Bible Reading: Matthew 5:14-16; John 3:16-21

Emily licked the icing off her fingers and carefully added another snowflake sprinkle to her Christmas cookie. Christmas parties were the best! She grinned as she looked around the table at her friends. Some of them were already devouring their cookies piled with sweet decorations.

"All right, kids! While you finish decorating your cookies, I have a special story to tell you," said Emily's mom. One of the other moms started passing around oranges while Emily's mom answered a question. "No, they aren't to eat just yet. We have to do something with them first! I was looking up different Christmas traditions from other countries and found this really cool one from Germany in the 1700s."

The children now each had a candle, four toothpicks, dried fruit, and a red ribbon next to their oranges. "This is what they did," Emily's mom said, holding up an orange. "The orange stands for the world. God loved our world so much that He sent His Son to save us. Jesus died on the cross to pay the price of our sins and then rose from the dead so we could have eternal life. That's what the red ribbon stands for--the blood of Jesus. Take your ribbon and glue it around your orange."

"What are the toothpicks for?" Emily asked curiously.

"We put the four toothpicks in our orange pointing different directions for north, south, east, and west," her mom explained. "Jesus wants us to spread the good news that He saves all over the world! The dried fruit go on the ends to remind us that when Jesus is our Savior we have the fruit of the Spirit. What are they?"

Some of the kids murmured, "Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

"Is the candle for 'this little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine'?" Wyatt sang with his eyes sparkling.

"How did you know, Wyatt? Yes, we're all going to place our candle inside the top of our orange and the grown-ups will light them. This thing you created is called a Christingle, and it's a symbol of Christ's light in us. If you know Jesus as your Savior, you are the light of the world. Kids, let your light shine for Jesus this Christmas!"

–Savannah Coleman

How About You?
Did you know that the Bible says if you are a child of God, you are the light of the world? Light was made to shine, not be hidden! Share with others the good news of Jesus coming into the world to save us. Trust Him to empower you to show the fruit of the Spirit in the way you treat others. Shine Jesus's light to those around you so they can see His goodness and love in you.

Today's Key Verse:
You are the light of the world…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (NIV) (Matthew 5:14, 16)

Today's Key Thought:
Let Christ's light shine in you

Bible Reading: Luke 10:38-42

Jade squeezed her new teddy bear tight as she ran to the living room. She waded through piles of wrapping paper to find the family Bible on the coffee table.

"Momma," she said as she walked into the kitchen and found her mother rolling out pie dough on the counter. "We almost forgot to read the Christmas story! We always read it on Christmas after we open our presents."

"I didn't forget, Jade. We just don't have time this year," Mom said. "I need to finish making the pecan pie we're taking to Grandma's and shovel the driveway so we can get the car out of the garage, and we need to leave in forty-five minutes or we'll be late." Mom punctuated her list with a sigh. "Maybe we can read it tomorrow instead."

Defeated, Jade walked back to the living room. She plopped down in the crumpled wrapping paper and looked at her teddy bear.

"What should I name you?" Jade asked the stuffed animal as she touched the pink bow on the bear's head. "I know," she said, "Martha!"

Jade furrowed her brow. She thought about the story of Mary and Martha she learned in Sunday school and realized Martha sounded a lot like her mom.

Jade returned to the kitchen. "I think you're being Martha," she timidly told her mom as she sat down at the counter.

"Martha?" Mom asked. "Who is Martha?"

"In the Bible, Jesus visits two sisters, Mary and Martha. Martha spent so much time cleaning and cooking that she didn't get to spend any time with Jesus. But Mary decided spending time with Jesus was more important than anything else." Jade looked down at the floor. "I think you're letting Christmas be more important than spending time with Jesus."

Mom's face softened. "Thank you, Jade. You're absolutely right. I got caught up in all the work that goes along with the holiday. Even good things, like making a pie for family, can be bad when they keep us from taking time to rest with Jesus so He can refresh our souls and remind us of His love."

