Bible Reading: Romans 3:23-24; Ephesians 2:4-10

"Hey, look at that, Killian!" Nathan pointed out the car window to a big crane. "Mom, can we stop and watch?"

"Okay." Mom pulled over and watched with Nathan and his friend Killian as the crane lifted a golden statue to the top of the courthouse.

Killian pointed to the statue. "Why is she blindfolded?"

"And what's in her hand?" asked Nathan.

"That's a statue of Lady Justice," said Mom. "She's blindfolded to show that justice shouldn't be influenced by who people are or how much money they have. She's holding a balance scale, which represents fairness. Both sides of the scale have to hold equal amounts. If a wrong is committed, the penalty has to balance the crime."

"Balance the crime?" asked Nathan. "What does that mean?"

"The crime is on one side of the scale, and if the right penalty is on the other, they balance," Mom explained. "Say someone steals a pair of shoes from a store. To balance that, they'd have to pay for them, or give them back, and probably pay a fine for doing wrong."

"Oh, I get it!" said Nathan.

"Is that how it works with God too?" asked Killian. "My sister says He's keeping track of all the bad things I do, and I'll have to pay someday. If I do lots of good things, will it balance out?"

Mom shook her head. "People often think that's how it works, but all our good deeds can never be enough to balance the wrong things we do. The Bible says that what we do wrong is sin--and sin puts a lot of weight in the bad side of the scale."

"Yeah. It's like our sins are a pile of stones," said Nathan. "And our good deeds are like feathers. We can't put enough feathers on the scale to balance the stones."

"So how can we make it even?" asked Killian.

"We can't," said Mom. "But Jesus can. He paid the penalty for our sins by dying on the cross, and if we trust in Him, He puts His goodness on the scale for us."

Nathan grinned. "His goodness does more than balance the scale. It knocks our sins right off, so it's like we never sinned at all, right, Mom?"

"Yep!" said Mom with a smile.

"Wow," said Killian. "Then that's what I want!"

-Kathy Gustafson

How About You?
Do you do good things to try to make up for bad things you've done? You can never do enough good things to balance your account with God. Today's verse applies to anyone who isn't a Christian--and if you've never trusted Jesus to be your Savior, that includes you. Trust in Jesus and receive His goodness in place of your sin. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.)

Today's Key Verse:
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (NKJV) (Romans 3:23)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus offers you His goodness

Bible Reading: Isaiah 58:11; John 4:13-14; 7:37-39

"Are you packed and ready to go?" Macy's mom called.

"I'm ready!" Macy exclaimed as she came bounding down the stairs carrying her backpack. She couldn't wait to spend the weekend with Mimi and Pop on their small farm and help them plant a vegetable garden. Macy and her parents lived in a townhouse in the city, so being out in the wide-open countryside was a real treat for her.

After Mom dropped her off, Mimi helped Macy get her things unpacked and then they headed out to plant the garden.

"Here, you hold the seeds and the hoe while I get the wheelbarrow and dirt," Mimi said.

Pop had already plowed the garden area for them, so they were set to start planting. As they planted the seeds, Mimi talked about how they would need to make sure the garden was properly watered and weeded until harvest time.

Macy sighed. "That sounds like a lot of work."

"It is," said Mimi. "But it will be worth it when you see and taste those vegetables."

Macy giggled. "My mouth is already watering!"

Mom and Mimi made a plan for Macy to come over every Saturday morning during the growing season to help weed and water the garden. Macy worked hard in the garden all summer, and boy, did it pay off! They ended up with a good crop of vegetables and a couple of juicy watermelons.

"Was all the work worth it?" Pop asked.

"Definitely!" Macy said as she took another big bite of watermelon.

Pop grinned. "Did you know that our lives are like a vegetable garden, Macy? Just like we had to keep the garden watered and weeded so the vegetables would be healthy and grow, we need Jesus to water us spiritually. He does that the moment we put our trust in Him, and He continues to water us with His love and grace throughout our lives."

