Bible Reading: Psalm 23; Isaiah 53:4-7

Chloe gasped as the car rounded the mountain road and the French Alps were fully displayed. "I've never seen anything so majestic!"

Dad parked the car next to a rustic cabin. The cabin door opened and a man with dark curly hair and a beard exited with arms outstretched. "John! Come and hug your old friend!"

Chloe hung back, watching the happy reunion until the men turned to her. "Chloe, meet my old college friend, Jules! The last time we got together you were just a baby."

"You can call me Uncle Jules if you wish, Chloe. My, you are growing up quickly!"

"Do we really get to stay a whole week and help you care for your sheep? Dad says you have over a thousand! I read that shepherding is a difficult job. What's your favorite part about it?"

Jules threw up his hands and laughed. "Whoa! I'm not used to all these questions. The sheep aren't nearly as chatty." Jules winked at Chloe. "I'm happy to tell you all about it over a nice cup of coffee."

The next morning, Chloe was bundled and ready for a day of shepherding. After a few hours, she collapsed on the ground dramatically. "How do you not get bored, Uncle Jules?"

Jules chuckled. "It takes a certain type of personality to do this day after day, but I actually enjoy all this stillness. I have plenty of time to memorize God's Word out here and reflect on His goodness."

"Kind of like David did," said Chloe. "He was a shepherd too. Didn't he write that famous psalm about sheep?"

Jules nodded. "Psalm Twenty-Three."

"David compares us to sheep in the psalm," Dad pointed out. "And the Lord is our shepherd. When we had wandered away and were lost in sin, Jesus gave His life to save us, and He promises to guide us and take care of us."

Jules pulled a small, worn Bible out of his coat pocket and opened it to Psalm 23. Chloe read it aloud through verse three. "Today we are living out this psalm!" she said. "This morning you put salt out so the sheep could follow the route you wanted them to take. Just like you lead them on safe terrain, God guides us on the right paths."

–Savannah Coleman

How About You?
Have you ever thought about how much we are like sheep? Just like sheep, we want to go our own way and are prone to getting lost. We need a shepherd to keep us on the right path, and that shepherd is Jesus. He took the punishment for our sins to make us His sheep, and He guides us and provides for us. When we spend time in His presence, He refreshes our souls. How will you choose to follow the Good Shepherd today?

Today's Key Verse:
He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake. (NIV) (Psalm 23:3)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus is our Good Shepherd

Bible Reading: Psalm 139:13-16; Romans 8:28-30

Alfie hoisted himself up onto a ledge of crumbling granite and collapsed on a small patch of mossy grass. "That was quite a climb!" he said as he rubbed his aching legs. "Aren't you tired, Uncle Don? We've hiked a long way."

"We'll catch our breath for a few minutes before we head back," said Uncle Don. He took off his backpack and set it down.

Alfie picked up some stones. "Look at this!" he said. Uncle Don knelt beside him, and they looked at the stone Alfie held in his hand. It was shaped like a triangle and came to an unmistakable point. "It's a real arrowhead, isn't it?" said Alfie.

"Sure looks like it to me," said Uncle Don.

Alfie brushed the dirt and dust from the stone and held it up so that the light glinted off its edges.

"You know," said Uncle Don, "the man who made that arrowhead carefully chiseled it, and he knew just how he wanted to use it."

Alfie looked at his uncle. "He would have used it for hunting, wouldn't he?"

Uncle Don nodded. "I imagine so. He would have had a specific purpose for that arrowhead, and I'm quite sure it accomplished its purpose. He probably used it to get food for his family." Uncle Don smiled. "Can you think of any lesson we can learn from that?"

"Hmm--shoot straight when you hunt?" Alfie said with a grin. "Though that's probably not the kind of lesson you're talking about."

Uncle Don laughed. "You're right. I think this arrowhead should remind us that someone made us for a special purpose."

"Yep," said Alfie. "God did!"

"That's right," said Uncle Don. "You're far more important than a simple arrowhead, Alfie, and God has a wonderful plan for your life. He created you with loving care, and He sent His Son to save you from sin and give you eternal life. He's using all your life experiences to shape you to be more like Jesus so you can serve Him the way He wants you to. Whenever you look at your arrowhead, remember that God has a purpose for your life and will be there to guide you every step of the way."

Alfie put the arrowhead in his pocket. "I will."

–Christi B. Kehn

How About You?
Did you know that God has a special plan for your life? God made you and sent His Son, Jesus, to save you from sin, and He has plans for you. Talk with Him every day and ask Him for guidance. Read the Bible to learn more about Him and how He wants you to live. Stop and thank Him for something wonderful in your life. Trust Him to shape you into the person He wants you to be.

Today's Key Verse:
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans…to give you hope and a future." (NIV) (Jeremiah 29:11)

Today's Key Thought:
God has a plan for your life

Bible Reading: Luke 10:25-37; 1 John 3:16-19

After Baker and his mom got off the Ferris wheel, they joined a group of people crowding around a man with a painted face acting out various skits. Baker laughed with the crowd as the man pretended to be learning to ride a bike. But he wondered why the man didn't say anything. "Mom, why doesn't he talk?"

"Because he's a mime," Mom replied. "They never talk, but you can tell by their actions what they're doing."

Next, the mime pretended to wash a window. He acted as though he bumped his head on the pretend ladder. Later, he appeared to be eating an ice cream cone--and shot the crowd a look of dismay when the ice cream fell off. The crowd laughed and applauded as he acted out one scenario after another. The show ended with the mime making a sad face and waving goodbye to the crowd.

Baker turned to his mom. "Wow! He never said a thing, but I could figure out everything he was doing."

"Actions say a lot," said Mom. "Do you remember the story in the Bible about the Good Samaritan?"

