Bible Reading: Ephesians 5:1-4; 1 Peter 1:13-16

Alvaro angrily stomped into the room. Papá looked up from his computer.

"Tell Miguel to quit copying me!" said Alvaro, crossing his arms over his chest. "He's always following me around, and he tries to do everything I do." As Papá closed his laptop, Miguel rushed into the living room. He marched over to his brother and promptly crossed his arms too. "See what I mean?" said Alvaro as Miguel stared up at him.

"Miguel," said Papá, "give Alvaro a bit of space." Then Papá looked at Alvaro. "Miguel copies you because he wants to be like you."

Alvaro frowned. "I don't like copycats."

"You don't? Well, the Bible says we should all be copycats." Papá picked up his Bible from the coffee table and opened it. "Here," he said. "Read Ephesians 5:1 out loud for us."

Alvaro took the Bible and looked at the verse Papá indicated. "Therefore be imitators of God as dear children," he read.

"What do imitators do?" Papá asked. Alvaro shrugged. Miguel shrugged too. "They copy," said Papá. "We're supposed to copy God." Papá smiled at the boys. "Miguel loves you, Alvaro, and he shows it by wanting to do the same things you do. That's the same way we show our love for God. Jesus lived a perfect life of love and sacrifice when He came to earth to die for our sins. We can't copy Him perfectly, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, who is helping us grow to be more like Him, we can imitate Jesus by showing others His love in our actions and attitudes."

Alvaro scratched his head. Giggling, Miguel did the same. Then Alvaro gave his brother a quick, playful punch on the shoulder. Miguel punched back. He squealed as Alvaro tackled him, and together they fell to the floor, laughing.

Papá laughed too. "Okay, you two. Miguel, no more copying Alvaro right now. Leave him alone for a while. And let's all remember to be imitators of God by trusting Him to help us copy Jesus."

"Okay," Miguel said.

"Okay," Alvaro said with a mischievous grin.

"Okay!" Papá chimed in, and they all laughed."

–Carol A. deCesare

How About You?
Do you get frustrated when others copy you? Do younger kids try to act like you by repeating what you say or imitating what you do? Often they do this because they look up to you. As God's children, we need to copy Him. He showed us His love by sending His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. Through the Holy Spirit, He will help us show that same kind of love to others so we can imitate Him.

Today's Key Verse:
Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. (NKJV) (Ephesians 5:1)

Today's Key Thought:
Be an imitator of God

Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes 3:1-4; Revelation 21:1-4

Jill sat on the bench in her backyard and kicked at the dead leaves around her feet. This was one of the worst days of her life. She'd just found out that Aunt Karen had died from cancer.

Jill slumped against the back of the bench and thought about how Aunt Karen would often go shopping and out to lunch with Jill and her mom on Saturdays before she got sick. They called it their ladies' day out. A tear ran down Jill's cheek as she realized that now they would never have another adventure with the three of them again.

Just then Mom came out of the house and sat down on the bench. She took Jill in her arms and they both sat there and cried. After a while Jill sat up and wiped her eyes. "Mom, will my heart always hurt this bad? Will it ever get better?"

Mom wiped her own eyes and cleared her throat. "We both loved Aunt Karen and will miss her very much. The Bible says there's a time and a season for everything, and right now it's our time to mourn." She took a deep breath. "At least we can be glad knowing she's no longer suffering and that one day we'll see her again."

"I'm having a hard time feeling glad about anything right now," said Jill. "It feels like I'll be mourning forever." She began kicking at the dead leaves on the ground again.

Mom looked up to the trees above them. "Jill, look at all the trees losing their leaves! Do you think they'll ever get them back?"

Jill gave her mom a funny look. "Of course they will, Mom. The trees will grow new leaves in the spring. You know that."

