Bible Reading: Psalm 119:27-32

"Jason, are you sure we're on the right road?" asked Mom, sounding worried. The family was driving through rugged mountains with tall trees on each side. The road was becoming narrower, and they hadn't seen any cars or houses for quite a while.

"Well, I was sure this was the right road," Dad answered. "But now I'm beginning to wonder. I thought we would be at the campsite by now. Let's look at the map on my phone." While Dad stopped the car, Mom pulled up the map. Then they both studied the screen. "Here's the town where we bought gas," Dad said, pointing to a spot on the map. "And here's where we want to go." He moved his fingers across the screen to zoom in. "Oh no!" he exclaimed. "I thought the campground was on this road, but there's a turnoff here. We'll have to go back."

In the back seat, Jonathan and Stella looked at each other and groaned. "We're tired!" complained Jonathan. "We've been driving so long already!"

"Yeah," said Stella. "This vacation isn't starting out very well!"

"Oh, come on, now," said Mom. "We've had a good time today, and it won't take very long to go back."

When they finally reached the campground, Dad and the kids set up the tent while Mom made sandwiches. How good they tasted! When they were finished, Dad took out his phone. "There's one more thing we need to do before we go to sleep," he said, hitting a small Bible icon on the screen. "I made a big mistake today when I didn't look at the map soon enough. When I did check it, we got back on track. And much like a map, the Bible is our guide through life. It shows us our need for Jesus and how we can have a relationship with Him, and it helps us know more about Him and how He wants us to live as God's children. If we neglect it, we may find ourselves going in the wrong direction in our lives--and that's a much bigger mistake. Let's read the Bible together now and ask God to use it to guide us in our walk with Jesus."

-Beverly Kenniston

How About You?
Are you following God's directions? You need His guidance every day as you go through life. One of the ways He gives it to you is through His Word, the Bible--but if you don't read it, you won't know what it says. Make it a habit to read at least a few verses every day, and pay attention when you're reading and studying it with other Christians at home or church. Then think about what it says and trust God to help you follow His directions.

Today's Key Verse:
Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. (NLT) (Psalm 119:105)

Today's Key Thought:
Read and follow God's Word

Bible Reading: Hebrews 12:14-15

"Get a move on, Josh," said Luke as he scraped the dishes and piled them on the counter. "You're being lazy. Do your share of the work!"

Josh stopped daydreaming and slowly filled the dishwasher. "I'm doing my share," he muttered.

"You are not!" Luke replied angrily.

"Boys, boys!" Mom said as she entered the kitchen. "I'm tired of the constant bickering going on between you two. You're brothers, and you should love each other."

"Love? Who could love him?" Luke asked. "Every time we do anything, Josh drags his feet, so I end up doing most of the work."

"That's not true!" Josh shot back. "Mom, he's always picking on me!"

"That's it!" said Mom. "You boys apparently need to work off some extra steam. When the dishwasher is loaded, we're all going out to the berry patch to pull crabgrass."

"Aw, Mom!" The boys tried to protest, but soon they all were busy in the garden. By the time they were done, the boys were hot, dusty, and too tired to fight. They sat down while Mom went in and got a pitcher of cool lemonade and some snacks.

"You know, boys," Mom said as she poured them lemonade, "this makes me think of a verse in the Bible that talks about a root of bitterness growing and causing trouble in our relationships. I can see that bitterness is springing up between you two. It could destroy your friendship just like this crabgrass could destroy our strawberry patch. We had to dig out the crabgrass to protect the strawberries. Now let's work on digging the bitterness out of your relationship so you can be friends again. Okay?"

The boys looked at each other and nodded.

"All right," said Mom. "We'll start by asking God to help us. Let's pray that He will guide our conversation and bring to light anything that was said or done that is causing bitterness to grow in your hearts--and that He would help you forgive each other and love each other not just as brothers in this family, but brothers in Christ."

