Bible Reading: Romans 8:35-37; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; 1 Peter 4:12–14

Alisha ran inside the house. "There's a butterfly outside!" she exclaimed. "I got a picture on my phone. Do you want to see it?" she asked Devin, her older sister.

"Sure." Devin inspected the photo. "That butterfly is beautiful," she said as she cut into a mango.

Alisha frowned as juice hit her phone. "That mango juice is getting everywhere."

Devin shrugged as a piece of mango flew across the kitchen. "I'm trying to keep it from splashing all over the place, but mangos are messy."

Alisha sat down at the counter and watched her sister. "Why eat mangos then? If they're messy, you could just not buy them."

Devin popped a piece of mango into her mouth. "Because they taste really good, and I think it's worth it." She gave Alisha a smile. "It's kind of like your school problem."

Alisha blinked. "Your mango is like people being mean to me at school because I believe in Jesus?" she asked doubtfully.

"Kind of. Being a follower of Jesus can be messy. The Bible even tells us that--it says others might make fun of us or try to make life harder for us, like the kids at school who are mean to you. But you haven't stopped trusting in Jesus, have you?"

Alisha looked shocked. "Why would I do that? He died for my sins so He could be with me all the time, and someday I'll be able to spend forever in heaven with Him."

Devin smiled. "See? Knowing Jesus is worth it. Just like the mangos." She cut into a second mango.

Alisha ducked so no juice would hit her. "I don't care how messy following Jesus is! Just like you don't care how messy your mango is." She thought about that for a moment. "I guess that makes sense. Kids at school make fun of me, but I know that Jesus loves me and died to save me, and that's worth whatever mean stuff people say." Alisha shrieked as a piece of mango hit her arm. "But those mangos are not worth it at all. I'm getting out of here!"

–Kimberly Brokish

How About You?
Has anyone ever been mean to you because you believe in Jesus?* Maybe they've called you names or said Jesus isn't real. The Bible tells us that being Christians doesn't protect us from all hardships--in fact, sometimes we will experience difficulties because we follow Jesus. But the Bible does tell us that Jesus will always love us and be with us. Take comfort in knowing that Jesus will be with you no matter what happens. He is worth any difficulties that come with following Him. *If someone is being mean to you, talk to a trusted adult so they can help.

Today's Key Verse:
That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (NIV) (2 Corinthians 12:10)

Today's Key Thought:
Hardships come when we follow Christ

Bible Reading: Joshua 1:1-9

The sick feeling in Micah's stomach got worse as the plane lifted off the ground and lurched into the air. Everything below him was the size of ants. Not only did he feel sick to his stomach, his chest felt tight too. Dad sat next to him and tried to smile encouragingly. It didn't help.

Since his parents' divorce he'd had to spend most of his time with Mom and went to visit Dad in the summer and over Christmas. Every time he left Mom, Micah felt scared. He wasn't afraid of his dad--he loved him--just scared of change. Of traveling to new places. Airports. Big cities. The sadness he felt from his parent's divorce was bad enough, but the fear that came with it made him feel like his life was out of control.

The plane leveled off, and Micah began to breathe a little easier. Dad reached over and gave him a hug. "Change is hard, isn't it? New things and places can be uncomfortable. But I know something that might help you." Dad pulled out his Bible. "This morning I read about Joshua leading the children of Israel into their new land. There were bad guys to fight, he'd never led anyone into battle before, and change was all around him. But God was with him and brought him through it all."

Dad squeezed Micah's arm. "I know your mom's and my divorce has been very difficult for you and how many changes you've had to go through. But I also know that because you trust in Jesus, God is with you and will never leave you. Wherever you go, He goes. God was with Joshua just like He promised, and He promises to be with you too. You don't have to be afraid."

After Micah listened to Dad read some verses from his Bible, he thought about it for a while. He liked the idea of never being alone. Someone would always be with him when new things happened or new people came into his life. And not just anyone, but someone who loved and cared about him. A trusted Friend--Jesus. Micah relaxed back into his seat and smiled. "You know, Dad, I think this is gonna be our best visit ever!"

–S.K. Fry

How About You?
Have you ever been afraid of change? Of being alone? God promises in His Word that He will always be with His children. Jesus gave His life to save you from sin and make you God's child, and He will be with you in hard times and give you strength and guidance. No matter what happens or where you go, He will always be with you.

Today's Key Verse:
Be strong and courageous…for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (NIV) (Joshua 1:9)

Today's Key Thought:
God is with you

Bible Reading: Psalm 51:6-10; Luke 11:37-41

"Mom, can we go home now? I'm sooo bored!" Stella slumped against the seat of the car.

"Stella, we're almost done--kids, look! A whole block sale!" Mom pulled the car over to the side of the road.

Hayden excitedly pressed his nose against the window. "I love yard sailing!"

The family got out of the car. Hayden ran straight to a model airplane. Stella stuck close to her mom as they looked at different mugs. Mom picked up one with a lid just as Hayden came running back. He and Stella both saw it at the same time, and the siblings gasped in unison.

"That is the prettiest mug I've ever seen!" Stella exclaimed.

"Mom, you have to get it!" Hayden said.

"All right, fine." Mom laughed and brought the mug to the cashier.

When the family arrived home, Stella asked, "Mom, can I please have the mug?"

Mom smiled. "No, but if you clean it, you can be the first to drink out of it!"

Stella's eyes sparkled. "Deal!" She ran excitedly to the sink. She opened the lid of the mug and immediately shut it. "Eww, it's all gross on the inside!"

