Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7; Ephesians 4:2

"Your move, Tim," said Mom after she placed a wooden tile atop the precarious stack.

Timothy picked a tile from the bottom of the tower and carefully wiggled it out. The stack swayed for a second before tumbling over, sending blocks all over the table.

Mom began gathering the wooden pieces scattered across the table into a pile. "I got a call today from Adam's mom. She said Adam got in trouble today for fighting with a teacher. She told me your name came up once or twice. What happened?"

Timothy stooped down to grab a wooden tile beneath his chair. "I know Adam is my best friend, but he's been so moody lately. Today he blew up when Mr. Green took his comic book. I told Adam he should put it away before Mr. Green saw him goofing off, but he didn't listen. I think Mr. Green heard me, which is how he found out about the comic book in the first place. Adam was really mad at me."

"How about one last round before we call it a night?" Mom asked, stacking the wooden tiles into a tower on top of the table. "It sounds like Adam is going through a rough time. When I talked to his mom, she told me that her divorce was just finalized yesterday."

Timothy pulled a piece from the middle of the tower and moved it to the top. "I don't know what to do for him. I don't even know if he wants to be my friend anymore."

"It sounds like he needs a friend now more than ever," said Mom. "Adam's situation is a lot like this game." Mom picked up the piece that Timothy had just laid on top. "With everything he's going through, Adam probably feels like someone is taking tiles from his tower. But a good friend who's supportive and patient can put some stability back in his life." She slowly put the tile back in its hole.

"So you're saying I should be patient with Adam, even if he doesn't like me right now?" asked Timothy.

"It isn't just me who says it," Mom said. "God is always patient with us, especially when we don't deserve it. And He wants us to show love and patience to others."

-Josh Mosey

How About You?
Are you patient and kind with your friends, even when they aren't being very nice to you? Life can be hard, and sometimes it feels like someone is taking tiles from our towers. Those are the times when we need good friends the most. Jesus is that kind of friend--one who shows us patience and love when it seems like everything is tumbling down around us. Trust Him to help you be a good friend like Him.

Today's Key Verse:
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. (NKJV) (Proverbs 17:17)

Today's Key Thought:
Be patient with your friends

Bible Reading: Genesis 1:27; Psalm 139:13-16; Romans 5:6-8

"Good morning," Mrs. Fields said to her class at Potter Christian School. "Mason, can you remind everyone what special thing we're going to do today?"

Using his communication device, Mason answered, "We're going to Potter's Woods to pick wildflowers."

"That's right," said Mrs. Fields. "We'll leave after morning recess."

When the recess bell rang, Cody, a new member of the class, stayed behind while the other kids filed out of the classroom.

"Did you have a question, Cody?" Mrs. Fields asked.

Cody nodded. "How can Mason pick wildflowers if he can't walk or use his hands?"

"He can do lots of things, Cody. He has a special chair to help him go places and a special device to help him talk. He'll let us know if he needs our help."

"Okay. Since I can do everything by myself, I'll help Mason if he can't do something," Cody said.

"Thank you, Cody, that's very kind of you. But don't forget that even though you can do many things by yourself, everyone needs help sometimes. We all have different abilities because God made each of us special. Think about the flowers we're going to pick. Do you think they'll all be alike?"

Cody shook his head. "My sister's class had a field trip to the woods yesterday, and they found all kinds of different flowers."

"I'm sure they did," said Mrs. Fields. "Flowers don't all look the same, but they're all beautiful. That's true of people too. We're all beautiful in God's eyes. He loves us all so much that He sent His Son to do what none of us could do ourselves--Jesus died and rose again to save us from sin. We all have equal need of His help, yet He created each of us with special abilities so we could help one another in different ways."

"So Mason has special abilities too?" Cody asked.

Mrs. Fields nodded. "Cody, like most of the class, you can do some things Mason can't do, but as you get to know him, you'll be surprised to see all he is able to do--even some things you can't do." She smiled. "I'll tell you one thing he's very good at. He spreads the joy of Jesus with his cheerful and loving attitude."

-Beverly B. Papizan

How About You?
Do you sometimes need help doing certain things? Because we live in a broken world, we all struggle with different things in our lives, but Jesus did what none of us could do--He died and rose again to save us and make us whole. Because of Him, we can use the different abilities God gave us to point others to Jesus. God says you are wonderfully made. He created you in His own image and gave you special abilities that you can use to help others.

Today's Key Verse:
When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. (NLT) (Romans 5:6)

Today's Key Thought:
There is beauty and ability in everyone

Bible Reading: John 3:1-8; Romans 6:3-10

"Look at the wind!" exclaimed Clover as she stood at the window. "The trees are swaying back and forth, and some of the branches are breaking off."

"Wow! It's really blowing hard!" said Beau as he came into the room. "I've never seen so much wind!"

Dad joined them at the window. "You can't really see wind," he reminded them. "You can only see what it does."

"It's making that garbage can roll down the street," Clover remarked.

The three of them watched in silence for a few minutes, then Dad said, "Jesus compared the blowing of the wind to becoming a Christian. We can't actually see the wind, and we can't actually see Jesus coming into somebody's life."

"It's His Spirit that comes in, isn't it? And spirits are invisible," said Beau. He looked at Clover. "That's why you still look the same," he told her. "You still have freckles, just like before you trusted in Jesus at Bible camp last summer." Beau loved teasing his sister about her freckles.

Dad smiled. "We see what the wind does though, and we also see what Jesus does in a person's life. He changes that person. When someone becomes a Christian, they have a new desire to obey the Lord and show His love to others--and not do things that aren't pleasing to God."

