Bible Reading: Psalm 119:1-8; Galatians 5:13-18

"Hey, August," Dad said at dinner. "Remember that home run you hit in the baseball game today?"

"Of course!" August grinned. "I practically blasted that ball right out of the park!"

"It was quite a hit, all right," said Dad. "When you reached third base, it looked like you would have just enough time to beat the ball to home plate, and Coach Tim motioned for you to keep going. I wondered if you would slow down and look around to see where the ball was and then decide for yourself whether to go on or stay at third."

"I wanted to look, but Coach Tim is always telling us we have to trust him and just follow his directions, so I ran for it!"

"And it's a good thing you did. Taking time to look around would have cost you a run," said Dad. "Now--who would like to compare that to living the Christian life?"

August and Ryker looked at each other. "It's like you said before," August answered. "We need to listen to God."

Dad smiled. "Right, but this time it goes a little farther. Sometimes there's something we know God wants us to do, but we hesitate. We may feel the Holy Spirit urging us to do something at a particular moment, like show someone kindness or speak up about something that's wrong, but we don't trust Him enough to immediately obey Him. We want to wait and decide for ourselves whether or not to do it."

"But if August had done that in the game today, he wouldn't have made it home," Ryker pointed out.

"Right," said Dad. "And if we don't obey God right away, by the time we make the decision, we may have missed the Lord's timing. We need to obey God as soon as we know He wants us to do something. Even though it may feel hard or scary, we have the Holy Spirit in us to give us strength so that we can display His goodness and love in everything we do."

"So is God telling you to use my home run as another example in your Sunday school class tomorrow?" asked August.

Dad thought about it a moment. "You know, I think He is!" He smiled. "Maybe He'll use it to show someone else how important it is to trust and follow Jesus."

–Carolyn Gaston

How About You?
Are there times when you know the Lord wants you to do something but you hesitate to obey? Perhaps you know He wants you to speak to someone about Jesus, be kind to a new student, or help someone with a task. When you know He's prompting you to do something, don't hesitate. Obey Him immediately so you can point others to His goodness and love.

Today's Key Verse:
I am doing what the Father told Me to do so the world may know I love the Father. (NLV) (John 14:31)

Today's Key Thought:
Obey God immediately

Bible Reading: Proverbs 2:1-9; John 14:26

"How did you like our game today, Dad?" asked August when he and Ryker got in the car after their baseball game.

"It was great!" said Dad. "Do you mind if I use you guys for an example in my Sunday school class tomorrow? Our lesson is about our Christian walk with Jesus, and you gave me some good examples. Can you boys figure out what they are?"

Ryker and August looked at each other and shrugged. "Umm…because we were on the winning team?" August guessed.

"Good thought!" said Dad. "With Jesus, you're on the winning team too. He defeated sin and death when He died on the cross and rose again. But I had some other things in mind. One of them was something Ryker did."

Ryker grinned. "Something good, I hope?"

"Yes, something good. I noticed that while you were waiting for your turn at bat in the sixth inning, some boys in the bleachers were calling out to you just as your coach came up to say something."

"Yeah. Those guys are on my soccer team at school, and they wanted me to come over to the fence and talk to them," Ryker explained.

"Well, I'm glad you didn't let them distract you and miss what your coach wanted to tell you," said Dad. "It's important to listen to him."

"Right," said Ryker. "Coach Tim always tells us that too. But why did that remind you of Christians? I don't get it."

"That's the way we need to listen to God," Dad explained. "He talks to us through His Word, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit helps us understand what it says and how we should apply it to our lives. Sometimes we don't pay attention to Him because we're so busy doing our own thing. Other times we might be distracted by what other people are saying or wanting us to do."

"So if we're so easily distracted, how can we be sure to listen to Him?" asked August.

"I think I know!" said Ryker. "By taking time to read the Bible and pray?"