Mom came over and peered at the mug. "Kids, this is a perfect example of what I read during my devotions today! In the book of Matthew, Jesus told the Pharisees to first clean the inside of the cup, and then the outside will also be clean. What do you think that verse actually means?"

Stella wrinkled her nose in thought. "Oh, I know! God wants what we look like on the inside to matter more to us than our outward appearance."

Hayden's eyes widened. "God wants us to clean our insides?"

Stella smirked. "No, silly. God sees our hearts, and that's what matters to Him."

"Oh, I get it now!" said Hayden. "We need to let Jesus make us clean."

"You got it," said Mom. "When we trust Jesus as our Savior, He cleans our sin away and pours His love into our hearts. Then our outward actions will make His love visible to others." She smiled. "Now, who wants some hot chocolate to go in that mug?"

–Summer Coleman

How About You?
Are you more concerned with your outward appearance and how others see you than with God and how He sees your heart? What's on the inside matters more because when we truly have a clean heart, it shows in the way we act and speak. How do you get a clean heart? By trusting in Jesus. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page or go to www.keysforkids.org/goodnews.) When you have His love in your heart, others will see it in how you treat them.

Today's Key Verse:
First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside will also be clean. (NKJV) (Matthew 23:26)

Today's Key Thought:
What's inside is most important

Bible Reading: Psalm 42:1-4

"It's still raining," said Hayley. "Isn't the sun ever going to shine again?"

"We need rain to make the garden grow," said Mom. She smiled at her daughter. "This might be a good time for you to pray and read your Bible. You haven't done that yet today, have you?"

"No--but I have some other things I want to do first." Hayley quickly headed for the stairs. "Seems like all we do in this family is go to church and read the Bible and pray," she mumbled to herself. She blushed when she saw Mom glance her way. Oops! I hope Mom didn't hear that, she thought.

A little while later, Hayley came back downstairs and glanced out the window. "Good!" she said. "The rain stopped. We've had enough."

"Come with me to the garden," said Mom. "I want to show you something."

Outside, Mom plunged a shovel into the dirt and turned it over. The ground was quite wet on top, but a little way down, the dirt was dry.

"I thought it'd be muddy a mile below the surface!" said Hayley. "I guess we do need more rain."

Mom nodded. "The ground needs a lot of regular rain or it will dry out," she said. "It reminds me of us--if we don't regularly pray, read the Bible, and go to church, we can dry out spiritually."

Hayley sighed. "You heard what I said earlier, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did," said Mom. "And I know it can be hard to do those things sometimes, but the Bible compares our need for Jesus to thirst. Even after we've put our faith in Him, we still need to spend time with Him so He can remind us that He has saved us and help us feel His love and presence in our lives. If we don't pray, read His Word, and worship Him with other Christians regularly, we can lose sight of how much we need Him and become spiritually dry--just like this ground without rain."

Hayley was silent as they headed back to the house. "I think I'll go have my quiet time now," she said once they were inside. "I'm feeling thirsty for God's Word."

–Cindy Huff

How About You?
Are you eager to spend time with Jesus and get to know Him better? As a Christian, your soul thirsts for Jesus, and that thirst can only be quenched by spending time in His presence so He can remind you of His love and that you are His. Don't be a dry Christian. Spend quality time reading God's Word, talking to Jesus, and learning all you can about Him.

Today's Key Verse:
I lift my hands to you in prayer. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. (NLT) (Psalm 143:6)

Today's Key Thought:
Don't be a dry Christian

Bible Reading: Proverbs 4:20-27; Matthew 14:22-32

Mara climbed up onto the beam Dad had built for her. She was determined to make the school gymnastics team, but after taking a few steps, she wobbled and nearly slipped off. "Focus your eyes on that picture you put up," Mom said.

While staring at the picture on the wall across the room, Mara slowly lifted her foot. But when she glanced back at her mother, she tilted to the left and then swayed to the right. She tried to regain her balance, but had to hop down to keep from toppling off the beam. She climbed back up. "I'm gonna get this," she said. "I just have to focus."

After dinner that evening, Dad opened his Bible and handed it to Mara. "Why don't you read a few verses from Proverbs for us?"

"Okay." Mara took the Bible and began to read. When she finished, she looked up. "Proverbs 4:25 sounds like good advice for gymnastics. I need to look straight ahead and keep my eyes from wandering. Every time I lose my focus, I lose my balance."

Mom nodded. "I have trouble with that too."

"You do?" Mara grinned. "Do you get up on the beam and practice when I'm not around?"

Mom laughed. "No, but I have trouble in another area. As Christians, we need to keep our focus on Jesus so we don't get distracted by things in this world and lose our balance in life."

Mara thought about that. "When I practice for gymnastics, I stare at that picture on the wall. But how do we focus on Jesus?"

"Good question," said Dad. "The passage you just read listed some ways to do that. Do you remember what it said we should do?"

"I know!" said Mara's little brother. "It said we should pay attention to what God says."

"And keep it in our hearts and not let it out of our sight," added Mara.

Dad nodded. "Right. That means putting our faith in Jesus and looking to His Word for guidance in our lives. It also means confessing our sins to Jesus and trusting Him for the power to obey Him and show His love to others. Focusing our lives on Him will keep us in perfect balance."

–Nance E. Keyes

How About You?
Do you focus on Jesus as you go about each day? Do you remember all He's done for you and the love and forgiveness you have in Him? Do you trust Him to help you turn from sin and treat others with kindness? There are lots of things that need our daily attention, but don't let them draw you away from what's really important. Stay focused on Jesus and depend on Him to help you in every area of life.

Today's Key Verse:
Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. (NIV) (Proverbs 4:25)

Today's Key Thought:
Focus on Jesus