"Yes," said Mom. "The trees lose their leaves because they go through seasons--and we go through seasons in our lives. Some are good and others difficult, but Jesus is always there with us through all of them. We can trust Him to carry us through this season of mourning, knowing it won't last forever. Seasons change, and one day, when we finally see Jesus face-to-face, all our troubles and sadness will be gone for good." Mom put her arm around Jill. "Trust that God will never leave you or forget you, no matter what season you're in."

–Melissa Yeagle

How About You?
Are you going through a hard time right now? Does it feel like it will never end? Everyone goes through different seasons of life, and sometimes they are filled with hardship or sadness. But no matter what season you're in, Jesus is with you, and He cares about you. Trust Him to help you through the hard seasons of life, looking forward to the day when He makes all things new and your troubles will be over.

Today's Key Verse:
[God] himself has said, "I will never leave you or abandon you." (CSB) (Hebrews 13:5)

Today's Key Thought:
Trust God in hard times

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:13; James 1:12-15

Carter helped his older brother Nate pull and heave their boat to the water's edge. Then Nate looked over the items in the boat. "Fishing poles, net, tackle box. I think we're ready." The boys jumped in the boat and headed for the other side of the lake.

"What color lure should I use?" asked Carter as he looked at the rows of colorful fishing lures in the tackle box. "There's green, pink, blue, and yellow twisty tales. I'll try this bright pink one. I want to catch a big trout."

Carter cast out his line in hopes of a bite. He settled back in his seat, enjoying the rocking of the boat.

"I have a fish!" he yelled a while later. He started reeling his line. The fish fought and struggled, but Carter soon had his first fish in the boat.

"Look at that big trout!" said Nate. "Pink must be the color to use."

Carter grinned and threw his line back in. A few minutes later his pole jerked again. "It's another one," he said excitedly, scooting to the edge of his seat. He reeled his line as fast as he could, but this time he heard a sickening snap.

"My line broke!" he wailed. "It was a big one too. Maybe I can still get it."

Soon his line was back in the water with another pink twisty tale. Both boys sat quietly and waited.

"You know," said Nate, breaking the silence. "Fishing reminds me of our spiritual lives. We use bright colors hoping the fish will notice our lures and bite. The fish think it's a tasty worm, but it's really only a plastic lure with a hook. They don't know there's a hook until they bite, and then it's too late."

"Unless the line breaks," Carter said with a laugh.

Nate grinned. "That's how sin is. It looks attractive, but once we bite, we find out how much of a mess it makes. That's why we need to remember that Jesus freed us from sin and trust Him to help us resist its bright lure."

Carter nodded thoughtfully. "That's a good lesson." Then, with a twinkle in his eye, he said, "Now I just need to give you a lesson on how to catch fish!"

–Kristi Yutzy

How About You?
Has something ever looked good to you, even though you knew it would be wrong? Cheating to get a good grade, stealing money to buy something nice, or lying so you don't get in trouble are some of sin's bright lures that tempt us. Don't believe those lies. Sin is always harmful--that's why Jesus died to free us from its hold over us. Trust Him to help you resist sin's temptation.

Today's Key Verse:
God is faithful…when you are tempted, He will make a way for you to keep from falling into sin. (NLV) (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Today's Key Thought:
Be aware of sin's bright lures


Bible Reading: John 13:34-35; 1 John 4:20-21

Charlotte was sitting on the couch doing homework when her little brother, Georgie, came bounding into the room. "Incoming!" he shouted as he leapt onto the couch, right into her lap.

"Georgie! Get off me!" shouted Charlotte and she pushed him away. Georgie fell off the couch and started to cry.

Mom came into the room. "What did you do, Charlotte?" she asked.

"Nothing!" replied Charlotte. "He's the one who jumped on me, and look! He ripped the page of my textbook! I always get blamed for everything." She stomped to her room and slammed the door behind her.

A little while later, Mom paid her a visit. "What's going on, Charlotte? Why are you so angry at your brother?" she asked softly.

"He's so annoying!" Charlotte exclaimed. "And he never leaves me alone."

