Bible Reading: Titus 2:11-15

"Look at those jellyfish!" exclaimed Jude. "They look like tiny parachutes!" He leaned forward, watching the silky-looking jellyfish that were floating in one of the tanks at the aquarium.

Ashlynn nudged her way closer. "Wow!" she cried. "Look at the colors--pink, white, blue, yellow, green, purple, and even some striped ones!"

Dad was looking at the sign next to the popular exhibit. "When out of the water," he read out loud, "jellyfish look like a glob of jelly dripping from a spoon. Jellyfish are invertebrates. They have no backbone and no central brain."

Jude came over to look at the sign. "It says they float by opening and closing their bodies like an umbrella. They hardly move unless a current comes along."

That evening, the kids talked about the things they liked best of all at the aquarium. "Those jellyfish were so pretty," said Ashlynn. "It's cool how they just float along, going with the flow of the current."

"It is cool how God created jellyfish to move that way, isn't it?" said Dad. "But it's important to remember that He didn't create us to be like that."

"What do you mean?" asked Ashlynn.

"Sometimes we just want to go along with what's going on around us," replied Dad. "We go with the flow and don't think for ourselves."

"Oh." Ashlynn bit her lip. "Kind of like what I did when Brielle and Rachel were over yesterday."

Dad raised his eyebrows. "Really? What did you do?"

"Brielle and Rachel were making fun of Naomi, and I just went along with it and laughed at whatever they said." Ashlynn sighed. "Brielle and Rachel are really popular at school, and lately they've been wanting to hang out with me, so I didn't want to…" Her voice trailed off.

Dad gave a sympathetic nod. "We all do things like that sometimes, which is why we need to remember that God didn't make us like jellyfish with no backbone. Because we trust in Jesus, God has made us His children and given us the power to love others and do what's right. When those around us do things that are hurtful and wrong, we don't have to go along with them. Instead, we can trust God to help us love others the way He does and stand up for them."

–Lucinda J. Rollings

How About You?
Do you hold true to what is right? Do you defend those who are treated unkindly--even when it means standing up to your friends? Or do you just go with the flow? God didn't make you to be like a jellyfish--He gave you both a backbone and a brain! And if you know Jesus, you also have the power to obey Him and show His love to others. Trust Him to fill you with His boldness to do what is right, even when it's hard.

Today's Key Verse:
[God's grace] teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives. (NIV) (Titus 2:12)

Today's Key Thought:
Stand for what is right

Bible Reading: Matthew 25:34-40; Mark 9:41

Jesse sat in church listening to a missionary speaker talk about a faraway country as he showed the class photos on a large screen. In one of the pictures, the missionary and several other people wore long white robes and had scarves wrapped around their heads. "This is the way we often dress where I live," he said. "The purpose of these loose scarves is to keep the sun off our heads. It really works quite well."

Jesse sat up straight to see better as the missionary continued speaking. "It's often difficult to reach people in this country with the good news that Jesus died and rose again to save us. I'm happy to be there because I know God sent me to tell them about Jesus and how much He loves them."

Jesse's eyes opened wide. He had never been away from home for more than a few days at a time. He hoped God wouldn't send him to a faraway country. He didn't want to leave his family.

The next day, Jesse sat on the front steps. He could hear sounds from the kitchen where his mom was cooking, and he could hear the hum of his dad's lawnmower in the backyard. Jesse liked those sounds. He looked down the street and saw Mrs. Quarry, their neighbor, walking home with a heavy bag of groceries. She stopped in front of Jesse's house, set down her grocery bag, and leaned against the fence. The grocery bag tipped, and several cans of food clattered across the sidewalk.

Jesse ran to help her. "I'll get your groceries, Mrs. Quarry."

The old woman took a deep breath. "Oh, thank you, Jesse. But first, please help me up my front steps. I'm so tired." She put one hand on the fence and the other on Jesse's shoulder. He walked beside her and hoped she wouldn't fall. When they reached the porch, Mrs. Quarry sat down on one of the chairs. She looked up at Jesse and smiled. "God sent you to me, Jesse. He knew I needed help, and He sent you."

Jesse felt lighter as he ran back to pick up the groceries. He realized there were many ways he could share the love of Jesus with others, and he didn't even have to leave home.

–Ruth M. Hamel

How About You?
Are you serving God at home? At school? In your neighborhood? You don't need to wait until you're older--He will help you share the love of Jesus with others right now, no matter where you are. Ask Him to show you what you can do for Him today. Then serve Him by washing dishes, mowing lawns, helping a friend or neighbor, or doing whatever else He leads you to do.