Mom put down the rolling pin and smiled at Jade. "Come on, little Mary. Let's go read the Christmas story by the tree. Grandma won't mind if we're a little late."

–Nicole Kraayenbrink

How About You?
Are you feeling stressed or overwhelmed this Christmas season by all the presents to wrap or family parties to attend? Even good things can be bad when they keep us so busy that we don't have time for God. Don't let this year's holiday festivities keep you from spending time with Jesus. Take a moment each day to rest in His presence and remember that Christmas is all about what He did for you.

Today's Key Verse:
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (NIV) (Matthew 11:28)

Today's Key Thought:
Take time to rest in Jesus

Bible Reading: Psalm 139:1-6, 23-24; Jeremiah 17:9-10; Hebrews 4:13

"We're finally going to Seattle!" Mom exclaimed after checking in at the airport.

"Attle?" Billy said. "Who's Attle?"

Susan gave him a funny look. "We're going to see Grandma."

Billy tried but failed to hide his smile. "Mom just said we're going to see Attle."

Susan groaned. "Seattle. The city." Billy laughed.

As they waited at the security gate, Mom asked, "Billy, are all your toy cars in your backpack?"

Billy placed his backpack on the conveyor belt. "Sure are!" All except the Formula One race car in his pocket--his favorite. But nobody would see it.

Mom and Susan emptied their pockets into the bin and walked through the metal detector first. When Billy entered, a buzzer blared. He froze. Busted.

Immediately a security guard stopped him. "Empty your pockets." Billy handed over his race car. The officer inspected the toy and made Billy walk through the metal detector again, this time with empty pockets.

Once he had cleared the checkpoint, Billy walked to where Mom and Susan were waiting for him. He held up both hands. "Sorry."

Mom shook her head as they started for their gate. "Billy, you thought if I didn't see the race car, the metal detector would miss it too, is that it?"

He shrugged. "I guess I thought I had everyone fooled."

"Well, if you're ever tempted to fool me--or anyone else--again, remember you can't hide things from God. He knows what's in our pockets--and in our hearts too."

Billy thought for a second. "He even knows what I'm thinking, right?"

Mom nodded. "Every thought."

Susan grinned. "He even knows when you're not thinking. You really thought

you could slip a race car through security?"

Billy sighed. "It wasn't my finest moment, I'll admit."

"The good news is that even though God knows everything about us, He still loves us and forgives us for our wrongs," said Mom. "We don't ever have to hide anything from Him because Jesus paid the price for all our sins on the cross."

Billy stuffed the race car deep in his pocket. Every time he saw that car, he'd remember that he could never hide anything from God.

–Matt Shoemaker

How About You?
Have you ever done something you shouldn't have and tried to hide it? Our human hearts are naturally sinful, and sometimes we try to hide our wrongs. But God sees our sin--He knows everything about us and loves us anyway! And He offers us forgiveness through Jesus, who took the punishment for our sin. If there's a sin that's bothering you, don't try to hide it. Confess it to Jesus, and consider talking to a trusted Christian adult about it too.

Today's Key Verse:
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. (NIV) (Hebrews 4:13)

Today's Key Thought:
God sees the unseen

Bible Reading: 1 John 4:7-16

"Look! I had just the right amount of string to attach the candy cane message about Jesus to each candy cane!" Loralee declared.

"Great! Now we're ready to deliver them," Loralee's mother replied.

That afternoon, Loralee and her mother knocked on doors in their neighborhood. As they strolled from house to house in crisp, cool weather, Loralee looked forward to talking with people about how the red-and-white-striped candy told the message of Jesus and the sacrifice He made to forgive people for their sins.

Standing on a broad porch, Loralee handed a candy cane to her neighbor Miss Zelda.

"I like this candy, but I'm not sure I'll read the little story about Jesus." Miss Zelda smiled and shut the door.

As Loralee and her mom turned back to the sidewalk, Loralee sighed. "Mama, I don't know if this is doing any good."

