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

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