Read: Colossians 4:2-6

Johannah stared out her bedroom window as Mom came into the room and sat down on the bed. “How are you feeling?” Mom asked as she stroked Johannah’s forehead. “I think you still have a fever.”

“Why do I have to be sick today?” moaned Johannah. “I wanted to go sing at the hospital with my Sunday school class.” Her lower lip quivered a little.

“And it makes you feel bad that you can’t go, doesn’t it?” said Mom.

Johannah nodded. “I was really looking forward to going around and singing to people who were sick. Now I can’t.”

“I know, honey,” said Mom. “But you can pray and ask Jesus to use your class to bless the people at the hospital with their singing.”

Johannah shrugged. “It just doesn’t seem the same,” she said with a sigh.

“Maybe not, but…” Mom stood up. “I’ll be right back.” She left the room and returned a few minutes later with a strand of pearls. “See this necklace? Your great-grandmother gave it to me when I was a teenager.” She held it out so Johannah could look at it. “But there’s a very important part of it you can’t see.”

Johannah looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“Well, what do you see when you look at it?” asked Mom.

Johannah took the necklace. “The pearls,” she said after examining it.

Mom nodded. “That’s what everyone notices, but look.” She carefully pulled two pearls apart to reveal the thin white thread holding them together. “No one notices this plain and simple thread, but without it, my necklace would fall apart.”

Still puzzled, Johannah looked at the pearl necklace and then at her mother. “Okay,” she said uncertainly.

“Prayer is like this thread,” Mom explained. “We often pray as an afterthought, but really, it’s what holds everything together—nothing we do would make any difference without God working behind the scenes and in people’s hearts. Even though you can’t go with the others to the hospital, you can have a very important part in what they’re doing. You can ask Jesus to use their singing to encourage the people at the hospital and show them how much He loves them and cares for them.”

–Richard S. Maffeo

How about you? Do you ever feel like you can’t do anything important for Jesus because you’re too young, too sick, or too shy? That’s not true! There’s at least one thing every Christian can do, and that’s pray. It’s not something everybody notices, but Jesus does. He hears each prayer. Pray and ask Him to work in people’s hearts as you and fellow Christians serve Him and show others His love.

Today's Key Verse: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Prayer is important

Read: Luke 2:4-18

“Mmm…I love candy canes! They’re my favorite Christmas treat,” Abbie said as she licked her sweet candy.

“They are yummy,” said Mom. “But what makes them my favorite Christmas candy is the story they tell.”

"Candy canes tell a story?” Abbie asked.

“Yes,” Mom said with a gleam of excitement in her eyes. “Flip your candy cane upside down. What letter do you see?”

“It’s the letter J,” Abbie replied.

“That’s right,” Mom said. “And at Christmas we remember the birth of…?”

“Jesus!” said Abbie. “The J stands for Jesus!”

“You got it. The candy cane reminds us of Jesus at Christmas, and it also reminds us of two special groups of people who came to visit Jesus after He was born. If you turn your candy cane upright again, what does it look like?”

“A shepherd’s staff!” Abbie exclaimed.

Mom nodded. “The staff reminds us of the shepherds who came to visit Jesus—and also that Jesus Himself is our Good Shepherd. And as you taste your candy cane, the sweet peppermint flavor tickles your tongue, which can be a reminder of the spices the wise men gave to Jesus.”

“This part of the story tastes good,” said Abbie, giving her candy cane another lick. “What do the colors mean?”

“The red represents the blood Jesus poured out for us when He died on the cross for our sins, and the white reminds us that when we trust Jesus as our Savior, He washes our sin away and makes us clean.”

“I never knew the candy cane told a story before!” Abbie said as she munched on a hard piece of her candy cane.

“Every part of the candy cane tells a story. Even the fact that the candy cane is hard points to Jesus being our solid rock.”

“Wow, that’s amazing! Would it be okay if I give some candy canes to my friends at school? I want to tell them the story of the candy cane too!”

“That’s a wonderful idea,” Mom replied. “Telling others the story of Jesus is one of the best gifts you can give your friends.”

“Yeah,” said Abbie. “And it tastes good too!”

–Rachel Vruggink

How about you? Do you have a friend you could tell the story of the candy cane? Telling others about Jesus’s birth and how He died on the cross for their sins and rose again is a wonderful story to share at Christmastime. The shepherds were so excited when they saw Jesus that they spread the good news! Who can you share the good news of Jesus with this Christmas?

Today's Key Verse: When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child. Luke 2:17 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Share Jesus with others

Read: Isaiah 64:4-6

“Mom, guess what?” said James. “My school is having a snow sculpture contest, and there are prizes!”

“What are you going to make?” Mom asked.

“A polar bear.” James grinned. “That will be the perfect animal for this cold, snowy weather.”

Each day leading up to the contest, James practiced making bears. At the end of the week, a whole family of snow bears stood in front of the house.

“It’s a good thing the contest is tomorrow,” Mom said. “You’ve used up almost all the snow in the yard!”

The next day, the children started their sculptures. James worked hard, hoping to win the grand prize—a trip to Zehnder’s Snowfest in Frankenmuth, Michigan.

After he finished his bear, James and his mom walked around and looked at the other entries. When the judges announced James as the grand prize winner, he jumped up and down. “I knew my bear was best!” he told his mom.

A few weeks later, when James and Mom arrived in Frankenmuth, a snow sculpture contest was underway. James watched the contestants make huge, intricate sculptures. “After seeing these entries, my bear doesn’t seem so good.”

“These contestants are professional,” said Mom. “It’s easy to feel humbled after seeing their work.”

“That’s for sure.” James stopped to look at a sculpture of a huge polar bear. It was so lifelike, it almost looked real. “This looks nothing like my polar bear. There’s just no comparison!”

Mom smiled. “It reminds me of how I used to compare myself to others. Sometimes I thought I was pretty good, and sometimes I didn’t—it all depended on how ‘good’ or ‘bad’ I thought someone else was. Until I read the Bible, I thought God judged people the same way. But He has a higher standard, and none of us can live up to it, no matter how hard we try. There’s only one way to be good enough for him.”

“I know what it is!” said James. “We need to trust in Jesus.”

“Right,” said Mom. “Jesus is the only one who meets God’s perfect standard, and He died to pay for our sins. When we trust in Him, He makes us good in God’s eyes.”

–David J. Belleau

How about you? Do you compare yourself to other people to see how good you are? What about Jesus—have you ever compared yourself to Him? He’s God’s perfect standard, and compared to Him, we’re all sinners in need of forgiveness. The only way to be good in God’s eyes is for Jesus to remove your sin and give you His goodness. Trust Him as your Savior today. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Ephesians 2:8 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Jesus makes us good