Bible Reading: 1 Peter 2:2-3

"What do you think, Lyle? Do you want to go shopping for a new shell? Looks like you're about to grow out of the one you're in," Bryce said to his hermit crab.

"Bryce, are you ready?" Mom called.

"Coming," Bryce answered as he grabbed his hermit crab cage. "Let's go, Lyle!"

In the car, Bryce said, "It sure is interesting how hermit crabs move out of their old shell into a new one as they grow. It's kind of like moving into a new house."

"I guess it is," said Mom.

When they got to the pet store, the owner greeted them. "What can I help you with today?" he asked.

Bryce placed the cage on the counter. "Lyle needs a bigger shell."

"Well, I think I can help you with that. Bring Lyle over here and let's see what size shell he needs."

There were lots of shells to choose from, and Bryce looked them over carefully. "I think Lyle would like this one," he said as he handed the owner a pretty gray and white one.

Once they were back in the car, Bryce put the new shell in Lyle's cage. "How long do you think it will take him to find his new shell and move in?"

"I bet he'll be moved in by the end of the day," Mom said.

Mom was right. It wasn't long before Lyle had moved into his new shell, and Bryce eagerly showed his dad that evening.

"Hermit crabs are cool that way, aren't they?" Dad said as he admired Lyle's new shell. "As they grow, they move from one shell to another. That reminds me of our Christian walk. We don't just grow physically--once we become Christians, we grow spiritually too. The Lord doesn't want us to stay like little babies. He wants us to grow and mature in our spiritual walk with Him."

Dad took a Bible and opened it to 1 Peter 2:2. "Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation," he read.

"What is pure spiritual milk?" asked Bryce.

"The truth and promises of God," Dad replied. "As we get to know Jesus better, we learn to trust Him more and more, and He will help us grow in our relationship with Him."

–Lisa Fuller

How About You?
Are you maturing in your walk with the Lord? Jesus doesn't want us to stay like little babies in our walk with Him. He wants us to grow in our faith, trust, and knowledge of Him so we can share His truth with others. As we learn about Him in the Bible and spend time with Him in prayer, He helps us grow in our understanding of who He is and what He's done for us.

Today's Key Verse:
Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (NLT) (2 Peter 3:18 )

Today's Key Thought:
Grow in your relationship with Jesus

Bible Reading: 1 Timothy 6:9-12; 2 Timothy 2:22

Mason got off the bus and started walking home. He was joined by Zachary and Gavin, two high school students who lived on farms adjoining his. "Hey, Gavin," said Zachary as they walked along a field of watermelons, "let's get a couple of those."

"I don't know," Gavin said. "Last time we took one, Mr. Sloan caught us and said he'd report us if we did it again."

"Yeah, but these are those little ones they call personal melons," said Zachary. "They're small enough to hide in our backpacks." He grinned. "Mason can be our watchdog. How about it, Mason?"

Mason hesitated. "I--I can't do that. I'd be as guilty as you."

"Nah. We'll be the ones getting the melons," said Zachary. "We'll get you one too. I'll even put it in your backpack. You won't have to touch it--until you eat it, that is!"

Those watermelons sure look good, thought Mason. But he knew it would be wrong--it would be stealing--and suddenly he made up his mind. "No," he said, then he turned and ran.

Mason hadn't gone far down the road when a car stopped next to him. It was Dad! He quickly jumped into the car.

"You seem to be in a rush to get home," said Dad.

"No, not really," replied Mason. "I was just running from a watermelon."

"Interesting," said Dad. "I've never seen a watermelon chase anybody."

Mason told him the whole story. "For a few minutes, I was really tempted. But I knew it would be wrong, so I ran."

"Good for you!" said Dad. "If you hang around temptation, you just might give in to it. It's best to run. And you're in good company too. The apostle Paul told Timothy to run from something--twice! In one instance, he warned against the love of money. Another time he told Timothy to 'flee from youthful passions,' or wrong desires, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace--good desires that the Holy Spirit gives us. Because He lives in those who trust in Jesus, we can always resist temptation and choose what's good instead. So you did exactly the right thing." Dad motioned toward the back seat. "Now take a look at what I just picked up at the store."

