Bible Reading: Colossians 1:9-14

Hudson was working on his electric train set when Dad joined him in the basement. "How's the train project coming along?" he asked.

"Good!" said Hudson. "It's almost ready to run."

"All right!" said Dad. "And how was school today?"

Hudson frowned. "I got in trouble for coming in late from recess again, and Miss Cooley gave me extra math homework because I didn't do the homework she assigned yesterday." He sighed. "Everyone's always on my case--I wish I could just do whatever I wanted, like you and Mom."

"Hmm," said Dad. "Well, Hudson, let's see how your train runs." He reached over and pressed the start button, and the train began moving.

"Wait! What are you doing? I don't have all the tracks down yet!" exclaimed Hudson. "It's gonna crash!" As he spoke, the train rounded the turn and rolled off the track, falling on its side. Hudson sighed. "I knew that would happen."

"So the train needs the tracks," said Dad. "Otherwise it doesn't get where it's supposed to go, right?"

Hudson nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, God's path for your life is like those tracks," said Dad. "He sent Jesus to die for you so you could have a relationship with Him for all eternity, and He is patiently building your character and shaping you to be more like Jesus so others can see His love in you. He does that for each one of His children, but when we insist on doing things our own way and disobey the people He puts in our lives to help us learn, we get off track. When that happens, we need to ask Him to forgive us and set us right again."

Dad picked up the train and set it back on the track. "It may seem like Mom and I can do whatever we want because we're adults, but that's not true. We're just farther down our life track than you are and have already learned many of the things God is still teaching you--like responsibility. But we still need His guidance and forgiveness just as much as you do."

"Okay, Dad," Hudson said as he put another piece of the track in place. "I'll trust God to help me stay on track."

–Michael R. Chapman

How About You?
Do you get tired of people telling you what to do? Do you ever wish you could do whatever you wanted? Remember that God has placed people in your life to teach you what He wants you to learn. As you get older, you'll have more freedom in making choices, but you'll have more responsibilities too. That's why you need to depend on God to help you stay on track. Trust Him to lead you along life's path in the way He wants you to go.

Today's Key Verse:
That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. (NKJV) (Colossians 1:10)

Today's Key Thought:
Trust God's path for your life

Bible Reading: Isaiah 26:3; Matthew 6:25-27, 31-34

"Get in there!" said Finley, shoving her beach blanket into her suitcase.

"Are you still packing?" asked her older brother, Ian. "We're leaving in ten minutes! Here, let me help you." He jumped on the lid of the suitcase, holding it in place while Finley moved the zipper around the edges.

Dad appeared at the door. "I'll take your suitcase to the car," he said, picking it up. "Wow! Why is it so heavy?"

"Because she's taking half the things in her room!" said Ian.

"Well, they're important," Finley said. "I need my hat, my beach blanket, and three swimsuits in case I can't decide which one to wear. I need my sailboat to play with in the ocean, and I can't build sand castles without my pail and shovel. If it rains, I'll have my raincoat, my boots, and my umbrella. I also packed a puzzle, some games, and bedtime books. And my teddy bear in case I can't fall asleep."

"I think you should leave some things behind," said Dad.

"But what if I need something and don't have it?"

"Finley, I think something else might be weighing your suitcase down," said Dad. "Just like you packed too many things in your suitcase, you can also pack too many worries in your head--and they can make life very heavy."

"I thought I was just planning ahead for a good vacation," said Finley.

"It's good to be prepared, but there's a difference between planning ahead and trying to control anything that could happen. That's what worrying really is--being afraid of something you can't control. If you unpack your worries, your suitcase will probably be lighter too."

"But how do I unpack my worries?" asked Finley.

"By surrendering them to Jesus. He loves you so much He died for you, and He promises to take care of you. Instead of worrying about what might happen, you can have peace knowing He's in control. Let Him carry the weight of your worries." Dad unzipped Finley's suitcase. "Why don't we take a moment to pray about some of your worries now? Then we can lighten up that suitcase and start our vacation!"

–Elena Dee

How About You?
Do you feel heavy with worry? Are you afraid of things in your life you can't control? Worries can weigh you down like a heavy suitcase, but it doesn't have to be that way. Jesus wants to carry your worries for you. He died and rose again to save you, and He promises to provide you with everything you need. Pray about what's worrying you, and trust Him to take care of you and give you peace.

Today's Key Verse:
Give all your worries to him, because he cares for you. (ERV) (1 Peter 5:7)

Today's Key Thought:
Give your worries to Jesus

Bible Reading: Psalms 8; 104:24-28

Carson loved visiting the aquarium. There was so much to see there, and he not only liked seeing the bigger fish but also the smaller ones and the other creatures that lived in the ocean. He could spend hours watching the tanks and all the different creatures that lived in them.

"Having fun?" Carson's uncle Brett asked.

Carson's younger cousins were running back and forth, shouting out the names of everything they saw, but Carson had chosen to stand and quietly observe the tank in front of him.

Carson nodded. "This is awesome."

"It is. Just think about God's creativity with all of this," Uncle Brett said. "He could have made all the fish look alike, but instead they are different colors, shapes, and sizes."

"Yet they all live together in the ocean." Carson shook his head. "It's amazing."

They continued on in the aquarium for a while before taking a break for lunch. Carson was disappointed to leave. "There's just so much to see. I want to make sure we get to all of it," he said with a sigh as he followed his family away from the tanks.

"We'll see more of it after lunch," Uncle Brett said. "And since you're so interested, maybe we'll have to come back again. Or better yet, maybe you and I could go snorkeling one day."