"You know that's because he loves you, don't you?" said Mom.

"Well, I don't love him," said Charlotte flatly.

"You may not always like what Georgie does, but you can still love him," said Mom. "Love isn't a feeling, Charlotte, it's a choice. As Christians, we choose to love others because God loved us first and sent Jesus to save us from sin. Because of Him, you can choose to act in a loving way toward your brother, even if you don't feel like it."

Later that day, Charlotte was reading in a chair on the driveway while Georgie rode his bike. "Look at me, Charlotte!" he shouted as he raced around. Charlotte ignored him. She was still mad.

Suddenly, Charlotte heard the squeal of tires as a car rounded the bend too fast. Georgie was headed right for the road! Charlotte jumped up, ran down the driveway, and pushed Georgie off his bike and into the grass. The speeding car went up onto the curb and hit their mailbox. Charlotte scooped her startled brother into her arms and buried her face in his hair. Her heart was beating wildly.

That evening, Georgie told their dad all about the day's excitement. "Charlotte saved me, Daddy!" he exclaimed as he hugged Charlotte's legs.

Mom gently embraced them both. "Thank you for choosing love, Charlotte," she whispered and gave them each a kiss.

–Laura Kuehn

How About You?
Do you ever have a hard time getting along with your brothers and sisters? Do you sometimes get angry with your parents or your friends? If you know Jesus, you can choose to act in a loving way toward others, no matter how you might feel. Because He loves us, we can love others. Choose to love, even when you don't feel like it.

Today's Key Verse:
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. (NKJV) (1 John 4:11)

Today's Key Thought:
Choose to love others

Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:26-32

Willa was so upset at her sister Margot. All week long she'd been using Willa's things without asking, and today she had taken one of Willa's best shirts and worn it to school. As she walked into the house, Willa felt like her temper was about to explode. She slammed her backpack down on a kitchen chair, and it tumbled to the floor. Willa let out an exasperated scream.

"Willa, please sit down and cool off," Mom said. She poured two glasses of lemonade and sat down next to her. "Did I ever tell you about the summer my friend Carolee and I rented a small cottage by the lake for a week?" Mom asked.

Willa sniffed. "No, but that sounds like it would be fun."

Mom nodded. "It was great--until we decided to bake cookies one day. I opened the oven of the old gas stove while Carolee lit a match. It didn't light right away, but then, all of a sudden…WHOOSH! A bright yellow flash lit up the whole oven."

"Were you hurt?" asked Willa, wide-eyed.

"We both had deep burns." Mom rolled up her sleeve and pointed at a pink scar on her forearm. "We learned later that the oven hadn't been used for a long time, and little by little, dirt had clogged the gas line. When the gas forced its way through, it came with a rush and caused an explosion." Mom sipped her lemonade. "Do you know why I told you this story?"

Willa studied her fingernails. "Because my temper exploded?"

Mom nodded. "Anger we allow to build up in our lives will eventually cause an explosion. But when we recognize our emotions and surrender them to Jesus, He will help us deal with our anger. He always forgives us when we act out of anger and will help us forgive others."

Willa sighed. "But Margot makes me so mad sometimes!"

"I know. I'm not saying you should never feel upset with anyone, because that's impossible. Just remember that Jesus understands how you feel. He loves you and wants to help you work things out."

Willa didn't want her anger to explode again. "Do you think you can help me talk to Margot and fix it?" She looked up and saw a smile on her mom's face.

–Nance E. Keyes

How About You?
Have you lost your temper before? Do you let your angry feelings build until you feel like you're going to burst? When you feel upset, pray right away. Share your angry feelings with Jesus, and trust Him to give you peace and self-control. With His help, you can learn to work out conflicts in a forgiving, loving manner. If your anger feels overwhelming, ask an adult for help too.

Today's Key Verse:
"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry. (NIV) (Ephesians 4:26 )

Today's Key Thought:
Give your difficult feelings to God