Bible Reading: John 3:17; Hebrews 1:3-4; 2:9-11

Evelyn glared out the car window as Dad pulled into the parking lot. It was Christmas Eve, and working at a soup kitchen was not how she wanted to spend the afternoon. She and Mom always baked Christmas cookies on Christmas Eve, and Dad let her help build a fire in the fireplace, and then they'd all watch a Christmas movie together. But her parents decided they needed to start a new tradition this year--serving others in need. Evelyn sighed in frustration. She still had presents to wrap!

Evelyn got her serving assignment at the door and dragged her feet as she made her way over to a man stirring a big bowl of mashed potatoes. He smiled when he saw her. "Hi, I'm Doug," he said, and he showed her how to dish out the gravy. Soon the main entrance was opened and people started streaming in. Doug smiled and talked with everyone as he served them potatoes, wishing them a merry Christmas. Evelyn just scooped the gravy, wishing there would be fresh-baked cookies waiting for her when she got home.

She was glad when it was finally time to leave. "Evelyn, I can't believe you got to serve food next to Douglas Remington!" Mom said as they got in the car.

Evelyn looked at her mom in disbelief. "That was Douglas Remington? The guy who started that huge tech company?"

Mom nodded. "He's a Christian, and he helps out at the soup kitchen a lot."

"A good example of the meaning of Christmas, don't you think?" said Dad. "Even though Douglas Remington could spend the holidays throwing lavish parties for his family and friends, he serves the hungry at a soup kitchen. Who else left their place of honor to help those in need?"

"Um…Jesus?" answered Evelyn.

"Right!" said Dad. "Jesus left the glory of heaven to become human and die for our sins so we could have eternal life with Him. That's the true meaning of Christmas."

When they got home, there were no cookies in the oven, no fire in the fireplace. But Evelyn thought it was the best Christmas Eve she'd ever had.

– Courtney Lasater

How About You?
Do you ever think about what Jesus gave up when He came to earth as a baby? Heaven was full of His glory and splendor, but He left all that to suffer and die so you could be saved and live with Him forever. Don't pass up His offer of eternal life--He gave up everything to give it to you! Trust Him to save you. (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:
For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. (NKJV) (John 6:38)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus left heaven to save you

Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:30-32; James 2:14-18; 1 John 4:15-21

Cristina was playing Things That Go Together with her little sister, Bonnie. "What goes with this?" asked Cristina, setting a picture of a shoe on the playroom floor. Bonnie picked up a picture of a sock to put next to the shoe. "Good," said Cristina. "What about this one?" She placed a picture of a hammer on the floor.

As Bonnie chose a nail to go with the hammer, their brother Miguel came into the room, tiptoed behind Cristina, and took three game pieces. "Get out of here!" yelled Cristina. "This is our game, not yours."

But Miguel didn't leave. He held the game pieces just out of reach and stuck out his tongue. "Come get them if you want them!" he taunted.

Cristina felt her temper swell. It seemed like every time she was having fun, her brother stirred up trouble. "I'm so sick of you!" she screeched as she smacked her brother's arm. She hit him again, even harder than the first time.

"Mom!" Miguel wailed. "Cristina hit me!" When Mom appeared in the doorway, both children bombarded her with complaints. A few minutes later, both had been sent to their rooms.

To Cristina, it seemed like forever before Mom called her and Miguel back to the playroom. Mom had placed some cards that she used for teaching Sunday school on the floor. "Your game is good for teaching Bonnie how to match things," Mom began, "and it can be good for bigger kids too." She pointed to some pictures--a Bible, a heart, a cross, and an empty tomb. "All of these items represent Jesus and our faith in Him. Each of us knows He loves us and has trusted Him to save us from sin and give us new life." Then Mom pointed to some words--love, kindness, patience, anger, teasing. "Which of these words go with the pictures?" she asked.

Cristina looked at the floor. Even though Miguel had teased her, she knew that hitting him did not match her faith in Jesus.

