Bible Reading: Proverbs 15:1, 4; Ephesians 4:29-32

"Hey, Steve! Check out the progress I've made on my coloring book!"

Miffed by his little sister's insistent nudge, Steve barked a quick-tempered, "Not now, Lily! Can't you see I'm trying to sleep?"

"Guys, please try to get along," Mom chimed in. "We'll be at our next stop in just a few hours."

"A few hours? You mean, for all that time, I have a choice between staring at cows or having to comment on coloring technique?"

Just as Steve let out a big sigh, a large dump truck pulled in front of his family's van. He could just make out the words on the back, which read, "Driver not responsible for flying debris. Stay back."

"What?" Steve exclaimed. "Did you see that sign? How can a truck launch a rock or whatever out the back of it and be completely inculpable?"

Dad, using an over-the-shoulder lane check to make brief eye contact with his son, said, "First of all, I can tell you've been working on those vocab words, so well done."

Steve cracked a grin. He'd recently learned that inculpable was another word for innocent or blameless.

"And I'm glad you caught those words on that truck, because they remind me of something that happened just a few moments ago when you snapped at your sister," Dad continued. "I know you're tired. We're all tired and cranky right now, but you chose to throw gentleness out the window because of that. If you think about it, it's not much different from a truck not being responsible for what flies out of it at any moment, right?"

Steve was completely caught off guard. "I…I guess."

Dad smiled in the rearview mirror. "That truck may not claim responsibility for what comes flying out of it, but we're responsible for our words and attitudes toward others. And, because we trust in Jesus, we can control them. We have the power of the Holy Spirit, who helps us speak kind, loving words--even when we're cranky."

Pulling his gaze off a sea of bovines--another vocab word that meant cows--Steve shifted toward his sister. "Lily, I blew it. I let my words fly at you. I'm bored and tired, but that's no excuse for how I spoke to you just now. Will you forgive me?"

"Course!" Lily grinned. "Want a gummy bear?"

-Sara Woodard

How About You?
Have you ever hurled unkind words at someone? Like rocks blown off a truck, flying words can cause serious damage and hurt people. But if you know Jesus, He gives you the power to control your words. Trust Him to help you speak to others with love and kindness--even when you feel tired and cranky.

Today's Key Verse:
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (NIV) (Proverbs 18:21)

Today's Key Thought:
Control your words

Bible Reading: Luke 12:16-24, 30-31; 1 Timothy 6:6-8

"Lucu's food bowl is empty again, Ibu," Ayu called to her mother as she poured some seeds into the hamster's bowl. Lucu was Ayu's first pet, and she was determined

to take good care of him.

Seeing more food in his bowl, Lucu immediately ate some. True to his name, Lucu--which meant cute in Indonesian--tucked the seeds into his cheeks. Ayu giggled as Lucu continued to put more seeds in his mouth, giving him round, puffed-up cheeks. But then Lucu went to a secluded corner and buried the food in the bedding of his cage. This went on a few times until there were hardly any seeds left in the bowl.

"Ibu, we need to go buy Lucu some more food--this bag is almost gone. And no wonder!" Ayu exclaimed. "He acts as if his food bowl won't ever be refilled. Doesn't he trust that I will take care of him? I always fill his bowl twice a day."

"Yes, I know you do," Ayu's mom replied. "It's just that hamsters have a natural tendency to store their food away. You should only give him the food he needs for each meal, as hamsters tend to overeat by eating however much you give them." Ibu smiled at her daughter. "Don't we all behave like Lucu from time to time?"

"What do you mean, Ibu? I don't have that much space in my cheeks!" Ayu tried to imitate Lucu's puffed cheeks.

Ibu chuckled. "What I mean is that we don't always trust God to continually take care of us. It's wise to save for rainy days, but often we go beyond that and hoard. We worry and hold on to stuff we want but don't actually need. Meanwhile, God knows exactly what we need and when we need it. Jesus sacrificed His life to make us God's children, and He promises to take care of us. We can trust Him to give us what we need when we need it."

