Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 13:1-7

"Bye, Naomi! See you tomorrow," Paige called as she got into her mom's car after school. "And congratulations on getting the lead in the play." As soon as she shut the car door, Paige muttered, "I can't stand that girl! She's such a snob."

"Paige!" exclaimed her mom. "From what I just heard you say, I thought she was a good friend."

Paige's brother Sean spoke up from the back seat. "You just want her to help you with math, don't you? That's why you pretend to like her."

Mom's cell phone rang, and Paige was relieved she didn't have to talk about Naomi anymore. When they got home, Paige heard a horrible clanging noise coming from her older brother's room. "What's that noise?" she asked, covering her ears.

Mom laughed. "Carter borrowed Grandpa's antique dinner gong for his science project on sound."

Paige remembered Grandpa's collection of brass antiques. She liked most of them, but not the gong. Carter will probably be banging that thing all night! she thought.

Paige was right. When her brother banged the gong while she was doing her homework, she called for help. "Mom! Make Carter stop that noise!" she pleaded.

Mom went to Carter's room, and the banging stopped. Then Mom came into Paige's room and sat down. "I don't like that noise any more than you do," said Mom, "but it reminds me of you."

"Me!" exclaimed Paige.

Mom nodded and picked up a Bible from Paige's desk. She opened it to First Corinthians 13. "Listen to this verse. 'If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.'"

Paige looked at the floor. "Oh."

Mom nodded. "When you talk about Naomi the way you do when she's not around and then act like you're great friends when you see her, the words you speak to her are like that brass gong Carter was clanging--just a lot of noise without any value."

Paige sighed. "So how do I change that?"

"You don't have to be close friends with Naomi, but remember that Jesus loves her just as much as He loves you. Trust Him to help you speak kind words to her out of love instead of selfishness."

-Linda Weddle

How About You?
Do you pretend to like people while inside you have mean thoughts about them? The Bible tells us to speak kind words to others, but they need to be spoken out of genuine love. If you say nice things to someone just to make yourself look good, your words are meaningless noise. Remember that Jesus loves that person and died for them. Trust Him to help you sincerely care about them too so your kind words match His love in your heart.

Today's Key Verse:
If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn't love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. (NLT) (1 Corinthians 13:1)

Today's Key Thought:
Love others sincerely

Bible Reading: Psalm 37:3-7

"Hey, Mom, look!" Paisley held up a carton of milk. "Ryan and I were going to have a glass of milk, but it's partly frozen!"

"That's odd," said Mom, peering into the refrigerator. "Uh-oh! We have a problem. Other things are frozen too."

"Should we move the refrigerator out from the wall?" asked Ryan. "If I look at the back, maybe I can tell what's wrong."

Paisley laughed. "I doubt it. You don't know a thing about what makes refrigerators run. We need an expert."

"Yes," said Mom. "I'll call the repair man tomorrow."

When Paisley got home the next day, she took a carton of milk from the refrigerator and shook it. "The repair man must have been here," she said to Mom as she took a glass out of the cupboard. "I'm glad we called an expert and didn't try to fix it ourselves." Paisley sighed. "I wish I knew an expert I could call on to fix a problem I have. I try so hard to get along with both Molly and Sara, but they don't like each other, and they both want me to take their side."

"I know an expert who can help," said Mom.

Paisley was surprised. "You do? Who?"

"God," Mom replied. "When we have problems, we often forget to ask God about them and try to fix them ourselves. We need to pray and ask Him to help us."

"Okay, but…" Paisley hesitated. "I've heard that before, and it always sounds like my problems are supposed to just go away if I pray about them. But it doesn't work that way--at least not for me."

"Me neither," Mom replied. "But God does sometimes change the circumstances that trouble us. Other times He shows us how to handle them. He doesn't often give a sudden revelation of what to do, but as you trust Him and depend on Him, He'll guide you in what to do and give you the strength to do it. Jesus is always with us and promises to help us with all our problems. He may use things you've learned from the Bible to help you, or use people who give you advice."

Paisley smiled. "Okay. You said God uses people. Here's what happened today…"

-Wanda E. Brunstetter

How About You?
When you have a problem, do you call on God, the greatest expert of all time? Or do you try to figure it out yourself? Jesus cares about everything you go through in life, and He wants to help you with your problems. Talk to Him about the problem you're having. Then look to the Bible for help and talk over the problem with a trusted adult. Trust God to guide you in what to do in His way and in His time.

Today's Key Verse:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. (NKJV) (Proverbs 3:5)

Today's Key Thought:
Let God help with your problems

Bible Reading: 2 Timothy 2:15; 2 Peter 3:14-18

"Dad, there's something I've been wondering about," Lincoln said as he began fitting pieces of his new model plane together. "When I was at Brandon's house, I overheard his dad telling his mom about a man who is really mean to his wife and kids. This guy excused it by saying he was just being the head of the house, like the Bible says husbands and fathers should be." Lincoln sighed. "I guess it doesn't always work out right when you try to obey the Bible, does it?"

"It sounds to me like that man wasn't obeying the Bible," said Dad. "He was taking a verse out of context and wasn't interpreting and using it the right way."

"What does 'out of context' mean?" Lincoln asked.

"It means to use a verse and change its meaning by not paying attention to what is said in the rest of the chapter or in other parts of the Bible," Dad explained.

Lincoln threw down two of the model pieces he had been trying to fasten. "These things don't fit into each other right."

Dad inspected the model. "Are you sure you followed the directions?"

"Of course! It says right here, 'Snap section E onto section D.' I tried that, and it won't work!"

Dad pointed to the instructions. "But this says, 'First attach B to D, while pressing down on C.'"