"When we say we have faith in Jesus but then choose to do things that don't go with who we are in Him--people who love others because He first loved us--it doesn't make sense," said Mom. "What we do needs to match what we believe."

– Nance E. Keyes

How About You?
Do your actions match your faith in Jesus? Does the way you treat others--especially those who aren't always nice to you--show that you have His love in your heart? If you have faith in Jesus, let His love show through your actions so that others can see He's made you a new person and has given you the power to love others the way He does. Faith and love always go together!

Today's Key Verse:
I will show you my faith by my works. (NKJV) (James 2:18)

Today's Key Thought:
Faith and good works go together

Bible Reading: Proverbs 3:5-6; John 14:23-26

"I can't wait to cross-country ski!" Reuben said as his father showed him how to step into the bindings. He pressed down the latch that held the skis to his boot.

Dad handed Reuben the ski poles. "Just stay in my tracks and do what I do."

Dad set out with a step and then glide, step, glide. It looked easy! Reuben had no trouble following in the tracks his father made. After a few minutes, Reuben was feeling so confident, he wanted to have a race. He stepped out from behind his father and began cutting his own path through the deep snow. To his dismay, he could barely move. Dad was gliding steadily ahead, but Reuben was wallowing like an elephant in a tar pit. His legs struggled to move, but it felt like rocks were in his boots. Dad didn't even notice Reuben was falling behind.

"Dad! Slow down!" Reuben called, and then he toppled over. Freezing, wet snow crunched into his mittens and around his ankles. Even worse, he couldn't stand up with the ungainly skis strapped to his feet.

Dad swung around and quickly skied back to his son. He smiled down at him. "We're here to ski, Reuben, not take a nap!"

"It was so hard when I wasn't in your tracks!" groaned Reuben. "And I can't figure out how to stand up now."

Dad showed him how to kick the skis above him and to the side and then push himself up with his ski poles. "It's always hard to make your own path in the deep snow," said Dad. "If you follow the path I make for you, it'll be much easier and you won't get stuck."

"I found that out," said Reuben, laughing. "From now on, I'll just follow in your tracks."

"Good." Dad smiled. "You know, sometimes we try to forge our own path in our Christian lives too. We forget that our heavenly Father has given us the Holy Spirit to help us follow Jesus and model His love and obedience in our lives. When we're tempted to stray from His path and do things our own way, we need to remember that God has given us the power to resist sin and love others like Jesus. He always forgives us when we get off-track and helps us get back on the right path."

–Vicky Kaseorg

How About You?
Are you trusting God to help you stay on the right path? Or have you stumbled off it and gone your own way? We all make mistakes in life, but God promises to forgive us and help us get back on track. He doesn't expect you to live the Christian life on your own--He gave you the Holy Spirit so you can choose love and obedience over sin. Trust Him to help you stay on the right path and follow Jesus's example.

Today's Key Verse:
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (NKJV) (Proverbs 3:6)

Today's Key Thought:
Follow God's path

Bible Reading: 2 Peter 3:3-4, 8-9

After finishing their picnic lunch at a roadside park, Lawrence and Ryder walked with their parents to look at the big map on the wall next to the restrooms. "Where's the space center on this map?" asked Lawrence.

"It's in this town here." Dad pointed to a dot on the map. "And here's where we are now," he said, pointing to another dot a few inches from the first one.

"Well, let's get on our way," said Mom, and soon they were back on the road.

"I hope they let me take pictures of some of the exhibits," said Ryder a little later. "Grant would probably like to see them."

"Yeah," said Lawrence. "My friends would too."

"You know what, Dad? Grant doesn't believe the Bible," said Ryder. "He says his grandmother did, and that she was expecting Jesus to come back to earth when she was a little girl. Now she's dead, and Jesus still hasn't come. Grant says it's silly to believe He'll ever come."

Lawrence pressed his nose against the window. "Are we almost there?"

