Bible Reading: Luke 17:12-19

"I love to hear Marigold sing, Mrs. Brown," Sadie said when she stopped in at her elderly neighbor's home one day. The little yellow canary in its shiny brass cage fluttered around, pecking seeds and singing happy songs. "I wonder why she sings so much."

Mrs. Brown smiled. "I suppose she sings because she's thankful. You know, Sadie, the Bible says, 'When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the Lord your God.' That's Deuteronomy 8:10." Sadie grinned. Mrs. Brown had a Bible verse for almost everything, even happy canaries.

Sadie perched on a high stool, listening while the little bird poured cheerful notes into the bright, sunny kitchen. "Mrs. Brown," she said thoughtfully, "at our house we don't always pray before we eat. Sometimes Dad calls and says he'll be late, so Mom fixes a tray for me and I eat in the living room while she feeds Braedon in his high chair."

"Well, no matter where you're eating, you can thank God for your meal," Mrs. Brown said. "In the Bible, God always provided for His people, and He still does today even if it looks different than we might expect." She took a seat next to Sadie. "Do you remember the story about Jesus healing the ten lepers--and only one returned to thank Him?" Sadie nodded. "I think even Jesus seemed surprised that the others forgot to come back and thank Him, don't you?" asked Mrs. Brown. She looked at the bird cage. "No one has to remind Marigold to sing--she does it naturally. Maybe she can help us learn to sing songs of thanksgiving."

"How?" asked Sadie.

"Well, learning to sing songs of thanksgiving takes practice," said Mrs. Brown. "A good place to start can be to thank God for what's right in front of you and the things He's done in the past. I often thank Him for sending Jesus to die for me and for giving me His Spirit to be with me every moment of the day. It's taken practice and a lot of help from Jesus for my prayer of thanksgiving to become as natural as a canary's song."

"I want to sing songs of thanksgiving and thank God every day too," said Sadie. "I can't wait to tell Mom and Dad I had a singing lesson from a canary!"

–Phyllis I. Klomparens

How About You?
Does giving thanks come naturally to you? It's easy to remember to thank God for everything He's given you on Thanksgiving, but He wants you to give thanks the rest of the year too. Practice saying thanks every day, and it will soon become a natural part of your life--and you'll notice more and more things to be thankful for too!

Today's Key Verse:
Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. (NLT) (Psalm 103:2)

Today's Key Thought:
Practice giving thanks

Bible Reading: Psalm 13; Isaiah 49:15

"How long until we get there?" Jeremy whined for the fourteenth time in the past seventeen minutes.

"We'll be at Uncle Jim and Aunt Kate's house in about two more hours," Dad replied. "Let's stop at a rest area soon and stretch our legs."

At the rest area, Jeremy tumbled out of the van along with his parents and brothers. The boys began kicking a soccer ball around while Mom and Dad grabbed granola bars, apples, and water bottles from the trunk.

As they settled back into the car, Dad said, "Jeremy, your question reminded me of something."

"What's that?" Jeremy inquired between juicy bites of apple.

"King David," Dad answered. "He asked God that question many times in a row."

"Was David on a long road trip too?" Jeremy asked.

Dad laughed. "No. He was asking how long God would forget him, how long God would abandon him to his enemies."

"But God wouldn't do that," Jeremy said with certainty. "God won't ever leave us or forget about us. The Bible says so."

"That's true," Dad said. "But sometimes it feels that way. When life is hard, when someone we love is dying, or when we're sick or lonely, it can feel like we'll be miserable forever. Sometimes it feels like God isn't hearing our prayers--like He doesn't care about us."

"Dad and I talk about Psalm 13 quite a bit," Mom added. She turned around to look at Jeremy. "When God didn't answer our prayers to heal your cousin Emma the way we were hoping He would, this psalm encouraged us to talk to Jesus about it--to bring our anger and pain to Him. Talking to God like this doesn't mean we're sinning or not trusting Him correctly. Talking to God like this actually means that we--like David--trust Him enough to keep bringing our questions to Him. Jesus gave His life to make us God's children, and He loves and welcomes us--even when we're angry, even when we ask the same question fourteen times in seventeen minutes." She chuckled and patted Jeremy's knee.

