Bible Reading: 1 John 5:10-13

Bruno frowned and kicked at a stone as he walked home from school. As he approached Mr. Burk's house, he saw his Sunday school teacher working in the yard. "Hi there, Bruno," said Mr. Burk. "How are you today?"

"Not great," muttered Bruno. He shuffled his toe in the dirt. "I'm always getting into trouble at school." He sighed. "Since I've been coming to your Sunday school class, I've been trying to change and be good--but I just can't seem to do it. Today I had to stay in at recess because I talked back to a teacher."

Mr. Burk leaned on his rake. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said.

Bruno shrugged. "Like I said, I'm trying to do better, but I guess it's hopeless."

"Oh, no, no, no!" said Mr. Burk. "It's not hopeless. I think you're just depending on the wrong things to help you." He picked up a small dead branch that had fallen from a tree. "I was going to plant some fruit trees out back. I'll water them and put fertilizer around them, and soon they'll bear juicy peaches and apples for me to eat." He held up the dead branch. "Why don't you help me plant this one?"

Bruno laughed. "That's a dead stick. You know it won't grow anything."

Mr. Burk looked at the stick. "True," he said. "A dead stick can't produce fruit. And you know what, Bruno? You may be like this stick--you don't have true life either if you haven't trusted Jesus as your Savior. Have you done that?"

"Well, no, I…I…" Bruno stammered. "I thought if I just went to church and read the Bible and did stuff like that, I'd be all right."

"You said you want to do better, but you need Jesus for that," said Mr. Burk. "Even if you read the whole Bible and go to church and pray, you can't produce good fruit unless you have spiritual life that only comes through Jesus. You need Him to free you from sin and give you the power of the Holy Spirit so you can live in a way that shows others His love." Mr. Burk smiled at Bruno. "Would you like me to explain how you can receive real life through Jesus?"

Bruno looked at the dead stick lying on the lawn and nodded.

–Mary Rose Pearson

How About You?
Has Jesus given you spiritual life? Are you bearing good fruit by the power of the Holy Spirit? Or do you just try hard to be good only to fail? Just like a dead stick can't produce fruit when it's not connected to a living tree, you can't live the Christian life without Jesus. Trust Him as your Savior and receive new life today! (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:
Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (NIV) (1 John 5:12)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus gives life

Bible Reading: Exodus 4:10-12; Ephesians 6:18-20

As the curtain dropped at the end of her school play, Hazel's dad and brother made their way backstage. "You remembered every line perfectly," Dad said, giving her a hug.

Hazel smiled. "Before the curtain rose at the beginning, I was so scared! I didn't see how I was going to get through it without my script in front of me. But when I had to start talking, the words just came back."

"What's a script?" asked Hazel's little brother, Tommy.

"It's a copy of the play," said Hazel. "On my copy, I marked the words I had to say." She smiled at a girl walking by. "Good job, Mia!"

"Thanks," murmured Mia. "You did good too, Hazel."

As Hazel and her family drove home, Hazel spoke. "Remember Mia? She seems really unhappy lately. I feel like I should talk to her about it, but I'm afraid I might say the wrong thing." She looked at the script she held in her hand. "I wish there were a script for that sort of thing."

"Well, you're in good company," Dad said. "I think the apostle Paul was sometimes a bit concerned about saying the wrong thing too."

"No way!" said Hazel. "Paul was one of the greatest preachers ever!"

"But he was human--just like you. And he had a big responsibility too--helping people understand how much God loves them and what Jesus did to save them. Do you know what he did about it?"

"Maybe he prayed," suggested Tommy.

"Yes, he did," answered Dad. "And he also asked his Christian friends to pray that God would put the right words into his mouth."

"Sort of how the right words to the play popped into my head tonight?"

"Sort of," said Dad. "Only the words he spoke came from God, not from a script. You may not know the right thing to say to Mia, but God knows exactly what you need to say--and what Mia needs to hear. Pray about it, and if you believe God wants you to talk with her, go for it, trusting Him to help you. I'll pray for you too."

–Heather Tekavec

How About You?
Does the idea of talking to others about Jesus scare you? Do you worry you might say the wrong thing or not be able to think of anything to say at all? Ask God to help you speak the right words at the right time--just like He helped Paul and Moses (see today's Bible reading.) Trust God to give you the words you need when you need them.

Today's Key Verse:
Now go! I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say. (CSB) (Exodus 4:12)

Today's Key Thought:
Let God help you speak

Bible Reading: Psalm 130

Where's Pippi? wondered Monica when she got home from school. She always meets me at the door. Then she saw it--a trail of tissue paper from the bathroom down the hall. "Oh, you naughty puppy! Come here, Pippi!" A brown ball of fur came slinking out from under Monica's bed, tail tucked between its legs. Monica laughed. "You know you're guilty, don't you?" she said, picking up the puppy and rubbing her fur. "But I love you anyway, and I forgive you. Let's get this mess cleaned up."

That night, Monica had trouble sleeping. She couldn't forget something bad she had done that afternoon. She tossed and turned as it went over and over in her mind. Why did I do that? she kept asking herself. Jesus must be so mad at me. I wish I could hide! She pulled the blanket over her head, but it didn't help. Suddenly, Monica shivered. "Mom!" she called. "Mom!"

The light came on, and Monica blinked as she lowered the blanket and saw Mom's concerned look. "Oh, Mom," said Monica, wide-eyed. "It seemed like Jesus was right here!"

"Why does that scare you?" asked Mom. "You know Jesus loves you and is always with you."

Monica's voice shook. "Well, I…I stole some money from Saralyn. It was on her desk, and--"

"And that's why you're afraid." Mom put her arms around Monica. "Remember how Pippi tried to hide after dragging the tissue paper down the hall from the bathroom?"

