Bible Reading: Psalm 133

"You chose last time!" yelled Jill.

"I did not!" said Kelsey. "You did!"

"I guess I remember better than you." Jill stomped over to the back porch and sat down. She and Kelsey were cousins, but they didn't always get along very well.

Jill's brother Theo came out and sat down next to her. "What's going on?" he asked. "Another argument?"

"Kelsey is so bossy," said Jill. "She never wants to do what I want to do." She frowned as she glanced at Kelsey, who was walking toward the swing set.

Just then a line of wild geese, honking loudly, flew high overhead.

"I wonder what their problem is. They sound terrible!" said Theo. "Maybe one of them wanted to be the boss and butted its way to the front of the line."

"Don't they take turns being the leader?" asked Jill.

"They're supposed to," said Theo. "But maybe one of them was counting the number of times he had been the leader and decided he wasn't getting his fair share of turns. So he tried to make them do things his way, and now all the other geese are honking at him." He grinned at his sister. "Silly goose."

They watched as the long line of geese separated into four lines, then merged into two. The honking became a bit quieter, and finally the two lines formed into one long V.

"I wonder which one got them to stop honking and work together peacefully," said Theo. "It takes a real leader to get others to work well together. And it's not about always doing things your way, but putting others before yourself. That's the kind of leader Jesus was. Even though He's King over everything, He became a servant and died for our sins--because that's the only way we could have peace with God."

Jill looked over to where Kelsey was swinging. That's what I want to be--a leader, she thought. Not a silly goose.

She jumped up and walked over to the swing set. "Okay, Kelsey," she said. "You can decide this time." She smiled at her cousin. "Let's stop honking at each other."

–Lois A. Witmer

How About You?
Do you always want others to do things your way? Do you try to take charge by fighting and forcing everybody else to do what you want? That's not the kind of leader Jesus was. He put others ahead of Himself by sacrificing His life to bring us peace, and He wants us to live in peace with each other. Help others live in peace by doing what's best for everyone, not just yourself. That's the mark of a true leader.

Today's Key Verse:
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (NIV) (Ephesians 4:3)

Today's Key Thought:
Learn to get along with others

Bible Reading: Genesis 1:28-31; Colossians 1:15-20

Gabe turned his nose away from the fast-food scraps and held them at arm's length. "I think my nose is more sensitive than most. This is disgusting." The sun beat down, and a soft breeze sent wafts of rotten smells up his nostrils.

His friend Cassi just shook her head and urged him on. Their church had partnered with the city to orchestrate a park cleanup across the street from their chapel. It's about time, Gabe had thought. He was tired of stepping over litter at the playground.

Volunteers spread across the grassy opening armed with gloves and rolls of trash bags; only the lucky ones got plastic reach extenders to jab at the waste. After a couple hours of picking up trash, Gabe looked around at the huge park and wondered if it even made a difference.

"Good work, guys!" Gabe and Cassi turned to see the pastor's eldest son, Brent, wheeling a wagon over their way. "Want a bottle of water?" he asked.

They nodded vigorously and Brent handed them each a bottle. Gabe guzzled his down in seconds, flattened the bottle, and tossed it into the recycling bag. He groaned. "It smells out here."

"Do you know why we're doing this park cleanup?" Brent asked them.

Gabe had no idea. With a shrug, Cassie said, "To do something nice for the community, I guess."

"Yes, and we're doing it because God gave us this earth as a gift," Brent explained. "God's given us everything out of love for us--including His own Son to save us so we can have a relationship with Him. The earth is a blessing from God; He provides food, water, shelter, clothing, and medicines through its resources. The things of this earth are meant to be a blessing for everyone, so one way we can show others the love of Jesus, who is King over all God's creation, is by making sure the earth is taken care of."

Cassi nudged Gabe's shoulder and smiled. "Like making sure the playground is clean for everyone to use."

Gabe looked over the playground and imagined how nice it would be for the community if it were all cleaned up. "I guess it would be a good way to love our neighbors."

–Zoe Brickner

How About You?
Do you enjoy being outside in God's beautiful creation? What are some things you have benefited from that come from nature? God made this world for us as an overflow of His endless love--love so great that He gave us His Son, Jesus, who reigns over the earth. One way we can thank God for His gifts and love our neighbors at the same time is by caring for the earth so everyone can enjoy it.

Today's Key Verse:
The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. (NIV) (Psalm 24:1)

Today's Key Thought:
Take care of the earth

Bible Reading: Psalm 23:1-6

Madison's dog nuzzled up against her hand, whining anxiously. Madison closed her history textbook and looked down. "What's wrong, Buddy?" she asked, even though she knew Buddy couldn't answer. Then she heard thunder booming in the distance.

Buddy perked up his ears, then whined again. Madison looked out the window at the dark clouds piling high as rain began hitting the glass. A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. Madison bent down to stroke Buddy's head. "It's okay," she said. "It's just a storm. You're safe inside."

Buddy whined some more. Madison sighed. She needed to study for her big test tomorrow. Her heart beat faster just thinking about it. "Come on, Buddy, you're fine." Madison picked up her book again, feeling sick to her stomach. She always had trouble remembering all the dates and places, then she'd panic, which made it even harder to think. She hoped she wouldn't forget everything she studied.

Mom walked into the room. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Madison sighed again. "Buddy's scared of the storm, but I need to finish my homework."

Mom nodded. "Buddy's always been scared of storms." She thought for a minute. "What are some things that scare you, Madison?"

Madison looked up, surprised. "I'm scared of heights. Remember when Dad wanted me to go down that big water slide, but I couldn't even make it up the stairs?" She paused. "And sometimes I'm scared to take tests. I worry I won't remember everything and will get a bad grade."

"So who do you go to for help?" asked Mom.