"And before you ask," Dad said, grinning as he peeked at Jeremy in the rearview mirror, "we'll get to Uncle Jim and Aunt Kate's in one hour and forty-seven minutes."

–Rachel Lubow

How About You?
Have you ever felt like God doesn't see you or care about you? Psalm 13 shows us that you can always talk to God--He welcomes all our questions and feelings. Jesus loves us so much that He died for our sins to give us eternal life with Him, and He sits with us in the hardest parts of our lives. He sees you and cares about you, and He will never forget you or abandon you.

Today's Key Verse:
How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? (NIV) (Psalm 13:1)

Today's Key Thought:
We can bring anything to God

Bible Reading: Psalm 51:10; Philippians 4:6-9

"Whatcha doing, Trev?"

Trevor jumped as he quickly clicked to a different tab on his computer. "Nothing, Dad. Just looking up something for homework."

His father looked at him curiously, then said, "Well, supper's almost ready. Come set the table."

Trevor's fingers trembled as he clicked out of the tabs on his computer. His heart raced as he went to help his dad.

Everything seemed normal during supper, but he still felt nervous and wondered what his dad had seen. After devotions, Trevor started to leave, but Dad stopped him. "Hey, Trevor, help me wash these dishes, okay?"

Trevor tried to act natural. "Sure, Dad." He grabbed a towel. To his surprise, Dad took a plate, dipped it in the soapy water, and set it in Trevor's side of the sink. He dipped another one and set it on top of the first one. Trevor finally said something. "Dad! What are you doing? Those aren't clean! You have to wipe off the food."

"Oh! I do? A few specks of food won't hurt any of us. Just rinse and dry them." He kept passing the dirty dishes.

"We can't eat off dirty plates, Dad! You have to wash them." Trevor put the plates back into the soapy water.

"You're right." Dad wiped off a plate and handed it to Trevor. "Is that better?"

"Yes. Finally! Why were you doing that?"

"Well," Dad said, "I think you have some cleaning up to do too. I saw what was on your computer."

"You did?" Trevor sighed. "I'm sorry. My friend was looking at some bad sites, and he showed me. The first time I just looked for a couple of minutes, but then I kept going back and looking again."

"Trev, when you look at websites like that, it can become an addiction that's tough to break--trust me, I know."

Trevor looked at the floor. "I don't want to look, but I'm afraid I'll look anyway."

Dad put a hand on Trevor's shoulder. "We'll get you help, Trev. And you can go to Jesus for help too. He loves you so much that He died for you, and He will always forgive you when you sin and help you change your ways. Trust Him to help you turn away from sinful things and focus on the good things He's put in your life."

–Robyn Mulder

How About You?
Do you look at things you know you shouldn't? The internet has many good things to offer, but it also has many sites that are bad. If you've gotten into the habit of looking at bad sites, talk to an adult and get help before it becomes an addiction. God tells us to think about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable--things that go along with the new life Jesus has given us. Trust Him to help you set your mind on good things.

Today's Key Verse:
I will set nothing wicked before my eyes. (NKJV) (Psalm 101:3 )

Today's Key Thought:
Be careful what you look at

Bible Reading: Ephesians 5:1-2, 8-10

Malachi and Nevaeh watched their toy robots march around the room. Malachi's was made of clear plastic, and they could see working parts and flashing lights inside the robot's body. "My robot looks better than yours," said Nevaeh. "It's nice and shiny, and you can't see all the ugly parts inside."

"Well, robots aren't meant to look good," said Malachi. "They're meant to do cool stuff! Mine can probably go faster than yours. Let's race them upstairs."

The kids were just about to begin the robot race when there was a loud clap of thunder and the lights went out. "What happened?" asked Nevaeh.

