Read: Colossians 3:1-14

“Hi, Dad,” Kiera said as she sat down at the table for breakfast. “Are you going to have to work late again tonight?” Kiera’s dad was a manager at a large store.

“Nope—it’s New Year’s Eve, so we close early today.” Dad sighed. “I’m ready for a night off. We’ve been busy all week with people returning and exchanging things they got for Christmas and with our annual after-Christmas sale.”

“Why do you always have a big sale right after Christmas?” Kiera asked.

“Well, mostly so we can sell as much as possible before we take inventory next month,” replied Dad.

“Inventory?” Kiera repeated. “What’s that?”

“It’s when they count everything in the store to see if it lines up with what their computer system says they’re supposed to have,” said Kiera’s brother, Brent. “Some things in the store may have gotten lost or stolen, and they need to see what’s missing so it can be replaced or removed from the computer. Right, Dad?”

Dad nodded. “That’s a very good description. We do that once a year.” He paused to take a bite of cereal. “You know, we all need to take inventory of our lives too—and New Year’s Eve is a great time to do that.”

“Take inventory of our lives?” Kiera laughed. “You mean we should count how many pairs of shoes and jeans and socks we have?”

“Not exactly. I was thinking it would be good to review how we’ve been living and whether it lines up with how God tells us to live in the Bible. We should think about whether there are any sins we need to confess. Then we can ask Jesus to forgive us for those things and show us any changes He wants us to make in our lives.”

“So, the changes we should make are like New Year’s resolutions?” asked Kiera.

“Well, I guess they could be,” said Dad. “But they aren’t changes we should try to make on our own—and thinking about our actions and confessing sins is something we should do every day, not just once a year. No matter what time of year it is, we need to trust Jesus to help us reflect His love in all we do and grow to be more like Him.”

–Hazel W. Marett

How about you? Have you taken a spiritual inventory lately? Think about the things that have happened and what you’ve done this past year. How has Jesus helped you grow in your relationship with Him? What are some areas where you didn’t always reflect His love in your thoughts, words, or actions? Ask Him to forgive you for anything you regret. Then depend on Him to help you make any changes you need to and become more and more like Him.

Today's Key Verse: Remember that the Lord your God led you all the way. Deuteronomy 8:2 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Review your spiritual life

Read: Romans 5:8-15

Christmas was over, and Malachi and Nevaeh helped their parents remove the ornaments, lights, and strands of silver and purple garland from the Christmas tree branches. Soon the shimmering and festive tree looked bare except for the colorful tree skirt surrounding the tree stand.

“Hey,” Malachi called out. “Look at that!” He pointed to a small box wrapped in green and red paper peeking out from under a fold in the tree skirt.

“Where did that come from?” Mom asked as she bent down to pick up the box. “We must have missed this when we opened our gifts.” She held the box in her hands and looked for a name. “It’s for me! From Aunt Maddi,” she said in surprise. “I didn’t think she had sent anything this year, and here it was under the tree the whole time.”

Mom opened the gift and found a necklace and matching earrings. “They’re so pretty!” Nevaeh said as Mom held them up for everybody to see.

“Just think—Aunt Maddi’s gift was here all this time, but Mom couldn’t receive it because she didn’t know it was there,” Dad said. “It reminds me of another gift—God’s gift of salvation. It’s available to everyone, but many people don’t even know it’s there.”

Mom nodded. “It stays hidden until someone shows it to them—like you showed the package to me, Malachi.”

Nevaeh and Malachi thought about that. “So we need to show people God’s gift by telling them about Jesus,” Nevaeh said.

“And tell them that if they receive it, Jesus will forgive their sins and give them eternal life,” added Malachi.

“That’s right,” said Dad. “It’s an amazing gift! But they can’t receive it if they don’t know it’s there. That’s why we need to share it with others.” Dad motioned to the boxes of decorations. “Let’s see if each of us can come up with a person we can tell about God’s amazing gift by the time we finish putting this stuff away.”

–Richard S. Maffeo

How about you? Have you received God’s gift of salvation? (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?) It’s wonderful to know all the wrong things you’ve done have been forgiven and you have eternal life with Jesus. But many people don’t know this amazing gift exists. Think of someone you know who may not know about Jesus and the eternal life He offers. Then tell them about it! God may use you to help someone receive Jesus, the best gift of all.

Today's Key Verse: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Tell others about God’s gift

Read: Psalm 103:8-12

With her sidewalk chalk, India colored in the flowers she had drawn along the edge of the driveway. Then she stood back and frowned.

Dad came out of the house and smiled at India. “What lovely flowers!” he said. “And I won’t even have to water them.”

“No, but I’m going to,” said India. “I want them a different color.” Taking the garden hose, she aimed the stream of water at her artwork. WHOOSH! All traces of chalk soon disappeared down the driveway.

India grinned at Dad. “Now I can start all over. Cool, huh?”

“That is pretty cool,” said Dad. “That’s a picture of what Jesus does for us. He gives us a chance to start over when we confess our sin to Him.”

“Oh, great,” India said, rolling her eyes. “I can already see my chalk flowers are going to be used in a sermon!”

Dad laughed. “Well, that’s what happens when you have a pastor for a dad!” He nodded toward the wet spot on the driveway. “Where are the flowers you drew?”

“They’re gone,” India replied. “And I know what you’re going to say—that when we confess our sins, they’re gone too.”

“That’s right,” said Dad. “Now bring those flowers back for a minute.”

“I can’t!” India said. “They’re washed down the drain, and they don’t exist anymore.”

Dad smiled. “They’re gone, never to be seen again. That’s what happens to our sins when we confess them to Jesus and turn away from them. He forgives and forgets them. The Bible says He removes them from us as far as the east is from the west!”

“But sometimes I still go over them in my mind—even after I tell Jesus I’m sorry,” India said.

Dad nodded. “Sometimes it’s hard for us to forget the bad things we’ve done, and even after confessing them, we wonder how God can forgive and forget them. When that happens, ask Jesus to help you remember His promise to always forgive your sins and remove them.”

“And thank Him for letting me start over,” added India. “Just like I’m going to do with these flowers!” Chalk in hand, she began drawing again on a dry section of the driveway.

–Hazel W. Marett

How about you? Have you done something wrong? If you trust in Jesus, He’s already taken the punishment for all your sins and promises to forgive any sin and remove it from your life. When you do something wrong, tell Him and ask Him to forgive you. Even if you think of the bad thing you did again, He won’t—it’s gone forever! Then you can start over, depending on Him to help you do what’s right.

Today's Key Verse: I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more. Jeremiah 31:34 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: God forgives and removes sin