Bible Reading: Psalm 1:1-6

"We did a fun thing in science today," Haneul told his mom as he packed his suitcase for a weekend with his grandparents. "We had to get into groups and decide which items we would include in our survival kit if we were taking a trip to the moon. Our teacher gave us a list of twenty things, and we had to choose eight of them for our kit."

"Did everyone agree on the same items?" asked Mom.

Haneul shook his head. "One boy in my group kept insisting that we take a compass. What good would that do on the moon? It doesn't have a magnetic field like Earth does. And chocolate wasn't even on the list! How could anyone survive without chocolate?"

Mom laughed. "You and your chocolate."

"There were a lot of foods we couldn't take, so I thought we should take vitamins," Haneul continued. "Otherwise we might not get all the stuff we need to stay healthy." He added a couple of things to his suitcase and closed it. "There! I'm done."

"Did you pack pajamas?" asked Mom.

"Of course!" Haneul answered.

"Toothbrush?" Mom wanted to know.

"Yep," said Haneul. "Don't forget, Mom--I worked on a survival kit at school today. I'm a pro at packing now!"

"What about daily nutrition?" Mom asked.

Haneul laughed. "I don't need to take any food with me--or vitamins. Grandma will make sure I eat well!"

"I was actually referring to a different kind of nutrition," Mom told him. "You need spiritual food wherever you are, and the Bible is a place to get that. The Holy Spirit uses it to nourish our hearts and remind us of Jesus's love, grace, and promises."

Haneul looked at the Bible on his bedside table. "Okay. I'll take it." He picked it up, opened his suitcase, and made room for it. "But even if I didn't take it along, I'm sure Grandpa and Grandma would make sure I got spiritual food. They go to church and talk about Jesus a lot."

"Yes, but it's good to read the Bible for yourself too." Mom smiled. "It probably wasn't on your list at school, but it would also be a good thing to have on the moon!"

–Nance E. Keyes

How About You?
Would you include a Bible in a survival kit for the moon? Is it a regular part of your life now? It's easy to remember the food our physical bodies need, but you need spiritual food too. Feed your mind with spiritual truth by reading the Bible and learning about what it says at church. Then trust God to use it to nourish you spiritually and help you apply what it says to your life.

Today's Key Verse:
People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. (NLT) (Matthew 4:4)

Today's Key Thought:
Be nourished by God Word

Bible Reading: Luke 11:5-10

"Coco, not now, I'm busy," Laney said as she turned a page in her book.

But Laney's chocolate-colored cat continued to scratch on the door, wanting to go outside. Coco loved to chase the birds and butterflies and lounge on the porch swing, and she wouldn't stop scratching until someone let her out.

"Coco, I've got to say, you sure are persistent, and it usually works," Laney said when she finally got up to open the door.

Coco darted outside and jumped up onto the porch swing. Laney laughed and sat down beside her to continue reading.

"Are you enjoying your book?" asked Mom a little later when they were having lunch. "When do you have to turn in your book report?"

"The book report is due on Tuesday, and the book is pretty good. Coco had a great idea for a reading spot too--we both ended up on the porch swing when Coco wouldn't stop scratching on the door to go outside. I guess her persistence paid off for both of us!"

Mom smiled. "That makes me think of a story in the Bible." She took her Bible from the shelf and read a few verses that talked about how praying was like asking a friend for bread over and over until it's given to you.

"Jesus was teaching the disciples how to pray and wanted to show them the importance of being persistent," Mom explained. "We need to be persistent in prayer. God wants us to keep on asking and expecting Him to answer. He loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for us, and He wants us to come to Him with our wants, needs, and concerns. Coco was persistent until she got what she needed--or should I say wanted--and that's the kind of persistence we need to have when we pray, knowing that God hears us and will always answer with what is best."

"The next time Coco keeps scratching at the door, I'll remember that's how God wants me to come to Him with my needs and concerns," Laney said as she helped her mom clear the table. When they finished, Laney grabbed her book. "Come on, Coco. Let's go on out to the porch swing."

–Lisa Fuller

How About You?
Have you ever wondered why prayer is important? Prayer is a way to get to know God better. As we communicate our wants, needs, and concerns to Him, He gives us His peace and helps us learn to trust Him. He wants us to boldly bring our requests to Him in prayer again and again, knowing that He will answer--even if it's in a different way than we're asking. Pray persistently, and trust God to answer in the way He knows is best.

Today's Key Verse:
Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. (NLT) (Colossians 4:2)

Today's Key Thought:
Be persistent in prayer

Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 31:6-8; Psalm 139:7-10

Ava lay on the sofa, her face pale, her bald head a circle against the pillow. Medical treatments had caused her hair to fall out. Her grandmother looked over just as Ava dabbed a tear from her eye. "What's wrong, honey?" asked Grandma. "Not feeling so good today?"

"I'm scared," replied Ava in a trembling voice. "It seems like God has gone away. Ever since I got sick, it feels as if He isn't here at all."

Grandma squeezed Ava's hand. "It may feel like that, but God promises to always be with us. Sometimes it's hard to keep praying and trusting Him, but we need to do that." She sat down beside Ava. "The way you feel isn't surprising though. It reminds me of something that happened to me when I was little."

"Were you sick too?" asked Ava.

"Yes," Grandma said. "I was once very sick with the flu. My mother had given me medicine at bedtime and stayed with me until I fell asleep. But then, in the middle of the night, I woke up in the dark. My head throbbed, and my throat was so sore that I couldn't call out to my parents down the hall. I was too weak to get out of bed, so I just lay there crying, thinking I was all alone. But then a light switched on, and there was my mother, right beside me. She had been sleeping in a chair next to my bed the whole time!"

