Bible Reading: Psalm 32:2-10

Lexie twirled around her room in her new dress. She couldn't wait to wear it to her cousin's wedding on Saturday!

Mom stood smiling at the door. "That's a beautiful dress, Lexie, but you need to take it off now before you spill something on it. I'm off to the store--Dad is outside gardening if you need him."

Once Mom was gone, Lexie rushed downstairs. She swished about in her dress as she got a bottle from the fridge and poured a glass of chocolate milk. I won't spill it--I'm not a baby! she thought, flicking on the television.

Glued to her favorite TV show, Lexie accidentally tilted her glass. She gasped as a cold trickle of chocolate milk landed in her lap. Frantically, she tried dabbing at the stain with a napkin, but that only seemed to make it spread.

I have to get rid of this stain before Mom sees it! Lexie thought. Then she heard a car. Mom was back! Lexie knew she had a choice--run upstairs and pretend nothing had happened, or tell the horrible truth. A story she'd heard in Sunday school about King David suddenly came to her mind, and how bad he felt when he tried to cover up his sin. Lexie took a deep breath as Mom's key turned in the lock.

"Mom, I'm so sorry, I didn't listen!" Lexie blurted out as Mom walked in. "I kept wearing my dress even though you told me not to, and I spilled chocolate milk on it. Now it's ruined!"

"Oh, Lexie!" Mom sighed. "Let me see."

Lexie nervously moved her hand away from the soggy stain. Mom tilted the fabric toward the light. "I'm disappointed you didn't obey me, Lexie, but I'm glad you told me the truth."

"I almost didn't tell you," Lexie confessed. "But then I remembered a story Mrs. Summers told us in church about bringing things into the light."

Mom smiled. "Mrs. Summers is right. Admitting we've messed up is never easy. But if we cover it up, it just makes a bigger mess in the end. That's why we need to be honest about our wrongs--not just to others, but to Jesus, who forgives our sins and makes us clean. Now, let's get that dress in the wash!"

–Angela Jelf

How About You?
Have you ever been scared to admit when you've done something wrong? Have you ever told a lie to cover up a mistake you made? It can be difficult to confess our sins, but the Bible tells us that when we try to hide our mistakes, we only end up causing ourselves and others more pain. The next time you mess up, admit it--Jesus is always ready to forgive your sin and wash you clean.

Today's Key Verse:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (NKJV) (1 John 1:9)

Today's Key Thought:
Confess your sins

Bible Reading: Romans 3:23-24; Colossians 1:22

Laura sat in bed with math papers strewn all over the place. "Six times eight is forty-eight, seven times eight is fifty-six, eight times eight is--"

"Sixty-four!" Mom answered as she walked in. "Are you still studying, Laura? You should be asleep!"

Laura sighed. "I know. I'm just so nervous about my test tomorrow. What if I fail? I'm so hopeless at multiplication!" Anxious tears welled up in Laura's eyes. "I don't want to let Mr. Finch down--or you and Dad."

Mom sat down and pulled Laura close. "Let us down? No way! You've worked so hard for this test. You've done your best, and that's good enough for us."

Laura smiled. Mom's reassuring words made her feel slightly better. "Why do we have to take tests, anyway?" she asked.

"Hmm," said Mom. "Good question. Tests can help measure how much we've learned or how far we've come. And they show us areas where we still need to improve and grow."

Laura nodded. "God helps us grow, doesn't He?"

"He certainly does," replied Mom. "But the greatest thing of all is that we can come to God just as we are. He doesn't require us to meet a certain standard before we come to Him, because Jesus has already reached the mark for us!"

"When He died on the cross?" asked Laura.

"Exactly," said Mom. "Jesus met God's standard for us because we couldn't--He lived a perfect life and then died for our sins and rose again."

Laura grinned. "He took the test so we don't have to!"

"Yep!" said Mom. "And He passed it--one hundred percent!"

Laura sighed. "I wish I didn't have to take this math test tomorrow. Studying is hard!"

