Read: 2 Corinthians 8:16-24

Daisy ran to the left as her sister Mia threw the ball toward her. Daisy bumped into a tall vase as she caught the ball. She yelped as the vase crashed to the ground. The sea-green glass hit the wood floor and splintered into a hundred pieces. Flowers lay on the ground, and water was soaking into the rug. Oh no! Daisy thought. Mom and Dad will be furious!

Just then Daisy’s parents came running in. Daisy quickly tossed the ball into the hallway, away from their view.

“Daisy, Mia, are you two okay? What happened?” Mom asked, frowning when she saw the hopelessly broken vase. Dad looked at Daisy and Mia with a raised eyebrow.

Daisy glanced at Mia, hoping she wouldn’t tell on her. Mia looked down, the floor suddenly seeming to be very interesting.

“Um, Mr. McFluffy Pants jumped on the desk and knocked over the vase!” Daisy blurted, pointing at their cat. Daisy’s face turned red as she realized the cat was sleeping. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. Tears streamed down her face. “I was trying to catch the ball when I bumped into it. And then I hid the ball in the hallway,” Daisy said, pointing at the ball.

“Mia, Daisy,” Mom said, “you two know better than to play catch indoors.”

“Sorry,” Mia said.

“Daisy, it’s okay that you broke the vase,” Dad said.

“It is?” Daisy said, looking up.

“Yes, but it’s not okay to lie,” said Mom. Daisy looked down again.

“Especially when Mr. McFluffy Pants is such an honorable member of the family!” Dad joked. “This reminds me of a Bible verse,” he said. “Second Corinthians 8:21 tells us to do what is right in God’s eyes and to make sure people can see we are honorable too—and that means being honest. When we do that, we bring honor to Jesus by letting others see the goodness and love He’s put in our hearts.”

Daisy turned red again. “I’m sorry I lied,” she said. “And I’m sorry for blaming Mr. McFluffy Pants too.” Daisy looked back at the orange-and-brown-spotted cat, who had managed to sleep through all the commotion. “At least now I know that Mr. McFluffy Pants isn’t a good cat to blame.” Everyone laughed.

–Ira Ool

How about you? Have you ever lied to get out of trouble? Lying not only makes things worse, it’s also wrong in God’s eyes and hurtful to others. As Christians, God calls us to be honorable and honest so others can see that we belong to Jesus, who died and rose again to make us God’s children. Trust Him to help you tell the truth and do what is right so others can see His love in your life.

Today's Key Verse: We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honorable. 2 Corinthians 8:21 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Be honest

Read: Psalm 19:7-11

“My Sunday school teacher said we should read the Bible on our own every day,” Macey said on the way home from church. “I’m going to start doing that today.”

“That’s great,” said Mom. “It’s good to spend time with Jesus in His Word each day. He uses it to refresh us spiritually and remind us who we are in Him.”

That afternoon—and for the next couple of days—Macey read a whole chapter in her Bible. As time went by, however, she read less and less often.

“I’m so mad at myself, Mom,” Macey said with a sigh as they were taking a walk a few weeks later. “When I decided to read the Bible every day, I really intended to do it. But I forget most of the time, or I’m too busy or too tired.”

“I used to neglect reading my Bible too,” Mom told her. “But then I made it a habit to read at a certain time every day. For me, mornings are best, and I try not to let anything interfere with my time with Jesus. By doing this, I developed a habit, and I seldom miss it now.”

“Maybe I—oh, look!” Macey stopped to look at something at the side of the road. “There’s a huge spiderweb between that post and the telephone cable.”

Mom came over to look at the web. “This reminds me of something my grandmother used to say about habits and spiderwebs. Grandma called them cobwebs, and she said, ‘Habits are first like cobwebs, then like cables.’ What do you think that means?”

Macey studied the spider’s web. “I think it means that when you first start doing something, it’s easy to forget or just not do it. You’re trying to make it a habit, but it’s easy to break—like spiderwebs are. But if you keep on doing something over and over, the habit you’re working on will become strong and hard to break—like that cable.”

“Right!” said Mom. “That’s why it’s good to make reading your Bible a habit.”

Macey thought about that as they began walking again. “Hey, Mom? Can you wake me up fifteen minutes earlier tomorrow morning? That might be a good time for me to read my Bible too.”

–Mary Rose Pearson

How about you? Do you take time to read the Bible each day? Maybe you’ve tried to before but got busy or forgot to keep it up. Starting a new habit can be hard, but reading the Bible regularly can help you get to know Jesus better and grow in your relationship with Him. Think about how you can spend time in His Word each day. Then trust Him to help you make it a habit strong enough to last a lifetime.

Today's Key Verse: I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. Psalm 119:16 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Read the Bible every day

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