Clover nodded. "I still do bad things sometimes, but I don't want to," she said. "When I know I've done something wrong, I ask Jesus to forgive me and trust Him to help me not do it anymore. Before I was saved, I didn't really care very much."

"Yeah," said Beau. "And you don't get mad anymore when I tease you about your freckles. That's no fun."

Clover grinned and made a face at him, then cringed as a rather large branch cracked and fell off a neighbor's tree. "I'm glad the wind doesn't always blow this hard."

"I am too," said Dad. "But I'm even more glad that Jesus is always in our hearts. Even though we can't see Him, we know He's there to help us live in a way that shows how He's changed us."

-Matilda H. Nordtvedt

How About You?
Are you different from the way you were before you became a Christian? Can others see the change Jesus has brought into your life? If you were saved at a very young age, you may wonder if you changed at all. God says you did, and He's continuously working to make you more like Jesus. Trust Him to help you grow in your obedience to Him and in your love for others.

Today's Key Verse:
Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (NLT) (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus changes you

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Galatians 6:9-10

"Why do we have to pick up Mr. Cook?" asked Brady. "The nursing home is a long way from the park."

"If we don't pick him up, he won't get to come to the church picnic," Dad answered as he drove. "Since we pick him up on the way to church each week, we can bring him to the picnic too. It's a small thing we can do for the Lord."

Brady thought about that. "It seems like a funny way to do something for God. I mean, God could take Mr. Cook to the picnic on a flying carpet if He wanted to. He doesn't really need our help, does He?"

Just then they arrived at the nursing home. Mr. Cook was waiting outside just like each Sunday when they picked him up for church. But today he had a small brown bag, which he waved in the air. "I remembered it was a picnic," he said. "I brought some lunch."

At the park, Mom spread their lunch on a picnic table. She had brought ham and cheese sandwiches, potato salad, carrots with dip, lemonade, watermelon, and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Brady saw Mr. Cook open his bag at the end of the table and take out a bologna sandwich. Mom motioned for him to move closer to all the food. "Don't eat all by yourself," she told him. "Come on! Put your lunch with ours and we'll share. There's plenty to go around."

Mr. Cook grinned and scooted over. He carefully placed his sandwich next to the ham and cheese sandwiches. He might as well not have bothered with that, thought Brady. Who's going to eat it? They prayed and began to eat. To Brady's surprise, his little sister immediately reached for the bologna sandwich.

Dad leaned toward him. "Brady," he whispered, "we help God in much the same way Mr. Cook is helping us. God has all the power and all the resources, but He invites us to join Him in building His kingdom. He doesn't need our help, but He wants to bless us by allowing us to participate in the work He's doing. He will use whatever efforts we have to offer to work in people's lives and point them to the love of Jesus."

-Catherine Runyon

How About You?
Do you feel like God doesn't need your help? He's all-powerful, but He wants you to be a part of the work He's doing in the world. He'll use your small efforts to help more people know about Jesus and His love for them. The Bible tells how God used a boy to kill a giant and how one boy's lunch fed over five thousand people. Look around you and find ways you can be a helping hand for Jesus and show others His love.

Today's Key Verse:
God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty. (NKJV) (1 Corinthians 1:27)

Today's Key Thought:
You can serve God

Bible Reading: Isaiah 55:8-9

"Is it a boy? It is, isn't it?" Carter jumped around the kitchen while his grandmother talked to his dad at the hospital. Carter was so excited, he almost dropped the apple he was eating. "It's a boy, isn't it, Grandma?"

Grandma hung up the phone. "You now have a beautiful baby sister," she said gently. "Her name is Oakleigh."

"No!" Carter dropped his apple. "I've been praying for months for a brother." He felt like crying. "It's not fair! Oscar got a baby brother, and he didn't pray at all. Why wouldn't God give me a brother when I asked for one?"

Grandma leaned against the counter. "I remember how happy your mom and dad were when they were expecting you. When people asked if they wanted a girl or a boy, they said they just wanted a healthy baby."

Carter picked up his apple from the floor and rinsed it off at the sink. "I'm sure they were glad I turned out to be a boy."

"Yes, but I was a little bit disappointed. I was hoping for a little granddaughter."

"Grandma!" Carter was shocked. "You didn't want me?"

"Of course I did! But I already had three grandsons. I thought it would be nice to have a girl in the family. But another boy was God's choice for them, and you know what? Now I couldn't love anybody more." She gave Carter a big hug.

Carter sighed. "I still don't think it was very nice of you to wish I was a girl!"

Grandma's eyes twinkled. "No nicer than for you to wish your sister was a boy."

Carter looked surprised. "I guess I wasn't being nice either."

"I know you were hoping for a brother, Carter, but God has given you the gift of a baby sister instead. Remember that He loves her just as much as He loves you, and He will help you be a good brother to her." Grandma squeezed Carter's shoulder. "Even though a sister isn't what you were expecting, God's gifts to us are always good, and we can be thankful knowing the same God who loves us so much He saved us from sin promises to do what He knows is best."

Carter nodded and bit into his apple. "So when can Oakleigh come home?"

-Ruth McQuilkin

How About You?
Do you get upset when God doesn't answer your prayers the way you want? He has a purpose for everything, and when He answers your prayers in His own way, He's doing it to fit His perfect will. Remember how much He loves you--so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for your sins so you could be saved--and trust Him to make the choices He knows are best.

Today's Key Verse:
In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (NKJV) (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Today's Key Thought:
God knows best