Dad glanced at his phone. "We have about thirty more miles to go."

"Thirty miles!" exclaimed Lawrence. "It didn't look that far on the map."

"That map was drawn to scale--that means every inch represents several miles," Mom said. "If we forget that, the distance will seem long to us even though it looked short on the map."

Dad nodded. "It's like that with time too. Maybe Grant doesn't realize that on God's scale of time it hasn't been long since Jesus promised to return. To people, it seems like a long time ago, but from God's perspective, it's only been a short time. Since God is eternal, He sees time differently than we do."

"How close are we to the space center now, Dad?" asked Ryder.

Dad chuckled. "There's another example of how time doesn't seem the same to everyone. I thought I had just answered that question--we're only a few miles closer than the last time someone asked--but to you, it probably seems like a long time has passed, right?" Ryder nodded. "So don't doubt that Jesus will come back," said Dad. "He is patiently waiting until the right time so more people have a chance to trust in Him and be saved, including Grant. Jesus will keep His promise to return. He may even come today!"

–Barbara J. Westberg

How About You?
Do you sometimes wonder if Jesus will ever come to earth again? Do you wonder why it's taking Him so long to fulfill His promise to return? To you, a couple thousand years seems like a very long time, but compared to eternity, it's not long at all. Jesus will come again. He may even come today! Are you ready? (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:
Be alert, since you don't know what day your Lord is coming. (CSB) (Matthew 24:42)

Today's Key Thought:
Jesus is coming again

Bible Reading: Colossians 3:17-24

Skye scooped the last bit of heavy, wet snow from his driveway and heaved it to the side. As he leaned on the shovel to catch his breath, his gaze fell on Mrs. Barans' driveway next door. The snow lay in deep drifts, and her windows still had the curtains drawn. Mrs. Barans must still be asleep, he thought. She can barely get around anymore. How's she going to clear her driveway? With renewed energy, Skye walked over and shoveled Mrs. Barans' driveway too. She's going to be so happy when she sees that I shoveled her driveway! he thought as he put the shovel away in the garage. Maybe she'll bake me a batch of her famous double chocolate brownies as a thank-you!

As Skye headed out with his sled later that day, he saw Mrs. Barans at her mailbox. She was moving very slowly, and he was glad he had helped her. "Hi, Mrs. Barans!" he called out.

She smiled and waved back. "Hi, Skye. Can you believe this weather? Thankfully my nephew comes and clears my driveway when we get a heavy snow. I don't know what I'd do without him!"

"But it wasn't--" Skye began, but Mrs. Barans had already headed back in and didn't hear him. "Great," Skye mumbled to himself. "I do the work, and someone else gets the credit for it!"

Skye was still stewing that evening. "Mom, next time you see Mrs. Barans, could you mention that I was the one who shoveled her driveway this morning? She thinks her nephew did it!"

"Did you shovel her driveway just so she would thank you?" asked Mom.

"No--I could see she needed help. But it's not fair! She'll probably bake her nephew a batch of her double chocolate brownies to thank him, and he didn't even do anything!"

"People don't always get credit for the good things they do," said Mom. "But God knows what you did, and He's very glad you were so thoughtful and kind. He knows all the good deeds His children do out of love and gratitude for the gift of eternal life He's given us, and someday He'll reward them." She smiled. "And rewards from Him are far better than anything Mrs. Barans could give you--even double chocolate brownies!"

–Deborah S. Marett

How About You?
Do you ever feel like no one notices when you're kind and helpful? Does it seem like people don't appreciate the good things you do for them? God does. He sees all the good things you do out of gratitude for all He's done for you, and someday He'll reward you. Keep showing others His love by being kind and helpful, knowing that God sees and appreciates everything you do for Him.

Today's Key Verse:
Listen, I [Jesus] am coming soon! I will bring rewards with me. I will repay everyone for what they have done. (ERV) (Revelation 22:12)

Today's Key Thought:
God rewards His children