"I know," said Mom. "Life is full of all kinds of tests--sometimes we're tested by difficulties or temptations. But even when we fail time and time again, Jesus always forgives us. The point isn't to do everything perfectly, but to trust Him to help us persevere and grow. He won't take your math test for you tomorrow, but you can pray that He'll give you the focus and perseverance you need."

Laura smiled. "I think I'll pray about it right now."

–Angela Jelf

How About You?
Have you ever been nervous about failing an important test? The Bible says none of us could ever meet the mark when it comes to God's holy standard. Only Jesus, God's Son, can pass that test--and He did! He lived a perfect life and then died to take the punishment for our sins. Because of that great act of love, God sees us as perfect and blameless when we trust Jesus as our Savior. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page or go to www.keysforkids.org/goodnews.)

Today's Key Verse:
Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could be right with God. (ERV) (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Today's Key Thought:
Only Jesus meets God's standards

Bible Reading: Luke 12:6-7

"In the attic's dim light, Andrew could see many interesting things--boxes of Christmas ornaments, piles of photo albums, and trunks filled with camping equipment. He and Dad were hunting for Dad's old train set from when he was Andrew's age.

"What's this?" asked Andrew, stumbling across a large wooden crate with dozens of items wrapped in newspaper. Wondering what was inside, he began to unravel one. He was disappointed to discover an old-fashioned teacup painted with rambling roses.

"Be careful with that!" said Dad. "That looks like Grandma Joan's teacup collection. It's very precious to your mom."

Andrew was puzzled. "What's so precious about a box full of teacups?" he asked.

"Didn't Mom tell you the story? Grandma Joan collected teacups from every place she ever visited. She had teacups from all over the world!"

Andrew's eyes grew wide. Perhaps the teacups weren't so boring after all.

"They're not everybody's 'cup of tea,'" continued Dad, obviously pleased with his awful joke, "but this collection was Grandma Joan's treasured possession!"

"What do you mean?" asked Andrew. "Like, her very favorite thing?"

"Exactly!" said Dad. "Over the years, those teacups became very valuable. She could have sold them at a high price, but she wouldn't think of it. They held a lot of memories."

Andrew smiled--now he understood. The teacups reminded her of all the places she'd visited.

"Do you know there's a verse in the Bible about God's treasured possession?" asked Dad.

Andrew was intrigued. "God has a treasured possession? What is it?"

"Well," said Dad, "it's you and me, and all of God's people all over the earth. We're so valuable to Him that He was willing to pay a high price so we could be His. He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins so that we could have a relationship with Him." Dad blew away years of dust from a large rectangular box. "And speaking of favorite things--this was definitely mine when I was your age!" He opened the box. "Here she is! The Red Rocket!"

Andrew hurried over to have a look at the red locomotive. "Wow, it's so awesome! Can we set it up today, Dad? Please?"

"Okay," said Dad. "Let's go!"

–Angela Jelf

How About You?
Do you have a treasured possession? Is it valuable? You can tell how valuable something is by the price someone is willing to pay for it. God's people are His treasured possession. He paid the highest price--the life of His Son, Jesus--to make you one of His children. That's how much He loves you. You are very valuable to Him!

Today's Key Verse:
The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession. (NIV) (Deuteronomy 7:6)

Today's Key Thought:
You are valuable to God

Bible Reading: Psalm 51:1-2; Romans 5:6-9

Leo watched his ball roll under the shed, then he dropped his bat and crawled in after it. As he scooted under the edge, he spotted a pair of glowing eyes. A cat, thought Leo. He crawled closer. "Here, kitty," he called. The animal turned. Oh no! thought Leo. A skunk! Before he could scramble out of range, the skunk sprayed, and Leo was covered with an awful smell. "Mom!" he yelled. He hurried to the outdoor faucet, turned on the water, and tried to wash away the dreadful odor with the hose.

Mom came out of the house and put her hand up to her nose. "We need to get those clothes in the washer right away, and you need a shower with lots of strong soap," she said. "And your hair! Wait here." She hurried back into the house and returned with a can of tomato juice. "Put your head under the hose," she said.