Mom bowed her head to pray, and the boys did the same. Then, as they sipped lemonade, they talked about their differences and how to resolve them.

-Phyllis M. Robinson

How About You?
Are you feeling bitter toward someone? Do you often fight with a brother or sister, a friend, or a classmate? Don't let that root of bitterness grow in your heart. Go to that person and discuss the problem. If you did something to hurt them, tell them you're sorry, and be willing to forgive them for anything they did. Trust God to help you pull bitterness out by the roots and replace it with His love.

Today's Key Verse:
Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. (NLT) (Hebrews 12:15)

Today's Key Thought:
Don't be bitter

Bible Reading: Matthew 10:29-31; Hebrews 4:14-16

It was raining, and Dante was bored. "Grandpa, this weather ruined our fishing," he complained. "What can I do now?"

Grandpa settled back in his rocker. "Know any good riddles?" he asked.

Dante thought for a minute. "What's black and white and red all over?"

Grandpa snapped his fingers. "A newspaper," he said.

"Nope." Dante grinned. "An embarrassed zebra!" Grandpa laughed. "I know another one," said Dante. "What happens to a blue shoe that is thrown into the Red Sea?"

"Well, I believe blue and red mixed together make purple," said Grandpa. "So I guess the shoe turns purple?"

Dante shook his head. "No, it gets wet." They both laughed, and then Dante asked, "Do you know any riddles, Grandpa?"

"Well, let's see." Grandpa reached into his pocket, pulled out his hand, and held out a closed fist. "In my hand there is something no one on earth has ever seen," he said. "The farmer who grew it, the grocer who sold it, your grandma who bought it--none of them has seen it. I have it in my hand, but I've never seen it either."

"That can't be right!" said Dante. "Let me see it." Grandpa opened his hand. "It's a peanut!" exclaimed Dante. "Lots of people have seen that."

"Lots of people have seen this peanut shell, but who's ever seen the peanut inside the shell?" asked Grandpa. Dante hadn't thought of that. "There is one Person who knows exactly what this peanut looks like though," Grandpa said. "Do you know who that is, Dante?"

"God!" Dante answered. "He knows everything, doesn't He?"

Grandpa nodded. "He sure does. He even knows what you're feeling and thinking. God loves you, and His love is very special because He knows you so well. Jesus understands everything you go through because He experienced the same things we do when He became human to save us. He always knows exactly what you need."

"He knows I needed a riddle to laugh about on a rainy day like this," said Dante. He eyed the peanut. "And He knows I'm hungry."

Grandpa laughed and tossed him the peanut. "I guess it's time to crack that shell open and finally see the peanut inside!"

-Marilyn J. Senterfitt

How About You?
Do you ever feel alone or disappointed? Like no one understands you? Jesus does. He knows you better than anyone else does. He even knows how many hairs are on your head. He shares in your happy times, and He also feels your pain and your loneliness. He cares when you hurt. You can always count on Him to be there for you.

Today's Key Verse:
The very hairs of your head are all numbered. (NKJV) (Matthew 10:30)

Today's Key Thought:
God knows everything about you

Bible Reading: 1 Timothy 6:17-19; 1 John 2:15-17

Tegan paused the video on her phone and held the screen up as she gazed into the mirror. She had worked a long time trying to get her hair to look like the young woman's in the online tutorial. Tegan turned toward her sister. "Do I look like her?"

Sienna shrugged. "A little, maybe. Come on--we've got to go. Mom and Dad are waiting." The girls hurried out to the car.

On the way to the lake, Tegan mentioned the girl in the tutorial again. "She's so beautiful," she said, staring at her phone. "And she has tons of followers too. Lots of people watch her videos on hair and makeup and buy her stuff. She must be rich!" Tegan sighed. "I wish I could be like her. She probably has a really exciting life."

"Maybe she does, but remember that fame and fortune aren't all they're cracked up to be, Tegan," said Mom. "People who are rich and famous have problems just like the rest of us, and some of them have really difficult lives."