"Oops! I guess I skipped that part. Thanks, Dad!"

"As you can see, it's not enough to follow part of the instructions," Dad said. "You have to read them carefully and make sure you understand them completely. It's like that with the Bible too. When we take verses out of context or choose to follow only part of God's instructions and ignore the rest, we're missing the complete picture. The Bible tells us about Jesus, who loves us all so much that He died to save us, and how He's freed us from sin and is making us to be like Him. Do you think His Word also tells us it's okay to be mean to people?"

Lincoln shook his head. "That's why we need to read and study the Bible carefully, right?"

"Right," said Dad. "And we need to trust God to help us understand what it says and live it out in our lives."

-Sherry L. Kuyt

How About You?
Do some things in the Bible sound strange to you? Have you heard someone claim the Bible says something that doesn't sound right? The Bible is God's Word, and everything it says is true. But it must be read carefully and with prayer. God will help you understand more as you study it on your own and with others. When something you read--or hear--doesn't sound right, discuss it with a trusted Christian who can help you understand what God really says.

Today's Key Verse:
[Scripture contains] some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort…to their own destruction. (NIV) (2 Peter 3:16)

Today's Key Thought:
Study the whole Bible

Bible Reading: Romans 12:1-2, 9-21

When the bell rang, Quinn was happy the school day was over. "See you tomorrow," she called to several friends as she hopped on her bike. As she pedaled along, she thought about her day and what she'd do later that evening. Almost before she knew it, she reached the house where she had spent most of her eleven years.

As Quinn started to turn into the driveway, she looked up at the house. Whoa! Wait a minute! she thought. I don't live here anymore! Without even thinking about it, I just rode my bike here like I used to. Quinn quickly turned and headed in another direction. I wonder if the neighbors noticed, she thought, giggling out loud. She soon arrived at her new home.

"Guess what I just did," Quinn said when she walked in. She told her mom about riding to their former house. "Isn't that weird? It's not like I forgot our new house--I actually expected to see it when I looked up. I guess I rode to our old house so often that it became a habit and I went there automatically, without thinking."

Mom laughed. "I guess you proved the saying 'old habits die hard' is true. You slipped back into an old habit, but as you keep coming to this house, you'll form a new habit. This place will soon become as familiar as the old one."

That evening when Dad heard about Quinn's experience, he grinned. "It's easy to go to familiar places." He paused, then said, "In more ways than one."

"What other ways?" asked Quinn. "What other silly things do you think I might do?"

"I was just thinking that Christians sometimes find it easy to slip back into old habits--things we used to do before we knew Jesus and He changed us and made us new," Dad explained. "One of the best ways to get rid of old, bad habits is to develop new ones that reflect the new life we have in Jesus. As we learn more about Him and who He's made us to be, He helps us form new habits."

"So that's one reason we need to go to church and read the Bible, right?" asked Quinn. "Those are ways Jesus helps us learn more about Him and develop good habits."

-Ann La Combe

How About You?
Are there old habits you need to break? Do you sometimes say or do things that don't agree with the new life Jesus has given you? The best way to get rid of old habits is to make new ones. God will help you do that as you go to church, read your Bible, pray, and spend time with Christian friends. Trust Him to help you replace old, sinful habits with new ones that reflect His goodness and love.

Today's Key Verse:
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (NKJV) (Romans 12:2)

Today's Key Thought:
Habits can be changed

Bible Reading: 1 John 3:1-3

Kya never meant to break Dad's trophy. It sparkled on the shelf, a reminder of Dad's football days. When Dad said, "Don't run in the house," Kya didn't think about his trophy. She and her cousin Danny had only wanted to race. Now they stared at the broken trophy on the carpet.

"It was too close to the edge of the shelf," Danny said. "It wasn't our fault."

"Danny…" Kya wanted to argue, but tears filled her eyes. What would Dad say?

"Are you afraid you'll get in trouble?" Danny asked.

"No." Kya sniffed. "I'm afraid I'll hurt Dad." More tears fell. After this, would Dad ever trust her again? "We have to tell him the truth."

They knocked on Dad's office door. "Come in!" Dad said. Kya walked in, but Danny hung back. Dad frowned at the sad look on Kya's face. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"I…I…"

Danny piped up from the doorway. "We were running, and your trophy fell and broke! We're sorry, Uncle Bryce."

Kya sobbed. "I'm sorry, Dad! I don't know how I let this happen."

Dad pulled her into a hug. "Oh, Kya," he said. "You matter to me more than a trophy."

Her tears dampened his shirt. "I never meant to hurt you."

"We all make mistakes. Sometimes we hurt people. You know who else we hurt when we do the wrong thing?"

Kya nodded. "We hurt God."

"Does God stop loving us when we mess up?"

Kya thought back to everything she'd learned from the Bible. "No. God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to take the punishment for the wrong things we do. He did that so He could make us His children."

"That's right. God's love is lavish. That means it's generous and rich." Dad kissed her forehead. "My love for you is also like that. I forgive you for breaking the trophy. I know you didn't want to hurt me."

Kya's heart warmed. She looked behind her. "Where'd Danny go?"

"I think he was scared he'd get in trouble," Dad said. "Maybe we should tell him about God's love too?"

"Yeah." Kya took Dad's hand. "Let's do it."

-Becca Wierwille

How About You?
Have you ever made a mistake? Maybe you were afraid a family member or friend wouldn't forgive you. Maybe you worried they wouldn't love you anymore. As children of God, we have the best gift. We are loved no matter what! God showers us with a love so strong the world doesn't understand it. And we can live our lives sharing that love with others.

Today's Key Verse:
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! (NIV) (1 John 3:1)

Today's Key Thought:
Live in the love of God