Mason turned. "A watermelon!" he shouted with glee.

–Vera M. Hutchcroft

How About You?
What do you do when you're tempted to do something wrong? Do you try to think of all the reasons why it might be okay for you to do it just this once? Don't kid yourself! If it's wrong, it's never okay--not even once. When you're tempted, remember that you belong to Jesus and that the Holy Spirit gives you the strength to do what's right. Then run--get away from the tempting situation.

Today's Key Verse:
Flee from youthful passions, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace. (CSB) (2 Timothy 2:22 )

Today's Key Thought:
Run from temptation

Bible Reading: Romans 14:1-13, 19-23

The sound of the lawn mower next door cut through the quiet of a lazy Sunday afternoon as Daphne and her mother worked on a fresh flower arrangement. "I'm glad the Bakers moved in next door," said Mom. "It's nice having Christian neighbors, isn't it?"

Daphne handed Mom two red roses, being careful not to prick herself on the thorns. "Yeah, but--" She hesitated. "I know they go to church, but they mow the lawn almost every Sunday. Dad always says we have to get it done on Saturday so we don't have to work on Sunday. He says we should keep the Lord's Day holy." She frowned. "Maybe the Bakers aren't really Christians at all."

Mom added the roses to the bouquet. "Let's think about that. What makes someone a Christian?"

"Trusting Jesus as their Savior," said Daphne. "But--" She paused.

"When the Bakers came to church with us, they told us the story of how they each came to know Jesus as their Savior, remember?" said Mom.

Daphne trimmed the stem of another flower. "Well, yeah…"

"Dad and I believe that the things we do on Sunday are what's right for our family, and there may be other things that we do but the Bakers wouldn't." Mom held up the bouquet. "Each flower is different. This yellow one is such a pretty color. This pink one next to it isn't quite as bright, but it makes the whole bouquet smell good." Mom took out a rose. "Then there's the rose. It has thorns, but that doesn't mean we throw it out. It's actually my favorite--it's so beautiful and fragrant!" She replaced the rose. "These flowers each bring something unique to the bouquet, and the same goes for believers who belong to Jesus. We may not agree on everything, but we still recognize that anyone who loves Jesus and trusts in Him is a Christian."

Daphne nodded slowly. "I guess the Bible doesn't say exactly what we should or shouldn't do on Sunday, does it?"

"No," said Mom. "When it comes to topics that the Bible is unclear about, we need to trust that the Holy Spirit is working uniquely in everybody. But one thing the Bible is very clear about is not judging Christians who do things differently than we do. We need to love them and let God be the judge."

–A.J. Schut

How About You?
Do you know Christians who do things differently from how you do them? While the Bible says certain things are definitely right or wrong, there aren't clear guidelines on everything. The Holy Spirit gives wisdom in each situation, and your family and church community can help you make decisions in these areas too. Trust God to help you make wise decisions and show grace and love to all believers.

Today's Key Verse:
Why do you judge your brother or sister?...For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. (NIV) (Romans 14:10)

Today's Key Thought:
Don't judge other Christians

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:9-16

Four-year-old Lilia held her mom's hand as she walked home from school. "Look at all the squirrels!" she squealed.

"They're gathering food for winter," her brother Casen informed her. "We learned all about it in school today."

"Gathering food for winter?" Lilia repeated. "Why do they need to do that?"

"Because when winter comes, there's a lot of snow. You like to make snowmen with it, remember? It's hard for the squirrels to find food when the ground is covered with snow, so right now they're gathering lots of nuts and hiding them in certain spots." Casen shrugged. "Then hopefully they remember where the food is when they need it."

"That's cool," Lilia replied. "I like the black squirrels best."

