Bible Reading: Luke 2:41-52

Josiah looked at the craft he'd made in Sunday school. It was a box covered in construction paper that said "Jesus loves you, and He'll always take care of you" on the top. Josiah sighed. Those words didn't make him feel especially happy. I already have too many people taking care of me, he thought. Between his parents and his two older sisters, it seemed like someone was always concerned about him or telling him what to do. And now Jesus was watching over him too.

"Hi, Josiah," his sister Miriam said when he came out of his class. "Abigail and I will walk you to the car." After Josiah put on his coat, Miriam made sure it was zipped all the way to his chin. "It's cold outside, and we don't want you getting sick!" she said.

"You'd better wear your gloves too," said Abigail. "Here, I'll help you."

She took one of Josiah's gloves and was about to put it on his hand when he grabbed it from her. "I got it," he said, hoping no one from his class was watching.

When they reached the car, Abigail opened the door so Josiah could climb into the back seat.

"All set?" asked Dad as he started the car. "Did you all enjoy Sunday school and youth group?"

"Yeah," said Josiah. "I made this." He handed the box to his mother.

"Jesus loves you, and He'll always take care of you," Mom read. "That's something I need to remember."

"Jesus is taking care of you too?" asked Josiah in surprise.

Mom nodded. "Jesus promises to take care of all those who trust in Him, no matter how old we are."

"Oh. Well, I have too many people taking care of me!" Josiah replied with a frown.

Dad smiled. "It must seem like a lot of people are always telling you what to do, but we all do that because we love you. One way Jesus takes care of us is by giving us a family so we can care for one another."

Josiah turned the idea over in his mind. So Jesus uses Mom and Dad and my sisters to take care of me, he thought. I guess having so many people watching out for me is a good thing after all!

–Agnes Kempton

How About You?
Are you grateful for your family? Not all families look the same, but God provides people in your life to love and care for you because He loves and cares for you. Even Jesus had a family who showed love and concern for Him when He was on earth. Think of all the people God has put in your life to help take care of you and thank Him for each one of them.

Today's Key Verse:
The Lord is the One Who goes before you. He will be with you. He will be faithful to you and will not leave you alone. (NLV) (Deuteronomy 31:8 )

Today's Key Thought:
Thank God for your family

Bible Reading: Matthew 14:22-25

"I'm done." Mom wiped her eyes and pushed back from the table. "I need a break."

Reagan didn't remember the last time she had seen her mom cry, and this time it was over a sewing machine? She looked at the fabric that was supposed to become a costume for her school play. "You're not going to finish that?"

"Not right now." Mom went to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. "I'm going outside."

Reagan watched as her mom went out onto the deck. She stood at the railing, sipping her water and staring at their yard.

Reagan stepped over to the door. After a few moments, Mom set her water on the patio table and stretched her arms. Her lips were moving, as if she might be talking to herself.

Mom caught her gaze, and Reagan stepped back. She hadn't meant for her mom to know that she was watching her. Mom motioned for her to come outside.

"It's a beautiful day," she said as Reagan came out onto the deck. Her face looked much different than it had when she was at the sewing machine. She almost looked happy.

Reagan walked over to the porch rail. "Are you going to finish my costume?"

Mom smiled. "Yes. I just needed a break." She reached over and put a hand on Reagan's head. "The machine wasn't working right, and it was frustrating me. Remember how frustrated you got the other night when you couldn't solve your math problem?"

Reagan nodded, her face feeling suddenly warm. "I dumped my whole pencil case all over the floor."

"What could you have done instead?" Mom asked.

"Taken a break?" Reagan guessed.

"Right." Mom messed up Reagan's hair. "Even Jesus did that. There were times when He felt the need to get away. He took breaks to pray, and I think He would want us to take breaks to cool down rather than have us blow up."

"It does feel nice to be outside," said Reagan.

"Outside. In your room alone. Exercising somewhere." Mom nodded. "When we're frustrated, just taking a breather--and maybe saying a little prayer to God too--can help us feel better."

–Emily Acker

How About You?
What do you do when something frustrates you? Do you throw the game to the floor, tackle your sibling, give up on the project, or shout at everyone around you? Next time taking a break to get away, just for a little while, could help you feel better. Jesus understands what it's like to need a break, and He's always there to listen and help you. Take some time to rest and tell Him how you feel.

Today's Key Verse:
Jesus often went away to other places to be alone so that he could pray. (ERV) (Luke 5:16 )

Today's Key Thought:
Take a break to calm down

Bible Reading: Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7

"We made cinnamon biscuits for tomorrow's bake sale at school today," announced Lexi, bounding up the steps and into the house. "Miss Summers took us to the kitchen and helped us. They were gooey and deeeelicious! We were each allowed to have one after all the other ones had been packaged."

"They sound great!" said Mom. "I'll have to buy some tomorrow. Maybe we can even make them at home sometime."

"Yeah!" said Lexi. "It would be even more fun making them here. At school we each only put in a couple of the ingredients. I got stuck with measuring the dry stuff--the flour and salt and baking powder. It was okay, but I would have liked to mix the gooey part."

"Well, you did have an important job," said Mom. "And it sounds like the biscuits turned out well--light and fluffy, right?"

"Oh, yes!" Lexi sighed as she thought about them. "They were light and fluffy and so yummy!"

"Without the baking powder, they would have been flat and hard," said Mom. "It was your baking powder that made the biscuits light and fluffy."

"Really?" Lexi looked surprised. "Well, then maybe I had the most important job of all, even if it wasn't as much fun to do as the gooey part."