Carson's eyes widened. "Really?"

Uncle Brett nodded. "I always love seeing more of God's creation. The ocean is filled with even more amazing creatures than we can find here."

"That would be so cool," Carson said.

Uncle Brett nudged his shoulder. "The ocean and all that's in it is pretty amazing, but one of God's most special creations is right here."

"Huh?" Carson glanced at him.

"You!" Uncle Brett said. "God created you and your cousins and me and all people with just as much care as He did all the creatures in the ocean. But He made us in His own image, and when we were separated from Him because of sin, Jesus died and rose again to save us and give us eternal life. I think that makes us pretty special, don't you?"

"Yeah." Carson smiled. "But I'd still love to go snorkeling in the ocean."

–Bethany Acker

How About You?
When you look at the ocean and all the creatures that live in it, does it amaze you? How does it feel to know God made all that and that He made you too? People are God's most special creation, and He loves us so much He sent Jesus to die for us so we could live with Him forever. When you look at God's amazing creation, remember how special you are to Him.

Today's Key Verse:
There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number--living things both large and small. (NIV) (Psalm 104:25)

Today's Key Thought:
God created the oceans and you

Bible Reading: Isaiah 55:10-11; Jeremiah 18:6

Tiago held a headless clay animal in his hand. "Mom!" he wailed. "I forgot to put my animal back in the container, and the clay got all hard and dry before I could finish, so now it doesn't have a head!"

"I'm sorry, Tiago," said Mom. "But it's too late to do anything about it now. It's time for bed."

"But my animal project is due tomorrow, and now all this work was for nothing!" Tiago groaned as he dropped the animal onto his dresser and crawled into bed.

Mom glanced at the Bible on Tiago's dresser. "Aren't you going to read a few verses before you go to sleep?" she asked. "I thought you did that every night."

Tiago shrugged. "I've been busy lately, and I don't understand it very well anyway." He pulled the covers up to his chin. "I think it'd be better to wait until I'm older so I can understand it."

Mom picked up the animal Tiago had made. "Did you know that we're a lot like clay?"

"We are?" asked Tiago.

Mom nodded. "The Bible compares us to clay that God shapes. When you shaped this, it took time, didn't it? You kept working with it until it looked good. God does that with us. One way He does that is through His Word--the Bible. Even though you don't understand everything, it helps you learn more about Jesus and what He did to save you. As you read and listen to God's truth in the Bible, He works in your heart and helps you learn to trust and obey Him so He can shape your life into something beautiful."

Tiago looked at the hardened clay his mom was holding. "He'll probably do a better job shaping me than I did with that animal, huh?"

"Yes," said Mom. "You can trust Him to shape you to be more like Jesus--and reading your Bible will help you understand more about what that looks like." Mom set down the animal and picked up Tiago's Bible. "So do you want to read a few verses now? You can let me know if you need help understanding them."

"Okay," said Tiago. "But don't go far away. I'll probably need help!"

–A.J. Schut

How About You?
Does the Bible seem too hard for you to understand? Even though you don't understand everything, it helps you learn more about who God is and what He's done for you. So spend time reading it each day, and ask other Christians--like parents, teachers, or pastors--to explain some of the things you find difficult. God will use it to shape you into the person He wants you to be.

Today's Key Verse:
My word…will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire. (NKJV) (Isaiah 55:11)

Today's Key Thought:
God shapes you through His Word

Bible Reading: Romans 8:28-29; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Trey was excited because today Grandma was finally going to teach him how to make her famous molasses bread. As Dad dropped him off and waved goodbye, Trey could already taste the rich, fluffy bread and the salty crunch of toasted oats on top.

Grandma welcomed Trey with a hug and led him into the kitchen. They used sign language to communicate because Trey was deaf. Grandma signed "flour," "molasses," "yeast," and "spoon." Trey scurried around the kitchen to find the ingredients while Grandma started mixing.

As they added more and more ingredients, a dark and gooey dough formed. Grandma placed a towel over the dough bowl before gently setting it in a sunny part of the kitchen.

"Why doesn't the dough look like bread yet?" Trey signed.

Grandma smiled. "The dough must rise before it goes in the oven."

That made sense to Trey. After an hour and a half, they checked the dough. It was double the size and very poofy. Grandma punched down the dough before laying it on the pan and putting it in the oven.

Trey frowned. The dough still didn't look like bread. It didn't look tasty at all. Did Grandma forget something?

He asked her this, and she replied, "Just you wait and see."

When Grandma took the tray out of the oven, Trey was nervous. But the bread looked perfect, smelled perfect, and tasted even better than perfect.

As they ate, Grandma said, "You know, making bread reminds me of what it's like to become God's new creation."

Trey shrugged, confused. Grandma continued. "Before we put our trust in Jesus, we are like raw, scattered ingredients--we don't have a purpose. We are controlled by our wrong desires and deserve death because of our sin. But Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead so we could have new life and live with Him forever. Jesus gives us a purpose--to love Him and others and become more like Him. Just like the dough needs the oven to become bread, we need Jesus to be saved from sin and be made new."

Trey nodded eagerly and took Grandma's hand to pray. Somehow this seemed even better than Grandma's famous molasses bread.

–Hannah Chung

How About You?
Have you ever baked something and wondered, "How do these random ingredients make something so delicious?" Without the oven, the dough would be raw and inedible. Similarly, we can only have true life by trusting in Jesus. When you trust Him to save you, God immediately makes you new! Trust in Jesus today and experience a new life of purpose. (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:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (NKJV) (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Today's Key Thought:
Christ alone makes us new