Bible Reading: Revelation 21:22-27

Willow swallowed hard. Ever since Dad had helped her set up her newspaper route accounts on the computer, she worked diligently to keep them up to date. But now she hesitated as her finger hovered over the delete key. The account on the computer screen was that of one of her customers--Mrs. Trembley. The name glowed with a special brightness--or so it seemed to Willow. As she stared at it, she tried hard not to cry. "Mrs. Elizabeth C. Trembley, 288 Fox Street, Faris, Iowa," Willow murmured. She swallowed again and then punched the key. Mrs. Trembley's name and address disappeared, and the screen returned to the program's home page. The account was gone forever--just like Mrs. Trembley.

A tear slid down Willow's cheek as Dad came into the room. "Willow, what's wrong?" he asked.

Willow gulped. "I erased Mrs. Trembley." She gestured toward the computer as she brushed a tear away with the back of her hand. "I feel so sad about it, Dad. She was the nicest person on my paper route."

Dad nodded and put a hand on Willow's shoulder. Mrs. Trembley had been a real friend to Willow, but the kind elderly lady had died of a heart attack a couple weeks earlier.

"When I pushed the delete button, I felt like I was erasing Mrs. Trembley's life," Willow said faintly.

"You told me Mrs. Trembley was a Christian, didn't you?" asked Dad.

Willow nodded. "She said she trusted in Jesus when she was a little girl."

"Then Mrs. Trembley is safe with the Lord," Dad said. "Her name is written in the Book of Life--God's record of all those who have been saved by Jesus and will live with Him forever--and it will never be deleted." Dad gave Willow a hug. "You deleted Mrs. Trembley's name from the computer, but no one will ever erase her name from God's records. She's with Jesus now, and one day He will raise her from the dead."

"I know." Willow smiled as she thought about that. She sighed, but she felt a bit better. "I'm glad. And I know I'll see Mrs. Trembley again someday, because my name is written in God's book too."

–Carol J. Brookman

How About You?
Is your name written in God's record book--the Book of Life? If it is, it will never be erased. He will never forget you or abandon you--Jesus has given you eternal life with Him and will always be with you, no matter what. If you haven't yet trusted in Jesus, do it today. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page or go to www.keysforkids.org/goodnews.) Then your name will be written in the Book of Life for all eternity.

Today's Key Verse:
Nothing impure will ever enter [heaven]… but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life. (NIV) (Revelation 21:27)

Today's Key Thought:
Those who trust Jesus have eternal life

Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 16:6-13; John 3:16-17

TAP! TAP! TAP! Two hammers thudded on the walnut shells. Ben and his dad were stripping the thick outer shells from nuts they had gathered in the woods. "Ugh!" exclaimed Ben, looking at the stains on his gloves. "It was fun picking these up, but they sure are messy!"

"Sure are," said Dad. "But just think how good Grandma's black walnut cake will taste when she uses these. It will be worth all the effort."

As they continued working, Ben talked about school. "Did I tell you about the new kid in my class, Dad? His name is Collin, and he's weird!"

"Why do you say that?" asked Dad.

"He always talks too loud, and he thinks he's such a tough guy," replied Ben. "I just don't like him."

Dad worked in silence for a while. Then he picked up another walnut and held it out. "Maybe Collin is like this nut."

"Yeah--a tough nut to crack!" said Ben.

"You don't know him very well yet, do you?" said Dad. He tapped the nut with his hammer. "Walnuts grow with this soft, spongy covering, and after we take that off, there's still a hard shell, so we can't see the good nutmeat on the inside. Collin may be like that. He may be quite different from who you think he is."

Ben frowned. "You mean he may just be putting on a tough act?"

"It's important to try and see others as God sees them," Dad said. "God loves each and every one of us, and He knows exactly what our hearts look like. When people are afraid or insecure, they sometimes act tough to hide their feelings." Dad finished removing the outer shell from the nut. "Have you ever done that?"

"I don't know," said Ben. "Maybe."

Dad nodded. "Well, with God's help, maybe you could get past Collin's outer shell. When you see him as someone God loves--someone Jesus died on the cross to save--it will help you be more patient and understanding as you get to know him. Then see what God does in both of you."

Ben considered how he could get to know Collin better. "He was watching us play soccer at recess," Ben said. "Maybe he'd want to join us."

–Judith K. Boogaart

How About You?
Do you have trouble liking someone because of how they act? It's possible they act that way to hide their fear or insecurity from others. Trust God to help you see that person the way He does. Remember that He loves them just like He loves you. He knows what's in each person's heart, and He can work through your love and kindness to change hearts and lives.

Today's Key Verse:
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (NIV) (Ephesians 4:2)

Today's Key Thought:
Look at others with love

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