Bible Reading: John 3:3; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:8-9

Mrs. Renfro's Sunday school class gathered around the mesh cage. The chrysalis twitched like kitten whiskers. Excited whispers hushed as the first spiny leg pushed out of the cocoon, and soon the butterfly unfolded from its woven bed and fluttered around the cage. "Look!" squealed Mckenzie. "It became a butterfly!"

"How did that happen?" asked Mrs. Renfro. "How does something become something else?"

"Well, the caterpillar built a chrysalis and then turned into a butterfly," said Lucas.

Mrs. Renfro nodded. "What else becomes something different?"

"Cookie dough becomes cookies," Mckenzie said.

"And seeds become plants and flowers," said Jonah.

"Very good. You see, a lot of things become something else," said Mrs. Renfro. "Including us. We became different too."

"Different from what?" asked Mckenzie.

Mrs. Renfro set the cage with the fluttering butterfly down. "Without Jesus's life, death, and resurrection, we would be trapped in our sins. In fact, the Bible calls us enemies of God and slaves to sin. We don't want to love God or love others. We are covered with sin and full of hate."

"How do we become different?" asked Lucas. "What do we have to do?"

"We can't do anything by ourselves. Jesus's love changes us," said Mrs. Renfro. "When you trusted in Him, He gave you His Holy Spirit, and you became something different. You became a child of God. You became someone who loves God and believes His Word." She pointed at the black and orange butterfly. "Just like the chrysalis transforms the caterpillar into a butterfly, Jesus saved you and transformed you. You are washed clean and more beautiful than any butterfly. You became a new creation in Christ Jesus, free from sin and an heir of heaven."

Jonah peered into the mesh. "The butterfly is kind of like a new creation too. Only he's not free."

"Not yet." Mrs. Renfro smiled. "C'mon, class. Let's give this butterfly one more transformation--from a trapped butterfly to a free one."

"Just like we are free because of Jesus," said Mckenzie.

"Exactly," said Mrs. Renfro.

-Cathryn Free

How About You?
Have you been transformed by Jesus? Like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly, we become new people when we put our faith in Jesus. He died for our sins and rose again so we could have His goodness and love in our hearts. Become a new creation today by trusting in Him. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.)

Today's Key Verse:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (NIV) (1 Peter 1:3 )

Today's Key Thought:
Through Jesus we become children of God

Bible Reading: Jeremiah 31:1-3; Romans 5:6-8; 1 John 3:1

Tad heard the familiar voices even before he saw them. The little boys were singing their favorite song again, and it made Tad smile. As he walked up the front path to their house, two little heads with dark brown hair flung open the door. "Hi!" Josiah and Hudson said, waving to Tad.

Soon their dad appeared behind them. He scooped up his sons in his arms and hugged them tightly. As he did, Tad could hear him whisper in their ears, "I love you and I'm so glad I get to be your dad!"

Josiah's and Hudson's faces glowed at these words, then they started giggling and squirming, so their dad put them down. They started singing again with renewed vigor as they charged down the hall and bounced out of sight.

Pastor Lawrence welcomed Tad into his home with a grin. "I love those two rascals more than they will ever know," he said, laughing. But he didn't have to say it. Tad already knew it from the smile on his face, the joy in his sons' eyes, and the countless times he'd witnessed scenes like this before in Pastor Lawrence's home.

As Tad followed Pastor Lawrence to the living room where other kids were gathered for their weekly youth group meeting, he thought of how God delighted in him as His child. God loves me so much He gave His own Son to save me, and He always welcomes me when I come to Him, Tad thought. Josiah and Hudson know their dad's love for them is huge, and that fills them with joy. Even though he has a busy job as a pastor, they know they have direct access to their dad any time they want. Being near him, they can't help but laugh and sing.

