Bible Reading: Psalm 139:7-12; Jeremiah 23:23-24; Matthew 1:23

"Can I have one of your French fries?" Gavin asked his sister as he snatched one from her plate.

"Hey, no! You have your own!" Hailey protested. She put her arm around her plate to defend her food.

"But you got the crispier ones!" Gavin held up one of his flimsy French fries.

"Our oven hasn't been cooking evenly. Here, Gavin, I got a few more crispy ones," Mom said and scraped some of her fries onto Gavin's plate.

"I thought that since we rented this place it meant the landlord had to fix things like that," Gavin said as he ate another fry.

"He does, but he also prioritizes repairs," Mom explained. "He oversees more than twenty apartments and does most of the repairs himself. Our oven not working is not as important as someone's broken heater, so we have to wait until the landlord has time to fix it." Mom got up and put her plate in the sink. She returned with her Bible and took the church prayer list out. Every night they prayed for the people and things on the list together.

"God has a lot more people to take care of than our landlord. Is that why we sometimes have to wait for our prayers to be answered?" Hailey asked.

"No, that's not why," Mom replied. "Unlike our landlord, God is able to immediately do anything we ask. But He doesn't always answer our prayers right away because His plan is often different from what we think is best. That doesn't mean He doesn't hear our prayers. God sees and hears everything because He's omnipresent."

"Omni-what?" Gavin asked with a puzzled look.

"Omnipresent," Mom repeated. "It means He's everywhere all the time. Millions of people could pray at the same time, and God would hear them all. But even though He's everywhere, God is present with Christians in a special way. The Bible calls Jesus 'Immanuel,' which means 'God with us.' When we put our faith in Jesus, God gives us the Holy Spirit, who will never leave us. Even though God doesn't always answer our prayers right away or how we want, He promises to be with us through everything."

"I'm thankful God is always with us to help us," Gavin said. "Let's pray that He'll help our landlord fix our oven soon!"

–Melissa Yeagle

How About You?
Have you ever wondered how God hears everyone's prayers all over the world? God isn't limited to being in one place at one time like we are. He is present everywhere all the time, so He sees, hears, and knows everything. And if you know Jesus as your Savior, you always have God's presence with you through the Holy Spirit. God hears your prayers, and even if you have to wait for an answer, He is with you.

Today's Key Verse:
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. (NKJV) (Psalm 145:18)

Today's Key Thought:
God is with us

Bible Reading: Ephesians 1:7-9

Tinkling bells chimed invitingly as the ice cream truck turned onto Cali's street. Ice cream was one of her favorite treats, but it was just before lunchtime, so she was sure her grandma wouldn't let her have anything now. But I can still have a little fun with the ice cream truck driver, Cali thought. She yelled loudly to get his attention as he drove by, then ducked behind a bush. The truck stopped, and the man got out expecting to sell something, but no one came to buy. Cali snickered to herself when she saw his puzzled face.

"That was unkind," said Grandma, and Cali jumped in surprise. She had no idea Grandma was watching and had come out. "It was wrong for you to stop that man and make him think he was going to earn some money. Now come with me. You need to apologize." Grandma led the way to the truck, which had not yet moved on.

Under Grandma's watchful eye, Cali told the driver she was sorry for playing a trick on him. Then Grandma bought an ice cream bar for each of them.

Cali felt ashamed when her grandmother held out the treat. "No thanks, Grandma."

"But I bought this for you," said Grandma.

Cali looked at the ground. "I don't deserve it after what I did."

"That's true," said Grandma. "But I want you to have it anyway--it's a gift from me." She continued to hold out the ice cream bar.

Reluctantly, Cali took the treat and began to eat. It tasted so good and was very refreshing on such a hot day! "Thank you, Grandma," she said.

Grandma smiled. "You're glad you accepted my gift, aren't you?"

Cali nodded. "I am, even though I don't deserve it."

"We don't deserve God's love and forgiveness either," said Grandma. "But He offers it to us as a gift--a gift we need to accept. Jesus died on the cross to save us from sin so we could be forgiven and have eternal life with Him. But we can't enjoy that gift until we accept it."

"Just like this ice cream," said Cali. "I've accepted God's gift, Grandma. I know Jesus has saved me and given me eternal life."

–Nance E. Keyes

How About You?
Do you trust Jesus as your Savior? Have you accepted His gift of eternal life? God offers it to everyone, but it has to be received to be enjoyed. You don't deserve it--no one does. But don't push it away! Jesus loves you so much that He sacrificed His life to pay for your sins. Accept the undeserved but wonderful gift He offers. (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:
The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NKJV) (Romans 6:23)

Today's Key Thought:
Accept God's gift

Bible Reading: James 3:1-10

"Hey, Dad, do you know what Elise told me?" asked Tenley.

Dad put down the book he was reading and smiled. Tenley loved to tell him everything that was going on with her friends at school--even when they were on vacation.

"Elise says Aria's dad was arrested and taken to the police station," Tenley went on. "He was driving under the influence--that means he was drunk--and he crashed into another car. Elise says he gets drunk every weekend, and he--"

"Hold on a minute, Tenley," said Dad. "How do you know what Elise said is true? And even if it is, should you repeat it? You could hurt Aria's father badly by saying things like that about him. And I'm sure it would hurt Aria to know you're telling people about her family's problems."

"Well, I--" Tenley suddenly stood up and pointed to a nearby campsite. "Dad, look! Over there! Those leaves are on fire!"

Dad and Tenley raced over to the campsite, grabbing a couple of wet towels from the line as they went. A hot log had rolled out of an unattended fire, and dry leaves had started to burn. Tenley and Dad stomped and beat the spreading flames until they had the fire out.

