Bible Reading: Mark 14:3-9; 1 John 3:18

Grandma will like this, Kade thought as he worked on a picture. She'll probably take it home and put it up somewhere. He finished drawing a house, then worked on trees and clouds. Kade enjoyed art, and his teacher had told him he had a talent for it. "There!" he said, looking over the finished picture.

Nearby, Kade's five-year-old sister Chloe worked on a picture of her own. "Mine's done too," she said, holding it up.

Kade scoffed at it. "What's Grandma going to do with that? Just looks like scribbling to me!" Chloe scowled at him and left the room.

When Grandma arrived, Kade gave her his drawing. "My, this is good work, Kade!" Grandma exclaimed. Then she turned to Chloe, who was shyly holding out her picture. Grandma took it and exclaimed over it too. "These are both going on my refrigerator," she said. Kade scowled.

When Kade and Grandma were alone a little later, she asked him about it. "Don't you want me to put your picture up?" she asked.

"Sure, but you made it sound like Chloe's was as good as mine," Kade replied. "It's not half as good! Hers is just scribbling. Why would you like it?"

"I could see the love that went into it," Grandma explained. "I saw that Chloe had worked just as hard to please me as you had. Maybe it wasn't done with a practiced hand as yours was, but the love was there. She did what she could."

Kade nodded slowly. "I guess that means you'd love me just as much if I weren't good at drawing."

"You're absolutely right about that!" said Grandma. "I love you because you're my grandson, not because of what you can do. And you know what? That's the way God loves us too. We don't need to do anything for Him to love us. He already loves us so much He sent Jesus to save us so we could be His children! And He's always delighted by our gifts. We may see some actions or deeds as being small or unimportant, but they're important to God because He notices the love that's put into them. Giving a helping hand, a friendly smile, or an encouraging word is just as important to God as anything else we could do to serve Him."

-Carolyn E. Yost

How About You?
Does what you do for God seem less important than what others do for Him? It's not. On the other hand, perhaps you think what you do for Him is more important than what others do. That's not true either. God sees the love that goes into each deed, no matter how big or small it seems to you. Everything we do in response to the love He has shown us is precious in His sight.

Today's Key Verse:
She has done what she could. (NKJV) (Mark 14:8)

Today's Key Thought:
Serve God with love

Bible Reading: 1 Peter 3:3-4

Willow waved goodbye to Sydney's family, then ran into the house. "Hi, honey," Mom said. "Did you enjoy Sydney's church today?"

"Yeah, but I kind of felt out of place," Willow said. "I was too dressed up. Nobody dresses up at Sydney's church. She says it makes visitors feel uncomfortable." Willow shook her head. "I don't get it. You and Dad want me to dress up to show respect for God when we go to church to worship Him. But I get what Sydney said too. Who's right?"

"That's not an easy question," replied Mom. "The Bible doesn't tell us exactly what to wear to church, but it does give us some guidelines."

Willow thought for a moment. "Somewhere it says to dress modestly."

"Yes," said Mom. "That means church shouldn't be a fashion show to attract attention to ourselves or to our clothes. We should try not to offend others who may have different opinions about what's appropriate to wear."

"Some people were offended when Ryan wore a T-shirt," said Willow.

"Well, it was what was on the T-shirt that was the problem. The picture and words on his shirt indicated a disrespectful attitude," Mom explained. "But do you know Mr. Hales? He often brings visitors from the homeless shelter. He dresses casually, so they won't feel out of place. Nobody's offended by that."

"No, I guess not," said Willow.

"There will always be differences in clothing preferences," Mom said. "But the important thing is to honor God in the way we dress. He looks at our hearts, not just our outward appearance, and He wants us to consider others when we choose what to wear. Our clothes should convey the love He has put in our hearts because we trust in Jesus."

Willow sighed. "So what is the right way to dress?"

"As long as you follow the standards given in the Bible of love, respect, and modesty, I don't think there is a right or wrong way," Mom replied.