"Thank you, God, for delighting in me and for giving me a glimpse of how much you love me through this family," Tad prayed as he left Pastor Lawrence's home later that night. "Pastor Lawrence's love for his sons isn't perfect, but your love for me is. Knowing that fills me with joy." Tad smiled as he turned the corner with a spring in his step. "It even makes me want to sing!"

-Tad Trygar

How About You?
Have you stopped to think about how much God loves you? He loves you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for you so you could be His child. Our human love is limited, but our heavenly Father's love for us is perfect. Knowing that fills us with joy! Rejoice in the great love your Father has for you and enjoy being in His presence.

Today's Key Verse:
I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. (NIV) (Habakkuk 3:18)

Today's Key Thought:
Joy comes from being loved by the Father

Bible Reading: John 10:11-18; Romans 6:23; 10:13

"Come on, Winston," Ellis called to his dog. "Let's go explore along the creek. We can cross the pasture today because the cows are way off on the other side." Winston came running, and they started out.

When Ellis stopped to examine some tracks, he heard an angry bellow. His feet froze as a black Angus bull crashed through the brush and charged toward him. Winston lunged at the animal, snarling furiously. The bull shook his head and turned his attention to Winston. As Ellis pulled himself into a tree, the bull rammed the dog against the ground.

When Ellis looked back down, he saw the angry bull charge Winston again, then return to the brush. He climbed down from the tree and hurried to Winston's still form. A lump rose in his throat, and he sprinted toward the house. "Dad! Mom!" he called frantically. "Help me!" His parents came running, and tears streamed down Ellis's cheeks as he told them about the bull.

Dad followed Ellis to where Winston was and put his ear to the dog's chest. "His heart is still beating. Let's get him to the vet."

The vet found that Winston had a broken rib and a concussion, but he'd be okay. "We'll keep him here overnight, then you can come get him in the morning."

As Ellis and Dad rode home, Ellis spoke quietly. "Winston went after that bull so

it wouldn't hurt me."

Dad nodded. "Winston was willing to face injury and even death so you could live." After a moment, he added, "That's what Jesus did for us too. He willingly suffered pain and died on a cross to save us from eternal death. He offers us the gift of eternal life."

"He loves us a lot to be willing to do that, doesn't He?" asked Ellis.

"He sure does," said Dad. "He knew that sacrificing His life was the only way to save us. Because of our sin, there was nothing we could do to save ourselves."

Ellis sighed as he looked out the window. "I'm so glad Winston is going to be okay after fighting that bull to save me," he said. "And I'm so glad Jesus loved me enough to die for me."

Dad smiled at him. "Me too."

-Karen L. Blumhagen

How About You?
Did you know that Jesus loves you so much He willingly gave His life for you? Like everyone, you have sinned by doing things that are wrong, and God requires that sin must be punished. But Jesus took the punishment you deserve. He faced death on a cross so you could have life. Accept His gift of eternal life today! (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page)

Today's Key Verse:
This is how we know what real love is: Jesus gave his life for us. (ERV) (1 John 3:16)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus gave His life for you

Bible Reading: Psalms 126:3; 147:1-9, 14-18

"Oh no! It looks like rain!" Reid exclaimed, anxiously looking up at the sky from the porch of the vacation cottage his family was renting for spring break.

"It sure does," Mom said. "I think we'd better postpone our picnic on the beach until later in the week."

"But I want to go swimming!" Reid said. As he spoke, raindrops began to fall, and his eyebrows drew together in a frown. Soon rain was pouring down, and Reid groaned in frustration. "My whole day is ruined," he grumbled.

Reid's sister Braelin held a finger to her lips. "Shhh…listen." A clear, pure song came from a treetop. A bird was singing in the rain.

"I don't care about a dumb bird singing. The day is ruined!" Reid shot back. "What good is a vacation if you can't do anything?"

"Why don't you get out one of your games, Reid? We may as well have some fun in spite of the rain," said Dad.

"Fun? Yeah right!" Reid fumed, but he grudgingly went to get a game. Soon he, Braelin, Dad, and Mom were busy playing and laughing.

