Read: 2 Corinthians 3:12-18

“I’m sorry to interrupt your schoolwork, boys,” Mom said, “but we should go outside and see the sunset. It’s spectacular tonight.”

Zach and Connor bookmarked their pages and got up from the sofa.

“How do you even know what the sunset looks like tonight, Mom?” Connor asked as he glanced toward the window. “This window faces north. There’s no way you can see the sun from here.”

Zach nudged him. “Moms have eyes—or spies—everywhere. It’s a known fact.”

Mom laughed as she opened the door. “It’s true I see a lot of things. But my only spies are the houses across the street.”

“Huh?” Connor stepped out, squinting around the neighborhood.

“Look at their windows. What do you see?”

The three of them stood on their front steps. “The sunset!” Zach pointed. “I can see it in the neighbors’ windows! That’s how Mom knew what it looked like.”

Dad joined them as they walked down the driveway until they could see the sun in all its glory to the west. “What if the neighbors didn’t have any windows?” Dad asked.

“Then we wouldn’t have known there was a wonderful sunset tonight,” Zach replied.

“That’s right. There’s a spiritual lesson here for us,” Dad said. “The Bible says others can see Jesus in us, almost like we are windows or mirrors reflecting Him. He changes us more and more into His likeness when we spend time with Him and grow in our faith. Then when our neighbors look at our lives, they may see He’s for real and want to know Him themselves. We want others to see wonderful things about Jesus when they look at us.”

“You mean like seeing us do nice things for people? Like forgiving others or taking food to sick neighbors?” Zach asked.

“How about being more patient when younger kids wanna shoot hoops with us?” Connor added.

Dad put an arm around each of the boys as the family walked back to the house. “Yep. Something like that.”

"Cool! Let’s make a list of ways we can be good reflectors before bed,” said Connor.

“Good idea,” said Mom. “Just don’t forget to finish your schoolwork.”

–Robin Steinweg

How about you? How do you reflect Jesus in your life? You might try hard to do good all on your own, but you’ll only end up showing people yourself. To reflect Jesus, you need to belong to Him. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?) Then, as you spend time with Him and read His Word, He will renew your mind and transform you from the inside out. Trust Him to help you reflect Him so others can see Him at work in you.

Today's Key Verse: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Reflect Jesus

Read: Hebrews 11:8-9

“Guess what?” Isla said when her mom got home from work. “Miss Collins is moving, and she doesn’t want to take her fish tank with her. She gave me her three Oscar fish.”

“Aren’t Oscars really big?” Mom asked.

“In an open lake they are, but if they grow up in a fish tank, they stay small. Miss Collins says they always grow in proportion to their surroundings.”

“That’s interesting.” Mom went over to Isla’s fish tank and peered at the newcomers. “Your fish might be an interesting topic for you to talk about on show-and-tell night at your youth group next week. In some ways, we’re like those fish.”

“We are?” Isla frowned. “Mom, about youth group…after this year, kids my age are supposed to move up to the older group, and we don’t want to. We just want to keep our same small group.”

“You’re worrying about that a little early, aren’t you? Your group will stay the same for quite a while yet.” Mom looked at Isla’s fish. “What if Miss Collins had set those Oscars free in the lake instead of giving them to you, Isla? What would happen?”

“I guess they would have grown much bigger,” Isla replied.

“Right,” said Mom. “Now, do you think God would want you kids to be like little fish in a tiny cramped tank, never growing very much? Or do you think He’d want you to stretch and grow spiritually as Christians?”

“I guess He’d want us to grow.” Isla thought of her older cousin Chris, who was a missionary overseas. “Chris probably had to grow a lot before he was ready to leave his family and tell people in another country about Jesus. I bet he never thought he’d be doing that when he was my age!”

Mom nodded. “He had to learn to depend on Jesus and follow wherever He led—even if it was somewhere he wasn’t totally comfortable at first.”

Isla sighed. “Okay, I’ll use my fish for an illustration on show-and-tell night. Maybe the other kids will agree that it will be good to move up so we can stretch out and grow.”

–Heather Tekavec

How about you? Do you have a place where you can go to grow spiritually? Do you have Christian friends who help you? Going to church, learning about the Bible with others, taking part in service projects that show people the love of Jesus—all these things help you grow as a Christian. It may be scary at first, but take advantage of new opportunities that help you learn more about Jesus and share His love with others.