"So can I wear jeans to church next week?" asked Willow eagerly.

Mom thought about it. "All right," she said. "But only if you invite Sydney to come to church with us. We wouldn't want her to feel out of place, now, would we?"

-Heather Tekavec

How About You?
How do you dress for church--or anywhere? It's easy to put on clothes to impress people, but God says your clothes should reflect your heart. Before getting dressed, think about why you want to wear the clothes you do. Is it to get attention or make yourself feel more important than other people? If so, you may need to pick out a different outfit. Let your clothing choices show love and respect for God and others.

Today's Key Verse:
Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. (NKJV) (Colossians 3:17)

Today's Key Thought:
Dress modestly

Bible Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:14-23; James 1:5

Jasmine and Kayla rummaged through a large jewelry box as they helped their grandmother sort things in preparation for a garage sale. "Look at this pretty necklace!" Jasmine exclaimed. "Is it real gold, Grandma?"

Grandma rubbed her thumb gently over the shiny metal. Then she peered at her thumb. "No, honey," Grandma said. "This is just cheap jewelry."

"How do you know?" asked Kayla. "It looks like gold."

Grandma held out her hand. "See the black that rubbed off on my thumb? Real gold wouldn't tarnish like this."

"Is this a diamond ring?" Kayla asked.

Grandma took the ring and inspected it. "Well, I'm not really sure about this one. It's probably only cut glass, but I guess it could be a diamond."

"Then you should keep it," said Jasmine.

"Yeah," said Kayla. "You can't sell it at a garage sale if it might be a real diamond."

"We'll visit the jewelry store and have some of these checked," said Grandma. "Then we'll know for sure what's good and what isn't--what we should keep and what we should sell."

Later that day, they made the trip to the jeweler. The girls and Grandma were delighted to learn that several of the pieces were actually fairly valuable--including the ring, which was a small diamond.

"I'm so glad you had these checked," said Kayla. "Otherwise we might have thrown out the good stuff and kept the fake."

"Sometimes telling the good from an imitation is difficult," Grandma said. "That's true in other areas of life too. For example, things that are wrong can look and sound pretty good. That's why the Bible tells us to test everything and hold on to what's good, but to stay away from what is evil. Since Jesus has freed us from sin, evil goes against who we are and has no place in our lives, so we need to trust Him to help us use the truth of His Word to guard ourselves against Satan's lies."

Grandma took two pearl necklaces from her jewelry box. "I want you girls to have these as your 'pearls of wisdom.' Let them remind you to test the key areas of your life--what you do and what you believe--using the wisdom of God's Word. Hold on to the good and toss out the evil imitations."

-Brenda Decker

How About You?
Do you have trouble knowing what is good and what isn't? Do your choices agree with what God says in His Word or are they motivated by the people around you? Test everything against the truth of the Bible, and trust God to give you wisdom as you apply what it says to your life. Hold on to what is good and true, and let go of everything else.

Today's Key Verse:
Test all things. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil. (CSB) (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22)

Today's Key Thought:
Test everything against the Bible

Bible Reading: Isaiah 40:25-28

Daniel stared out the window as fluffy white snowflakes gracefully floated down from the sky. I'm glad school was canceled, he thought. It's gym day, and I stink at basketball. Daniel heaved a big sigh. I stink at everything.

Mom walked over with her mug of coffee. "Why so gloomy?" she asked.

Daniel shrugged. "I just wish I were special."

"You are special," said Mom.

Daniel shook his head. "If I were special, I'd be good at something, like all my friends are. Aiden's an awesome basketball player, and Cam's a great trumpet player, but I'm not good at anything."

Mom put a hand on Daniel's shoulder. "Daniel, you are special no matter what you can or can't do. You're special because God created you and loves you so much He sent Jesus to die for you so you could live with Him forever! Never forget that. Secondly, you're good at lots of things. For example, you're a hard worker and a super big brother. You have other talents too--you just don't know about them yet. God does, though."

