Bible Reading: John 6:5-14

"I know we're supposed to share the good news of Jesus with people wherever we are, like Pastor Bowers said today," Braden told his mom. "But it's too hard to do that in my class at school."

"Why do you say that?" asked Mom, scooping up some rice.

"Well, there are thirty kids in my class, and as far as I know, Flynn and I are the only Christians. What can just two of us do?" Braden broke off and sniffed appreciatively. "What's cooking?"

"Chicken curry," said Mom.

Braden frowned. "I don't remember having it before. Do I like it?"

"I think you'll like it," said Mom. "Aunt Alicia and Uncle Jeff are coming over for lunch. We're having chicken curry and rice." She put rice in a pan and added water.

Braden looked at the small grains that lay at the bottom of the pan. "That won't be enough rice to feed everybody!" he said. "Uncle Jeff eats lots, and I do too. I know I like rice." He was hungry and didn't want to run out of food.

"It will be plenty," Mom assured him. "You'll see."

When Mom called Braden to come in for lunch, he decided to check the rice. He lifted the lid of the pan and peeked inside. "Wow!" he said in surprise. "I knew rice swelled when it was cooked, but I didn't think it would make that much!" Braden eyed his mom suspiciously. "Did you add more rice after I went outside?"

Mom smiled. "Of course not. A small amount of rice can feed quite a few people."

"Yeah, I guess so!" said Braden. "It's like Jesus feeding all those people with five loaves of bread and two fish."

"Not quite!" Mom said, laughing. "But I think you and Flynn can be like rice."

"Like rice?" Braden repeated. "What do you mean?"

"A small amount of rice, after it's boiled, fills a whole pan," Mom explained. "Don't you think a couple of Christians, filled and boiling over with the Holy Spirit, can reach out to a whole classroom of kids who need to know Jesus loves them?"

"Oh," said Braden. He smiled. "Yeah, I guess they could."

-Tanya Ferdinandusz

How About You?
Do you sometimes think there's nothing you can do to help more people know about Jesus? Do you feel like you're too small, too young, too shy, or too badly outnumbered to make a difference? Remember, if Jesus could use one boy's lunch of five loaves and two small fish to feed more than five thousand people, He can also use kids today to reach people with the good news of the gospel. Trust Him to help you reach out and share His love with others.

Today's Key Verse:
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (NKJV) (Philippians 4:13)

Today's Key Thought:
God can use you

Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:29-32

Kaylee and Jackson were best friends. Every day of summer vacation, they were in Kaylee's backyard, where there was lots of space to play. They liked to pretend they were adventurers searching the woods for buried treasure and keeping records of their travels.

One afternoon they were in the backyard as usual, tracing leaves in the notebooks they called their "field journals." They sat in the grass, talking about their adventures.

Kaylee picked up Jackson's binoculars from the grass and looked through them. "There's a flock of birds flying toward us! What should we do, Jackson?" she exclaimed.

"Hey, those are my binoculars," Jackson said. "Can I please have them back? You didn't ask to play with them."

Kaylee frowned. "You weren't playing with them. I just wanted to try them for a minute. It's not a big deal."

"They were a gift, and I don't want them to break."

Kaylee dropped the binoculars. "Well, can I look at them now?"

Jackson shook his head and inspected his binoculars. "You just dropped them! That's not a nice way to treat other people's stuff, Kaylee."

"I wasn't going to break them!" Kaylee exclaimed. She glared at Jackson. "Maybe we should stop playing if you're so worried about me breaking your stuff."

"Yeah, I think we should." Jackson crossed his arms and walked toward his house next door.

Left alone in the grass, Kaylee started to replay her words in her head. What she had said to Jackson hadn't been very nice. She shouldn't have touched his binoculars without his permission. They didn't belong to her, and she didn't think she would like it if somebody did that with her things.