Ayu pondered this. "Kind of like how I'm supposed to portion Lucu's food so he won't overeat?"

"That's right," said Ibu. "God doesn't promise to give us everything we want, but we can trust Him to provide just enough at the right time."

-Ruth Setyadi

How About You?
Do you worry about not having enough? Do you try to feel safe by having more stuff than you need? The things we own can never give us peace--only Jesus can. He's the one who died on the cross and rose again to save us, and He promises to take care of us. Trust Him to provide for every need you have at just the right time.

Today's Key Verse:
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. (NIV) (Philippians 4:19 )

Today's Key Thought:
God provides

Bible Reading: Psalm 32:1-5

Gideon was busily sweeping the garage when his dad pulled into the driveway. "Hi, Gideon," Dad said. "What's going on?"

"TJ has chickenpox," Gideon announced, putting the broom away.

"And you?" Dad arched his eyebrows. He knew that when Gideon did work without being asked, it usually meant he had done something wrong.

"Me?" Gideon shrugged. "I'm fine." Dad waited. "I swept the whole garage." Dad still waited. "Oh, and, uh…I sort of hit a baseball through Mr. Weaver's window."

"Sort of?" Dad frowned. "After I told you not to hit balls in the yard?"

"Well, um…yeah." Gideon averted his eyes as they went into the house. "Mr. Weaver got mad. He said he'd call you."

"Hi, Daddy." Four-year-old TJ looked mournful as he sat up on the couch. "I'm sick. I got the chickenpoxes, but I fixed 'em. I sticked bandages on 'em. See?"

Gideon rolled his eyes when he saw his brother. "TJ, how silly can you get! You can't cure chickenpox by covering up the spots! That might hide them a little bit, but it sure won't make them better!"

"That's true," said Dad. "Another thing you shouldn't try to cover up is sin. You can't fix it by being good. So don't try to use good deeds as bandages to cover up your wrongs."

"What do you mean?" asked Gideon.

"I've noticed that when you do something wrong, you often try to cover it by doing a good thing," said Dad. "After you lied to me last week, you raked the leaves. When you disobeyed your mother, you washed dishes. Today you swept the garage as if that would make up for what you did this afternoon."

Gideon dug his toe into the carpet. "I guess I do try to fix things that way sometimes," he said. "When I do something wrong, I feel bad and want to make it better."

"I know," Dad said. "But that's not the way to do it. Jesus is the only one whose goodness can cover our wrongs. We need to confess our sins and trust Him to forgive us. Then we should ask anyone else we've wronged to forgive us too." Dad picked up TJ. "You go to your room and think about it, Gideon, while I take care of this little guy and his stick 'em bandages."

-Barbara J. Westberg

How About You?
Do you try to cover up wrong things you do by doing good things? It's great to do good things, but don't ever think those good deeds can cover your sins. It doesn't work that way. You need Jesus to forgive you. The blood He shed when He died on the cross is the only thing that can cover your sins. Confess your sin to Him, and He will forgive you. Then ask anyone else you wronged to forgive you too.

Today's Key Verse:
People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. (NLT) (Proverbs 28:13)

Today's Key Thought:
Your good deeds can't cover sin

Bible Reading: Matthew 5:14-16

Nora sighed. Everybody's doing something, she thought as she listened to the conversation at the table. Everybody but me. Pastor James had come for dinner, and so far the discussion was all about the events their church was putting together to reach people with the gospel. Mom was going to sing with the choir downtown, Dad was in charge of a men's breakfast, and Nora's older brother offered to make posters to advertise the kids' program. Nora pushed her food around on her plate.

I wish I were big enough to help, she thought.

Just then Pastor James turned to Nora. "Do you have any friends you can invite to the kids' program?" he asked.

Nora nodded. "I guess so," she murmured, still wishing she could have a real job like Mom and Dad and her brother did.

