Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 31:4-6

Editor's note: This story may not be suitable for young children.

Asha's heart was pounding. She walked slowly down the jetway to the plane, clutching her mother's hand. "It'll be okay," Mom told her gently. "I know you're scared, but everything will be all right."

Asha looked up at Mom with her big round eyes, then snapped them back to the open door of the plane. Just a week ago, a bomb went off at an airport in another country. Asha shuddered as images of wrecked planes on the news flashed into her mind. She definitely didn't want anything like that to happen to her and Mom!

They finally crossed from the jetway to the plane, and the flight attendant greeted them with a warm smile as they began shuffling down the aisle. Mom pointed out their seats. "Row 27, seat F. That's you, Asha. I'll be in the seat right in front of you."

Asha's stomach lurched. "But Mom, I want you right next to me! I can't ride the whole way by myself. What if I lose you?"

"Don't worry, honey," Mom said as she slid into her row and pointed to the seat behind her. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here with you the whole way."

Asha climbed into her seat, buckled her belt, and stared out the window as the plane rolled into position on the runway. The engines began to roar, and she felt the pressure of the plane building up. She thought about her mother's words and remembered a Bible verse she had learned in church. "The Lord your God is the one who will go with you; he will not leave you or abandon you." She realized that even if flying on a plane seemed really scary to her, Jesus would be there to comfort her, just like Mom was with her on the plane. He would never leave her. Even if something horrible did happen and the plane crashed, He would still be with her, and she'd go to heaven to be with Him there.

She smiled as she sat back in the seat, feeling more comfortable. She spoke up so Mom could hear her. "Thanks for being here with me, Mom. I know Jesus will be with both of us too!"

–Dylan Kraayenbrink

How About You?
Do you often see scary things on the news? It's hard not to worry about the bad things that happen in the world. But remember that if you trust in Jesus, He'll always be with you to comfort you and carry you through every situation. No matter what happens, Jesus will never leave you. Your future is safe with Him.

Today's Key Verse:
The Lord is the one who will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged. (CSB) (Deuteronomy 31:8)

Today's Key Thought:
God comforts His children

Bible Reading: Proverbs 3:1-6; Hebrews 12:1-2

"Can you quiz me on some review questions for a test, Dad?" Lydia asked one evening. Dad agreed, so Lydia handed him her study sheet.

Dad asked Lydia several questions on topics she had studied. "Just a few to go," Dad said finally. "What's the name of the famous tower in Italy? And why is it famous?"

"The Leaning Tower of Pisa," Lydia replied. "It was supposed to stand straight, but the ground it was built on was soft and it began to lean during construction."

"Good," said Dad, closing the book. "I'll have to make up some harder questions if I'm going to stump you. Let's see…what's the Leaning Tower of Pisa leaning on?"

Lydia had to think about that one. "Is that a trick question? It doesn't seem to be leaning on anything." Looking out the window, Lydia saw her little brother wobbling down the driveway on his bike. "Eli's leaning on something though. Without those training wheels, he'd fall right over!" She grinned. "Is God holding up the tower? Maybe He's what's keeping it from falling over."

"That's an interesting idea," said Dad. "Eli, the tower in Pisa, you and me, we all need to have something--or someone--to lean on." He smiled. "Eventually Eli will learn to ride his bike without leaning on those training wheels. But as Christians, we'll always need someone to hold us up."

"You mean Jesus, don't you?" asked Lydia.

"That's right," said Dad. "If we think we can get through life or be a good person by leaning on our own efforts, we'll just fall right over. Only by leaning on Jesus--trusting in Him--can we be saved from sin and love others the way God calls us to. It's impossible for us to do it ourselves." He paused. "I'm not sure what's holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Some people think it might fall one day. But our foundation--Jesus--will never let us fall. No matter what happens, He will always hold us up."

Lydia smiled. "So, because I trust in Jesus, I'm Leaning Lydia! I'll have to remember that."

"Good," said Dad. "That's way more important to remember than anything on your study sheet!"

–Nance E. Keyes

How About You?
Are you leaning on Jesus? Or are you trying to hold yourself up? Only Jesus can save us from sin and provide us with all we need to live a life that points to His goodness and love. He wants us to lean on Him, and He puts people in our lives we can lean on too in hard times, like friends and family. You can trust that He will never let you fall. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page or go to www.keysforkids.org/goodnews.)

Today's Key Verse:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. (NKJV) (Proverbs 3:5)

Today's Key Thought:
Lean on Jesus

Bible Reading: Acts 9:26-31

"That's enough TV for today, Simon," Grandma said, turning it off. "Don't you have homework to do?"

Simon shrugged. "It doesn't matter, Grandma." He reached down and scooped up Tiger, the stray cat Grandma had rescued. "Even if I do it, Mrs. Stevens still won't like me."

"I thought you enjoyed her class. What happened?" Grandma asked.

"I do like it. But I forgot to do my homework a few times, and now she always asks me if I've done it."

"That doesn't mean she doesn't like you, Simon," Grandma said. "She cares about you and wants to help you be responsible and do your work."

"But she won't let me go to the puzzle corner during study hall unless my homework's done. And if I tell her it's done, she doesn't believe me! She makes me show her my work." Simon stroked the fur on Tiger's back, making him purr. "She doesn't make anyone else do that."

"I see," said Grandma. "Simon, do you remember when I first got Tiger?"

Simon remembered how skinny Tiger had been. His striped fur was dirty, and one ear was torn. "Tiger hissed and scratched at anyone who came near him," said Simon.

