Bible Reading: Colossians 1:12-16, 19-22; 1 Peter 1:18-19

"There's a video game I want, but I don't have enough money," Graham told his friend Tobias. "I wish I could think of a way to make some extra cash."

"Why not sell me the tires from your old bike?" said Tobias. "I told you I wanted to buy them, and my dad said it was okay."

"Oh, that's right! I forgot," said Graham. "My dad okayed it too, so it's a deal!"

Tobias paid Graham for the tires, and Graham bought his video game. For a while, the boys played the game almost every day.

As the weather turned warmer, Graham and Tobias didn't play inside as much. They began to take bike rides around the neighborhood. One day, Graham ran over a broken bottle and slashed his front tire. "Oh no!" he exclaimed. "This whole tire is ruined! Now what am I going to do?" He frowned. "I guess I should have kept those bike tires I sold to you."

"Well, I only used one, so I'll sell the other back to you," Tobias offered. "I don't need it."

"Really?" asked Graham. "Cool!" So the boys got the tire and went to Graham's house to put it on the bike.

"What happened?" asked Graham's dad when he came home and saw the boys at work.

"My tire got ruined, so I bought this one back from Tobias," Graham explained.

Dad smiled. "You redeemed it. That word is used a lot in the Bible, and what you did with the bike tire is a good example of what it means. 'Redeemed' simply means 'bought back.'"

"But…why is that word used in the Bible?" asked Tobias.

"God created people, so they belonged to Him," Dad explained. "But Satan came and tempted them to sin, and they did. They turned away from God and chose evil instead. So all people became sinners, enslaved to Satan and sin. But when Jesus died on the cross for us, He paid the price to buy us back. When we trust in Him, we no longer belong to Satan, but to God."

Tobias grinned as he looked at the tire on Graham's bike. "I never thought I'd have something in common with an old bike tire--I've been redeemed!"

-Lenora McWhorten

How About You?
Have you been redeemed? Jesus said that anyone who has sinned is a slave to sin (John 8:34). He paid a great price to buy you back out of that slavery and free you from the power of sin and Satan. Trust Him as your Savior today, and you will be redeemed and become a child of God. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.)

Today's Key Verse:
You were redeemed from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors…with the precious blood of Christ. (CSB) (1 Peter 1:18-19)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus redeems sinners

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:103-105

"Aren't you too old for a night-light?" Brendon's cousin Ollie smirked at the superhero light.

Brendon's face flushed. "My mom said I can keep it as long as I want."

"Are you afraid of the dark?" Ollie asked.

Brendon's mom called them down for supper just then, and he was glad he didn't have to answer. After they ate and played a few video games, his cousin left and it was time for bed.

When Brendon stepped into his room, he looked at the night-light. Maybe it was too babyish for him. Brendon pulled it out. The room was dark without it, so he hurried to his bed and pulled the blankets over his head. When he peeked out from under the blankets, he couldn't even see his toys across the room.

The door creaked open, and Brendon almost jumped. "Mom?"

"Are you okay?" Mom asked. "Your night-light isn't plugged in."

"I took it out." Brendon sat up. "I'm too old for it."

"Oh?"

Brendon nodded. "They're for little kids. I can be in the dark."

"Everyone needs light." Mom sat on the edge of his bed. "Without it, we can't see what's around us. Without it, life can feel scary."

"But you don't have a night-light in your room," Brendon pointed out.

"No," Mom said. "I sleep better without one. But I do have a different kind of light. One that you have too."

"Huh?" Brendon asked.

"I have Jesus's light, and I carry it with me everywhere. It makes the darkness a lot less scary." Mom patted Brendon's chest. "You have Jesus with you always. He conquered sin and death to save you, and He can help you in darkness or whenever you feel afraid."

Brendon took in a breath. "I guess I didn't think about that. I just felt alone with the light off."

"You are never alone." Mom kissed his cheek. "Jesus is always with you." She got up. "So, about your night-light…"

"Will you plug it back in?" Brendon asked. "I know Jesus is my light, but…"

"It's okay if you have a night-light too." Mom plugged the night-light into the outlet, and Brendon relaxed when he saw it glowing and thought of how Jesus was with him too.

-Bethany Acker

How About You?
Are you afraid of the dark? When it's dark or when you're alone, does it make you feel better to know that Jesus is with you? He promises never to leave you, and you can talk to Him anytime. When you feel afraid, remember that He is with you, even in the dark.

Today's Key Verse:
I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. (NIV) (John 12:46)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus is your light

Bible Reading: Acts 12:5-7, 11-17

"Mom, can I have this?" asked Tayden. "I found it in the garage." He held out a flowerpot containing a dry geranium plant. "At school today, we watched a video about a desert that was bare and brown with only a few cactus plants. Then it rained, and when the sand soaked up the rain, new life sprang up. There were green bushes and even some flowers." Tayden grinned. "I want to see if this plant will come back to life if I water it and take care of it."

"Go ahead," said Mom, so Tayden put the potted plant into a pan of water. After the dry soil absorbed a lot of water, he set the pot on a sunny windowsill. A few days later, he found small green shoots springing out of the stem.

"Remember that dead-looking plant?" Tayden asked his mom. "Come and see it now!" Mom came to look, and together they admired the new growth.

Later that day, Mom got a call from someone at church. "Mr. Matthews had a heart attack," she said when she hung up. "He's in serious condition, and they're asking everyone to pray for him."

"Does it help to have lots of people pray?" Tayden asked. "Or to pray a lot yourself?"

"Well, the Bible tells us to pray--it brings results," said Mom. "Just like you flooded your geranium with water, we need to flood things in our lives with prayer. Do you remember the story in the Bible of how Peter was rescued from prison? His Christian friends spent the night in prayer for him, and we should be faithful in praying for others too."