Dad nodded. "That's one way to listen to God's voice. He also speaks to us through His church--His body of believers. As we worship and learn about God together and share our struggles with one another, the Holy Spirit speaks to us and guides us in His truth and love."

–Carolyn Gaston

How About You?
Do you listen to the Lord? He speaks to you through His Word and teaches you its truth through other Christians such as parents, pastors, and teachers. Be alert to what God is saying. When it's different from what your friends or other people tell you, be ready to say no to them and yes to God. Listen to Him and trust Him to guide you in your walk with Jesus.

Today's Key Verse:
We must obey God rather than people. (CSB) (Acts 5:29)

Today's Key Thought:
Listen to God

Bible Reading: Psalm 139:1-18; Romans 8:14-17

Sophia ran her fingers through the sand and watched in anticipation. Her family had been on vacation in Cabo, Mexico, for several days, and now the event she had been waiting for was here: the baby turtle release. Her younger brother Charlie inched closer to the rope they were supposed to sit behind. "Look, Sophie! He's dumping them out of the bucket!"

Dozens of tiny turtles, smaller than Charlie's hands, were gently deposited from the bucket onto the sand. Sophia squealed excitedly as she watched them move their tiny flippers to propel themselves across the sand toward the ocean waves. Occasionally, a giant wave would engulf the babies, sweeping some of them to their ocean home and dragging others further up on the shore.

Groaning in frustration, Sophia nudged her mom. "Look at this poor little one! Every time it gets closer to the water, a wave comes up and ruins its progress! How come the man releasing them won't help?"

Mom smiled. "It's all part of the process God created for the turtles--it's called imprinting. When the babies are making their way to the ocean, their bodies will remember the air, sand, and other things about this very beach. Years later when it's time for the grown-up female turtles to lay their eggs, they will journey hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles back here to bury their eggs."

"Wow! Imprinting is so cool!" Sophia exclaimed.

Dad snapped a picture. "It reminds me of Psalm 139, where David wrote about God knowing everything about him. God knows when we're sleeping and when we're awake. He knows when we're at home and when we're in Cabo. There's nowhere we can go that He doesn't see us and care for us."

Mom nodded. "When we trust in Jesus, He gives us the Holy Spirit to remind us that we are His. Our hearts are imprinted to Him, and His Spirit inside us speaks to us, telling us that we belong to Him."

Charlie piped up. "No matter where these turtles go, they will remember that this beach is their home."

Sophia grinned at her brother. "And no matter where we go, even all the way to Cabo, Jesus is our home."

–Savannah Coleman

How About You?
Did you know that you were wonderfully formed and created by God and He knows everything about you? Every single day of your life is known by God before you live it out, and His thoughts about you are more than all the grains of sand on the seashore. When you are a child of God, the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart and reminds you that you belong to Him. No matter where you go, you can be confident that God sees you, knows you, and will always be with you.

Today's Key Verse:
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. (NIV) (Romans 8:16)

Today's Key Thought:
We are imprinted with God's Spirit

Bible Reading: Psalm 103:8-14

Nevaeh was almost finished helping Mrs. Burns with her housework. "I need to get to the bank before it closes," Mrs. Burns told her. "Do you think you could finish and lock up when you leave?"

"Sure," said Nevaeh. "No problem." So Mrs. Burns said goodbye and left.

Nevaeh hummed as she dusted, but suddenly--CRASH! She stared in dismay at the pieces of blue glass on the floor. She had accidentally knocked a vase off a table. Oh no! thought Nevaeh as her eyes filled with tears. What will Mrs. Burns think when she gets back? She sighed as she picked up the pieces of broken glass. Before leaving, she wrote a note, telling Mrs. Burns about the broken vase and saying she would pay for a new one.

"You did the right thing," Mom said when she heard what had happened.

That evening, Mrs. Burns called. "Thanks for leaving the note," she said, "but don't worry about paying for the vase. I'll never miss it!" Nevaeh felt much better, but she still wasn't looking forward to seeing Mrs. Burns at church on Sunday.

