Bible Reading: Psalm 119:33-37

"Are you reading your favorite fairy tale again?" Kalea asked her younger sister.

Nani nodded. "Want to hear it?" She cleared her throat and began "reading" the story without even looking at her book. "When Hansel and Gretel woke up, the forest was very dark. 'How will we find our way home?' asked Gretel. She began to cry. Hansel picked up a pebble lying on the pathway. 'Look, Gretel, here are the pebbles I dropped. We can follow them back home."

"I know the story," said Kalea with a grin. "When Mom left for the store, she said to remind you to memorize your Bible verses for church. Have you done that already?"

"Those verses are too hard!" said Nani. "Besides, what good is learning a bunch of verses anyway?"

"Well, for one thing, the Bible shows us who God is and how much He loves us. It tells us what Jesus did to save us and how we should live as we trust and follow Him." Nani continued to pout, so Kalea sat on the sofa beside her little sister. "Think of it like this," she said. "Bible verses hidden in our hearts are like the pebbles Hansel hid in his pocket and used to mark the path that would lead them home. The pebbles showed them the way to go, and verses we memorize help us know the way to go too. When we remember the truth of God's Word and trust Him to help us live it out in our lives, it helps us stay on the right path."

"But it's too hard to memorize verses," said Nani.

"How did you learn the Hansel and Gretel story so well?" Kalea asked.

Nani shrugged. "I guess it's because I read it so much."

"Well, if you read your Bible verses over and over, I bet you'll remember them easily too," said Kalea. "Try it."

Nani got her Bible and curled up on the sofa again. "Make me walk in the path of Your commandments…Make me walk in the path of Your commandments…Make me walk…"

When Mom came home, Nani jumped up and held her Bible behind her back. "Listen, Mom," she said. Then she recited her verses perfectly.

-Lucinda J. Rollings

How About You?
Do you struggle to memorize Bible verses? Scripture you've memorized will often come to your mind when you need it. It can show you what to do when faced with a decision and remind you of God's love and promises in tough times. As you learn the truth of His Word, God will use it to help you grow in your faith and turn away from sin. Try to memorize a verse today. Hide it in your heart so it can guide you on the right path.

Today's Key Verse:
Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. (NKJV) (Psalm 119:11)

Today's Key Thought:
Memorize Bible verses

Bible Reading: John 15:9-17

Logan loved pranking his big sister Natalie. Today, he'd sneaked into her room while she was at soccer practice and turned everything upside down. When she got home, he hid in his room, waiting for her reaction.

After several minutes, her scream echoed down the hallway. "Logan!"

Logan fell onto his bed laughing as Natalie stomped in. "Why would you do that to me?" she demanded.

Logan shrugged. "What's the big deal? It's funny!"

"Grrrr!" Natalie balled up her fists.

Mom stepped in. "What's going on?"

"Logan pranked me again. I'm tired of it! Just look at my room!"

Mom shook her head. "Come on, Logan. Let's fix this."

Logan sighed and followed Mom into Natalie's room. Couldn't Natalie take a joke?

Mom watched while Logan flipped Natalie's belongings so they were back to normal. It wasn't so fun this time. No wonder Natalie had been upset--if she was tired after practice, fixing her room would've been a big project.

A knot formed in Logan's stomach. "Mom…I haven't been a good brother."

"Why's that?" asked Mom.

Logan swallowed. "I prank Natalie all the time. It's funny, and it makes me feel popular when I tell stories about it at school. But Natalie and I used to be friends--and now I've ruined it."

"Friendship is powerful," Mom said. "Jesus told His disciples that the best kind of love is when we lay down our lives for our friends."

Logan's eyes widened. "That's what Jesus did. He died so we could live."

"Exactly. If we want to love like Jesus, we can lay down our desires for the sake of our friends."

Logan nodded. He knew he had to lay down his desire to prank Natalie in order to love her better.

When he finished with Natalie's room, he found her in the kitchen. "Natalie… I'm sorry."

She turned. "You are?"

"Yeah. And I want to be friends again. What would you think about that?"

When a joyful smile spread across Natalie's face, Logan knew her answer.

-Becca Wierwille

How About You?
How well do you love the people in your life? Do you think about how your actions will affect them? Or do you just focus on what you want? Jesus said that the greatest kind of love is laying down our lives for our friends. He did that for us when He died on the cross, and we can show that same kind of love to others, even in small ways. Are there desires you need to give up in order to love your family and friends better?

Today's Key Verse:
There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends. (NLT) (John 15:13 )

Today's Key Thought:
Love others like Jesus

Bible Reading: Romans 4:6-8; 5:8-9

"What's that, Grandpa?" Rafael pointed to some small cards and pieces of shiny red paper on the kitchen table.

Grandpa smiled. "Grandma found these when she was cleaning the attic the other day. When I was a boy, we used to get these as prizes in cereal boxes--they're something like baseball cards."

"Wow! They're really old!" Rafael was impressed. "What are the shiny red papers for?"

"That's what makes these cards interesting," Grandpa replied. "Look at this one. It's a picture of Babe Ruth." Grandpa showed Rafael the picture of the famous baseball player, then turned the card over. "Now, see this question? It says, 'What was Babe Ruth's real name?' To find the answer, we put this shiny red paper--it's called cellophane--right over the question. Now what do you see?"

"George Herman Ruth," Rafael read. "The question disappeared, and the answer showed up! Cool!"

"Right," said Grandpa. "This cellophane taught me a lesson."

"You mean because you learned Babe Ruth's real name?" Rafael asked.