As Mom tucked Nora into bed later that night, Nora shared her thoughts. "Honey," said Mom, "inviting friends and praying for them is a real job. It's every bit as important as what any of us are doing."

But Nora wasn't convinced.

"Do you get enough light in your room from your night-light? Or shall I leave the overhead light on?" Mom asked as she turned to leave. "Or I could get a lamp from the living room. Would you like that?"

"No!" exclaimed Nora in surprise. "That would be way too bright and keep me awake. The night-light is perfect."

"So both big lights and small lights are needed, right? And I think they're equally important, don't you?"

"Yep," said Nora. "When I wake up at night, I like the little night-light. But when I read, I need the bigger lights."

Mom nodded. "They just have different purposes. And that's true of people too--and of tasks that need to be done. They're all needed, and big ones and little ones are equally important. They all help more people know about Jesus. And since you know Him as your Savior, you can be a light for Him in whatever tasks He gives you."

Nora thought about that. "Okay. I'll invite my friends to the kids' program." She grinned. "I'll be a night-light for Jesus."

-Hazel W. Marett

How About You?
Are you too young to preach? To organize meetings? To prepare a dinner? That's okay. Someday the Lord may ask you to do those things. But right now, perhaps you--not your parent or your pastor--can be a friend to the new kid at school, or pray for your teacher, or invite your classmates to church. Whatever God asks you to do, be willing to do it. Be a light for Jesus.

Today's Key Verse:
Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much. (CSB) (Luke 16:10)

Today's Key Thought:
Your tasks are important

Bible Reading: Psalm 139:23-24

"Honey, would you grab a cart and get started in the produce aisle? I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

Sunny gave her mom a thumbs-up and got started on the week's grocery list. To her annoyance, she soon realized she'd picked the loudest cart. One of the wheels was stuck, and every time Sunny turned, the squeaky rubber sound made her cringe.

An older gentleman chuckled as he walked by. "Are you trying to start a drag race in here?" he asked. Sunny was hard-pressed to think of a time she'd felt more embarrassed.

"Well, there you are! I don't know how I was ever able to find you!" Mom said, trying not to laugh.

"Mom, I'm so embarrassed! I should've just gone back for another cart." Sunny's blushing cheeks rivaled the apples in the display behind her.

"Aw, honey. It happens to everyone. In fact, do you know what this reminds me of?"

Sunny shook her head, looking around to see if anyone was staring at her.

"Sure, squeaky wheels can be annoying, but they also alert us to problem areas--sort of like how the Lord alerts us to places in our lives where He wants us to grow. Did you know that in the Bible, King David asked God to highlight the places in his heart that didn't line up with who God was making him to be?" Mom knocked on a watermelon. "Just like I'm testing the integrity of this fruit, our good Father wants to make sure we're strong too. David knew this and wanted to know where in his life he needed to grow. We can also ask the Lord to show us where we're weak, but don't be surprised if you start noticing some squeaky areas needing attention."

"Really? Has this happened to you, Mom?"

"You bet! Many times. It's not always easy to get up close and personal with the squeaky places we're not so proud of, but as we turn them over to the Lord, He shapes those weakened areas and helps us become more like Jesus."

"That's pretty cool, Mom. I love that God cares so much about our growth. I think I'll ask Him where I can grow. In the meantime, can we ditch this squeaky cart?"

Laughing, Mom said, "Not before we alert the manager about this busted wheel!"

-Sara Woodard

How About You?
Are you too young to preach? To organize meetings? To prepare a dinner? That's okay. Someday the Lord may ask you to do those things. But right now, perhaps you--not your parent or your pastor--can be a friend to the new kid at school, or pray for your teacher, or invite your classmates to church. Whatever God asks you to do, be willing to do it. Be a light for Jesus.

Today's Key Verse:
Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much. (CSB) (Luke 16:10)

Today's Key Thought:
Your tasks are important