Monica nodded. "Yes, but it didn't work. I knew where she was hiding and what she'd done. She knew too. I could tell she was ashamed, and I forgave her."

"Well, we often try to do the same thing with God," said Mom. "When we sin, the sense of God's presence can be frightening and make us feel ashamed. But we don't ever have to hide from God in shame, because Jesus took the guilt and shame of our sins on Himself when He died on the cross. When we confess our sin to Him, He will forgive us, just like you forgave Pippi."

"I'll ask Him to forgive me now," said Monica. "And I'll return the money tomorrow." Together, Mom and Monica bowed their heads and prayed. Then Monica snuggled down under the covers, and soon she was fast asleep.

–Barbara J. Westberg

How About You?
Are you ever afraid of God and want to hide from Him? That usually means you know you've done something wrong and feel ashamed of it. But you can't hide anything from God--He already knows all about it, and He wants to forgive you! Jesus paid for all your sins so you wouldn't have to hide. Tell Him what you did and ask His forgiveness. He loves you and wants to give you peace.

Today's Key Verse:
If we confess our sins, God will forgive us. (ERV) (1 John 1:9)

Today's Key Thought:
Confession brings forgiveness

Bible Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; James 1:17

"What a great day!" Colby told his dad as they said goodbye to their friends at the park. They'd joined other families to hang out and have fun. Colby's two best friends, Asher and Arlo, had been there too. As Colby and his father turned toward the sidewalk, they spotted an ice cream truck parked there.

"Please, Dad!" Colby cried. "Just this once!"

Dad smiled. "Sure, just this once." He handed Colby some money.

Colby rushed to the truck and requested his favorite sweet treat--the strawberry shortcake bar. He eagerly unwrapped it and took a bite as the ice cream truck drove away. Just then, Colby tripped on a curb. The delicious dessert fell from his grasp, landing in the dirt. "No!" Colby yelled. He knew it could not be rescued and began to cry.

"I'm sorry, buddy. I wish I could buy you another one, but the truck just left." Dad hugged Colby and then picked up the filthy shortcake bar and tossed it in the trash.

Walking home, Colby said, "Dad, I had fun today until I dropped my ice cream. That spoiled my whole day."

"I know the ruined ice cream bar was a disappointment, but did it really wreck your entire day?"

"Maybe," Colby replied.

"Colby, remember last summer when you trusted Jesus to forgive your sins and be your Savior?" Dad asked. Colby nodded. "Well, now you are God's child, and do you know what He wants for His children?"

"What, Dad?"

"He wants us to be grateful. He tells us to be thankful in all situations."

"I am not thankful I dropped my ice cream!" Colby announced.

"You don't have to be, buddy. God tells us to be grateful in all things--not for all things. When we remember that Jesus saved us and promises us eternal life, we can be thankful for the joy and hope we have in Him, even when bad things happen. And we can thank Him for the good things in our lives too. Can you think of anything from today that you would like to thank God for?"

"Yes! My friends, Asher and Arlo; the kickball game at the park; and one more thing, Dad."

"What's that?"

"I'm thankful we have more ice cream at home!"

–Allison Wilson Lee

How About You?
Do you sometimes struggle to give God thanks? Even when we feel frustrated or sad, we can always find reasons to say thank you to God. We don't have to feel grateful for scary or bad things that happen, but, when we remember that Jesus died for us so we could have eternal life with Him, we can learn to be thankful in all situations, even difficult ones.

Today's Key Verse:
In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (NKJV) (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Today's Key Thought:
You can always thank God

Bible Reading: Colossians 3:23-24

Plink! Plink! Plink! One by one, Abbie slowly picked out the notes of the music for her piano recital. This is so hard, she thought. I'm not sure I'll ever get it good enough to play in front of a bunch of people! Abbie struggled on for a few minutes, then tossed the music book on the floor and began to play a song from memory. This is much more fun, she told herself.

Later that day, Abbie helped Mom plant seeds in the garden. "You always have such pretty flowers, Mom," said Abbie. "Grandma says you have a green thumb--whatever that means."

Mom laughed. "She means I have a talent for growing plants. That may be true, but I have to do a lot of work too. Thomas Edison, the great inventor, once said, 'Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.' I think he's right."

"You do work hard in the yard--and you make me work hard too!" Abbie teased. "I don't mind gardening, but I don't have a green thumb like you do."

"What do you like to do?" asked Mom. "What are you good at?"

"Hmm." Abbie thought for a moment. "Playing the piano!" Then she frowned. "But I'm already tired of practicing my recital piece. I wish I didn't have to practice so much."

"So I guess music is your green thumb area," said Mom. "You definitely have a talent for playing the piano. But if you want to develop that into something worthwhile, you'll have to work hard at it--just like I have to work hard at gardening even though I have a green thumb. But I know you can do it. God is the one who gave us our talents, and He will help us work to develop them so we can share our gifts with others and point them to Jesus."

Abbie grinned. "But I don't think it's fair--I can help you in the garden, but you can't help me play the piano."

"That's true," said Mom. "But I'll tell you what. When we're done here, I'll use another one of my talents while I listen to you rehearse your piece--I'll work on sewing your dress for the recital. How about that?" Abbie smiled and nodded.

– Mary Rose Pearson

How About You?
What are you good at? There are many ways you can use your talents to share good things with others and point them to Jesus. They can range from performing in front of people to serving quietly in the background. Singing, speaking, making things, cooking, writing, planning activities--whatever you do well is a talent God can use. Don't worry about what other people think--trust God to help you develop your talents and use them for His glory.

Today's Key Verse:
Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. (NLT) (Colossians 3:23)

Today's Key Thought:
Develop your talents