Soon they were enjoying a picnic lunch at the lakeshore. "The lake is so lovely," Mom said as they munched on chicken sandwiches. "Look how blue it is."

"The water isn't really blue though," said Dad. "The lake is reflecting the blue sky." After eating, they did some hiking. "It looks like rain," Dad said when he noticed the gathering clouds. "We'd better go."

As they got in the car, Mom pointed toward the water. "Look at the lake now."

"Wow! It isn't very pretty anymore," said Tegan. "It sure isn't blue now--it's gray. What made it change so much?"

"It still reflects the sky, but now the sky is cloudy," Dad explained.

"That reminds me of what we were talking about in the car," Mom said. "It's not a bad thing to be rich or famous, but if that's our main purpose in life and we idolize people who have money or fame, our lives are going to look cloudy and gray. But if we look to Jesus for our worth and purpose, our lives will reflect His beauty. He died on the cross and rose again to save us--rich and poor alike. We all need the reflection of His love and peace in our lives."

-Katherine R. Adams

How About You?
Is your life reflecting the beauty of Jesus? You may think that having lots of money or followers will give you the life you want, but the Bible says that knowing Jesus is the only way to have a rich, satisfying life. If you don't yet know Him as your Savior, trust in Him today. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.) Then let the beauty of His love, joy, and peace be reflected in your life.

Today's Key Verse:
I [Jesus] have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance. (CSB) (John 10:10)

Today's Key Thought:
Reflect Jesus

Bible Reading: Romans 5:1-5; James 1:2-4, 12

"My new school is horrible!" Clara said as she came into the living room. "The kids all have their own groups of friends and ignore me. My teacher's always in a bad mood and gives ridiculous assignments. I miss my old friends. Why did we have to move here?" She collapsed wearily onto the sofa. Picking up a book that was lying on the coffee table, Clara absentmindedly flipped through the pages. Her dad glanced up, about to say something, when Clara held up the book and pointed to a picture. "Look at this," she said. "It's an oyster. They're not very pretty, are they? But they can make such beautiful pearls."

Dad looked more closely at the picture. "That's true. Do you know how oysters make pearls?"

"Sure. We studied that in school," said Clara. "The oysters have a strong, hard shell outside, but they're soft and fleshy on the inside. Sometimes a grain of sand or something like that gets inside the oyster's shell. The sand irritates the inner membrane and causes the oyster discomfort."

"Right," said Dad, "What happens next?"

"The oyster oozes a liquid onto the grain of sand to ease the irritation," said Clara. "It keeps doing that, layer after layer. Eventually the liquid hardens into a smooth pearl."

"A small irritation that created pain and discomfort eventually produced a beautiful object of great value," observed Dad. "We can have the same thing happen in our lives."

Clara looked confused. "I'd love to make pearls, Dad, but I'm no oyster!"

Dad chuckled. "No, but since we live in a broken world, we have suffering, pain, and other problems creep into our lives--like irritating grains of sand. Yet God can use these hurts and irritations to remind us that Jesus is with us in our suffering and that He promises to restore our broken world one day and make everything new. As He uses the hard things we face in life to help us know Jesus better, He makes us able to produce pearls of another kind."

"What kind of pearls?" asked Clara curiously.

"Pearls of patience, endurance, trust, faith, and hope. They are far more precious than an oyster's pearls, and they make us shine with the beauty of Jesus."

-Tanya Ferdinandusz

How About You?
How do you react to difficulties? Do you get angry and bitter or grumble and complain? Or do you depend on God for help in using your struggles and problems to produce pearls in your life? Jesus promises to be with us in every difficulty we face, and He can use those struggles to help us know Him better and make us more like Him. When you face trials in life, trust Him to help you use those situations to strengthen your faith in Him.

Today's Key Verse:
Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. (NKJV) (James 1:2-3)

Today's Key Thought:
Make pearls out of difficulties