Bible Reading: Isaiah 53:3-6; Romans 5:1, 6-8

Raelyn reached for a bowl of nuts. She took a pecan and placed it between the jaws of a nutcracker. "Mom, in Sunday school yesterday, we had a lesson on hell," she said in a troubled voice. "It scared me. What if I go there when I die?"

"Hell is a scary place," agreed Mom. "God created it for the devil and his angels. People who refuse to trust Jesus as their Savior will join them there."

Raelyn's brother Andy spoke up. "But if you trust Jesus to forgive you and wash your sins away, you'll go to heaven instead."

"I've trusted Jesus as my Savior," Raelyn said slowly, "but I still worry about hell sometimes." She held the pecan carefully as she squeezed the nutcracker. But the nut slipped away, and the jaws of the nutcracker closed on her finger. "Ouch!" she wailed. She tossed the nutcracker into the bowl. "I don't want to crack nuts anymore," Raelyn said, nursing her finger. "That hurt!"

"You're scared of a little nutcracker?" Andy asked. "Not me! Watch!" He grinned as he put his finger between the jaws of the nutcracker. Then he put a book beside his finger. "Go ahead--squeeze it," he said, holding out his hand. Raelyn obliged, but the book kept the nutcracker jaws open. Andy laughed. "See, it doesn't even hurt!"

"The book took all the pressure Andy should have felt when he stuck his finger in the nutcracker," Mom observed. "That's a pretty good example of what Jesus does for us."

"I think I get what you're saying," said Andy. "We all sin and deserve to be punished for the wrong things we've done, but when we trust in Jesus, He protects us from hell, sort of like the book protected my finger. Right, Mom?"

Mom nodded. "Andy trusted the book to keep his finger safe, Raelyn, and we can trust Jesus to keep us safe, now and for all eternity. He took the punishment for our sin when He died on the cross so we wouldn't have to. We can have the joy of knowing we won't go to hell. Instead, we'll spend eternity with Jesus."

-Hazel W. Marett

How About You?
Do you worry that you might go to hell? Everyone has sinned and deserves to go to hell, but when Jesus died on the cross, He took that punishment for our sin. If you trust in Him, you don't need to worry about going there. If you haven't trusted Jesus as your Savior, don't wait any longer. Trust in Him right now and experience the joy of having your sins forgiven and knowing you have eternal life. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.)

Today's Key Verse:
Christ carried our sins in his body on the cross…By his wounds you were healed. (ERV) (1 Peter 2:24)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus took your punishment

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:4-12

"Dad!" Quentin ran into the kitchen. "Tell Chloe not to put the little animals in the Noah's ark until the big ones are in. That's how I do it. They fit better that way. Why can't she do things like I do?"

"Because I'm different," argued Chloe, following her brother. "You're always telling me how I should play games or put puzzles together or color or…or do whatever I'm doing. You think everybody has to do things your way!"

"There's more than one good way to do most things, Quentin," Dad said as he put plates on the table. "Now go tell your mom supper is ready." Quentin scowled and went to get his mother.

After prayer, Dad watched as Quentin put various foods on his plate. "Quentin, should I put all that in the blender for you?" asked Dad.

Quentin looked puzzled. "In the blender? Why?"

"The grains of rice, the chicken, and the carrots and broccoli not only look different, they all taste different too. If I put them in the blender, everything will come out looking and tasting the same," Dad explained.

"Yuck! I like them all different," said Quentin.

Dad smiled. "So do I. The differences make the food more interesting and enjoyable. That's true about people too. God didn't make people to be the same, like robots. He gave us different personalities, talents, and abilities."

"Yeah, Quentin," said Chloe. "I'm not the same as you!"

"None of us are the same," said Dad. "God made us all different, and we bring glory to Jesus both individually and as His body of believers, the church, through the different ways we do things and help one another. Don't you think that's a good thing, Quentin? Would you really want everybody to be the same and do everything the same way?"

Mom shook her head in confusion. "Did I miss something here?"

"I think our son is discovering the beauty of having everyone be different," Dad explained. "Right, Quentin?"

"I guess so," Quentin said. Then he grinned. "But there are some things that are better when they're blended."

"Like what?" Chloe asked.

"Milkshakes!" Quentin stated triumphantly.

-Tanya Ferdinandusz

How About You?
Do you accept people who are different from you? Are you patient with those who do things differently? Remember that all Christians are part of the body of believers. Each part of a body--the hand, the foot, the eye, and so on--looks and functions differently, but each part is important. Similarly, each person looks, thinks, and acts in a different way and has different skills and talents. But each one is precious and important to God.

Today's Key Verse:
In Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. (NIV) (Romans 12:5)

Today's Key Thought:
Accept differences in others

Bible Reading: Mark 5:1-20

"Hey, buddy," Dad said to Jamal as he cleared away the lunch dishes, "after I help your mom clean up, let's head over to the park."

"Nah, that's okay," Jamal said quietly. "I don't really want to go."

"That doesn't sound like you," said Dad. "You usually love going to the park. What's up?"

Jamal hesitated, then said, "I heard a couple of ladies talking at church this morning about how difficult it must be for you and Mom to take care of me with my disability. I feel like it's not fair you have to do all these extra things for me that other kids don't need. You have so much to do; it's not worth your time."

Dad put his hand on Jamal's shoulder. "What was our lesson about in Sunday school this morning? And you better remember, because I'm your Sunday school teacher!"

Jamal chuckled. "It was about the demon-possessed man Jesus healed."

"Yes," Dad said, reaching for his Bible. "But there's something significant about that story I didn't have time to talk about this morning. In the chapter before, Jesus spends all day preaching on one side of the lake and then asks His disciples to take Him across the lake in a boat. They endure a terrible storm during the night that Jesus silences with just His words, then arrive safely on the shore where the man is living among the tombs. Then look here--after healing the man, where does Jesus go next?"

