Bible Reading: Galatians 5:22-25

"This has been quite a fruitful day, don't you think?" said Grandpa with a wink as they finished dinner at the close of James's first day in Arizona. James grinned. He and Grandpa had taken a trip to an orange grove, and they had come back with lots of delicious oranges.

"Since our minds are already on fruit, let's take a look at the fruit of the Spirit for devotions tonight--the spiritual qualities that come from knowing Jesus and having His Spirit in our hearts," said Grandpa. Opening his Bible, he leafed through the pages until he found the passage he was looking for. He handed the Bible to James and pointed to the verses he wanted read.

"The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control," James read. He looked at his grandparents. "That seems like a lot of fruit for one person!"

"Don't let the list scare you," said Grandpa. "All of us who trust in Jesus have this fruit in our lives, but sometimes we need to be reminded of that. Why don't we all think about the fruit listed in the passage and each pick out one we especially need to trust God to help us with?"

"Okay." James studied the list. "Mom is always telling me I need to be more patient," he said after a moment.

"And I need to depend on God to help me feel His peace in my life," said Grandma. "I tend to worry--like when you were a little late getting back from the orange grove today."

"And I need help with self-control," said Grandpa. "Now and then, I still get angry for silly reasons and need to remember that the Holy Spirit gives me the power to control my anger." He closed the Bible. "Let's pray for one another and trust God to display His fruit in our lives. And maybe before you go back home, we can talk about this again and see how God is working in us, okay?" James nodded.

"Okay then," said Grandma. "Now, who wants some oranges for dessert?"

"Me!" said James and Grandpa in unison.

–Esther M. Bailey

How About You?
Are you relying on the Holy Spirit to produce spiritual fruit in your life? When you struggle with things like worry, impatience, or anger, remember that He gives you peace and the power to show others the love of Jesus in any situation. You might also find it helpful to discuss it with a family member or a Christian friend. Help one another by praying for each other and discussing what God is doing in your lives.

Today's Key Verse:
The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (NLT) (Galatians 5:22-23)

Today's Key Thought:
God gives spiritual fruit

Bible Reading: Matthew 15:8-9; Romans 3:19-24

When James woke one morning, the strangeness of his room surprised him. Then he remembered the plane ride that had brought him to Arizona to visit his grandparents. He hopped out of bed at once. It was his first trip to their new home, and he didn't want to waste time. The sun streamed through the window, promising a beautiful day.

James looked outside, and when he saw a tree with oranges hanging from the branches, he knew what he wanted to do first. He hurried to the kitchen where he found his grandmother fixing breakfast. "Grandma, can I go out and pick an orange?"

"Sure, James," said Grandma. "You can pick one, but the oranges on that tree aren't good to eat."

James went out and picked the biggest orange he could find. It looked so good that he wondered if Grandma could be mistaken. He took it to the kitchen. "This sure looks like it's good to eat."

Grandma cut a wedge out of the orange and held it out for James to taste. "I'll let you be the judge."

As his tongue touched the orange, James made a face. "Ugh! Bitter! How could anything that looks so good taste so bad?"

"It's an ornamental orange tree," Grandma explained. "It looks pretty, but it doesn't produce good fruit."

James looked up as Grandpa came in. "Want a piece of orange, Grandpa?" he asked with a grin.

Grandpa glanced at it and laughed. "No, thanks. I know where you got that." He sat down at the table. "You know, those oranges remind me of myself when I was young."

"They do?" James asked. "How?"

"I used to think I was a good person because I went to church, obeyed my parents, and tried to be nice to others. I figured that doing good things like that meant I'd go to heaven one day. But then God helped me understand the truth--that no one can earn their way to heaven by what they do. I may have looked good on the outside--like that orange does--but my heart was full of sin. I needed Jesus to save me." Grandpa grinned. "Now I know I'm going to heaven one day, not because of what I've done, but because of what Jesus has done for me."

–Esther M. Bailey

How About You?
Are you trying to be a good person? Do you go to church, act kindly toward others, and help people in need? Those are good things to do, but all the good you do on your own is like ornamental fruit--it may look good, but it won't get rid of the sin in your heart. Only Jesus can do that--He died for your sins so you could be saved. Trusting in Him is the only way to have eternal life. (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:
We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. (NLT) (Isaiah 64:6)

Today's Key Thought:
Trust Jesus as your Savior

Bible Reading: Matthew 15:8-9; Romans 3:19-24

When James woke one morning, the strangeness of his room surprised him. Then he remembered the plane ride that had brought him to Arizona to visit his grandparents. He hopped out of bed at once. It was his first trip to their new home, and he didn't want to waste time. The sun streamed through the window, promising a beautiful day.

James looked outside, and when he saw a tree with oranges hanging from the branches, he knew what he wanted to do first. He hurried to the kitchen where he found his grandmother fixing breakfast. "Grandma, can I go out and pick an orange?"

"Sure, James," said Grandma. "You can pick one, but the oranges on that tree aren't good to eat."

James went out and picked the biggest orange he could find. It looked so good that he wondered if Grandma could be mistaken. He took it to the kitchen. "This sure looks like it's good to eat."

Grandma cut a wedge out of the orange and held it out for James to taste. "I'll let you be the judge."

As his tongue touched the orange, James made a face. "Ugh! Bitter! How could anything that looks so good taste so bad?"

"It's an ornamental orange tree," Grandma explained. "It looks pretty, but it doesn't produce good fruit."

James looked up as Grandpa came in. "Want a piece of orange, Grandpa?" he asked with a grin.

Grandpa glanced at it and laughed. "No, thanks. I know where you got that." He sat down at the table. "You know, those oranges remind me of myself when I was young."