"Not necessarily. All the ingredients were important, not just the baking powder," said Mom. "Every team member had an important job to do." She looked at Lexi. "We're something like recipe ingredients too."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Lexi, perplexed.

Mom laughed. "I mean that God has given unique gifts and abilities to each of us--all different, but all needed. As Christians work together and use our different gifts, we show the world God's love and point people to Jesus. It's easy to make judgments about how big or small someone's skills might be, including our own, but each gift is equally important. All of our abilities were given to us by God, and He wants us to use them to serve Him and show His love to other people."

"I think I get it," said Lexi. She grinned. "Okay. I'll be the very best ingredient I can be--even if I'm not the gooey part!"

–Della R. Oberholtzer

How About You?
Have you ever wished you could do something someone else could do? Do you feel like your role in God's work in the world isn't as important as someone else's? God loves each of us dearly and has given us special gifts. As Christians work together, each talent and ability is important in helping more people know about Jesus. Know that God sees all you do and is glorified when you use your gifts to show His love to others.

Today's Key Verse:
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. (NIV) (1 Corinthians 12:4 )

Today's Key Thought:
Everybody is important to God's work

Bible Reading: James 1:21-25

Hurry up, Dad, thought Landon as his dad read a Bible passage aloud. Landon was anxious for morning devotions to end so the day's fishing trip could begin. It seemed like a long time before Dad finally closed with prayer.

"Okay, let's go!" said Landon as soon as Dad said "Amen." He grinned at his mother. "We'll bring you some fish for dinner."

When they got to the river, Landon and Dad quickly cast their fishing lines into the water. They talked as they waited for the fish to bite, but they didn't get even one nibble. "Maybe they heard us talk about frying them!" joked Landon as he and Dad moved along the riverbank to try a different spot.

A few minutes later, something tugged at Landon's line. "I've got a bite!" he exclaimed. He reeled in his catch. "My dinner!" he announced, holding the fish above his head. Landon frowned as he took the fish off the hook and inspected it. "I thought talking too loud was scaring the fish away, but fish don't even have ears."

"Sure they do," said Dad. "You just can't see them. Fish have internal ears--that is, ears on the inside--not external ones like us." He tugged gently on Landon's ear. "But you know what?"

Landon shook his head. "What?"

"Well," said Dad, "even though our ears are on the outside of our heads, our most important hearing takes place on the inside in our hearts. That happens when we listen carefully to the message God has for us. His message is in the Bible--it tells us about our need for Jesus and how we should live as God's children who have been freed from sin. When we listen to that message, God helps us live out its truth."

Landon thought about their devotions that morning. He had heard Dad's voice, but he knew he hadn't listened with his heart to God's message. "I didn't do a good job of that this morning."

Dad patted his shoulder. "None of us listen perfectly all the time, but God is patient with us. He's also given us the Holy Spirit to help us listen and act on His words."

Landon nodded. "Maybe tonight I'll reread the devotions and listen better this time." He grinned. "After I eat some freshly caught fish, that is!"

–Nance E. Keyes

How About You?
How well do you listen when someone reads the Bible or talks about what it means? Do you just hear words, or do you hear a message from God and take it to heart? Every single one of God's words is specially given to us so that we can know God better and experience His love and power in our lives. Trust Him to help you listen to all He says with your heart and put it into practice.

Today's Key Verse:
Jesus replied, "But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice." (NLT) (Luke 11:28)

Today's Key Thought:
Listen to God with your heart

Bible Reading: Matthew 6:1-4

"Who would like to take this form to the principal for me?" asked Mrs. Li. "It's very important, and he's waiting for it." Flynn raised his hand high for his teacher to see. "Flynn, you may go," she said.

Flynn proudly walked to the principal's office with the form in his hand. But when he got there, the principal wasn't there. He dropped the form on the principal's desk and walked slowly back to class. "Some important job," he muttered to himself.

At recess, Flynn collected all the balls from around the playground and put them in the bin. No one seemed to notice.

On his way home, a woman dropped her keys on the sidewalk. Flynn scooped them up and handed them back to her. But she scurried away without even a "thank you." Flynn sighed and trudged home.

His mom was in the kitchen when he arrived. "Want a snack?" she asked. Flynn shrugged. "What's wrong, Flynn?" asked Mom. "Everything okay?"

"My teacher at church says that since Jesus saved us we're supposed to do good deeds to show others His love and that we have faith in Him. But what's the point if no one even notices the good things I do?"

Mom paused. "Do you remember the year Dad was out of work?" she asked.

"Yeah," said Flynn. He did remember. It was a hard year.

"And do you remember how a grocery card and Bible verse appeared in our mailbox every single week?" asked Mom. Again Flynn nodded. "Those verses and gift cards kept us going during a very hard time, but we never found out who was behind it," Mom said. "Why didn't they let us thank them?"

"I guess it just made them feel good to help us," said Flynn.

"I'm sure it did," said Mom. "But I also think they knew that the Bible tells us to do our good deeds in secret and that God, who sees everything, will reward us. Even though your good deeds may not get any appreciation here on earth, keep doing them. God sees every good thing you do for others out of the love He has shown you, and He knows you're doing them for Him."

–Laura Kuehn

How About You?
Do you get frustrated when the good things you do are not appreciated by others? Don't stop doing good. Jesus, who loves you so much that He died for your sins to make you God's child, appreciates every good thing you do out of the love you have for Him. Remember that you are serving Him, not people, and that He will reward you in His way and in His time.

Today's Key Verse:
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (NIV) (Galatians 6:9)

Today's Key Thought:
God sees your good deeds