Read: John 10:14-18

“Why would Jesus allow Himself to be killed if He were really God?” Jackson asked his youth group leader. “I don’t get it!” Mr. Anders did his best to explain, but Jackson still thought it made no sense.

A few days later, Jackson joined the group on a campout at a national park. Before heading off, they met with Ranger Davis. He told them about his work and even let them climb up the watchtower where he regularly checked for fires. Then the boys and Mr. Anders headed into the woods.

The next day, the group awakened to the smell of smoke in the air. “There must be a fire in the forest somewhere,” Mr. Anders said. He tried to call the park office but couldn’t get any reception on his phone. “We don’t know where the fire is,” he told the boys. “If we start moving, we might head closer to the blaze.”

“Look!” Jackson called out. “A helicopter!”

The boys whooped as a helicopter zoomed in and hovered over their campsite. Within a few minutes, they were all inside and taken to safety.

As the boys talked excitedly about their narrow escape, a sheriff came in. “Where’s Ranger Davis?” someone asked. “Was he able to see where we were from the watchtower?”

The sheriff nodded sadly. “He spotted your campsite and radioed your location right before a burning tree fell on the tower.”

Jackson gasped. “You mean…he died?”

The sheriff nodded again. “He refused to leave before you boys were located. He stayed and saved your lives instead of his own. If he hadn’t…well, you wouldn’t be here now.” Jackson was stunned.

Later that day, Mr. Anders talked with Jackson. “How are you doing?” he asked.

“I can’t stop thinking about Ranger Davis. He could have left the tower sooner, but he stayed to save us—and died because of it.” Jackson paused to wipe his eyes. “It’s like what you were trying to tell me about Jesus, isn’t it?”

Mr. Anders nodded. “Jesus could have chosen not to die, but then we couldn’t have been saved from our sin. He died in our place—and then He rose again! Everyone who trusts in Him will live with Him forever.”

“I get it now,” Jackson said in a trembling voice. “I want to trust in Him too.”

–Jan L. Hansen

How about you? Did you know that Jesus sacrificed His life for yours? You can’t save yourself, but Jesus willingly died so you could be saved and have eternal life with Him. Have you trusted Him as your Savior? If not, do it today and He will save you. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: I lay down my life so that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. John 10:17-18 (CSB)

Today's Key Thought: Jesus willingly died for you

Read: Romans 5:1-5

Marta sat down on the couch beside her grandmother and glanced at the needlepoint canvas she was working on. “That’s so pretty!” said Marta. “That’s going to be the cover for the pillow you made for my bed, isn’t it? Is it almost finished?”

“Not yet,” said Grandma, “but it’s getting there.” She turned the canvas over and cut a thread.

“Wow!” said Marta. “It doesn’t look so good on the back side—just a big tangle of threads.” She grinned. “Be sure you don’t put it on the pillow inside out!”

Grandma laughed. “Don’t worry, I won’t.”

Marta picked up a photo album from the coffee table and flipped through it. “Grandma,” she said after a few minutes, “I still miss Grandpa a lot. I just don’t understand why God didn’t make him get better! We prayed and prayed for him, but he died anyway.”

Grandma squeezed Marta’s hand. “I know you miss him, honey. I do too. I don’t know why the Lord took Grandpa to heaven instead of giving him more time here with us, but…” She paused and held up her needlework so Marta could see the back of the canvas again. “As you pointed out, this side of the picture isn’t very pretty.” She turned the cloth over to the finished side.

“That side is much better,” said Marta. “I love the little frogs in that picture. They’re so cute!”

“Yes, they are—even though I’m not finished yet.” Grandma laid the needlework back in her lap and looked at Marta. “Some things that happen to us—or to those we love—look like the tangled threads on the wrong side of a needlepoint picture,” she said softly. “But God sees the right side. His picture of our lives isn’t finished yet, and He knows what threads are needed to make it beautiful. We need to trust Him to work out every part just right, knowing that Jesus gave His life so that our lives could be a beautiful reflection of Him.”

Marta picked up her grandma’s needlework and smiled. “Once this is finished and on my bed, the frogs in the picture will remind me to trust God with my life, even when things happen that I don’t understand.”

–Richard S. Maffeo

How about you? Has something sad happened in your life? Is it hard to understand why God allows those kinds of things to happen? When things happen that you don’t understand, trust that God is using them for good, even though you can’t see it. He loves you and will always be there to help you through the hard times, and one day you’ll be able to see the beautiful picture He’s made of your life.

Today's Key Verse: Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Proverbs 3:5 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Trust Jesus in everything

Read: James 2:14-17; 1 John 3:18

Sebastian was so focused on coloring the big red heart that he didn’t hear his dad come into his room. Dad stood behind him and read the poem written on the card Sebastian was making out loud. “‘Roses are red, the snow is white…you light up my life like a big headlight.’” Dad grinned. “You certainly have a way with words, son. I’m guessing this Valentine isn’t for your mom.”

Sebastian looked up from his coloring. “It’s for a girl in my class. It took me two weeks to come up with that. Do you think she’ll like it?”

“I think every girl likes to hear kind words. What else are you planning to do for her for Valentine’s Day?”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t planning on doing anything. I was just going to wow her with words.”

Dad smiled. “Your words are a great start, but you need to do something to back up what you say. Offer to clean the hamster cage when it’s her turn. Or change your poem to ‘A rosy, red rose, a white snowflake…you warm my heart like a cookie that’s baked,’ and make her a batch of cookies. Do something to prove your words have meaning.”

“Did Grandpa give you this advice when you were my age?” Sebastian asked.

“Believe it or not, I got this from the Bible.”

Sebastian laughed. “I don’t think the Bible talks about baking cookies.”

“No, but it does talk about backing up our words with action. It tells us to show the truth of our love not only through what we say, but what we do. Think of it like this. The Bible says that God loved the world and that He gave His only Son, Jesus. God doesn’t just say He loves us. He backs it up with action. And we need to do more than just say nice things to people. We need to do things that show them we care—not just on Valentine’s Day, but every day.”

Sebastian pulled a fresh piece of paper from his desk drawer.

“What are you doing now?” Dad asked.

“Tell me that poem about baking cookies again,” said Sebastian. “I want to remake this card and then go put a batch of cookies in the oven.”

–Jared Hottenstein

How about you? Do you say kind words to people and tell them you care about them? That’s great, but don’t forget to back up the truth of your words with action. God wants us to build others up with our words, but He also wants us to live out our faith in what we do as well as what we say. Love others like Jesus by letting them know you care through both your words and your actions.

Today's Key Verse: Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 1 John 3:18 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Live out love