"So, God is still here with me even though it feels like I'm all alone?" asked Ava.

Grandma nodded. "My mother slept in that chair all night so she could stay with me, but Jesus did much more than that to be with you, Ava--He left heaven and came to earth as a baby, and when He grew up, He died for your sins so you could live with Him forever. Even though being sick may make it seem like He's far away, He's not. He promises us in the Bible that He won't ever leave us. He's with you every moment, giving you strength and comfort."

Ava was thoughtful. "Can you show me that verse in the Bible?" she asked after a moment. "I want to read it for myself."

–Violet E. Nesdoly

How About You?
Have you ever felt like God has forgotten you? When you're sick, your parent loses their job, your friend moves away, or your family splits up, it's easy to think He doesn't care and has left you on your own. But even if you don't feel God's presence, the Bible says He is near to those who know Jesus. He is always with you, no matter how you feel.

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

Today's Key Thought:
God is always with you

Bible Reading: Matthew 25:35-40

Hearing his mom scream, Jeffery dropped his game controller and ran to the kitchen. He found her with a cabinet's contents spread on the counter before her. "Mom, what's wrong?"

"Oh, Jeffery, I didn't mean to scare you. Your mother is simply losing her mind. I know I bought a box of chocolate chip cookies last week. Now, when I want one, I can't find them. They've got to be here somewhere," Mom said as she started emptying another cabinet.

Jeffery bit his lip. "Mom, I took them," he confessed.

"You? Jeffery, you don't like chocolate chip cookies! I seriously doubt you ate a whole box of them. Now your dad, he could eat a whole box. Maybe that's where they went."

"No, Mom," Jeffery repeated, "I took them. You're right, I don't like them, but Russ does."

"Russ from school?" asked Mom as she sat down at the table. "How did Russ get our cookies?"

"Remember when I told you about Russ's family? It's just his little brother and his mom, he doesn't have a dad. Well, Russ told me that his mom works two jobs but there's still not any extra money for snacks. At snack time at school, Russ would act as if he didn't want a snack and just read. But, Mom, looking at him while I ate made my snack taste lousy," said Jeffery with a grimace. "So, I started putting two snacks in my bag and offered one to Russ. I'm sorry I took your cookies without asking."

"Jeffery," Mom said as she stood and gave him a hug, "I don't care about that. What you did for Russ was a wonderful thing. In fact, the Bible says that when we share our food with those who are hungry, it's as if we shared with Jesus."

"For real?" asked Jeffery.

"For real. Jesus loves us all so much that He gave His life to save us. When we care about others the way He does and make sacrifices for them, He counts our loving actions as being done for Him." Mom smiled. "You know, I really do want a chocolate chip cookie. Come with me to the store so you can pick out snacks that both you and Russ would like," she said with a wink.

–Phyllis Johnson

How About You?
Have you done something kind for someone in need? Maybe you helped serve food to the homeless or invited the new kid at school to play with you. Jesus tells us in the Bible that when we do kind and generous things for others, we do them for Him. Think of all the good things the Lord has done for you. Then look for ways to give to Jesus today by showing someone His kindness and generosity.

Today's Key Verse:
Truly I [Jesus] tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me. (NIV) (Matthew 25:40)

Today's Key Thought:
Give to Jesus through others

Bible Reading: Isaiah 52:7-10; Romans 10:13-17

"I hate my feet!" said Madison. "They're too big."

"They are not!" replied Emory, her older sister. "You're tall, so you need bigger feet

to move around and hold you up." She grinned. "I think your feet are beautiful."

Madison laughed. "Thanks. I wish everyone felt that way. Sometimes kids make fun of my feet."

"Well, just because some people think smaller feet are more beautiful doesn't mean they're right," said Emory. "But I know their words can still hurt--and people's opinions can also be hurtful in other ways. People in China once thought only small feet were beautiful too, and girls' feet were wrapped up so tight that they couldn't grow."

Madison frowned. "Did they really do that?"

"Yeah, a long time ago," Emory said. "It was very painful, and girls weren't able to use their feet the way they were supposed to. A book I read told a story about a Chinese woman who had her feet bound when she was very young, and they hardly grew at all. When she was older, she had to be carried to lots of places because her feet were too delicate to walk over rough or uneven ground."

Madison's eyes widened. "That's horrible!"

Emory nodded. "But you know what? The woman in that story eventually learned that her feet were beautiful not because of their size but for another reason."

"Really?" asked Madison. "What was it?"

"Well," said Emory, "the woman became a Christian. After she got married, she and her husband became missionaries to their own people--the Chinese."

"And?" prompted Madison when Emory paused.

"Don't you see? This woman was using her feet to spread the good news of Jesus, and the Bible says that people who do that have beautiful feet!" Emory explained.

"Where in the Bible does it say that?" Madison wanted to know.

"Somewhere in Romans," said Emory. "The point is, using your feet to go tell others about Jesus makes them beautiful. God gave us feet so we could use them, and the best way to do that is to go into the world and share the message that Jesus died for our sins so we could have peace with God."

Madison looked at her feet again and smiled. "Then I want to have big, beautiful feet!"

–Jean A. Burns

How About You?
How do you feel about your feet? Do you think they're beautiful? Your feet were created with care by God, and He wants you to use them. When you carry the good news of Jesus to others and share the message of the wonderful gift He offers to anyone who trusts in Him, you are using your feet to help people know they can be saved and have eternal life. And the Bible says that makes your feet beautiful!

Today's Key Verse:
How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace. (NKJV) (Romans 10:15)

Today's Key Thought:
Tell others about Jesus