Today's Key Verse: But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. Jeremiah 17:7 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Go where you’ll grow

Read: Matthew 6:5-8

Callum heard someone calling his name. “Amen,” he said quickly, then opened his closet door to find his dad standing in the middle of his room.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt you,” Dad said, “but I’m curious. Why were you praying in your closet?”

“Well, I always pray beside my bed, but our lesson at church this week was about prayer, and my teacher read a verse that said to go into your closet and shut the door when you pray. So tonight I prayed in my closet.”

Dad chuckled. “I think the closet in that verse means something a little different from the closets where we keep our clothes. In fact, most Bible scholars agree that the word closet in that verse could also be translated room. That’s the word many Bible translators use.”

“Really?” said Callum. “Well, that’s good! Then I can go back to praying beside my bed again. It was really stuffy in the closet!”

Dad smiled. “I think the main thing Jesus is saying in that verse is that we should pray in order to talk with Him and worship Him—not to show off in front of other people. That’s why it’s good to get away by ourselves—like in a separate room—and shut the door.” Dad paused. “Of course, we can pray anytime, anywhere. Then we just need to shut the door of our hearts and minds.”

“How do we do that?” asked Callum.

“That just means find a way to eliminate distractions,” Dad explained. “One way to do that is to close your eyes when you pray. But even if you’re doing something where you can’t close your eyes, you can focus your mind and shut out thoughts about other things.”

“Like making a prayer room inside my head.” Callum grinned. “And I’ll have it with me all the time, so I can pray anywhere.”

“Right!” said Dad. “It’s great to be able to pray at home, at school, when you’re playing—or anywhere else. But also having a special prayer time alone with God is a wonderful way to get to know Him better. He sent Jesus to save us so we could have a relationship with Him, and He wants us to spend time with Him in prayer.”

–Harry C. Trover

How about you? Do you spend time alone with God? Do you talk to Him when you’re afraid, thankful, happy, or in need? You can talk to Him anywhere, but it’s also good to talk with Him regularly in a quiet place by yourself. Tell Him what you’re struggling with, pray for the needs of others, and thank Him for His love and what He’s done for you.

Today's Key Verse: When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father. Matthew 6:6 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Spend time in prayer

Read: 1 Corinthians 10:13; Hebrews 12:1-3

Austin watched as his uncle put a treat right in front of Trixie. “No, Trixie! No!” Uncle Josh told the puppy. “Look at me!” Trixie looked straight at her master’s face, then glanced down at the treat she wanted so much. “Trixie, no! Look at me!” The dog raised her eyes and gazed at her master again, ignoring the treat.

“Why does Trixie have to look at you?” asked Austin.

“If she looks at me instead of at the treat, she’s more likely to obey.”

Uncle Josh had Trixie sit and lie down, then picked up the treat and gave it to her. “Trixie just showed us how we should act when we’re tempted to do something wrong,” he said, patting Trixie on the head. “If we’re focused on whatever it is that’s tempting us, it’s easier to give in. But if we keep our eyes on our Master—Jesus—we’re far more likely to obey Him.”

“How do we keep our eyes on Jesus?” asked Austin. “We can’t really see Him.”

“You played in a tennis competition last summer,” said Uncle Josh. “You worked so hard to be in shape. Why did you do that?”

“I wanted to win the trophy,” said Austin. “And I did!”

“So you understand what I mean if I say you had your eyes on the prize?”

“Yeah,” Austin said. “I couldn’t really see the trophy, but I kept thinking about it and what I had to do to win it.”

Uncle Josh nodded. “We can do what God wants us to do by keeping our eyes on the prize—Jesus! But unlike your tennis competition, Jesus has already won the trophy for us. He saved us by dying for our sin, and He’s given us the Holy Spirit so that we have the power to do what’s right.”

“And that’s why we need to keep our eyes on Him,” said Austin.

“Right. When we’re tempted to do something we know is wrong, we need to remember that Jesus has already won the battle against sin and that we belong to Him. That’s how we resist temptation—by looking to Him and what He’s done for us.”

–Caroline E. Yost

How about you? Do you keep your eyes on Jesus? When you’re tempted to do something wrong, remember that He has saved you from sin and given you the reward of eternal life with Him. Sin doesn’t define you anymore, and you have the power to obey Jesus instead. Keep your eyes and heart focused on Him, and trust Him to give you strength to fight every temptation.

