "She never wants to do anything I want to do. It's like she doesn't even want to be friends anymore!"

Mom wiped her hands on a dishtowel and took a seat next to Brooklyn. "Do you remember what happened when you and Quinn played your piano duet at the nursing home last month?"

"Yeah," Brooklyn grumbled. "Quinn lost her place in the music!"

Mom nodded. "And what did you do?"

Brooklyn thought for moment. "I kept playing. But what does that have to with riding bikes?"

"Well," said Mom, "sometimes, in the middle of a song--or even a friendship--our friends can forget how to play their music."

Brooklyn listened intently as her mom continued. "I'm sure Quinn didn't mean to hurt your feelings. Maybe she just doesn't feel like going biking or something happened that upset her. What you need to remember is that you can't control what Quinn thinks or what she does. All you can do is keep playing your music."

"I'm not sure I understand," Brooklyn said with a wrinkled brow.

"What I mean is, when things like this happen between you and your friends, all you can do is be sure you're making wise choices. You can choose to be patient and kind and have a good attitude even when things aren't going your way. You can choose to love your friend no matter what--the way Jesus loves us. Trust Him to help you take control of your thoughts and actions, and often the rest will fall into place."

"Just like our duet! When Quinn got lost, I kept playing, and it helped her find her way. It only took a few notes and then we played perfectly together for the rest of the song!"

"My point exactly," Mom said as she squeezed her tight. "Why don't you go back over to Quinn's? Maybe she's ready for that bike ride, or you could take a book along and read with her. Either way, I think you two have a duet to finish."

-Jennifer Allen

How About You?
Have you ever had a friend hurt your feelings? Do you get frustrated when things don't go your way? Sometimes our friends disappoint us and do things beyond our control. Though we can't control the actions of others, we can control how we respond. The next time a friend upsets you, remember to respond with love. Trust Jesus to help you be a patient, loving friend like He is.

Today's Key Verse:
How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity! (NIV) (Psalm 133:1)

Today's Key Thought:
Seek unity in friendship

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