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

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