Today's Key Verse: Seek the Lord and His strength; seek His face evermore! Psalm 105:4 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Look to Jesus

Read: Romans 4:6-8; 5:6-8

“Dad’s here!” Keziah peeked her head around the side of the house. “Jonah!”

Jonah stared at his older sister. “No. He can’t be here yet.”

Jonah’s eyes filled as he heard his dad greeting his sister. He wanted to join them, but he’d been working on painting the fence for their mom all afternoon. He didn’t want to look all messy when they reunited.

He heard his dad’s voice. “Where’s my Jonah?”

Jonah couldn’t stop himself from running to Dad as soon as he rounded the house. “You’re home!”

Dad opened his arms. “I’m home.”

Jonah let his dad hug him tight, then pulled back. “I’m probably getting your uniform dirty. I wanted to get cleaned up before you got home…”

“It’s fine.” Dad chuckled. “I’m just happy to be back home with you.” He pulled Jonah back into a hug. “I missed you.”

“I’m a mess,” Jonah muttered.

“You don’t have to get cleaned up for me.” Dad patted his back. “I love you even when you’re messy. You don’t know how much I’ve been looking forward to being back with you, your mom, and your sister.”

Later, after Jonah had taken a shower and put on clean clothes, his dad took him out for ice cream.

“You know,” Dad said. “I was thinking…I told you that you didn’t need to get cleaned up for me, and that’s true. God feels the same way—and isn’t it great that He does? When we make a mess of our lives with sin, we don’t have to get cleaned up before we go to Him—we can come to Him just as we are, and He will make us clean.”

“I could’ve used some help getting clean today—that paint was hard to scrub off!” Jonah teased.

Dad rolled his eyes. “You could take care of that yourself. But we can’t clean ourselves of sin. Yet God loves us even when we’re messy—that’s why Jesus died and rose again to save us. When we trust in Him, we become God’s children—clean and forgiven.”

–Emily Acker

How about you? Have you ever felt too messy for God? Have you wondered if you’ve done too many wrong things for Him to love you and accept you? The amazing news of the gospel is that God loved us while we were sinners. We can’t clean ourselves up, so Jesus died for our sins. When we trust in Him, He will forgive us and make us clean. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! 1 John 3:1 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: God loves us at our messiest

Read: Proverbs 15:23; 25:11-13

“Whoa!” Lachlan yelled as his remote control jeep crashed. He picked it up and saw that a piece had fallen off.

Lachlan tried to fix the jeep—but it was no use. “Parker, can you fix this?” he asked his older brother.

“You’re always breaking things!” said Parker. But he held out his hand. “All right, give it to me.” In no time at all, the jeep was as good as new.

“Thanks, Parker,” said Lachlan. “I sure wish I could fix something myself.” Lachlan often knew in his head how to fix things, but the information seemed to get lost between his head and his hands.

Lachlan put the jeep back on the floor and raced it into his bedroom. He plopped down on his bed. I can’t fix anything, he thought. Last week when the chain flew off my bike, Parker had to fix it. When my bird feeder fell apart, Dad fixed it. I wish there was something I could fix.

Lachlan did the one thing that always helped him when he was struggling. He talked to God. “Jesus,” Lachlan prayed, “I know you’re able to fix anything. You fixed people who couldn’t see or walk, and you fixed me by taking away my sin. Please show me something I can help fix. Amen.”

Later that evening, Lachlan went to the kitchen where Mom was making dinner. Instead of smiling as she usually did, she looked sad. He heard her sigh, and Lachlan wondered what was wrong. “What’s the matter, Mom?” he asked.

“Oh, Lachlan,” said Mom, “it’s nothing for you to worry about. I’ve just had a difficult day, that’s all.”

Lachlan wrapped his arms around his mom and gave her a big hug. “Don’t be sad, Mom,” he said. “I love you. You’re the best mom a kid could have!”

Mom wiped tears from her eyes and began to smile. “Thank you, honey,” she said. “You’ve just made me the happiest mom in the whole world.” Lachlan smiled too. Jesus had answered his prayer and helped him fix something—his mom’s sad heart.

–Steven R. Smith

How about you? Do you ever feel like you can’t help anyone? One of the very best things you can do is encourage others. If you know Jesus, He has given you the ability to help discouraged people by showing them His love. He can use you to help bring healing to tough situations. Share His love with those who are hurting through kind words and a helpful heart.