Today's Key Verse:
Then I heard the Lord's voice, saying, "Who can I send? Who will go for us?" So I said, "Here I am. Send me!" (ERV) (Isaiah 6:8)

Today's Key Thought:
Serve God wherever you are

Bible Reading: Matthew 7:21-29

"There's my dad. Want a ride home, Thomas?" Wesley asked after school one day. Thomas nodded, and the boys climbed into the car in time to hear a news report about the clean-up efforts in an area where an earthquake had recently occurred. "What causes an earthquake?" Wesley asked his dad.

"Well, the earth's crust has splits in some places called faults. Sometimes the sides of a fault shift against each other and cause the earth to tremble. If they move against each other hard enough, it may shake the earth so much that buildings crumple."

Thomas frowned. "Can that happen here?" He imagined his own house tumbling down.

"Earthquakes occur all over the world, but according to the most recent geological maps, we're not living near any major faults in the earth's crust," said Wesley's dad. "Since we're on a more solid foundation, we're not likely to experience an earthquake. Even if we did, it probably wouldn't be a severe one."

"Good!" said Thomas. "I'm glad my house is on solid ground."

Wesley's dad nodded. "So am I." He smiled at Thomas. "But do you know that we need to build our lives on a solid foundation too? That's even more important than having our homes built on a firm spot in the earth's crust."

Thomas looked puzzled. "Build our lives on a solid foundation? How do we do that?"

Wesley chimed in. "We talked about that in my class at church last week! The lesson was on the story in the Bible about a wise man who built his house on rock and a foolish man who built his house on sand. When the storms came, the wise man's house stood strong, but the foolish man's house blew away."

"In the story, the men's houses represent their lives," Dad explained. "We can either build our lives on a solid foundation or on one that will crumble in life's storms."

Wesley nodded. "People who trust in Jesus are like the wise man. They're building their lives on the Rock, which is another name for Jesus."

"That's right," said Dad. "Jesus is our firm, strong foundation. He died and rose again to save us from sin and give us eternal life, and He can hold us steady even when things in life get all shook up."

–Nance E. Keyes

How About You?
Is Jesus the foundation of your life? He's the only foundation that will withstand all the trials of life and help you stand firm when everything seems to be crumbling around you. Build your life on the Rock by trusting in Him. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page or go to www.keysforkids.org/goodnews.) As you depend on Him and rest in His truth and promises, you'll be ready when life's storms come your way.

Today's Key Verse:
No one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have--Jesus Christ. (NLT) (1 Corinthians 3:11)

Today's Key Thought:
Build your life on Jesus

Bible Reading: Matthew 5:3-12; Colossians 3:1-14

"Look at that guy, Mom," Raelyn said as she and her mother waited at a red traffic light. "He's practically dancing down the street instead of walking! He looks funny with his head bobbing back and forth like that."

"I think he's listening to music," Mom said. "See his earbuds?"

"Yeah," said Raelyn. "He's walking to the beat of the music he's hearing, isn't he?"

"That's how it looks to me." Mom smiled as she watched the man bob in place while he waited for the crosswalk light to turn. "You know, that man reminds me of us as Christians."

Raelyn gave her mother a little grin. "Are you saying we look like that when we sing worship songs in church?"

Mom chuckled. "I was actually thinking about our walk with Jesus in this world," she explained. "Jesus tells us in the Bible that following Him as our Lord and Savior will cause us to be out of sync with the rest of the world. As we listen to Him and remember that He's changed us and given us eternal life, we walk to a different beat. When we follow His ways instead of going along with what everyone else is doing, we might look pretty strange to others."

"That's true," said Raelyn. "Sometimes kids at school laugh at me when I refuse to cheat on homework or try to be kind to other kids they don't like."

"People at work often think I'm strange too," said Mom. "Jesus says His Kingdom isn't of this world, which means His ways are very different from what we might see around us. The world tells us to follow our own desires and do whatever makes us feel good, but God says to follow and obey Him. And who loves you the most--God or the world?"

"God!" Raelyn exclaimed.

"Yes," said Mom. The light turned green, and she drove forward. "God loves us so much that Jesus died to save us, so we can trust that His ways are best."

"Yeah." Raelyn turned to take one last look at the man dancing on the sidewalk before he was out of sight. "I want to walk to Jesus's beat and not worry about what other people think of me."

–Lyndel F. Walker

How About You?
Are you walking to a different beat than the rest of the world? Do others laugh at you or think you're strange because you follow Jesus? The way He calls us to live is often very different from how society or other people say we should live. Instead of living to please ourselves, Jesus tells us to live a life of love and obedience that shows we belong to God. Trust Him to help you follow His beat as you walk through life with Him.

Today's Key Verse:
Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. (NKJV) (Colossians 3:2)

Today's Key Thought:
Walk to Jesus's beat

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