"If we pray for Mr. Matthews, does that mean God will heal him?" Tayden asked.

"I hope He will, but He may not," said Mom. "But even if God doesn't answer our prayers the way we want Him to, He still uses our prayers to remind people of His love and power and point them to Jesus. The Bible tells us He works through the prayers of His people to do wonderful things. We can trust Him to do that even when things don't go the way we wish they would."

Tayden nodded. "Let's pray for Mr. Matthews right now," he said, and they bowed their heads.

-Nathan Runyon

How About You?
Have you ever joined in a flood of prayer? Perhaps you prayed for someone who was sick or had some other urgent need. Maybe you had an important need and people prayed for you. Remember to talk to Jesus regularly about everything going on in your life, but don't be afraid to ask other believers to join you in a flood of prayer when you need it. God will use your prayers and those of other Christians to do wonderful things.

Today's Key Verse:
The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. (NLT) (James 5:16)

Today's Key Thought:
Prayer brings results

Bible Reading: John 10:27-30; Romans 10:9-11

Aiden ran as fast as he could, trying to catch the piece of paper he dropped as it was carried by the wind all around the parking lot. He finally retrieved it from underneath a car.

"Why is that piece of paper so important?" his younger sister Alexa asked.

"It's my permission slip for my class field trip. If I don't bring it back signed tomorrow, I won't be able to go," Aiden said as they continued their walk home from school.

"Didn't your teacher hand those out over a month ago?" Alexa asked.

"Well, yeah, and I brought it home but kept forgetting to ask Mom to sign it, and then eventually I forgot all about it and lost it." Aiden tightened his grip on the new permission slip as another gust of wind started blowing, and this time it didn't get out of his hand. "Come on, I don't want to lose this one too!" he said, and the two took off running.

"What's the big hurry?" Mom asked when Aiden and Alexa got home.

"I didn't want to lose this." Aiden handed his mom the wrinkled permission slip.

"Aiden, this is dated for a month ago. Why am I just getting it now?" Mom asked.

"'Cause he lost the first one," Alexa chimed in.

Mom just shook her head, then fished out a pen from her pants pocket and began to fill out the permission slip.

"Aiden, you're lucky you don't need a permission slip to go to heaven, because you would lose that too!" Alexa teased.

"I would not!" Aiden protested.

"Well, neither one of you needs to worry, because getting into heaven doesn't depend on anything we do," Mom said. "It depends on Jesus. He died to save us from sin and rose again, and He's the one who forgives our wrongs and gives us eternal life. Because we trust in Him, He will hold us securely forever--the Bible says none of us will ever slip out of His hand. Eternal life with Jesus is one thing you can never lose." Mom tucked the piece of paper into Aiden's backpack. "Now, make sure you don't lose this permission slip!"

Aiden nodded, and as he headed for his room, he said a silent prayer thanking Jesus for holding him securely in His hands.

-Melissa Yeagle

How About You?
Did you know there is nothing you need to do to have eternal life? Jesus did it all for you. He died for your sins and then rose again so you could be saved and live with Him forever. When you trust in Him, you never have to worry about being lost, because He promises to keep you safe in His hands and never let you go. Trust Him as your Savior today! (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.)

Today's Key Verse:
I [Jesus] give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. (CSB) (John 10:28)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus holds us securely

Bible Reading: Matthew 5:33-37; 2 Corinthians 1:17-20

Cora grabbed her backpack and lunch box and scurried out the door. Climbing aboard the bus, she thought about the bag of potato chips her mom had packed for her. They were her favorite snack for morning recess.

When math ended, Cora grabbed her chips and traipsed out to the playground. She and her friend Emmalyn found an empty pair of swings, where they sat chatting and laughing.

A moment later, another girl walked up, followed by three boys from their class who always tagged along. With a flounce of her hair, Jenna marched up to Cora. "Give me some chips," she demanded.

Cora thought about how Jenna normally ignored her unless she had something Jenna wanted. She didn't like the way Jenna insisted on having some of her snack. "No," Cora replied firmly.

Jenna pouted. "Meanie!" she yelled, stomping away. The boys followed.

Later that day, Cora mentioned it to Mom while they were washing dishes. "Do you think I did the right thing?" Cora asked. She wondered if she had been mean, just as Jenna had accused her of acting.

"Well, we know God wants us to give to others in need. But it doesn't sound like Jenna was needy. It sounds like she was demanding you give her something she wanted." Mom handed over a dish towel. "Cora, you know that as God's children, we should show His love to others."

"Yes, Mom, I know. But I'm not sure if I did what God wanted today with Jenna."

"Jesus gives us guidance in the Bible on how we should answer others and keep our word," said Mom. "He tells us to let our 'yes' mean 'yes' and our 'no' mean 'no.'"

"So, we should be honest when we answer?" Cora asked.

"Right. God gives us the freedom to say no. When we needed Him to save us from sin, He showed us His love by answering yes and sending us Jesus. But that doesn't mean Jesus always gives people everything they want, and we don't have to either. Sometimes giving an honest answer of no is the best thing to do."

Cora nodded. "Next time I bring chips for recess, I might share with Jenna. But if I say yes, I promise I'll really mean it."

-Allison Wilson Lee

How About You?
Do you ever feel pressured to say yes to a request--​​just to be nice? The Bible says Jesus is God's honest answer of yes to us, and He wants us as His children to show His love to others by answering honestly and keeping our word. If we say yes, we should follow through. Sometimes the best option is to respond with a no. Trust God to help you know the right response in each situation so you can give an honest answer.

Today's Key Verse:
Let your "yes" mean "yes," and your "no" mean "no." (CSB) (Matthew 5:37 )

Today's Key Thought:
Give an honest answer