Kaylee walked to Jackson's backyard. He was sitting on the swing set looking sad. She sat down beside him. "Jackson, I'm sorry for messing with your binoculars. I should've asked your permission to use them and not argued when you said no. I wasn't speaking loving words like Jesus, but I want to do better now."

Jackson smiled at Kaylee. "Thank you. I accept your apology."

Kaylee nudged Jackson with her elbow. "Do you want to come over and keep playing? I promise I'll be nicer this time."

Jackson nodded. "You bet I do!"

-Reagan Motsinger

How About You?
How do you respond when someone says or does something that upsets you? Instead of saying something mean to them, God wants your words to be full of love and kindness so they can build others up. Jesus loves us and cares about our feelings, and He'll help you pay attention to what you say so your speech reflects His love, compassion, and forgiveness.

Today's Key Verse:
Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. (NLT) (Ephesians 4:29)

Today's Key Thought:
Speak kindly to others

Bible Reading: Romans 3:23-26; 8:19-25

"Caleb, could you hand me that wrench?" Dad was sprawled out under the kitchen sink, attempting to replace a seal that was broken. Caleb grabbed the wrench and handed it to his dad. "Okay, let's see if this new seal works," said Dad. "Turn on the dishwasher."

Caleb turned on the dishwasher, and they waited to see if it was going to leak. When it didn't, Caleb cheered. "Success!"

Dad nodded his approval. "Let's go ahead and change out the air conditioner filters too while we're at it."

Dad grabbed the tool bag, and Caleb grabbed the filters. He liked helping his dad fix things around the house.

"Hand me the screwdriver," Dad said.

"Can I do it?" Caleb asked.

Dad smiled and nodded. "Sure!"

Caleb took the screwdriver and removed both screws. After he helped Dad change out the filter, Caleb fastened the screws back in and they went on to the next filter.

By the end of the day, they had fixed the leak in the kitchen, changed out both air conditioner filters, and nailed down a couple new boards on the deck steps.

"Thanks for all your help today, Caleb," Dad said at dinner that night.

"I sure am glad I'm able to use the dishwasher again," Mom added.

Dad smiled. "Fixing all the things around the house today got me thinking about how God fixed our sin problem."

"What do you mean, Dad?" Caleb asked.

"Well, sin separates us from God, but God loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice for our sins. He made a way for us to be able to have a relationship with Him and have eternal life. We fix things around the house with tools, and God fixes our sin problem through Jesus. When we trust Him as our Savior, He gets rid of our sin and fixes our hearts, and then He invites us to help Him in the work He's doing to fix our broken world. One day He will make everything new, and we'll live with Him forever in a world free from sin and death."

"Wow, I can't wait for that!" Caleb grinned. "But at least for now we can enjoy living with a dishwasher that doesn't leak!"

-Lisa Fuller

How About You?
Have you accepted God's free gift of eternal life? If you haven't trusted Jesus as your Savior, you have a sin problem that needs to be fixed. We can't fix our sin problem, but God loves us so much that He sent His Son to pay the penalty for our sins. Trust Jesus to be your Savior today. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.) Then let Him use you to serve others and show them His love.

Today's Key Verse:
He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins--and not only our sins but the sins of all the world. (NLT) (1 John 2:2)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus fixes our sin problem

Bible Reading: Mark 1:40-45; Hebrews 6:10

"Hey, Laura, wait up!" Laura turned at the door of her classroom at church and saw Anissa hurrying down the hall toward her. "You have nursery duty with me today, don't you?" asked Anissa. "Let's go."

Laura dropped her gaze. "Um, actually, Jessie is going to take my place."

Anissa's forehead creased in a frown. "Why? You and I always work in the nursery together. Why aren't you helping today?"

"Well, I, uh…" Laura squirmed uncomfortably. "I just don't feel like helping in the nursery anymore."

Anissa eyed her suspiciously. "Laura, I've never met anyone in my whole life who likes babies more than you do. Something's going on. What is it?"

