Bible Reading: Hebrews 4:12-13

Corbin climbed into the dentist's chair and laid his head back to have his teeth checked by Dr. Karam. "I don't see any cavities today," Dr. Karam announced after a few minutes, "but we'll get a better look with an X-ray."

As Corbin waited for the X-ray photos, he looked around the dentist's office. On the wall was a poster with pictures and instructions on how to brush teeth, and on a shelf, he saw a model of a tooth. "You must like teeth," he said to Dr. Karam.

The dentist laughed. "Teeth are important, and we need to keep them healthy. Tell me, Corbin--how often do you brush your teeth?"

"Every day," said Corbin. "Morning and night! Mom makes me."

Just then Dr. Karam's assistant pulled up the X-rays of Corbin's teeth on the computer screen. "Uh-oh," said Dr. Karam as he studied the pictures. "You have some decay in one of your molars."

Corbin groaned. "I almost wish X-ray machines didn't exist. Then you wouldn't know about the decay and drill my tooth."

"Hey, now!" protested the dentist. "You should be glad we found the decay and can clean it out before it gets worse. Relax!"

"Relax?" asked Corbin as he watched Dr. Karam prepare a drill.

Dr. Karam smiled. "Yes, relax. There's only a small amount of decay, and it won't take long to fix it." After he finished drilling, the dentist spoke thoughtfully. "You know, Corbin, an X-ray machine is something like the Bible."

Corbin grinned. "Going to the same church as my dentist means I get a lesson here as well as on Sunday, huh?"

Dr. Karam chuckled. "Yes, and it's a good lesson. You see, the X-ray showed decay that I couldn't see with my eyes. And sometimes God's Word shows us sin--decay in our lives--that no one else can see. When that happens, we need to get it drilled out before it causes more damage."

"That means confessing it to Jesus and trusting Him to forgive us, right?" asked Corbin.

"Right!" said Dr. Karam. "When the Bible shows us sin in our lives that needs drilling out, Jesus will remove it for us and make us clean."

–Lucinda J. Rollings

How About You?
Do you use God's X-ray machine--the Bible--to look at your heart and life? Sin may be hidden from others, but it's never hidden from God. Sometimes you may not realize you're doing something wrong until it's pointed out to you. Whenever God's Word makes you aware of sin in your life, confess it to Jesus. Trust Him to forgive you and help you turn from it.

Today's Key Verse:
The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword…it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (NIV) (Hebrews 4:12)

Today's Key Thought:
The Bible reveals sin in your life

Bible Reading: Matthew 24:30-31, 36-44

Ellis and his dad woke up before sunrise to walk out to the woods the first day of bow hunting season. It was a brisk morning, and the frosty grass crunched beneath Ellis's feet as he walked.

"Your stand is right up here," Dad whispered. Before Ellis could climb the ladder up to his tree stand, Dad grabbed his elbow. "Ellis, there are two things you need to remember." Dad's face was serious. "Do not fall asleep, and do not leave your stand."

Ellis nodded. "You're going to do great," Dad whispered before he disappeared into the darkness to sit in a tree stand somewhere else.

Thirty minutes later, Ellis was getting bored and sleepy. He kept watching for deer, but his hunting jacket was so warm, and the sounds of the woods were so calming. He closed his eyes.

Ellis's eyes shot open when he heard a loud scraping sound coming from below. Rattled, he turned quickly and saw a giant buck scraping his antlers against a tree right next to him.

He frantically reached for his bow, but the deer had already heard him. With a dash, the buck was gone.

When Dad came back to get him, Ellis tried not to let him see that he had been crying. "Ellis, what's wrong?" asked Dad.

"Dad, I'm so sorry! I fell asleep, and a giant buck got away. Are you mad?"

"Of course I'm not mad," Dad said. "I'm only disappointed for you because I know how badly you wanted to get a deer today! And I wanted you to be safe."

Ellis sniffled. "I wish I had listened to your instructions. When that buck came, I wasn't ready for him."