Leo looked at the can of tomato juice. "What are you going to do with that?"

"Tomato juice is supposed to help cover the smell," Mom explained. "I'll see what else I can find, but for now this is the best I can do."

When Dad heard the story, the skunk smell still lingered. "I thought it was a cat," said Leo. "I was going to pet it." Dad laughed. "Not funny!" said Leo, but he grinned too.

"Skunks leave a bad odor, but do you know what smells even worse?" asked Dad. Leo shook his head. "Sin," said Dad. "You could say sin stinks."

Leo nodded. "I tried to wash off the skunk smell, but I needed help. We need help getting rid of the sin smell too, don't we? Something better than tomato juice!"

"Yes, we do," said Dad. "The Bible says only the blood of Jesus can get rid of our sin. He died for us and rose again so we could be forgiven and have a relationship with God. When we trust in Him, He removes the stench of our sin and makes us clean."

"That's right. Just like that," Mom said, snapping her fingers. She sighed. "I wish we could do as good a job getting rid of that skunk smell," she added, wrinkling her nose. "Let's go wash your hair one more time!"

–Angela Jenkins

How About You?
Have you ever smelled a skunk before? It's awful! But sin is much worse, and no matter what we do, we can't get rid of the stench ourselves. The Bible says everyone has sinned, and it stinks up our lives with selfishness and hurt and separates us from God. Only Jesus can wash our sins away. Trust in Him and He will make you clean and right with God. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page or go to www.keysforkids.org/goodnews.)

Today's Key Verse:
Since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God's condemnation. (NLT) (Romans 5:9)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus removes our sin

Bible Reading: Proverbs 15:1-4; Ephesians 4:31-32

"You're always messing up this room," Hannah said as she pushed her sister's things off the dresser. "You're such a pig!"

"You're the pig. And leave my things alone!" yelled Margo.

"Then keep your stuff off my side of the dresser!" Hannah shot back.

The fighting escalated, and soon Mom appeared at the door. "Girls! I'm tired of the constant bickering between you," she said sternly. "You are sisters, and you should respect each other. Follow me."

Hannah and Margo glared at each other as they followed their mother into the back hall and watched as she got out some towels and a bottle of cleaning solution. "Now," said Mom, "you are going to clean the big living room window until it looks like you could walk through it."

Hannah and Margo got to work. But the more solution they sprayed on the glass and rubbed with the towels, the streakier the window became.

"Mom!" Margo called. "There's something wrong with the spray you gave us."

"What's that?" Mom came in from the kitchen. "The solution I gave you isn't working?"

"It's just making it worse!" said Hannah.

"Well, your solution for solving disagreements isn't working either," said Mom. She came over and took the bottle she had given them. "This is all-purpose cleaner--it doesn't work on windows. And shouting and saying nasty things to each other doesn't work to solve disagreements."

The girls started to complain, but Mom cut them off.

"God has a much different solution," she said. "Instead of responding in anger, He says to give a soft answer. That means calmly talking through the problem and caring about the other person and what they have to say. Because you trust in Jesus, you have the Holy Spirit to help you respond to others in a gentle, loving way--even when you don't agree with them." Mom went and got another bottle from the back hall. "Here, try this solution on the windows--it will work much better."

Hannah and Margo went back to their task and thought about what Mom had said. Finally, Hannah said, "I'm sorry I pushed your stuff off the dresser."

"I'm sorry too," said Margo. "I'll try to keep things neater."

After a few more wipes, the window was as clear as ever.

–Carol Baker

How About You?
Do you ever get angry at your friends or family? Do you react with harsh words or a mean attitude? By ourselves, it's nearly impossible to respond nicely. That's why Jesus gives us His Spirit to help us respond in a kind, gentle way. The next time you're upset, take a deep breath and ask Him to show you how to use His solution--a soft answer spoken in love.

Today's Key Verse:
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (NKJV) (Proverbs 15:1)

Today's Key Thought:
Solve disagreements God's way