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

Bible Reading: Psalm 19:1-4; Romans 1:18-20; 5:8-9

Shay and her friends Kiara and Brinleigh squeezed their way through the crowded bleachers. "Did we miss anything?" Brinleigh asked.

"I don't think so," said Kiara. "No touchdowns on the scoreboard yet."

Kiara and Brinleigh watched and cheered the high school team with the rest of the crowd, but Shay found it hard to concentrate on the game. She pulled out her phone and started scrolling.

Suddenly, the crowd gasped in awe. Shay looked up to see if someone had made a touchdown, only to see people looking up at the sky. "What happened?" she asked her friends.

"You didn't see it?" said Kiara. "A meteor shot through the sky right over the football field. It was huge!"

"And so pretty!" added Brinleigh.

After the game, Shay made her way over to where her parents and little brother were sitting. "Did you see the shooting star?" asked Henry. Shay shook her head.

"It was right over the football field," Mom said. "Weren't you watching the game?"

"Um, well…I sort of got busy with other stuff," Shay said.

Mom frowned. "Like what?"

"Um…my phone," Shay muttered.

Mom sighed. "After your close call with the car yesterday, I thought you would learn to pay more attention to what's around you."

"I did too." Shay sighed. "But it's harder than I thought it would be."

Mom nodded. "I'm sorry you missed seeing the meteor, Shay. Whenever I see the wonders of the night sky, I'm reminded of God's power and love. Stars, planets, meteors--God created those things to point us to Him. He wants to have a relationship with us--so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins and then raised Him from the dead! And He's filled our lives with people who care about us and so many wonderful blessings to enjoy. But in order to enjoy them, we need to pay attention." Mom gave Shay's shoulder a squeeze. "Now, when we get home, let's do what we said we would do yesterday and talk about some phone boundaries that would help you use your phone wisely. I want to make sure you're able to enjoy the blessings all around you."

Shay nodded in agreement. "Me too."

-Courtney Lasater

How About You?
Do you ever stop to notice the wonderful things God has put in your life? The beauty of creation, the taste of good food, the people who care about you--these are all gifts from God that are meant to point you to Him. We live in a distracting world, but don't let that cause you to miss the blessings God has given you. Pay attention so you can enjoy the many things in your life that point to God's love and goodness.

Today's Key Verse:
Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. (NLT) (James 1:17)

Today's Key Thought:
Pay attention to God's blessings

Bible Reading: Matthew 28:20; 1 Peter 5:7

BZZZ! Shay looked down at her phone. There was a new text from her friend Kiara. Hey, you coming to the game Friday?

Shay's thumbs flew across the screen. Definitely!

"Shay!" her mother called out.

Shay looked up to see her little brother Henry struggling to carry three plates of food to the table at once. Shay grabbed two of them just in time. "Sorry!" she said. "Just working out some plans with Kiara for Friday night."

"Uh-huh," said her mom. "Well, what do you think about my idea for rearranging the living room?"

"Umm…what was it again?" asked Shay.

Mom sighed. "That's it. No more phones while setting the table!"

The next morning, Shay got another text from Kiara on her way to school. Meeting at Brinleigh's for pizza tomorrow before the game! Shay was texting her response when a loud HONK! pierced her ears. She looked up to see a car headed straight for her.

Shay dove back toward the sidewalk and fell to the ground as the car sped by. Pain shot through her hands where they had scraped against the concrete. She groaned. I must have started crossing the street without looking at the light, she thought.

Shay ran back home. When she walked in, Mom gasped. "Shay! What happened?" she asked as she took out the first aid kit.

Shay began to cry as she explained her close encounter with the car. After Shay finished her story, Mom took a deep breath. "Oh, honey, I know you want to stay connected with your friends, but I think we need to set some boundaries for your phone going forward."

Shay nodded. "I often feel like I need to respond right away when someone texts me, even when it's not a good time."

Mom gave her a hug. "God loves us so much, and He's there for us whenever we need Him. But unlike God, we can't be available for everyone's needs all the time, and sometimes for our own safety and well-being--or to give our full attention to those who are with us in person--we need to turn off our phones and wait to respond. Let's talk some more about it and then pray and ask Jesus to give you wisdom in how to use your phone."

-Courtney Lasater

How About You?
Do you use phones, computers, and other technology wisely? Sometimes it can be hard to know when it's a good time to use your device or respond to a message and when it's not. Just remember that you can't always be available for everyone, but God can! Jesus can handle all our needs, and sometimes you need to take a break from technology for your own well-being or to spend time with people in person. Trust God to help you use technology wisely so it benefits both you and others.

Today's Key Verse:
And my God will give you everything you need because of His great riches in Christ Jesus. (NLV) (Philippians 4:19)

Today's Key Thought:
Use technology wisely