"What do you mean?" asked Mama.

"Most of our neighbors weren't home, so we just left the candy canes hanging on their doorknobs. And the ones who were home didn't seem to care about Jesus being the real reason for Christmas."

"Loralee, you want others to know about Jesus, right?" Mama asked.

"Of course! I gave my life to Jesus last year and trusted Him to forgive my sins, and now I want our neighbors to trust in Him too so they can be God's children."

"When you began a relationship with God as His child, do you know what He poured into your heart, Loralee?"

Loralee scuffed her shoe on some fallen leaves. "I don't know."

"His love! The Bible tells us He pours His love into our hearts."

Loralee smiled. "If God's love is in my heart, that means I have God's love to give to others."

"Exactly!" said Mama. "People may not want to talk about their beliefs or hear about Jesus, but because you have God's love in you, you have something special to share. Just keep sharing God's love with others and trust Him with the rest."

Loralee started walking faster. "Let's go, Mama! We have more of God's love to give to our neighbors today!"

–Allison Wilson Lee

How About You?
Do you ever wonder if your acts of obedience to love others really matter? God's Word tells us that when we trust Jesus to forgive our sins and give us new life in Him, He pours His love into our hearts. So when we show love to others, we're sharing God's love with them. That's a very special gift to give! Even when no one seems to care, keep sharing God's love and trust Him to use your gift to do good things.

Today's Key Verse:
God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (NIV) (Romans 5:5 )

Today's Key Thought:
God's love is in His children

Bible Reading: Galatians 6:2-10

Brenda put down the birthday card she'd gotten from her relatives. "Bobby, when's the last time we saw Aunt Vicky and Uncle Al?"

Her brother shrugged. "It's been a long time. They're always too sick."

Just then Dad walked into the kitchen, wiping his hands on a rag.

"Hey, Dad," Bobby said. "Did you fix the go-cart yet?"

"Still working on it. But it's getting cold outside, so I wanted to get a warmer coat."

"Dad," Brenda said, "how come we never see Aunt Vicky and Uncle Al anymore?"

Dad grabbed a cookie and sat down. "Aunt Vicky has developed severe allergies to many foods, so it's hard to get together for dinner. And perfumes and other odors make her break out in a rash. And her immune system is really weak, so I'm afraid one of us might pass on a virus or something."

Bobby frowned. "It seems like trying to visit them is more trouble than it's worth." Brenda gave her brother a surprised look. "I mean, I want to see them and everything," Bobby said. "But it seems like anything we do will just create problems."

Dad thought for a moment. "You know how I've spent most of the day working on the go-cart?"

Bobby and Brenda nodded.

"This job should have taken an hour at the most, but things keep going wrong," said Dad. "I'm tempted to just throw the whole thing over the back fence into the field. I tell myself, 'It's not worth it! I could be playing golf or something.' Then I remember how much fun we had riding that old go-cart, and I figure it's worth all the trouble to fix it. It's kind of like that with visiting your aunt and uncle. It's getting harder and harder, but I know a visit would really encourage them. When we put in some creative effort to show someone we care, we're showing them the same kind of love Jesus shows us."

"What about going over to their house and caroling outside?" asked Brenda. "We'd keep far enough away so we wouldn't give Aunt Vicky our germs, but we'd still be able to cheer them up."

Dad liked that. "That's being creative, Brenda. I think they'd appreciate that a lot. Some things are worth the extra effort."

–Mike Dize

How About You?
Is there someone you know who is going through a tough time right now? Does a friend or family member need some encouragement? The Bible tells us to love and do good to others, even when it's not easy, so they can see the love of Jesus in us. Think of some creative ways you can show someone going through a hard time that you care about them and want to help.

Today's Key Verse:
But as for you, brothers and sisters, do not grow weary in doing good. (CSB) (2 Thessalonians 3:13)

Today's Key Thought:
Find creative ways to help others