"I sure did enjoy working in the garden with you this summer," said Macy.

"I'm glad Jesus is working in my life so I can grow just like our vegetables!"

-Lisa Fuller

How About You?
Are you like a well-watered garden? In today's Bible reading, John 7:38 says that Jesus provides us with living water. When we trust Him as our Savior, He gives us the Holy Spirit, who works in our lives and helps us grow in our faith so we can produce fruit of God's love for others to enjoy. As you learn more about Jesus and listen to the truth of God's Word, trust Him to help you grow in the love and knowledge of the Lord.

Today's Key Verse:
The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. (NLT) (Isaiah 58:11 )

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus waters us spiritually

Bible Reading: Romans 8:35-39; 1 John 1:9

It was a beautiful day for a picnic at the beach. The Patel family spread out a blanket and put up sun umbrellas in their favorite spot. Then Mira and Priya dashed for the water, but Ari looked fearfully at the waves. "The water is so scary today," he murmured.

"Oh, come on in," called Mira. "The waves are fun. Don't be so scared."

But Ari shook his head. He sat down on the beach and began to build a sand castle. "Dad…" he began hesitantly. His voice trembled as he continued, "I feel awful inside. I don't think God loves me anymore."

"God has never quit loving you for a minute in your whole life," Dad said, turning to look at him. "What makes you think He has?"

"Well, my Bible club verse this week says, 'Keep yourselves in the love of God.' That must mean I have to do stuff to keep God loving me, but I don't think I've done that." Ari looked at the ground. "I'm sure I haven't. I lied to you and Mom one day last week, remember?"

"Yes, but you confessed that to us, and we forgave you," said Dad. "When you confess your sin to God, He forgives you too. God never stops loving you." Dad waved a hand toward the ocean. "God's love is something like the ocean. Just think of how much water there is out there, but you're not enjoying any of it. Why not?"

"Because the waves are so big, and they scare me."

"Exactly, so you're not in it," said Dad. "Your fear of the big waves keeps you from enjoying the water. And your fear that God is unhappy with you is keeping you from enjoying His love. But His love for you is there, just as it's always been."

"But what about that verse?" asked Ari.

"The Bible doesn't say, 'Keep God loving you,'" said Dad. "It says, 'Keep yourselves in the love of God.' There's nothing you could ever do to make God stop loving you, Ari. Jesus died for you so you could live without fear, knowing your sins are forgiven. His love for you is always there. To enjoy it, remember that you are His child and that nothing can separate you from Him."

-Mary Rose Pearson

How About You?
Do you ever wonder if God still loves you when you sin? Maybe you cheated, lied, made fun of someone, or did something else you knew was wrong. God always loves you, and nothing you do will ever change that. He loves you so much that Jesus died for you so your sins could be forgiven and you could have eternal life with Him. Confess your sin to Him and accept His forgiveness. Then enjoy the ocean of love He has for you.

Today's Key Verse:
Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting expectantly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life. (CSB) (Jude 1:21 )

Today's Key Thought:
God never stops loving you

Bible Reading: John 15:9-10; Romans 6:11-14

"Are you enjoying your book?" asked Mom as Bailey curled up on the couch with a book of folktales.

"Yeah," said Bailey. "I just finished a story about a baby eagle who thought he was a little chick."

"Why did he think that?" asked her little brother, Luke.

"Well, when he was still inside an egg, the egg was stolen and taken to the henhouse," Bailey explained. "The hen didn't know it wasn't one of hers, and she sat on it with the rest of her eggs. After the egg hatched, she brought him up like one of her chicks."

"Someone should've told him he was an eagle," said Luke.

"Someone did tell him!" said Bailey. "The wise old owl who lived near the farm told him he was an eaglet--and that he could fly high in the sky like the great eagle--but he didn't believe it. He just kept on living like a chicken almost until the day he died."