Sunday arrived, and Nevaeh nervously approached Mrs. Burns. "You're sure I don't owe you anything?" asked Nevaeh. "For the vase I broke?"

"The vase? Oh, right--the vase." Mrs. Burns shook her head and smiled. "I had forgotten about it. You should forget it too." She patted Nevaeh's arm. "Can you come and help me on Friday? I'm having guests next weekend and could use some help."

Back home, Nevaeh told Mom what Mrs. Burns had said. "It took her a minute to realize what I was talking about," said Nevaeh. "I think she really had forgotten all about it. And she wants me to work for her again on Friday!"

Mom smiled. "The vase may have been valuable--who knows? But Mrs. Burns forgave you for breaking it, and perhaps she made a decision not to remember. So she forgot about it. That's a good example of the way God forgives us for our sin. Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for the wrong things we've done, and when we confess our sin to Him, He forgives it and will never bring it up again! We can accept His forgiveness and go on serving Him."

–Karen R. Locklear

How About You?
Do you continue to feel bad about something you did wrong--even after you've confessed it to God and asked Him to forgive you? The Bible says He'll remove your sin and not think of it again. Instead of going over and over what you did wrong, you can have peace knowing God has forgiven you. Accept His forgiveness and thank Him for it. He truly is a wonderful God!

Today's Key Verse:
Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. (NKJV) (Hebrews 8:12)

Today's Key Thought:
God forgives sin

Bible Reading: 1 Peter 4:10-11

Mario flopped down on his bed. Why had Mom enrolled him in a basketball league? He knew nothing about sports. Mom said it was for exercise and to learn teamwork and make friends. Mario feared that when the other boys found out he had no experience playing basketball, they wouldn't want him on the team.

He gazed up at his bedroom ceiling covered with stick-on constellations. He'd rather be in a club that studied the planets, stars, moon, and sun--things he loved. He heaved a long and loud sigh.

"What's that all about?" Grandpa stood in his doorway.

"Nothing." Grandpa wouldn't understand. He'd played college basketball.

"Would looking at the real constellations help? It's a clear night," Grandpa said.

Mario doubted looking at the stars would make him feel better, but he couldn't say no. When he and his mom moved in with Grandpa after his parents divorced, Grandpa positioned a telescope in the walk-in attic window for him.

Once behind the telescope lens, to Mario's surprise, his mood brightened. "There's Orion."

Grandpa bent down and squinted into the lens. "Awesome. I'm glad you taught me to appreciate the constellations." He moved the telescope. "The Milky Way is bright tonight."

Mario smiled. He had an idea. "Grandpa, would you help me appreciate basketball?"

Confused, Grandpa scrunched his face.

"Mom enrolled me in a basketball league to learn teamwork and make friends. I thought maybe if you practiced with me, I'd fit in better."

"Sure, I'll practice with you." Grandpa tussled Mario's hair then peered through the telescope. "Isn't it nice how God made both the moon and the stars unique and beautiful? They both give off light, but in a different way. Just like people." Grandpa looked at Mario. "God made us all different. We are each one of a kind with interests and talents specific to us. When you feel out of place, remember that God created you and loves you, Mario. He sent Jesus to die for you so you could be His child, and He gave you the gifts you have so you could share His love and goodness with others."

Mario thought a minute. "Maybe while I'm learning basketball, I can get others interested in the amazing constellations He created."

–Rose Ross Zediker

How About You?
Are your interests different from those of everyone you know? Do you worry about fitting in at school, church, or even in your family? It's normal to sometimes feel this way. When you do, remember God created you special and unique. He knew His world needed you and your talents! He loves you and gave you the gifts and interests you have so you could share His love with others.

Today's Key Verse:
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (NIV) (Psalm 139:14)

Today's Key Thought:
You are God's unique creation