Laura sighed. She knew it was no use trying to hide the real reason she had decided to quit working in the nursery. "Well, it's just…kids have so many contagious illnesses, and I don't want to come down with them myself. There's always somebody with a cold or something. The day after I was in the nursery last month, the Jamisons' baby came down with chicken pox! And now…well, there's the Wilsons' adopted baby who is HIV positive."

"So that's it!" Anissa was silent for a moment before she spoke again. "Laura, the nursery staff uses special safety precautions with little Peter. Mrs. Snyder can talk to you about it some more if you have any questions, but you don't have to be afraid to hold Peter or play with him. He needs our love and care just as much as any of the other babies. Maybe more." She paused, then added gently, "Remember the sermon we heard last week? What would have happened to the leper if Jesus hadn't been willing to help him?"

In her mind's eye, Laura could see the sick, hopeless man kneeling before Jesus, pleading for His help. And then she could see the Savior with His outstretched hand. There was love in His face and in His touch. Thinking about it, Laura made a decision.

She looked up and met Anissa's gaze with a smile. "I'll tell Jessie she can go to the worship service after all," she told her friend. "Meet you in the nursery in a few minutes!"

-Carolyn A. Penner

How About You?
Have you been avoiding someone God wants you to help? Maybe you've been too busy to get involved. Maybe you've been too proud. Or perhaps, like Laura, you're just plain scared. Jesus didn't hesitate to reach out to us when we were sick with sin and in need of His help, and He wants us to show His love to others. Let His love flow through you into the lives of those who need His touch today.

Today's Key Verse:
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear. (NKJV) (1 John 4:18)

Today's Key Thought:
Show God's love to everyone

Bible Reading: Luke 18:9-14

"Mom, how can you tell if someone's a Christian?" Ginny asked. "Because my friend Elle says she is, but she never prays before she eats, and I heard her tell Melanie a lie on the playground, and one time she asked if I wanted to come over on a Sunday morning, so I don't think she goes to church!" Ginny huffed out a breath.

Mom put down her whisk. "You and I can't really tell what's in someone's heart, Ginny. Only God can. Praying and going to church are important in helping us grow as Christians, but they don't make anyone a Christian, and Christians still do wrong things sometimes. Does that make sense?"

"Sort of…but we pray and go to church. Doesn't that show other people we're Christians?" Ginny asked.

Mom started to answer, then stopped. "Let me see if I can explain it a different way. Take these brownies I'm making. We can add things into our lives like praying…" Mom cracked in an egg. "Or going to church…" She poured in vanilla. "Or telling the truth…" She added the flour with a poof. "But without Jesus, we're like this." Mom walked out the door and put the brownie batter on the porch.

"Mom! You can't put the brownie batter outside. They'll never cook."

"Exactly, and without Jesus--no matter what ingredients we're adding--we can't ever become brownies, because we'll never make it to the oven! We just stay as uncooked batter." Mom grabbed the batter from off the porch and put it back on the counter. "The good things we do can't get rid of the sin in our hearts. We need Jesus to save us from sin. That's the only way we can become brownies."

"Oh," Ginny said, peeping over the counter. "So that's why God is the only one who can tell if we're Christians? Because He puts us in the oven?"

"Exactly! And though the love Jesus puts in our hearts helps us point others to Him, we can't judge whether people are Christians based on what they do or don't do. Only God knows each person's heart. And while praying and going to church are very important, they don't bake someone into a Christian." Mom laughed at her own pun and poured the brownie batter while Ginny rolled her eyes.

-Naomi Zylstra

How About You?
Do you wonder if the people around you are Christians? Praying and going to church are things Christians should do, but they don't make people Christians. God is the only one who truly knows what's in a person's heart. He knows who has trusted Jesus to save them from their sins and who has not. So rather than guessing who's saved and who's not, focus on helping everyone see and know the love and grace of Jesus.

Today's Key Verse:
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (NKJV) (John 14:6)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus knows who's His