"They do?" James asked. "How?"

"I used to think I was a good person because I went to church, obeyed my parents, and tried to be nice to others. I figured that doing good things like that meant I'd go to heaven one day. But then God helped me understand the truth--that no one can earn their way to heaven by what they do. I may have looked good on the outside--like that orange does--but my heart was full of sin. I needed Jesus to save me." Grandpa grinned. "Now I know I'm going to heaven one day, not because of what I've done, but because of what Jesus has done for me."

–Esther M. Bailey

How About You?
Are you trying to be a good person? Do you go to church, act kindly toward others, and help people in need? Those are good things to do, but all the good you do on your own is like ornamental fruit--it may look good, but it won't get rid of the sin in your heart. Only Jesus can do that--He died for your sins so you could be saved. Trusting in Him is the only way to have eternal life. (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:
We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. (NLT) (Isaiah 64:6)

Today's Key Thought:
Trust Jesus as your Savior

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 36:26; Matthew 5:43-48; 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Abby slid her lunch tray next to her best friend Everly. "Can you believe these cookies?" she complained, tapping a hard chocolate chip cookie against her front tooth. "A squirrel couldn't eat these!"

Everly shrugged. "They're not so bad if you soak them first." She dunked her cookie in a glass of milk and took a bite. "See?"

"Oh yeah!" Abby said. "You're always full of good ideas."

"I wish." Everly's expression soured. "Maybe then I'd know how to get Kenzie to quit pestering me. She's such a bully."

Abby glanced across the cafeteria to where Kenzie sat alone. She'd started teasing Abby and her friends after learning they all went to the same church camp each summer. She called them dumb and stuck-up and claimed she'd never be caught dead in church, much less a summer camp for babies.

"Maybe we should invite her to eat with us," Abby suggested with a nervous nibble of her cookie. She knew it was the right thing to do even though she didn't like Kenzie very much, and the idea of eating lunch with her tied her stomach in knots. "Maybe then she'd get to know us better and we could tell her more about what we believe."

"Yeah, I guess," Everly said. "She's asked me questions about my faith before, but I got the feeling she was just trying to pick a fight with me."

As Abby thought it over, she had an idea. "Hey, what if Kenzie is like this cookie?"

Everly wrinkled her nose. "You want to dunk her in milk? I could go along with that."

Abby laughed. "No, I mean, what if Kenzie needs some softening too? Remember how I talked bad about God and the Bible before I knew Jesus loved me?" Everly tightened her lips, recalling some of the things Abby had said. "God had to change my heart," Abby continued. "Let's pray and ask God to soften Kenzie's heart and help us be kind to her."

Everly considered her friend. "Okay, let's pray and then go ask Kenzie if she wants to join us for lunch." She dunked her cookie in her milk. "And can we pray for better cookies too?"

Abby laughed and nodded. "Softer cookies and softer hearts."

–Christa Hogan

How About You?
Have you met anyone whose heart seemed hardened toward God? It's easy to forget that we all had hard hearts before we experienced Jesus's love and He changed us. God can soften any heart, and He can help you love those who tease you or are mean to you because of your faith. Pray for those who don't know Jesus, and trust Him to help you show them His love.

Today's Key Verse:
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (NIV) (Matthew 5:44)

Today's Key Thought:
God softens hearts

Bible Reading: Psalm 113:4-6; John 1:1-3, 14; Philippians 2:5-8

"Okay, everybody, squat down so you can see," said the forest ranger to the students. Davis and his friend Hudson moved closer to see what the ranger was pointing to. The ranger picked up a piece of bark lying in the dirt, and a bunch of little bugs scrambled to hide. The ranger grabbed one of them, and it rolled up into a tiny ball in his hand.

"This is a pill bug," the ranger said, rolling it around in his hand. "When it gets scared, it rolls into a perfect ball, like an armadillo." He passed the bug around the group. "It's also called a roly poly bug, but it's not really a bug at all. It's a crustacean, like lobsters and crabs and crayfish. It lives in wet places and uses gills to breathe."

"That's so cool," Davis said as he held the bug in his palm.

Hudson turned to the ranger. "How do you know all this?"

"Well, it takes years of studying!" said the ranger with a laugh. He bent down to look under another piece of wood. "You have to look at them closely." He picked up another bug. "They're very small, and they like to hide. You have to get down to their level to interact with them." He put the bug down, and it scurried away.

"Fast little guy," remarked a teacher standing nearby.

"Well, it does have seven pairs of legs!" said the ranger. He directed the students to turn up some logs on their own.

"Wow, that ranger sure knows a lot about bugs!" Hudson said to Davis as they lifted a log to reveal several bugs and critters scuttling in the mud.

"Yeah," said Davis. "It reminds me of something we talked about in church last week."

"You talked about bugs in church?" asked Hudson in surprise.

Davis laughed. "No, about God. Jesus came down from heaven to be on our level. He became one of us so He could save us from sin and give us eternal life. Even though He's so huge and mighty, He cares about us and understands everything we go through."

Hudson smiled thoughtfully as he bent down to take a closer look at the bugs they had found.

–Jonathan Baker

How About You?
How small or unimportant do you think you seem to God? Probably a lot smaller than a bug seems to us. But God knows everything about you and cares about what's happening in your life. He loves us all so much that Jesus left His high throne in heaven to be with us on earth and save us from our sins. Rest in the fact that God sees you, loves you, and cares about every teeny detail in your life.

Today's Key Verse:
The Word [Jesus] became human and made his home among us. (NLT) (John 1:14)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus came down to our level