Dad smiled. "That reminds me of some other instructions we should all listen to about being ready. Pastor Brown talked about them at church last week, remember?"

"You mean what he said about being ready for Jesus to come back?" asked Ellis.

Dad nodded. "Jesus promised to come back someday to get rid of all sin and make everything new. And what a day that will be! But we need to be ready. First, we must trust Him as our Savior. Then, as we wait for Him, we need to be alert to how we can help more people know how much He loves them."

–Emily Tenter

How About You?
Are you ready for Jesus to come back? The Bible tells us that no one knows the day or time of Jesus's return, so we need to be ready. That means trusting Him to forgive our sins and make us right with God, knowing we could never hit the mark of God's perfect standard ourselves. Then we can serve Him and share His love with others as we wait for Him to return.

Today's Key Verse:
Therefore be alert, since you don't know what day your Lord is coming. (CSB) (Matthew 24:42)

Today's Key Thought:
Be ready for Jesus

Bible Reading: Romans 3:10-18; 5:8

"I'm so excited for deer season this year!" Ellis could hardly contain himself as he and his dad walked from the house out to their big backyard.

His dad chuckled. "I remember the day I was old enough to go hunting. I was probably jumping up and down like you!"

Ellis and Dad had just gotten back from the bow shop, and Ellis wanted to test out his new arrows before the big day. He quickly got out his bow, nocked his arrow, drew back, and let the arrow fly toward the target. WHOOSH! He let out a disappointed grunt when he saw that his arrow didn't even come close to the bulls-eye.

"Whoa, easy, Ellis. Remember what I taught you," said Dad. "Put your feet in the right stance. Good, good. Now draw back slowly, bend your arm--that's it. Now, find your anchor. Bring your index finger to the corner of your mouth. Good! Now, take your time. Breathe…"

WHOOSH!

"That was much better, Ellis!"

Ellis smiled. "Thanks, Dad. I still didn't hit the bulls-eye though."

"Well, getting a bulls-eye is never easy, even with practice." Dad gave Ellis a thoughtful look. "You know, this reminds me of something. What if I told you that in order to get into heaven, you had to hit that bulls-eye a hundred times in a row and never miss?"

Ellis scrunched his eyebrows. "Dad, that would be impossible!"

"You're right," said Dad. "It would be impossible! You would have to have a perfect record, and there's nobody in the world who's lived a perfect life except Jesus. The word sin means to miss the mark, and the mark is perfection. Because we're sinners, God knew we would never be able to hit the mark ourselves--that's why He sent His perfect Son to pay the price of our sins so we wouldn't have to!"

Ellis thought for a moment. "So God forgives us and accepts us because Jesus hit the mark, not because of what we have done."

"Right," said Dad. "By living a perfect life and dying for our sins, Jesus hit the bulls-eye for us so we could have eternal life with Him." He nodded to the bow in Ellis's hand. "Now, let's see what else you got!"

–Emily Tenter

How About You?
Are you missing the mark of perfection in your life? You're not alone. No one is perfect--we've all failed to meet the requirements to enter heaven. But when Jesus died for our sins, He hit the mark for us! The only way to be accepted by God and have eternal life is by trusting in Jesus. (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:
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (NKJV) (Romans 3:23)

Today's Key Thought:
Only Jesus is perfect

Bible Reading: Psalms 34:1-3; 146:5-10; Lamentations 3:22-23

Maeve curled up on the sofa and looked at her parakeet. Her father had given her the little bird only a short time before he died. "This little guy will keep you company," Dad told her, and that was why Maeve had named him Little Guy.

Dad had been gone six months now. Although Maeve was getting used to the emptiness his death had brought to the house and her life, she still missed many things--Dad in his place at the table, the sound of his laugh, the way he used to tap a goodnight signal on her bedroom door. There was a sadness in Mom's eyes too, and Maeve knew she missed Dad a lot.

