Bible Reading: Matthew 23:25-28

"Mom, I got it!" announced Eva after school one day.

"Got what?" asked her brother Ben. "Is it contagious?" He moved to the other side of the room, pretending to be afraid of her.

Eva gave him a scornful look and held up a book. The picture on the jacket showed a girl in a long skirt cooking over an old-fashioned stove. Ben made a face, and Eva grinned. "It's the book I was telling Mom about that I found at our school library. It tells how to make vanity cakes like they did in pioneer times. Mom said she'd help me make some if I brought home the recipe." She turned to her mother. "Can we make them today?"

"Right after dinner," Mom said.

After the meal, Ben was put on dish duty, and Eva ran to get the book she had brought home. She eagerly opened it and flipped through a few pages. Then she closed it and looked at the cover. "This is weird," she said, puzzled. "The jacket on this book says it's about old-time cooking, but it's really about antique cars! I can't believe I didn't notice that before!"

"Hey! That might be a good book after all!" said Ben. He grinned. "I think you should do the dishes so I can read that book."

"Somehow it got the wrong jacket on it," Mom said, looking at the book. "I guess this proves the old saying, 'You can't tell a book by its cover.'" She smiled at the kids. "And that goes for people too!"

Ben gave her a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

"People sometimes put on a good cover too," Mom explained. "We might go to church and do all sorts of good things. Those who see us may be fooled and think such nice people must be Christians. But God knows what's inside. He knows whether or not we've trusted Jesus and really are Christians or if we're just pretending to be something we're not."

"Well," said Eva, "compared to that, getting fooled by the cover on this book isn't so serious, but we won't be making those cakes tonight."

"So does that mean I get out of doing dishes?" asked Ben hopefully.

"It means you get some help," said Mom. "Let's all get at it."

-Hazel W. Marett

How About You?
Do you do things that make you appear to be something you're not? Others may think you're a Christian because you go to church, behave nicely, and talk about God. But God knows if you really trust Jesus as your Savior. If not, stop pretending. He sees the real you. Trust in Him today. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.)

Today's Key Verse:
You [God] know each heart, for you alone know every human heart. (CSB) (1 Kings 8:39)

Today's Key Thought:
You can't fool God

Bible Reading: Psalm 126:2-6

"Stop crying, Maddie." Lizzy frowned at her sister. "You're not a baby."

"I want Mommy," the little girl said, burying her face in their dad's shoulder.

Lizzy stomped her foot on the floor. "Crying isn't going to help anything!" She didn't want to think about their mom. She was in the hospital getting better. It was easier just not to think about it.

"Lizzy," Dad said. "Go get me an empty bottle, would you? From the recycling?"

"A bottle?" Lizzy frowned, but she turned and did what her dad asked. "What are you going to do with this?" She held out an empty water bottle.

"I'm going to try to catch Maddie's tears," Dad said.

"What?" Lizzy's eyes widened, and she noticed that her sister stopped crying to turn and look at their dad.

"I'm going to try to catch them so I can remember them," Dad said.

Maddie giggled. "What do you mean?"

"Yeah, Dad, what do you mean?" Lizzy moved to the couch.

"The Bible says that God notices our tears and remembers them." Dad smiled as he put the bottle up by Maddie's cheek, and the girl giggled. "The Bible talks about God catching our tears in a bottle."

"It does?" Lizzy wrinkled her nose. "Why would He do that?"

"Because He loves us, and He cares when we cry," Dad said, lowering the bottle from Maddie's face. "There's nothing wrong with crying. We all cry sometimes. Jesus understands that, and He wants to comfort us."

"But…" Lizzy shook her head.

"Even I cry when I think about your mom and the accident. When I think about her all alone in the hospital." Dad let out a long breath. "She'll be out soon, but it's okay to be sad while she's gone."

Dad kissed the top of Maddie's head before reaching out and pulling Lizzy to his side. "God isn't going to be mad if you cry. He cares about you. Jesus will see your tears, and His heart will be sad along with you." He rested his head against hers. "God loves you much more than I do, even, and He loves your sister and your mom."

-Emily Acker

How About You?
Do you feel embarrassed when you cry? Do you feel like you're making people angry or that you're going to be teased? God wants you to know that it is okay to cry and that He is with you and caring for you when you do. Don't hold back your tears. Share them with Jesus so He can comfort you.

Today's Key Verse:
You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book. (NLT) (Psalm 56:8)

Today's Key Thought:
You can cry

Bible Reading: Psalm 139:7-12; Matthew 14:29-31

"Zane, your bus is coming," Mom called. "Don't miss it again today."

"I'm almost done, Mom," Zane called back from his room.

"Zane, the bus is here. Hurry!"

"I'm coming, I just have to--" Zane heard the roar of his bus leaving without him. He trudged into the kitchen. "I'm sorry, Mom," he said, knowing she'd have to drive him to school again. That meant bundling up his little sisters and getting them strapped into their car seats.

On the drive to school, Mom asked, "What were you doing that made you late?"

"I had a lot to pray about," Zane answered. "Uncle Marty lost his job, and Grandma's sick…and other stuff too."

"Okay," said Mom. "But you can pray anywhere, on the bus or walking to class."

"I know Jesus hears me wherever I am," said Zane. "But I like to pray like Grandpa does--by his bed every morning. He told me kneeling is a way to show that Jesus is King. That's cool!" Zane paused. "Plus, I notice that sometimes Jesus answers Grandpa's prayers really fast!"

Mom smiled. "I remember Grandpa praying on his knees when I was growing up," she said as they pulled up to the school. "Let's talk more about this tonight."