"It must be the storm," said Malachi. "Let's go downstairs." They headed toward the stairs, but it was dark, and they had to feel their way along the wall. "Wait a minute!" said Malachi, and he flipped on his robot. The lights began to flash, and soon the kids were downstairs in the living room, guided by the light from the robot.

Soon car lights appeared in the driveway, and then Mom and Dad followed the beams of their cell phones into the living room. "You're home!" exclaimed Nevaeh. "It was spooky in the dark!"

"My robot helped though," said Malachi. He proudly demonstrated how his robot had saved the day. "Nevaeh was bragging about her shiny robot, but it was my see-through one that gave us light."

"Well, mine still looks better," insisted Nevaeh.

Dad laughed. "Your robots remind me of Christians," he said as Mom went to find some candles. "Can you guess why?"

"Hmm. I know!" said Malachi. "Christians are supposed to be lights in the world, and my robot is like that." He frowned. "Nevaeh's isn't, though."

"No, but hers illustrates a different way Christians can be," Dad said. "Sometimes we hide the light of Jesus because we're more concerned with how we appear to others. Jesus is our light, and His light shines through us as we show His love to the world with the help of the Holy Spirit."

Neveah tilted her head. "So, just like we saw the light through Malachi's robot, the world should see Jesus through us." She then looked at her brother and said, "But I bet mine is still faster."

"It's on!" exclaimed Malachi as he took his robot and bolted upstairs for a rematch.

–Joyce R. Lee

How About You?
Did you know that if you know Jesus as your Savior, you have His light inside you? As we show others His love through our words and actions, we are shining His light into the world. Don't hide God's light by following selfish desires or worrying what others might think of you. Trust the Holy Spirit to guide you and help you be a shining light for Jesus.

Today's Key Verse:
Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (NIV) (Matthew 5:16)

Today's Key Thought:
Shine for Jesus

Bible Reading: Mark 2:1-12

Jackson stood in the backyard, looking up at the roof of his house. It was a busy place. A remodeling crew climbed up and down ladders, working on the rectangular-shaped hole in the roof. "Having a skylight will really brighten up our dark kitchen," said Dad as he joined him.

"This reminds me of a Bible story we learned about in church last week," Jackson said as he watched the workers carefully lifting the window. "It was about four men who brought their sick friend to Jesus. They cut a hole in the roof and let him down through it to where Jesus was."

Dad nodded. "I know the story. There was such a crowd around the house that they couldn't get the paralyzed man in through the door."

"Even with power tools, it's a big job to cut a hole in the roof," said Jackson, standing back to watch the men work. "My teacher said that in Bible times, roofs would have been flatter with stairs going to the top." After a moment, Jackson sighed. "Anyway, the story made me kind of sad. Cole and I talked about how we wish we could be like those men and take Evan to Jesus to be healed."

Dad gave him a sad smile. "You can do that in prayer," he replied.

"We have, but Evan still has cancer," said Jackson. "Doesn't Jesus heal anymore?"

"Yes, Jesus still heals," Dad assured him. "Sometimes He uses doctors to do that; other times He heals with a miracle. But sometimes--like with your grandmother--He brings the person to be in His presence in heaven, fully and forever, where there is no sickness."

Jackson wasn't satisfied. "But is there anything Cole and I can do to help Evan besides pray?"

"Visit him whenever you can," replied Dad. "And tell him about things like the skylight and what's going on at school and church. If I were sick, it would make me feel better just to know I had friends who would gladly put me on a stretcher, carry me up to the roof, and cut a hole to get me to Jesus. Let Evan know that since you can't do that, you'll keep on taking him to Jesus in your prayers."

–Ruth McQuilkin

How About You?
Do you have a friend or relative who is very ill? Do you feel like there's nothing you can do to help? You can pray for that person, trusting God to work in the best possible way. Jesus is with us when we're hurting, and He listens to our prayers. You can also encourage that person by sending cards or messages and visiting them. Do what you can to let them know you care--and that Jesus does too.

Today's Key Verse:
Comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. (NKJV) (1 Thessalonians 5:14)

Today's Key Thought:
Comfort those who are sick