Grandpa laughed. "Something more important," he said. "When I was young, I knew I was a sinner. I was a bit of a troublemaker, so I was reminded of it often! I'd heard that we all needed to have our sin covered by the blood of Jesus, but I never understood it until my Sunday school teacher brought this very same Babe Ruth card to class one day. 'Someone read the question on the back,' he said as he turned it over. But he had put the red paper over the question, so we told him we could only see the answer. He nodded. 'When the question is covered by the red paper, you can't see it--you just see the answer. And when you trust Jesus as your Savior, your sin is covered by His blood. Then God doesn't see your sin anymore. Instead, He sees you as righteous, or good, and He sees Jesus living in you.' I've never forgotten that."

Rafael nodded thoughtfully. "I'm going to remember it too."

-Phyllis M. Robinson

How About You?
What does God see when He looks at you? Does He see your sins, or are they covered by the blood of Jesus so that God now sees you as righteous? If you trust Jesus as your Savior, your transgressions, or sins, are forgiven. They are covered, and God doesn't see them anymore when He looks at you. If you don't yet know Jesus as your Savior, trust in Him today. Then you will have peace knowing your sins are covered in red. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.)

Today's Key Verse:
Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. (NIV) (Psalm 32:1)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus's blood covers sin

Bible Reading: Matthew 20:1-16; 1 Timothy 2:1-4

Marley ran to the door as soon as she heard her mother come in. "Mom! That movie we put on hold at the library finally came in. Can we watch it tonight?"

"Sure," said Mom. "But let's have dinner first."

They whipped up some spaghetti and meatballs and sat down to eat. "Marley, I want you to start going over to the nursing home a couple times a week to read to Grandma," said Mom. "I wish I could get over there more, but work is just too busy right now. I'll give you the Bible I've been reading to her so you can take over."

Marley scowled. "The Bible? But she's not even a Christian! And she's really old. How could reading the Bible to her make any difference now?"

"Just because she's old doesn't mean it's too late for her to come to Jesus," said Mom. "We can't give up on her. When I asked if I could start reading the Bible to her, she said yes, so I'm hopeful that means God is working to bring her to Him."

Once they cleared the table, Mom got out a big pan and put it on the stove. "How about some popcorn to go with our movie?"

Marley nodded eagerly and watched as Mom heated oil in the pan and added popcorn kernels. Pretty soon the kitchen was full of pops and cracks as the popcorn billowed up in the pan. "I think it's done," said Marley after a long string of popping noises came to an end.

"Not quite," said Mom. She waited another minute before turning off the heat, allowing more kernels to pop. "Some kernels pop right away, but others take longer before they're ready. You don't want to give up on them too quickly." She looked at Marley. "Just like Grandma. The Bible tells us that no matter how young or old someone is, they become a new person when they trust in Jesus, just like these hard little kernels become soft, delicious popcorn. We need to do all we can to share the good news of Jesus with Grandma because she may not have much time left."

Marley nodded. "Okay, I'll go read to her. And I'll pray that hearing God's Word will help her realize how much Jesus loves her."

-Courtney Lasater

How About You?
Have you ever thought it was too late for someone to be saved? Some people trust in Jesus as soon as they hear about Him, but others take longer. God wants everyone to be saved, so He's patient with those who do not yet know Him. We need to be patient too. Keep praying for those you know who aren't Christians and sharing God's love with them. No matter how old you are, it's never too late to trust in Jesus.

Today's Key Verse:
The Lord…is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. (CSB) (2 Peter 3:9 )

Today's Key Thought:
It's never too late to come to Jesus

Bible Reading: Psalm 139:7-12

"Grandpa, I have a question." Reese knew her grandpa always liked to talk about God, and she knew he wouldn't mind the question she had on prayer. "When does God hear us?"

Her grandpa's gray eyebrows lifted. "When does God hear us?" He grinned. "When we shout really loud!"

Reese giggled at her grandpa's booming voice. "But that's not how you pray."

"He hears me when I talk like this too." Grandpa lowered his voice to a whisper. "He also hears me when I'm like this." He went quiet.

Reese watched him. "You're praying silently?"

Grandpa nodded. "God hears us all the time. Anywhere we are." He got up and offered his hand. Reese took it and let him lead her outside.

"If I went out into those woods and got lost, God would hear me." Grandpa motioned to the large forest in front of them. "If I traveled to India or France or Australia, God would hear me there," Grandpa said. "He would hear me if I was scared or if I was happy. He would hear me when I was alone or in a crowd of hundreds or thousands of people."

"So," Reese said. "Always?"

Grandpa turned to her with a grin. "You're getting the point."

"No matter where I am or what I'm doing, I can talk to Him and He'll listen?" Reese asked. "Even if I'm quiet, He'll hear me?"

"No matter where you are, how quiet or loud you are, or what you have to say, He'll listen," Grandpa said. "He's never too busy for you."

"Thanks for answering my question," Reese said. "You're always a good listener, Grandpa."

He wrapped his arm around her. "If you think I'm a good listener, God's even better. I try to listen when you talk, but I don't always pay attention to everything you say. God hears every word. He loves you even more than I ever could. He gave us His own Son, Jesus, so we could have a relationship with Him. He cares about everything going on in your life. You can talk to Him anytime."

Reese leaned into him and smiled. She was grateful that her grandpa listened to her, but even happier with his answer. She was glad to know God would hear her anywhere and anytime.

-Bethany Acker

How About You?
When do you talk to God? Do you worry that He won't hear you when others are being noisy around you or when you're in your room alone at night? Do you wonder if He's really listening when you have a lot to say? He loves you and is always listening. He hears your prayers, no matter where you are or what you're doing. Doesn't it feel good to know He always hears you anywhere, anytime?

Today's Key Verse:
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. (NLT) (1 Peter 5:7)

Today's Key Thought:
God always hears you