"That was a close one!" Dad said.

"Yeah," said Tenley. "I wonder where the people are who started the fire."

As they walked back to their own campsite, Dad said, "You know, Tenley, Mom and I love that you like to share ideas and experiences. But when you share information that's harmful, it's called gossip. God says the tongue is like a fire, and you saw how fast fire can get out of control. That can happen with words too. What you say can be exaggerated, and it can spread rapidly and hurt others--like Aria and her dad."

Tenley nodded. "I'm sorry, Dad. I'll be more careful about repeating things I hear."

"Good," said Dad. "The best way to do that is to trust God to help you speak about others in a loving way. God loves us all so much that He sent Jesus to die for us so we could have eternal life with Him. Trust Him to help you show His love through your words."

–Judith K. Boogaart

How About You?
Do you speak words that are on fire? Could they get out of control and spread rapidly, causing people to get hurt? If you hear gossip that could burn someone, put it out! Don't repeat information that may not be true or could embarrass or hurt others. Trust God to help you use the words you say to show love and support for others--even when they're not there to hear them.

Today's Key Verse:
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs. (NIV) (Ephesians 4:29)

Today's Key Thought:
Don't repeat hurtful words

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:9-16; 2 Timothy 3:14-17

"Turn on the radio, Dad," Kaelyn called from the back of the minivan.

"Yeah," said Brenner. "It's boring back here. We've been driving forever!"

Dad glanced at the twins in the rearview mirror. "Sorry, guys," he said. "I hate to ruin your fun, but I don't like your music."

Brenner snorted. "What fun? We're on a three-hour car trip in the middle of nowhere!"

"Hey, Brenner," whispered Kaelyn. "We can be our own radio." Brenner nodded, and Kaelyn launched into the latest hit. "Hey, you, standing under the lights; come on, we can dance all night…"

Brenner joined in the chorus. "Ooooh, it's a party…"

"No thanks," said Dad.

"Okay, how about this?" said Kaelyn. "Money, honey, it's the thing…"

"Fancy cars and diamond rings," sang Brenner.

"Do you two have all the popular songs memorized?" asked Dad.

"Yeah," said Kaelyn. "They run through my head practically all day long."

Dad looked back at the twins. "That reminds me of something I read in the Bible this morning. The apostle Paul tells Timothy how important it is for children to study and memorize the Word of God so you understand all that Jesus has done for you and deepen your faith in Him."

"We study the Bible in church," said Brenner.

"And during family devotions," added Kaelyn.

Dad grinned. "Okay, smarty-pants, how about a quiz? Finish this verse: 'Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and…'"

Kaelyn shot a look at Brenner, and Brenner shrugged.

"Try this one," said Dad. "'God is our refuge and strength, a…'"

Brenner grimaced. "It looks like we've got some work to do."

"Reading the Bible and memorizing verses is a great way to keep God's truth and promises in our thoughts and help us remember who we are in Jesus," said Dad.

"Yeah," said Kaelyn. "And it'd give me a break from all those pop songs!"

Dad smiled. "I know just the verse to start with. 'Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.'"

Kaelyn and Brenner laughed. "Dad!"

–Jennifer Dillard

How About You?
Have you memorized the lyrics to your favorite song? How about a Bible verse? A memorized Bible verse can remind you that Jesus loves you and is always there to help you. Try memorizing an inspiring Bible verse. When it pops into your head at school, in the car, or during soccer practice, notice how that reminder of Christ's love improves your whole day.

Today's Key Verse:
You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. (NLT) (2 Timothy 3:15)

Today's Key Thought:
Memorize God's Word

Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:1-7; Hebrews 13:15-16

As Dr. Jensen talked about his work as a missionary, Nolan wondered what it would be like to move to a different country to serve God. Dr. Jensen described it as God giving him such a deep love for the people in that country that he had to move there, but Nolan doubted he'd ever be able to make such a big sacrifice, even if God wanted him to.

Nolan listened intently as Dr. Jensen told a story about fixing a truck with the help of his sixteen-year-old son, Joel. "We didn't have the right tools, and Joel came up with one crazy idea after another. Just when we were about to give up, the engine roared to life! We praised God right then and there."

On the way home from church, Nolan brought up the truck story. "It's too bad they don't have better tools to work with, isn't it?" He grinned at his dad. "You should have been there, Dad. You have tools to fix just about anything!"

Over the next few days, Nolan often thought about Dr. Jensen's lack of tools. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to do something to help. I have some money saved up I could use, he thought. But then I won't have money for a new bike.

Nolan tried to forget it, but he couldn't, so he decided to talk to his dad about it. "Dad, do you think God wants me to buy tools for the missionaries with my bike money? Could I get what they need with the amount I have?"

"That's a great idea, Nolan. I can get tools at discount prices." Dad beamed. "I think the Holy Spirit is helping you love others like Jesus by putting their needs before your own desires."

Nolan nodded. "Getting a new bike can wait." As he spoke, Nolan realized he was ready to make a sacrifice to help the missionaries. It's not as big as moving to a foreign country, he thought. But I think I'm beginning to understand how God can make you care about someone enough that you're willing to make sacrifices for them. It's like what Jesus did on the cross for me! He smiled at his dad. "Let's go pick out some tools!"

–Esther M. Bailey

How About You?
Do you know anyone who's made a big sacrifice to serve God? Have you ever made a sacrifice to help someone? Jesus loves us so much that He sacrificed His life for us. When we trust in Him, we have the Holy Spirit within us to help us make sacrifices for others out of love. Whether big or small, the sacrifices you make for others show them the love of Jesus.

Today's Key Verse:
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. (NIV) (1 John 3:16)

Today's Key Thought:
Make sacrifices for others