Today's Key Verse: Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. Proverbs 16:24 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Encourage someone today

Read: Psalm 139:23-24; Jeremiah 17:10

“Why is there an old apple core inside a crinkled chip bag under your pillow?” Dad asked when Camila came into the kitchen.

Camila smirked. “The real question is why were you looking under my pillow?”

“I was just following my nose,” said Dad. “Your room is a mess! You need to clean it before going to Mackenzie’s house.”

Camila stomped upstairs, mumbling something about how unfair life was.

Dad had just finished his second cup of coffee and morning Bible reading when Camila scooted into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “I’m guessing you’re taking a snack break,” he said.

Camila crunched into an apple. “Nope. I’m finished.”

“How could you have cleaned your room in thirty minutes? I couldn’t have cleaned it that fast with a bulldozer.”

“Take a look if you don’t believe me.”

Camila followed her dad upstairs. He was amazed. There was no clutter to be found. Dad got down on his hands and knees. “What are you doing?” Camila asked. This didn’t look good.

“When I was a kid, my favorite cleaning method was to shove all the junk under my bed so everything looked clean. I didn’t think my dad was smart enough to look there.” Dad peeked under the bed. “And it looks like you didn’t think your dad was smart enough either. I guess you have a full day of cleaning ahead of you.”

“I thought it’d be easier to just hide everything by shoving it under the bed,” said Camila. “I didn’t know you were going to send out a search party!”

Dad sat on the edge of her bed. “Believe it or not, a lot of people think they can do the same thing with their sin—they try to hide it to make their lives look perfect. They may think they’re fooling everyone, but they’re not fooling God. In the Bible, David asks God to search his heart. He wanted God to find the sin in his life so he could confess it and be forgiven.”

“Well, God is our Father, and fathers are really good at finding stuff!” Camila said. “I guess I need to tell Jesus—and you—I’m sorry.”

“I forgive you,” Dad said. “And Jesus promises to always forgive us too.”

–Jared Hottenstein

How about you? Do you try to hide your sin and keep others from seeing the messes in your life? Even if you’re able to hide the wrong things you do from others, you can’t hide them from God. The Bible calls the wrong things we do sin, and the best way to handle sin isn’t to try to hide it from God, but to show it to Him. The Bible says that if we confess our sins, Jesus is faithful to His promise to always forgive us.

Today's Key Verse: Search me, God, and know my heart…See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Let God search for sin

Read: Ephesians 6:1-3

Charley toddled happily around the living room. He had just learned to walk, and it was Lacie’s job to keep an eye on him while Dad was cooking dinner. He was a very curious little boy and almost always found a way to get into trouble.

“Charley, get out of there! You could pull the whole bookcase down on you,” Lacie exclaimed. Charley had begun to climb up the shelves to grab an interesting picture he wanted to see. Lacie pulled him off the shelf, and he howled in anger. She set him back on the floor and watched for his next move carefully.

He casually glanced back at his sister, then wandered over to the basement stairs. Lacie wasn’t fooled, and she knew he couldn’t handle going down big steps yet. She scooped him up, and again he screamed.

Lacie tried to explain what would happen to him. “Charley, if you try to do things that will hurt you, then I’m going to keep you from doing them. I know you’re mad because you don’t get to do what you want, but you have to learn what’s good for you and what’s dangerous.” It didn’t make a difference to Charley.

I really hope he figures out he could really get hurt if he keeps this up, Lacie thought. I don’t want to keep rescuing him from danger just because he doesn’t know it’s dangerous.

As Lacie thought about Charley’s attitude, she realized she was doing the exact same thing. Not that she was going to climb a bookcase, but her dad had told her several times that she couldn’t get her own phone like the other girls at school. I just want to fit in with my friends, Lacie thought. But maybe Dad knows it’s something I’m not ready for yet. I need to remember that God wants me to obey Dad because He loves me, and Dad loves me too. I can trust that they both know what’s best for me.

“I know today hasn’t been fun for you, Charley,” she told her bawling brother, “but thanks for helping me learn that I can’t always get what I want either. I just hope I can help you learn the same thing too!”

–Dylan Kraayenbrink

How about you? Do you get angry when your parents won’t let you have something you want? Maybe you’re upset that you can’t have a smartphone, a new bike, or the latest clothes. Remember that God puts parents in our lives to help us learn and grow because He loves us. We need to trust that they—and God—know what’s best for us. Obey your parents and trust that God is using them to help you grow.

Today's Key Verse: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Ephesians 6:1 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Trust your parents to know best