Daniel sighed and stared out the window. "If I have other talents, I wish God would at least let me know what they are." They both watched as the snow began to fall harder.

"How many snowflakes do you think are out there right now?" asked Mom.

"I don't know--millions!" said Daniel.

"They all look the same from here, but did you know that no two snowflakes are alike?" asked Mom.

"No way--that's a whole lot of snowflake designs!"

Mom laughed. "Sure is. But God designed each one to be unique--just like He did with people. God created you with the abilities He wants you to have. Those special talents are there, even if you can't see them now--just like we can't see the exquisite detail of each snowflake from here. We don't have the vision God does, so we need to trust Him to reveal our unique talents when the time is right and help us develop them."

Daniel smiled. "So I guess I should stop comparing myself to all the other snowflakes out there, huh?"

Mom nodded. "I think that would be a good idea."

Daniel headed toward the coat closet. "There is one thing I know I'm good at--building snowmen!"

-Shirley Dechaine

How About You?
Do you feel like there's nothing special about you? That you have no unique talents? Be assured that you are very special, not because of anything you can do but because you are loved by God. He created you, and He has given you talents and abilities, even if you don't know what they are yet. Trust Him to reveal them at the right time, and remember that you're special because He made you and loves you.

Today's Key Verse:
I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (NKJV) (Psalm 139:14)

Today's Key Thought:
God designed you

Bible Reading: Romans 3:23; James 2:8-13

"Yum! Are you making chocolate cake?" Elijah asked when he arrived home from school.

Mom nodded as she beat the mixture in a big yellow bowl. "Yes, I am. How was school today?"

"Good," said Elijah. "Except for Jordan. He came to church yesterday, and Mr. Allen shared some Bible verses with us that say everybody has sinned and nobody deserves to go to heaven. Jordan told me today he doesn't believe that. He says he hardly ever does anything wrong."

"Your teacher is right," said Mom, picking up another egg and breaking it on the edge of the bowl. "That's what the Bible says."

"Ugh!" cried Elijah, holding his nose and coughing. "What's that smell?"

"Oh no!" exclaimed Mom. "That last egg is rotten! I'll have to dump this and start over." She paused. "Or maybe you could offer it to your friend Jordan," she said with a smirk.

"Ew! Why would Jordan want that?"

"Well, you could tell him the flour and sugar and butter were just fine, and so were all the eggs--except just that one."

Elijah frowned. "But now the whole thing smells!"

"That one rotten egg messed up my whole cake," said Mom. "That's kind of like what happens when people try to get to heaven by being good. But since Jordan told you he hardly ever does anything wrong, he must do wrong things once in a while, right?" Elijah nodded. "Well, the Bible says if we obey every one of God's laws except one, we're still guilty." She held up the bowl with the cake mixture. "One bad egg spoiled this, and one sin spoils our chance to enter heaven."

"Yeah," said Elijah. "And even Jordan knows he's not perfect."

"No matter how good we think we are, we've all done at least one rotten thing," said Mom. "We're guilty before God and can't earn our way to heaven by anything we do ourselves."

"That's why Jesus had to die for us, right?" said Elijah.

Mom nodded. "Jesus took the punishment for our sin. When we trust Him to save us, He gives us His goodness so that we can share eternal life with Him." She wrinkled her nose. "Now, I've got to get rid of this mess!"

-Tanya Ferdinandusz

How About You?
Do you think you're a good person and deserve to go to heaven? The Bible says even the best person still falls short of God's standard--perfect holiness. No one is able to keep God's whole law--we all do things that are selfish and wrong. And so everyone is guilty of sin. That's why all people need Jesus. He is perfect and holy because He is God, and He became human to die for our sins. Admit that you are a sinner and receive His gift of eternal life today. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.)

Today's Key Verse:
If you obey all the Laws but one, you are as guilty as the one who has broken them all. (NLV) (James 2:10)

Today's Key Thought:
We all have sinned