"Sure," said Baker. "It's a story Jesus told about a man who needed help on the side of the road. Two people went by without helping him, and then a Samaritan came along and did all he could to help him."

"Right," said Mom. "And if the two people who had passed by earlier had said they cared about that man, would you have believed them?" Baker shook his head. "Jesus told that story to show how we should love others," Mom continued. "Saying you care about someone isn't enough--you also need to show them you care through your actions."

Baker's eyes widened. "So the Good Samaritan was really a mime?"

Mom laughed. "Well, I'm sure he didn't paint his face and perform funny skits, but he did communicate his love for others through his actions. Jesus did that too by taking the punishment for our sins on the cross so we could be saved. His sacrifice showed that His words of love for us were true. Let's let others know we care about them through both our words and our actions."

–Annette S. Bury

How About You?
How do you let others know you care about them? It's good to tell people you care, but it's not enough. In Jesus's parable, the Good Samaritan showed how much he cared by going to great lengths to help the injured man. Now that's loud love! That's the kind of love Jesus showed us when He died for our sins. What can you do to turn up the volume and show others you care?

Today's Key Verse:
Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (NIV) (1 John 3:18)

Today's Key Thought:
Actions speak loudly

Bible Reading: Isaiah 48:17-18; Ephesians 5:1-2; 1 John 2:3-6

"Mom, I see the parade! It's coming!" Millie squealed with excitement and grabbed hold of her little brother's hand. "James, get ready, because they're going to throw candy right at us and we can put it in our bags, okay?"

James nodded and grinned. Millie looked down the street and hopped up and down in anticipation.

"Just be patient, honey," Mom called from her lawn chair. "It will be here soon."

Millie craned her neck to see down the street. The parade was still far away, but she could make out flags, cars, floats, and even a fire truck. She could faintly hear a drum and knew the band was marching her way.

Suddenly, she gave a little shriek of dismay. "It turned! They're going down a different street. They're not coming here!"

"What?" Dad jumped up and looked down the street, and Millie noticed everyone else getting up and looking around in confusion. "Come on, Millie!" Dad scooped up James, and they ran to the next block just as the parade arrived.

Millie forgot about all the confusion until they walked home afterward. "Mom, why didn't the parade go by where we were sitting at first? Were we in the wrong place?"

Mom laughed. "No, we were on the right street. I think the person at the front of the parade got a little confused and made a wrong turn. Good thing we caught up and didn't miss anything, right?"

"Right!" said Millie. "It was so much fun, and I got lots of candy!"

"You know, wrong turns like that can happen in our lives," Dad said. "The people in the parade all trusted that the person in front would go the right way, but they didn't. We can go the wrong way too by following people--like leaders or friends at school--because what they're doing seems right but isn't."

Mom nodded. "There's only one Person who can lead us the right way. Do you know who that is?"

"Jesus!" Millie and James both shouted.

"Right," said Mom. "When we know Him as our Savior, He forgives our wrong turns in life and makes us able to love others the way He does. We need to follow Him as He leads us in His example of love."

–Robyn Mulder

How About You?
Who do you follow? Friends? Celebrities? Influencers? Looking to other people as examples of how to live will only lead you in the wrong direction, because they are sinners just like you. Only Jesus is perfect. He died and rose again to save you from sin and give you eternal life, and He will lead you in loving others the way He does. Follow His example and trust God to help you be more like Him each day.

Today's Key Verse:
Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children. (NIV) (Ephesians 5:1)

Today's Key Thought:
Follow Jesus, not people

Bible Reading: Romans 3:22-26; Titus 3:5-7

Rosita wiped sweat from her forehead, then got back to scrubbing the pot in the sink. She was working as hard as she could to clean the kitchen before Mom got home. They'd had a fight that morning, and Rosita was sorry for the things she'd said. She sighed and scrubbed harder. I want this kitchen sparkling clean when Mom gets home from work, she thought. That'll make up for it.

She glanced into the living room where her little brother was watching cartoons. "Hugo, bring your plate and cup here so I can wash them. And I just mopped the floor, so be careful!"

But Hugo wasn't careful. He ran in and slipped when his socks hit the wet floor. His plastic dishes went flying into the air as he went sprawling across the kitchen, milk and crumbs raining down on top of him.

Rosita gasped. "Hugo!"

Just then the door opened and Mom walked in. "Wow," she said. "What a mess."

Rosita covered her face with her soapy hands and burst into tears. Mom and Hugo stared at her for a moment before Mom sent him upstairs to wash the milk out of his hair. "Rosita, what's wrong?" Mom asked.

"I--I've been working hard to clean the kitchen all afternoon. I wanted everything to be sparkling clean when you got here because I felt bad about what I said this morning. I wanted to make things right."

"Oh, honey." Mom gave her a hug. "You don't have to clean the kitchen to make things right with me. You're my daughter--I love you, and I'll always forgive you. But I know the feeling. In fact, I used to try to do the same thing with God. I thought I could make up for my wrongs by doing something right. But it wasn't enough."

"Because the only way to make things right with God is through Jesus, right?"

"You got it," said Mom. "When we trust Him to save us, He forgives our sins and makes us sparkling clean."

Rosita nodded. "I'm sorry for what I said this morning, Mom. Will you forgive me?"

"Of course." Mom grabbed a mop from the closet. "And now I'm going to make this kitchen sparkling clean!"

–Courtney Lasater

How About You?
Are you working hard to make things right with God? Are you trying to do good things so He'll forgive you for the bad things you've done? No matter what you do, it won't make up for your sin. Only Jesus can make you right with God. He died and rose again so you could be forgiven and have all your sins washed away. Confess your sin and trust in Him, and He will forgive you. (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:
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (NKJV) (1 John 1:9)

Today's Key Thought:
Only Jesus makes things right