Bible Reading: Psalm 37:25-31; Matthew 6:25-27

Paige whipped open the screen door and ran down the hallway. "Mom! Mom!" she called. "Is it true?"

"Whoa! Settle down there, honey." Dad met her and put an arm around her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, Dad--Caleb Grant said his mom doesn't have a job anymore, and that all the plant workers have been laid off. You too? You're home from work already, so it must be true!" Paige felt like she was going to cry. "Dad, if you don't have your job any more, how will we pay Lucy's doctor bills?"

Just then Mom came down the stairs with Lucy. The baby's eyes lit up when she saw Paige, and she eagerly held out her arms.

Paige took Lucy in her arms and held her close. She remembered the time when Lucy was so sick and often had to go to the hospital for treatments. She had been such a quiet and dull baby then--not at all like the bright, happy baby she was now. Paige squeezed her little sister even tighter in her arms.

Dad saw the tight hug Paige gave Lucy. "Paige, whose arms are holding Lucy?"

"Um, my arms are holding her, Dad," Paige said, looking confused.

"Is she safe in your arms?" asked Dad.

Paige looked hurt. "Of course she is, Dad. You and Mom taught me to be very careful with Lucy. Don't you trust me with her?"

Dad smiled. "I do trust you. But think about this--a few minutes ago, you were worried because I was out of work. I know that's a scary thought. I'll admit that Mom and I feel a little shaken up about it too, but we've decided that we're safe in the arms that are holding us."

Paige stared blankly at her father for a minute. Then she smiled. "God's arms," she said quietly. "Our family is in God's arms."

"That's right," said Dad. "Jesus died for us so that we could be safe in His arms for all eternity. Even though we now find ourselves in a scary, uncertain situation, we can trust Him to take care of us."

Paige nodded, knowing it was true that God would help them, no matter what happened with Dad's job.

–Pamela G. Jones

How About You?
Are you worried about the future? Maybe someone close to you lost their job or is very sick, and you're not sure what's going to happen. Don't forget that God knew it was going to happen before you did, and He knows what to do about it. No matter how the situation looks to you, remember that He promises to be with you. Rest in the everlasting arms of our eternal God.

Today's Key Verse:
The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. (NKJV) (Deuteronomy 33:27)

Today's Key Thought:
Rest in God's arms

Bible Reading: John 3:16-17; Ephesians 3:14-21

Cole couldn't help but grin at the excited look on his younger brother's face. They were on vacation, and Henry was super excited about the roller coaster they were about to ride. Cole was more interested in their planned trip to the beach that evening.

"There are so many people in line!" Henry's eyes were wide. "Does God love everyone in line?"

Their uncle smiled and put a hand on Henry's shoulder. "Everyone."

"Does he love everyone at the whole park?"

"Everyone," their uncle said again.

When it came time for them to ride, Cole let Henry and his uncle go together in the row in front of the one he took for himself. He was older than his brother and didn't mind going alone. As he rode, he looked out at all the people at the park. That was a lot of people for God to love.

When they parked at the beach that evening, Cole was the first one out of his uncle's truck. He saw the wooden path headed toward the beach and ran down it.

It was Cole's first time seeing the ocean, and his eyes widened as he saw just how big it was. "You can't even see across it!"

His uncle laughed. "It's a little bigger than my pond, huh?"

"It's even bigger than the lake you take us to!" Henry ran out into the water.

"Don't go too far out!" Their uncle jogged after him.

Cole stared at the water, right away noticing the peaceful sound of the waves hitting the shore. The ocean was huge. Like nothing he had ever seen before.

He thought of all the times he had heard people talk about God's love and compare it to the ocean. The ocean seemed endless, and God's love seemed to be too. It was big enough for God to send His own Son into the world so people could be saved and have eternal life with Jesus.

Cole watched his brother splash water toward their uncle and remembered Henry's questions at the amusement park. Could anyone's love really be that massive?

"Come on, Cole!" Henry motioned him over.

Cole started for the water, and he realized that God was unlike any human. He truly had endless love--and He wanted to share it with everyone.

–Emily Acker

How About You?
Do you know how much God loves you? He loves you so much that Jesus died for your sins--the wrong things you do--and then rose from the dead so you could have eternal life with Him. That's a lot of love! And God shows His love to you in other ways too, like by comforting you when you're sad and answering your prayers. No one could ever love you as much as God does. Thank Him for the great love He has for you.

Today's Key Verse:
Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. (NIV) (Psalm 63:3)

Today's Key Thought:
God's love is big!

Bible Reading: Luke 15:11-32

Ayden found his little brother Felix in the kitchen, standing in a mess of raw eggs.

"What happened?" asked Ayden.

Felix shrugged. "I wanted to see what would happen if I dropped a carton of eggs."

"You're in trouble."

Felix hung his head. "I know."

Mom would be down any minute. Ayden thought about helping Felix clean, but he didn't want Mom to think he was involved. "You'd better clean up before Mom sees."

Felix started cleaning. Ayden slipped into the other room. After a few minutes, Mom walked into the kitchen and gasped. Ayden couldn't help but listen.

"Felix, what's going on?" Mom asked.

"I dropped a carton of eggs. On purpose." At least Felix was honest. He sniffled. "I'm really sorry, Mom. I know I shouldn't have."

All was quiet. Then Mom said, "I forgive you."

Ayden peeked around the corner. Mom was on her hands and knees, helping Felix clean! This couldn't be happening. It wasn't fair.

Ayden stormed into the kitchen. "Why isn't Felix in trouble?" He avoided Felix's gaze. "I'm the one who always does what I'm supposed to. Why don't I ever get the attention?"