"Casen, did you memorize your verse for church club tonight?" Mom asked.

Casen frowned and kicked a rock on the sidewalk. "Verses are hard to memorize. I don't see why I have to memorize them if they're in my Bible anyway."

Mom watched as Lilia cooed at a squirrel. "Casen, this reminds me of what you learned in school today."

"About squirrels?" Casen asked.

"Yes, about squirrels." Mom smiled. "The squirrels take the time to gather their food and hide it away for when they need it. There's a verse in the Bible that tells us to hide God's Word in our hearts."

"So we have verses when we need them?" Casen asked.

"Exactly," Mom replied. "You don't always have your Bible, and being able to remember verses is helpful--like how I remembered Psalm 119:11 just now. That one goes, 'Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.' God's Word is powerful because it tells us the truth of who God is and what Jesus did for us on the cross, and it guides us in living as God's children and showing others His love. When we memorize verses, we're storing God's Word in our hearts so it's there to remind us of His truth and love and give us encouragement whenever we need it."

Casen was quiet for a moment as he watched a squirrel dash across the neighbor's yard. "I'll work on my memory verse when we get home," he said. "I'll hide verses in my heart just like the squirrels are hiding their food."

–Kimberly Brokish

How About You?
Have you ever seen squirrels running around in the fall, hiding their food? We can do the same thing with our spiritual food--God's Word. When we memorize Bible verses, we're hiding the truth and promises of God in our hearts so they are there to nourish us whenever we need them. So take out your Bible and find a few verses you would like to start memorizing today!

Today's Key Verse:
Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. (NKJV) ( Psalm 119:11)

Today's Key Thought:
Hide verses in your heart

Bible Reading: Psalm 102:25-28; Revelation 1:8

Holden climbed into the back seat of the car, eager to talk about what he'd learned in math class that day. "Mom, did you know that a number line doesn't have a beginning or an end? It's a line with every number on it, both positive and negative. Mr. Starke told us that number lines go on forever and ever in both directions, but that's kind of hard for me to understand."

"One, two, three," Millie counted out.

Holden giggled. "That's right, Millie, good counting. But when you get as big as me, you'll learn about negative numbers too."

"Are you understanding negative numbers?" Mom asked.

"Well, it's kind of confusing, but Mr. Starke said that by the end of this chapter we'll all have a better understanding of them. He sent home a practice worksheet."

"After dinner I'll look over it with you," Mom said. Holden's little sister continued to count for the rest of the ride home.

After dinner, Dad helped Mom clean up the kitchen while Holden took Millie to her room to play. Then Dad took Millie to the living room so Mom could help Holden with his math.

"Did you finish?" Dad asked when Holden and Mom came in a little later.

Holden nodded. "All done, and I think I understand my math a little better now. Number lines don't have a beginning or end because you can always count higher in either direction from zero, with positive numbers going forward and negative numbers going back."

Dad nodded. "Did you know that God doesn't have a beginning or an end? Your number line made me think about that this evening." Dad took out his phone and looked up a verse. "In Revelation 1:8 God says, 'I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come--the Almighty One.'"

"I think I get it," said Holden. "Since we were created by God, we have a beginning, but God doesn't have a starting point because He always existed."

"That's right," said Mom. "And the story doesn't stop there. God promises us eternal life if we accept His free gift of salvation, which means we will live forever with Him."

"That's so cool!" Holden exclaimed.

"One, two, three!" Millie shouted out.

"Good counting, Millie," Holden said, and everyone laughed.

–Lisa Fuller

How About You?
Did you know that God has no beginning and no end? That can be hard for us to understand because we were all created by God and have a starting point, but God wasn't created. He always was and always will be, and He offers us eternal life with Him. If we put our trust in Jesus, we will live with Him forever, and our joy will never end! (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:
"I am…the beginning and the end," says the Lord God. "I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come--the Almighty One." (NLT) (Revelation 1:8)

Today's Key Thought:
God has no beginning or end