"That was dumb of him!" said Luke. "He could have soared the skies, and all he did was scratch the dirt!"

"We do that too sometimes," remarked Mom.

"We scratch in the dirt?" asked Bailey. "I don't do that."

"Me neither." Luke shook his head.

"Not literally," said Mom. "But like that eagle, we often fail to realize our full potential. The Bible says we were all once slaves to sin. Then Jesus came to save us and set us free from the power of sin."

"And that means we don't have to keep on sinning?" asked Bailey.

Mom nodded. "Because we trust in Jesus, God has given us the power to say no to sin. But like that little eagle who lived the life of a chicken, we often choose to live as though we can't help but do wrong things. That's more foolish than he was, don't you think?" Bailey and Luke nodded. "We've been set free and don't need to be ruled by sin any longer," said Mom. "When we realize that something we're doing is wrong, we can stop immediately and confess our sin to Jesus, who always forgives us. We don't have to stay stuck in sinful habits--Jesus has freed us from sin so we can soar with Him!"

-Tanya Ferdinandusz

How About You?
Did you know that if you trust Jesus as your Savior you have the power to say no to sin? You don't have to give in to it because Jesus has freed you from sin and it doesn't control you anymore. When you're tempted to do something that's wrong, remember that you can say no, and trust God to help you do what's right instead. Thank Him for freeing you from sin and for making His power available to you!

Today's Key Verse:
The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. (NKJV) (Romans 8:2)

Today's Key Thought:
God gives power to say no to sin

Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Revelation 3:15-19

"Mom, what's wrong with these ice cubes?" asked Nora. "They're all brown!"

Mom glanced at the dark cubes and grinned. "I used iced tea to make those," she explained. "I made them for Grandpa. You know how he loves good, strong iced tea on hot summer days."

Nora smiled at her grandfather, who sat at the kitchen table. She knew he disliked his tea watery and weak, the way it got when too many ice cubes melted in it. She popped several of the brown cubes into a tall glass and poured fresh iced tea over them. "Here you go, Grandpa. Good, strong tea, unspoiled by ordinary ice cubes."

"Thanks, Nora," said Grandpa, taking the tea. "Just the way I like it." He took a big gulp and let out a sigh. "Now, what can these ice cubes teach us about living the Christian life?"

Mom and Nora exchanged knowing glances. Grandpa seemed to be able to find a spiritual lesson in almost anything.

"Well," said Nora, "I guess ice cubes made out of tea keep your iced tea tasting strong, and we want to stay strong as Christians, right?"

"Right," said Grandpa. "When you use regular ice cubes, they melt and the tea becomes diluted--weak and tasteless. We don't want to be diluted Christians, do we?" He took another sip of tea. "What kinds of things might water us down if we're not careful?"

"Hmm," said Nora. "Maybe going along with what everyone else is doing just to fit in?"

Grandpa nodded. "When we allow the opinions of others to determine what we think and do instead of God, it makes us weak and ineffective. The Bible tells us to separate ourselves from the world. That means we should think and act differently from those around us who don't know Jesus. Instead of looking for worth and contentment in the things of this world, we need to look to Jesus, who loves us so much He died on the cross to save us."

Grandpa finished his tea and then shook the glass, making the brown ice cubes at the bottom rattle. "You can't follow both Jesus and the world--one will eventually water down the other. We need to remember that we belong to Jesus and trust Him to help us stay strong as we follow Him."

-Lois A. Teufel

How About You?
Can others tell you're different by the way you live? While the world may tell us that what we own or what people think of us is what gives us value, the Bible tells us to look to Jesus for our worth--and we're worth so much to Him that He died to save us. Don't water down your life with the things of this world. Follow what Jesus says and trust Him to help you reflect His love in your life.

Today's Key Verse:
Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. (NKJV) (2 Corinthians 6:17)

Today's Key Thought:
Follow Jesus, not the world