Maeve noticed that her parakeet was perched dejectedly in his little brass cage. She had cleaned the cage and gave him fresh water and seeds, but he hadn't chirped lately. "Mom, what's wrong with Little Guy?"

Mom studied the little bird huddled on his perch. "He's molting. Did you notice all the feathers he's lost? Sometimes birds get droopy and stop singing during the molting period. He just needs a little time." Mom put an arm around Maeve. "You and I are a little like that right now. We've pretty much lost our desire to sing too, but Jesus knows how we feel, and He will be with us through this so we can keep singing His praises."

"We can still sing even though we're sad?" asked Maeve. "I thought singing and praising God was something you did when you're happy or grateful for something."

"It is," Mom said. "But, unlike your parakeet, we can still sing and praise God even when we're sad because Jesus died to save us and is always with us. He is still King over everything, and He knows we miss Dad very much and promises to care for us. Remember the wonderful promises we read from the Bible earlier this week?"

Maeve nodded. "They mentioned that God cares for the fatherless--that's me--and widows--that's you." She gently poked a finger into the cage, touching the bird's soft green feathers. "I guess that's something I can sing about, even though I'm sad," she said softly.

Little Guy cocked his head and ruffled his feathers. Then he chirped, almost as if he understood.

–Phyllis I. Klomparens

How About You?
Is there something going on in your life that's making you feel sad and lonely? Maybe you lost a parent or friend, or you're dealing with some other great sorrow. God knows all about it, and He loves you and cares about what's happening. Pray about your problems and depend on Him to help you through them. Even when things are hard, you can praise Him and thank Him for His great love for you.

Today's Key Verse:
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. (NIV) (Psalm 68:5)

Today's Key Thought:
God understands your situation

Bible Reading: Psalms 63:1-5; 143:5-6; John 4:7-14

Dad clapped the Bible shut and gave Geena a bear hug. They both jumped up and pumped their fists in the air.

"We did it!" Geena shouted.

Mom came in the back door. "I take it you two just finished reading the entire Bible. Look what I have for you." She handed them two tickets. "You can celebrate at tomorrow's ball game."

They had good seats at the game, ate lots of chips and hot dogs--and their team won. On the way home Geena was thirsty, but her water bottle was empty.

When they got home, Geena forgot about getting a drink as they sat at the table telling Mom all about the game. Dad pulled out the Bible and said, "Geena, you can pick which book we read next."

"We just finished the Bible yesterday. Why do we need to keep reading it?" She held up her empty water bottle. "I need some water."

Dad put up his hand. "Wait, didn't you just drink that whole bottle yesterday?" Geena nodded. Dad asked, "Why do you want more?"

"Probably because we ate three bags of chips at the game." Geena giggled.

Dad laughed and took her water bottle to the sink. "What if you never had anything to drink again?"

"I'd feel awful and always be thirsty."

"That's how it would be for your soul without Jesus," said Dad. "You'd be like someone lost in a desert with no water. Jesus calls Himself living water because we need Him to save us and fill our lives with His presence and peace. One of the ways He helps us feel His presence and peace is through His Word. Reading the Bible is like a drink from Jesus that refreshes your mind and spirit. It's not something to just read once--we need to keep reading the Bible and learning about it with others at church."

Geena nodded. "It reminds me how much God loves me--like when we read about how Jesus forgives us because He took the punishment for our sins when He died on the cross. And I love reading the part about Jesus rising from the dead."

Dad handed her the full water bottle. Geena took a drink and opened the Bible to choose what they would read next.

–Laura Roesler

How About You?
Do you ever feel you don't really need to read the Bible? God's Word tells us that His mercies are new every morning. Each day Jesus has loving things to tell you and guidance to give. Through the truth of His Word, He can refresh your soul like cold water on a hot day by reminding you of His love and faithfulness. Read it and trust Him to help you hear whatever He wants to say to you.

Today's Key Verse:
My soul longs for You like a thirsty land. (NKJV) (Psalm 143:6)

Today's Key Thought:
Stay thirsty for God's Word