At dinner, Zane told his dad why he'd missed the bus that morning. "Zane, I want to be sure you know Jesus hears your prayers because you're His child and He loves you, not because of where and when you pray," Dad told him. "He's delighted to hear your voice. And He answers prayers when the time is right, not because we rush Him." Dad leaned back in his chair. "You know, one of my favorite Bible stories is about a man who got a speedy answer to his prayer, even though he wasn't kneeling. Peter walked on the water to Jesus, but when he looked away, he started to sink and cried out, 'Lord, save me!' Immediately, Jesus rescued him."

"Cool!" Zane said. "I'm glad we can pray anywhere and Jesus hears us. But if I start earlier, can I still pray by my bed before school?"

"Of course! It's good to get into the habit of praying every day," said Mom. "Just don't miss the bus!"

-Teresa Ambord

How About You?
Have you ever wondered if praying a certain way would make God hear you and answer your prayer? God hears you no matter where you are--you can pray to Him anytime! And remember that prayer is about talking to Jesus and sharing your heart with Him, not trying to coax Him into answering a prayer the way you want. Spend time praying every day, knowing God hears you and will answer in the way that's best.

Today's Key Verse:
In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. (NIV) (Psalm 18:6)

Today's Key Thought:
You can pray anywhere

Bible Reading: John 14:3; Philippians 3:20

Samira wove red yarn through the vertical strands on the loom, then tapped the knots down with the beating comb her mother had brought from Afghanistan. She had been helping her mother make Kilim rugs for years. Samira loved weaving red, navy, and brown yarn into diamond-shaped patterns. The rugs sold well at the artisan market, making her proud of her work.

But tonight, Samira had a lot on her mind. "I'm not sure I belong here," she told her mother as she wove more yarn through the strands. "I have lots of friends at school, but I feel different from them. Why is that? I've lived here most of my life. I don't even remember Afghanistan!"

"Well, you're right--we don't belong here." Samira's mom wrapped the red yarn over the white wool strands and twisted. "But we don't belong in Afghanistan either. We are Christians, and our home is with Jesus. He became one of us and then died for our sins and rose again so we could have a place in God's kingdom. That's where we belong--more than any country where we were born or where we live now. Our true home is God's kingdom. But for now, we must wait in a broken world until Jesus returns to get rid of sin and death and make all things new."

Samira stopped weaving. "Why didn't we wait for Jesus in Afghanistan?"

Mom put her beating comb down and turned to Samira. "While waiting for Jesus, our job is to share what we know about Him with others. We tried to do that in Afghanistan, but it was very dangerous. Here, we can read the Bible and worship Jesus without worry of being put in jail or worse. I'm so thankful Jesus brought us to a place that is safer, and I look forward to the day when all His people will be safe forever with Him. In the meantime, Jesus is with us, no matter where we live, because we belong to Him."

Samira smiled and turned back to her weaving. "I'm happy to be from Afghanistan," she said. "I'm happy to weave beautiful rugs. I'm happy to live here. But I'm really happy to be a Christian, a child of God!"

-Bonnie Carr

How About You?
Do you sometimes feel like you don't fit in where you live? It could be a new home you have moved to, or it may be the same place you've always lived. As Christians, we know that Jesus is King over the whole world and that He is with us no matter where we live or what we go through. We are part of a kingdom and family that lasts forever. That's where we truly belong.

Today's Key Verse:
Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. (CSB) (Philippians 3:20)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus's kingdom is our home

Bible Reading: Luke 15:8-10

Marci loved watching her pet crawdad, Lulu. At night, Lulu would come out of her home at the bottom of the fish tank and start moving rocks around. It seemed like she was always changing things.

Another thing Lulu liked to do was escape. Marci would get up some mornings and find Lulu crawling across the floor. Marci would quickly scoop her up and put her back in the fish tank.

One morning, as Marci was getting ready for school, she noticed Lulu was missing. She frantically searched her whole room but couldn't find her. "Oh no, where can Lulu be?" Marci muttered. She went into the hallway. "Watch out for Lulu!" she shouted.

Marci's mom came into the room. "Isn't Lulu in here somewhere?"

"I've looked everywhere and I can't find her!" Marci said.

Mom and Dad pitched in on the search for Lulu. A few minutes later, Dad called from the kitchen. "I found Lulu!" he said. Marci and her mom ran into the kitchen. "She crawled under the refrigerator. I'll pull it out, and you pick her up, Marci," Dad said as he began moving the refrigerator.

Marci carefully grabbed Lulu and rushed her back to the fish tank. "Stop escaping from your tank, Lulu. Don't you know it will hurt you to be out of the water? And where would you find food?" Marci scolded.

The crawdad just sank to the bottom and crawled back into her home.

"You know, Lulu's little escaping incident got me thinking about a story Jesus told in the Bible," Dad said at breakfast. "You know how excited we got when we found Lulu and got her safely back in the fish tank? As a pet, Lulu is important to us. Well, just imagine how important we are to God. The Bible tells us all of heaven rejoices when someone turns from sin and trusts in Jesus. That is a lot of love."

"God really does care about everyone," Marci said.

"He sure does," Mom agreed.

Before Marci left for school, she glanced inside the fish tank. Lulu was busy moving rocks around again. Marci just smiled. She was so thankful they had found Lulu, but she was even more thankful to know God loved her so much.

-Lisa Fuller

How About You?
Have you ever lost something important to you? When you found it, how did it make you feel? You were probably really excited, weren't you? The Bible tells us that is true with God too. It says all of heaven rejoices when one person repents and turns to Jesus. We are important to Him. Have you trusted Jesus to save you from sin? If not, do it today, and all of heaven will rejoice! (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page.)

Today's Key Verse:
There is joy in the presence of God's angels when even one sinner repents. (NLT) (Luke 15:10)

Today's Key Thought:
You are important to God