Suddenly Dad looked up at the clock. "Can you believe it's nearly dinnertime? Why don't we roast hot dogs in the fireplace?"

"We can have a picnic dinner right here," said Mom. "Let's get the fire going and spread a blanket on the floor."

As they ate, Braelin grinned. "This is fun, isn't it, Reid?"

"It's great!" Reid pushed a gooey toasted marshmallow off his stick onto a graham cracker. "The whole day was so much fun that I forgot about the rain. I've been thinking--that bird had the right idea after all. Sorry I got so upset earlier."

"It's okay," said Dad. "It's natural to feel disappointed when plans don't work out. But the rain didn't stop us from enjoying our time together."

"That's right," said Mom. "We got to spend this rainy day together, and that brought us joy. That's a good thing to remember whenever we feel sad or disappointed in life. Even when things are hard, Jesus is with us, and we can always find joy in His presence. That bird was a good example for all of us. There's always a reason to sing--even when it rains."

-Carolyn E. Yost

How About You?
Do you sing in the rain? How about when it rains in your life--when things don't go your way? We all have times of disappointment and sadness, but we don't have to go through them alone. Jesus loves you so much He died for you, and He promises to always be with you. When you find joy in His presence and remember all the blessings He has put in your life, you'll always find reasons to sing.

Today's Key Verse:
Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! (NKJV) (Philippians 4:4)

Today's Key Thought:
Find reasons to sing

Bible Reading: Ephesians 6:1-9; 1 John 4:7-12

"Miguel, do you want to play soccer?"

Miguel looked up from his homework. His friend Isaac peeked at him through the screen door. Miguel grinned. "You mean fútbol?" he asked, using the Spanish word for soccer.

Isaac laughed. "No, soccer!"

"Fútbol!"

"Homework!" Mamá pushed through the swinging door from the kitchen. "It's not long until dinner. We're having empanadas."

Miguel's mouth watered as he thought of the fried pockets of pastry with cheesy filling. Then he looked down at his book. "I can finish my homework later, Mamá."

Mamá shook her head. "Homework first. Then dinner. Then fútbol. That's the rule." She went back into the kitchen.

"It's a dumb rule," Miguel muttered. He pushed his book away and slipped outside.

Minutes later, Mamá came outside. "Uh oh," Isaac said.

"I want to play too," Mamá said. "I want to play fútbol." Isaac and Miguel looked at each other. Suddenly, Mamá scooped up the soccer ball and started running away from the boys. She ran out of the front yard and down the street.

"Mamá, wait! Where are you going?" Miguel shouted. "Mamá!"

Mamá stopped running. "What's wrong?" she asked. "I want to play fútbol."

"You're not playing by the rules!" Miguel said.

"Why should I?" Mamá asked.

Miguel tried to catch his breath. "Without rules, fútbol isn't fútbol. You're just running with the ball by yourself."

Mamá nodded. "You're right. Following the rules allows everyone to play the game together. The rules we have in our family are like that too. They help us think about how our actions affect others so we can show each other the love of Jesus instead of only thinking about ourselves." Mamá bounced the soccer ball against her knee. "You know He died for us because we broke His rules, right? And we can show that same kind of love by acting in a way that benefits others and not just ourselves." Mamá smiled and tossed the ball to Miguel.

"Okay, Mamá," Miguel said. "I'll go do my homework."

"And I'll finish dinner," Mamá said. "Let's not keep those empanadas waiting!"

-Hannah Zellers

How About You?
Do you wish you didn't have rules to follow? Remember those rules are there to help everyone get along and live in peace. Rules give us an opportunity to put others first and show them the love of Jesus, who gave His life for the good of everyone who trusts in Him. What rules can you follow today to show others you care about them?

Today's Key Verse:
Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (NIV) (1 John 4:11 )

Today's Key Thought:
Love others through your actions