Mom gestured for Ayden to join them. He dragged his feet as he walked over. "I love both of you," Mom said. "Always. Whether you mess up or not." She kissed Ayden on the forehead, then Felix. "Felix was honest with me, and we can celebrate that. Just like we can celebrate that no one will dump eggs on my floor again. Right?"

Felix blushed. "Right."

A story from church came to Ayden's mind--the prodigal son. The younger son went off and made a mess of things, but when he came home, his father celebrated. The older son was angry his father hadn't celebrated him, since he'd been around all along. The older son had missed the point.

Ayden didn't want to miss the point. Mom loved him, and she loved Felix. And God also loved both of them. Jesus died for their wrongs so they could be God's children, and He would always love and forgive them, no matter what.

Ayden hugged Mom. "Can I help?"

Felix grinned. "Yes, please!"

Ayden grabbed a paper towel, and they got to work.

–Becca Wierwille

How About You?
Have you ever felt like Ayden--upset someone else has been forgiven when you've been doing the right thing all along? We don't have to worry about others receiving more love or forgiveness than us. We all mess up--we all sin by doing wrong things. But God loves us, no matter what. He offers His forgiveness to each of us, and He always celebrates when lost sinners are found.

Today's Key Verse:
"My son," the father said, "you are always with me, and everything I have is yours." (NIV) (Luke 15:31)

Today's Key Thought:
Trust that you are loved

Bible Reading: Psalm 19:7-11

"Hey, Mom, what are you doing?" asked Londyn as she and her mother stood in the linen aisle at the store.

Mom held a cloth napkin up toward the light. "These napkins have some flaws in them, so they cost less than regular ones. When I hold them up to the light, I can see what's wrong and whether or not it's a serious problem."

"How can you tell?" Londyn wanted to know.

"With the light shining through the material, I can see if there's a weak spot." Mom pointed to one of the flaws. "Most of these aren't bad, and I think I'll buy some."

After family devotions that evening, Londyn showed her dad the new napkins. "Light is very helpful," Dad said as Londyn held a napkin up to the light and pointed out a small flaw. He grinned. "Does this remind you of anything from our devotions tonight?"

"Actually, yeah!" said Londyn. "The verse you read said that God's Word is a lamp to our feet."

Dad nodded. "And a light to our path. When we examine our actions in the light of His Word, the flaws in our lives show up."

"Flaws?" asked Londyn. "Like what?"

"Well, remember when you were angry with Vera and wanted to get even with her?" asked Mom. "We looked up Bible verses that gave light on the subject, and you were able to see that trying to get even with her was wrong."

Londyn nodded. "The verses said to repay evil with good. At first I didn't want to do that, but I trusted God to help me, and I'm so glad I did. Vera is one of my best friends now."

"That's great," said Dad. "Sometimes there may be parts of our lives that we'd rather not hold up to the light of God's Word because we're afraid we'll have to change what we're doing. We forget that hanging on to our sinful ways is hurtful to both us and others. That's why the Holy Spirit speaks to us through the Bible and uses it to shine light on what we're doing wrong--so we can confess our sin and trust Him to help us change our behavior."

"Right," said Mom. "Then we'll be able to experience more joy and peace in our lives."

–Lyndel F. Walker

How About You?
Are you willing to let the light of God's Word show any flaws in your life? Pay careful attention when you read the Bible or hear it explained by teachers or parents. Ask God to shine its truth on your life and show you anything that needs to change. When you discover flaws in your life, confess them to Him and accept His forgiveness. Then trust Him to help you correct your wrongs and show His love through your actions.

Today's Key Verse:
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (NKJV) (Psalm 119:105)

Today's Key Thought:
Walk in God's light

Bible Reading: Matthew 6:19-21

Cecilia molded a huge sand castle on the beach, trying to make it like the castles she saw in movies. She made soaring towers and dug a deep moat all around it. Then she noticed that the ocean's waves were coming closer and closer. "Help, Dad! The water's going to wash away my castle!"

Dad shook his head. "It's no use. The tide is coming in, and the waves will come a lot higher before they go back down."

Cecilia didn't want to believe that. She dug a wide trench all around her castle and built a sand barrier to protect it. But water soon crashed over the barrier and filled the trench. The waves splashed against the castle, pulling it apart with watery fingers. "It took me a long time to build that," said Cecilia, "and now it's gone!"

"Well, just be glad it's only sand," said her sister, Ember. "Sometimes people lose real houses in fires and storms, don't they, Dad?"

Dad nodded. "When I was young, the house I lived in with my parents was badly damaged in a storm, and I lost a lot of my personal possessions. It was very hard, but it also helped me learn an important truth."

"What truth?" asked Cecilia.

"That all earthly possessions are a little like that sand castle," Dad said. "They won't last. I realized there's something much more important than earthly things, and anyone who has it will never lose it. Do you know what it is I'm talking about?"

"I know," said Ember. "It's Jesus, isn't it?"

"Yep!" Dad said. "He saves us and gives us eternal life, and that gift will last forever. Instead of focusing so much on earthly treasures, we should store up treasure in heaven."

"How do we do that?" asked Ember.

"Well," said Dad, "the most important thing is to trust Jesus as our Savior--He's the only one who can save us and give us eternal life. Then, as He works in our hearts and teaches us to live as children of God, we'll start to care more about what He wants than what we or other people want. The things we do to serve Him--and the things we give up to do it--will build us treasure in heaven."

–Daryl B. Knauer

How About You?
Where are you storing your treasure--on earth or in heaven? It's easy to chase after all the things this world can offer you, but they don't last--you can't take them with you when you die. But Jesus offers us eternal life with Him, and that treasure lasts forever! Build true treasure by trusting in Him and sharing His love with others. (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:
Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. (CSB) (Matthew 6:20)

Today's Key Thought:
Build treasure that lasts