Jamal looked at the verse. "Back across the lake."

"That's right. So Jesus took the time, and the disciples' time, and risked all their lives in that storm just to go find one man everyone else had given up on." Dad looked Jamal in the eyes. "Jesus believed that one individual was worth all His time and energy that day. Do you think Jesus feels any differently about you?"

Tears filled Jamal's eyes as he shook his head.

"In fact, Jesus is so sure of your worth that He died on the cross for you," Dad said.

"So what you're saying is, if I'm that important to Jesus, I'm pretty important to you and Mom too, right?"

Dad smiled and called toward the kitchen, "Hey, honey, is Jamal pretty important to us?"

Mom looked up from the dishes and grinned. "You better believe it! Now you two better head to the park before all that good sunshine is wasted!"

-Karen McMillan

How About You?
Do you sometimes have a hard time believing you are worth it? Maybe you feel the stress of others and think you are just too much for them to handle. Jesus never feels that way about you. He created you for a purpose, and He sacrificed His life for you. You are worth loving!

Today's Key Verse:
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God…Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. (NIV) (Luke 12:6-7)

Today's Key Thought:
You're worth it to Jesus

Bible Reading: John 20:31; 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Friday was Maribel's favorite day of the week! Because on Fridays after school, Maribel and her mom went to the library to look for books. And today was no exception.

As the library doors swooshed open, Maribel breathed in the familiar scent of book pages. She headed over to her favorite section--fiction--and began to take in each of the colorful spines lined along the shelves.

Her mom didn't have a favorite section though. She would go up and down the different aisles, always ending her search with a pile of books about lots of different subjects.

"Mom," asked Maribel as they drove home, "how do they keep track of all the books at the library?"

"They use something called the Dewey Decimal system," Mom said. "There are numbered sections for different subjects and types of books. They have sections for books about history, science, art, travel--anything anyone would want to read about, really."

"Wow!" said Maribel. "That's a lot of different types of books."

"Yes," said Mom. "Did you know that there's a very special type of book that includes a whole library?"

"No way!" said Maribel. "What book is that?"

"It's the Bible," said Mom. "It's made up of many different types of books written by lots of different people who were empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Bible includes history, law, poetry, prophecy, songs, letters, and more!"

"That's so cool!" said Maribel. "How did people know what books to put in the Bible?"

"God is so creative," Mom said. "He guided the people who wrote the books of the Bible in a very special way called 'inspiration.' Then He guided other people in helping choose which books belonged in the Bible, His library. That's how we can know the Bible is true. God wrote it, using human people who trusted in Him and listened to Him. And the people who chose the books in the Bible knew the story of Jesus and listened to the Holy Spirit to figure out which books proclaimed that story well."

"So, if the Bible is a library, then Jesus is the librarian?" asked Maribel.

"Yes," said Mom. "And we can trust Him to tell us His story."

-Kandi Zeller

How About You?
Did you know the Bible has different genres--books on different subjects with different styles of writing? The amazing thing about the Bible is that even though there are lots of different books, genres, and writers, it all tells the same story: Jesus died and rose again to beat sin and death! What questions do you have about the Bible? Talk with your parents, pastor, or another Christian adult about them today.

Today's Key Verse:
He [Jesus] is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name. (NLT) (Acts 10:43)

Today's Key Thought:
The Bible is a library

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Desperately, Erica tossed items from her closet onto her bedroom floor.

"What's going on?" Mom asked as she walked into the bedroom.

"I have to find them!" Erica cried, digging even faster through toys and clothes in the closet. "It's all I have left of Grandma."

Mom sat down on the bed. "What's all you have left?"

Erica sighed. "I woke up crying this morning because I miss Grandma so much, Mom. And then I realized I've lost all my special gifts from her. The watch from last Christmas? It cracked when I fell on stage during that skit at summer camp. The gold necklace snagged on my sweater, and the chain broke. And you know that starfish tank at the aquarium, where you can reach in and touch them? Well, the bracelet with the purple stones Grandma gave me fell in there on our field trip. Only I didn't notice until we'd gotten home." Erica sniffled. "Now all I have to remember Grandma are the green polka-dotted socks she got me last summer."

Mom looked at the items piled on the floor. "So that's why you're digging through your closet."

Erica nodded and wiped her eyes. "What if I never find those socks?"

Mom scooted closer to Erica. "Honey," she said, "you remember at Grandma's funeral, how Pastor Nate shared about Grandma's love for Jesus--how she had placed her faith in Him as her Savior, trusting Him to forgive her sins and give her eternal life?"

Erica nodded. "Grandma told me a lot about Jesus. She explained that, when we put our faith in Jesus, we live forever with Him. Even after this life is over. Is that right, Mom?"

Mom smiled. "That's exactly what God tells us in the Bible. Those who trust in Jesus and come into His kingdom have eternal life. So, even though Grandma's not here with us now, we know she's with the Lord, and one day, when He comes back, He'll raise her from the dead!"

"And we'll see her again, right? If we put our hope in Jesus, we'll be with Him forever. And with Grandma too," Erica added. "You know, even if I don't find those socks, I think Grandma won't feel too far away."

-Allison Wilson Lee

How About You?
Have you lost someone close to you? Jesus knows how hard it is to lose a person you love. It's normal and natural to miss family members or friends who have died. But for those who trust in Jesus, death is not the end. In Him, we have eternal life and the promise of resurrection. We can grieve with the hope that we'll be reunited with our loved ones who have trusted in Jesus when this life on earth is over.

Today's Key Verse:
Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die." (NIV) (John 11:25)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus gives His followers eternal life