"Well, sometimes you and Dad. You help me study."

"And that's good. But there's someone else you can also go to." Mom reached down and patted Buddy's head. "Isn't it interesting that Buddy knows to come to you for comfort? That's how Jesus wants us to think about Him. He wants to be our first option for peace and comfort. When we come to Him with our fears, He comforts us and reminds us that He's in control and will always love us and be with us no matter what happens."

"So, since I'm worried about my test, I should pray about it?" Madison asked.

Mom nodded. "I think that's a great idea."

–Abigail Singrey

How About You?
What scares you? Is it spiders, the dark, or meeting new kids at church or school? Maybe you freeze up with fear, or maybe you get a funny feeling in your stomach. Whatever worries you have, you can bring them to Jesus. He won't think they're silly. When we pray to God about whatever is troubling us, He will calm our worries and let us know He's with us.

Today's Key Verse:
Give all your worries to Him because He cares for you. (NLV) (1 Peter 5:7 )

Today's Key Thought:
Pray about your problems

Bible Reading: John 19:28-30

Evan breathed deeply through his nose as he walked into the kitchen. "Yum!" he said, walking over to where his older sister was working. "Lemon pie!"

"Oh no, you don't!" said Zoe, shooing him away with her spatula. "This is nowhere near finished."

"Okay, but I'll be waiting for it," Evan said, then headed upstairs to do homework. When he came back later, Zoe had poured the filling into the pie shell. "Can I have some pie now?" he asked.

Zoe shook her head. "It's still not finished," she told him. "It's lemon meringue pie, and it doesn't have any meringue on it yet."

Evan checked back one more time before dinner. "It's finished now," Zoe told him, "but you can't have any yet. I baked it for dessert tonight."

After dinner, Zoe finally brought the pie to the table. Evan scooped up and swallowed every bit on his plate. "Now the pie's really finished," he said, patting his stomach. "It's all gone."

For devotions that night, Dad read from the Gospel of John. "'It is finished.' Those were the last words Jesus said on the cross," Dad said, closing his Bible. "Sounds a lot like some of the words being said in the kitchen this afternoon. A couple of times I overheard Zoe tell Evan that the lemon pie wasn't finished yet. Finally, she said it was finished, but even then it didn't do Evan any good. Why not?"

"Because I didn't eat any of it," replied Evan. "Her fault, not mine!"

"I don't doubt it," Dad said with a smile. "Well, Jesus came to earth to take the punishment for our sin. On the cross, He finally said, 'It is finished.' His work was done. But a lot of people are missing the full benefit of His finished work. Why?"

"Because they haven't trusted Him as their Savior," Zoe said after a moment.

"Right," said Dad. "To enjoy the finished pie, we had to take it for ourselves and eat it. And to enjoy the benefit of Jesus's finished work--the joy and peace of having a relationship with God that lasts for eternity--we have to receive it for ourselves. We have to believe in Jesus and trust Him to save us to become a child of God."

–Hazel W. Marett

How About You?
Have you received the benefit of what Jesus did for you on the cross? Are you trusting Him to save you from sin and give you eternal life? He finished the work of purchasing your salvation, and He offers it to you right now. Receive it for yourself by trusting in Him. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page or go to www.keysforkids.org/goodnews.)

Today's Key Verse:
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. (NIV) (John 1:12 )

Today's Key Thought:
Accept Jesus's finished work

Bible Reading: John 10:2-5, 14

"Oh, look!" Amelia said as her mother parked the car at Grandpa's farm. "I see Grandpa's new sheep! Let's go pet them." The children climbed out of the car and raced toward the sheep, but the animals darted to the far corner of the pen.

"Oops! We scared them," said Josiah. "Let's try again. Let's pull some grass for them, and this time let's walk, not run."

Amelia agreed, and they each pulled a handful of grass and slowly carried it toward the corner where the sheep huddled. But as they approached, the flock spun around and dashed away. Amelia dropped her grass. "I give up."

"Me too," said Josiah, throwing his grass on the ground.

A moment later, the children saw their grandfather coming. They ran to give him a hug. "Grandpa, why do you have those baby bottles?" Amelia asked.

"Two of my lambs need these," replied Grandpa. "I feed them because their mother died."

"I wish I could feed one of them," said Amelia, "but your sheep don't like us. They run away."

Grandpa smiled. "Watch," he said as he led the children to a small pen beside the barn. They saw that it held two little lambs. "Here, Fluffy. Here, Snowball," Grandpa called as he opened the pen. The lambs scampered out and followed him as he crisscrossed the lawn.

Josiah laughed. "They're playing follow the leader!"

Grandpa handed each of the kids a bottle. "Here," he said. "You can hold these for them."

"Cool!" said Amelia, offering her bottle to one of the lambs. She giggled in delight as the lamb eagerly took it. "This one dances while he eats!" Amelia looked at Grandpa. "But why wouldn't your other sheep eat the grass we pulled for them?"

"Sheep know their shepherd's voice and follow him. They tend to run away from strangers," Grandpa explained. "It reminds me that we are like sheep. We follow our Shepherd--Jesus--by obeying Him and trusting Him to guide us and take care of us. We don't let anything or anyone lead us away from Him because we've heard His voice and know that He is the Good Shepherd who calls us to eternal life with Him."

–Margaret M. Primrose

How About You?
Are you following Jesus, the Good Shepherd? You may not have wool and four legs, but the Bible often refers to Christians as sheep who hear and follow Jesus's voice. He's the one who loves us so much that He gave His life to save us and promises to guide us, care for us, and supply our needs. If you trust in Jesus, you are following Him.

Today's Key Verse:
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. (NKJV) (John 10:27)

Today's Key Thought:
Follow your Shepherd--Jesus