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

Bible Reading: Luke 4:1-14

Adam placed the ladder against the garden shed. As he climbed up it, his dad looked up from weeding the garden and hurried over. "Adam! What are you doing up there?"

"Practicing!" Adam called back. "I have to jump off the shed roof at school tomorrow, so I want to try it at home first."

Dad grabbed the end of the ladder. "What did you say you're going to do?"

"I said I have to jump off the roof. It's to prove my faith."

"You'll do no such thing!" said Dad. "You could break a leg. Come down this instant." Adam descended the ladder and sat beside his dad on the grass. "Now," said Dad, "what's this all about?"

Adam hugged his knees. "I was telling some friends at school about Jesus, and they laughed and said it was all baloney. They don't believe there's a God. Then Nick dared me to jump off the roof. He says if I can do it without getting hurt, he'll believe in God! So I'm praying that God will help me jump off the shed safely."

Dad sighed. "Adam, nothing is impossible for God. But when you ask Him for something, you need to make sure it doesn't go against what the Bible says. I don't think jumping off the roof to prove He's real is in line with His Word."

"But Dad, if it would make Nick believe, wouldn't God want me to do it?"

"Last night we read about how Satan tempted Jesus by telling Him to jump down from the highest point of the temple," Dad reminded Adam. "Do you remember Jesus's reply?"

"Um…He said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

Dad nodded. "When your friends dare you to do something foolish, you don't have the right to test God either. He tells us to share the good news of Jesus with others, but remember that it's God who changes people's hearts, not us. Jumping off a roof isn't going to make Nick believe in God. I think the best way to help him and the others know that God is real is to pray for them and trust Jesus to help them see His love in you as their friend."

"Okay," said Adam. "If Jesus wouldn't jump off a building, I won't either. I'll tell the guys the jump is off."

-Tanya Ferdinandusz

How About You?
Have you ever wanted to do something to try to prove God is real? It doesn't work that way. The Bible tells us not to test God the way Satan did when he tempted Jesus and dared Him to prove who He was. Jesus wants people to know He's real, but not through foolish stunts. He shares the truth about who He is in His Word, the Bible. Point others to His truth and love, and trust Him to do the rest.

Today's Key Verse:
Jesus answered…"Do not put the Lord your God to the test." (NIV) (Luke 4:12)

Today's Key Thought:
Don't test God; trust Him