Grandma nodded. "Tiger had been mistreated. It was hard for him to trust people again. I spoke gently to him and offered him his favorite foods for many days. Then one morning Tiger stepped away from his dish and brushed against my legs. More time went by before he trusted me enough to let me pet him."

"But he's okay now," Simon said as he gently petted the purring cat. "I guess he figured out we're not going to hurt him."

"Sometimes when we make mistakes, it takes people a while to trust us again, just like Tiger," Grandma said. "But that doesn't mean we should give up. Jesus always forgives our wrongs and gives us the strength to do what's right. He'll help us show others we can be trusted again. But it can take time."

"You mean, if I continue to do my homework, eventually Mrs. Stevens won't need to remind me anymore?"

"Not only that, Simon," said Grandma. "You'll also show her--and yourself--that because of Jesus, you have the power to change."

–Heidi J. Schmidt

How About You?
Have you lost someone's trust because of a mistake you made? Have you felt like giving up showing you've changed? Remember that God works through people who make mistakes. The apostle Paul made some big mistakes before Jesus saved him. Depend on Jesus for the strength to do what is right, and ask Him to help others notice the change.

Today's Key Verse:
If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. (NLT) (Luke 16:10 )

Today's Key Thought:
Trust takes time

Bible Reading: Luke 12:13-21

On the one-hundredth birthday of her town, Evie watched as the mayor unlocked a time capsule on the evening news that had been created and stored a hundred years before. He pulled several papers and mementos out of it and held them up to the camera.

"Can I make a time capsule for our family?" Evie asked when it was over. "I could put family treasures in it!"

"Sure," said Mom. "That would be fun."

Evie found a box and placed some coins and a dollar bill from her desk drawer inside it. Then she packed in a DVD, a sweatshirt, and a storybook. Next she added an old teddy bear, swimming goggles, a beaded necklace, and a picture she had drawn. "Finding things for this box is fun, and there's still room for more," Evie told her mom. "When people in the future see this stuff, they'll get an idea of what we were like."

"I think future family members will find the things you have in there interesting," said Mom.

"But if you want to make a statement about our lives, I think you're missing the most important thing of all."

"A family photo!" said Evie's little brother, Walden. "So they can see what we look like."

"What about a newspaper?" suggested Evie. "That would tell them a lot about the things going on around us."

"Or we could write them a letter!" said Walden.

"Those are all good things to add," said Mom. "But I'm thinking about something that makes life important and worth living, even without any of the other things in the box."

"I know!" said Evie after a moment. "A Bible! And maybe a church bulletin too."

"And we can tell them about Jesus in the letter we write to them!" said Walden.

Mom nodded. "Those are both good ways to show future generations what's really important to us. Any physical items we put in our time capsule will be old and worn by the time our descendants open it. But the hope we have in Jesus, who saved us from sin and gave us eternal life with Him, is treasure that will last forever. Let's add some items to the box that point to the heavenly treasure we value most."

–Nance E. Keyes

How About You?
What do you treasure the most? Money? Clothes? Toys? Good grades? Those are good things God gave you to enjoy, but they don't last forever or bring meaning to your life. The only treasure that lasts is the gift of eternal life with Jesus. Store your treasure in heaven by trusting Him as your Savior and then sharing His love with others. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page or go to www.keysforkids.org/goodnews.)

Today's Key Verse:
Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. (NLT) (Matthew 6:19 )

Today's Key Thought:
Store your treasure in heaven

Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:22-32

Mom had purchased two butterfly kits, one for Millie and one for Logan. They were going to be studying the stages of a butterfly in their homeschool science group.

"Does everyone have a butterfly kit with a caterpillar?" Mrs. Wilson asked. She walked around the room and helped the students get their kits set up. "Now, it will take about three weeks for your caterpillars to turn into butterflies, and we will be observing and taking notes throughout the metamorphosis process."

"What does metamorphosis mean?" Millie asked.

"That's a good question, Millie. It means to change. The caterpillars will be going through several changes or stages before they turn into butterflies. This is called the process of metamorphosis."

After Mrs. Wilson dismissed the class, Millie and Logan talked to their friends while the moms got the lunches together. Everyone was excited--this was definitely going to be a fun science project!

"I can't wait to see my butterfly," Millie said on the way home. "We learned what metamorphosis means today. It means to change."

"That reminds me of what we read about in our devotions yesterday," said Mom.

"You mean about having new life in Jesus?" Logan asked.

Mom nodded. "When we trust Jesus as our Savior, we become new--much like how butterflies go through metamorphosis. Second Corinthians 5:17 says that anyone who belongs to Jesus has become a new person. Our old life is gone, and we are given a new life where we have the freedom to love others the way Jesus does."

"That's really cool. I'll have to tell that to Mrs. Wilson next week," Logan replied.

Over the next three weeks, Millie and Logan watched their caterpillars turn into butterflies. "This is so awesome!" Logan said on the day when all the students had their butterfly kits sitting on the picnic table, ready for release time.

"Okay, class, time to set the butterflies free," Mrs. Wilson announced.

The students released their butterflies into the air.

"Fly, butterfly! Enjoy your new life!" Millie called to hers. Everyone cheered as they watched their butterflies fluttering around.

–Lisa Fuller

How About You?
Do you know what it means to become a new person? It doesn't mean physically changing like a caterpillar into a butterfly. It means to be freed from the guilt of our sin and given the Holy Spirit, who works in your heart to make you more like Jesus. As you let the Holy Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes, He will help you throw off your old way of thinking and live a new life of love that points to Jesus.

Today's Key Verse:
Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (NLT) (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Today's Key Thought:
Christians have a new life