Read: Psalm 86:12-13; 2 Corinthians 9:12-15; Revelation 5:9-14

Dominic bit his cheek as he sat at his desk and stared up at his teacher. “I’m sorry, Ms. Foreman,” he said. He looked over at his handwriting on the whiteboard that read, Dominic was here.

“Thank you for apologizing,” Ms. Foreman said. “But you knew the consequences of writing on the board without permission. I’m going to have to call your parents.”

Just then Jamey, one of Dominic’s classmates, returned from the bathroom. He and Dominic hadn’t gone to recess yet.

Jamey looked at Dominic, the board, and Ms. Foreman, then said, “Oh, that’s an easy fix.”

Jamey went to the whiteboard and quickly erased Dominic’s writing. He turned around and smiled at Ms. Forman, who laughed.

“That was an easy fix, Jamey, thank you.” She turned to Dominic. “You’ve been a good student, so let’s call this a warning. I won’t call home, but if I catch you breaking that rule again, I will. Understood?”

Dominic nodded, then followed Jamey out to the playground. He couldn’t believe it! Jamey had gotten him out of trouble.

“Thank you!” Dominic said to Jamey, but then felt like once wasn’t enough. “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” he repeated.

“Hey, man, it was nothing. You’re welcome,” Jamey said, smiling and blushing a little.

“Sorry, I just—I can’t thank you enough. I would have gotten in so much trouble if Ms. Foreman had called my mom.”

“You sound like my mom when she’s talking to Jesus,” Jamey said. “She says she can’t thank Him enough for dying on the cross and saving us from sin so we could live with Him as God’s children forever.”

Dominic thought for a moment, then remembered something his dad told him about heaven. “We’re going to thank Him forever, aren’t we? In heaven. My dad says that everyone in heaven will sing praises to Jesus forever because of what He did to save us.”

Jamey nodded, thinking. “That’s true,” he said. “I guess, with Jesus, we really can’t thank Him enough!”

–Raven Merz

How about you? Have you ever felt like you can’t thank Jesus enough for everything He’s done for you? Tell Him what you’re thankful for every day, but know that if you are a child of God, you will be able to thank Jesus and praise Him for all eternity in heaven. It’s okay that you can’t thank Him enough, because you don’t have a limited time to do it!

Today's Key Verse: O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You with all my heart. I will bring honor to Your name forever. Psalm 86:12 (NLV)

Today's Key Thought: We will thank Jesus forever!

Read: 1 Samuel 16:7; Ephesians 2:10; 1 Peter 3:3-4

Clarissa sat looking at herself in the mirror as Tara’s words spun through her head. You’re just so plain, Tara had said. I don’t think we can be friends.

Clarissa had wanted to be friends with Tara, but not anymore. She wore name-brand clothes, had hair that was—well, perfect. And her teeth—flawless! That’s what Clarissa thought anyway. She heaved a loud sigh. “Pretty plain, huh, Snowball?” she said to her kitten. Snowball meowed beside her on the bed.

“What’s up?” Mom asked as she walked into the room.

“Just talking to Snowball about how plain I am. Tara says I’m plain.”

“Who’s Tara?” Mom asked.

“Only the most popular girl in school, with the fanciest clothes, hair to die for, and perfect teeth. Everybody wants to be her friend, and I thought I wanted to be her friend too, but today she told me I was too plain.”

Mom hugged Clarissa tight. “You are my beautiful daughter—both inside and out.” She opened the Bible app on her phone. “And remember, Clarissa, in First Samuel 16:7, God says, ‘People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”

Clarissa thought about that as she looked at herself in the mirror again. “I want God to be pleased when he looks at me.”

“He already is, because when He looks at you, He sees Jesus. When you trusted Jesus to be your Savior, you became a child of God, and the Holy Spirit now lives inside of you. Jesus has given you a new heart, which means you can show others His love and kindness—and those traits make you a great friend to people. You are far from plain. You are God’s beloved child, and He created you just how He wanted you to be and has given you a special purpose.”

“To be a good friend to people?” Clarissa asked.

With a nod, Mom added, “And to love people the way He loves you. Why don’t we ask Him to help you remember that next time you feel insecure?”

Clarissa nodded, and she and Mom prayed together while Snowball purred.

“Thanks, Mom. I feel better now,” Clarissa said as she gave her mom a hug.

–Lisa Fuller

How about you? Do you ever compare your appearance to how others look and what they wear? In the Bible, God reminds us that He cares more about our hearts than He does about our hair or clothes. What does your heart look like? Has it been made new and beautiful by Jesus? (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?) Instead of comparing yourself to others, trust Jesus to help you love them with the beautiful heart He’s given you.

Today's Key Verse: You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. 1 Peter 3:4 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Jesus makes your heart beautiful

Editor’s note: This story’s subject matter may not be suitable for young children.

Read: Deuteronomy 18:10-12

Mom had tears in her eyes as she put down her phone. “Maria, Daniel, I’m so sorry, but Jalen died this morning.”

Daniel tried to comfort his younger sister as she began to cry. Jalen was their friend and next-door neighbor, and he had been sick for a long time. “At least he became a Christian at camp last summer,” Daniel said. “That means he’s with Jesus now.”

Several weeks later, Maria and Daniel walked home from school with Jalen’s sister, Audra. “Did you know that people who die can still talk to you?” she asked excitedly. “It’s true!” she insisted when she saw Maria frown. “Tomorrow my parents and I are going to a séance. That’s a meeting where there’s a medium—a person who contacts spirits of people who have died. The medium said she might be able to contact Jalen’s spirit so we can talk to him!”

Daniel and Maria gave each other worried looks as Audra waved goodbye and walked to her house. When they got home, they told Mom what Audra had said.

“I can only imagine the pain she and her parents must be feeling right now,” said Mom. “But the Bible says trying to contact people who have died is wrong. Only God has power over the dead; going to a medium who claims to be able to communicate with people’s spirits is an attempt to take that power for ourselves. The Bible tells us to have nothing to do with those kinds of things. Instead, we need to bring our pain and sadness to Jesus and trust Him to comfort us and give us peace.”

“But Audra and her parents aren’t Christians,” said Maria. “They don’t know Jesus or trust in Him.”

Mom nodded sadly. “For people who don’t know Jesus, death is a very scary thing. But as Christians, we don’t have to be afraid of death because Jesus freed us from sin and death when he died for us and rose again. When someone we love dies, we need to remember that only Jesus holds power over death and trust Him to be with us in our sadness.”

“It does make me feel better to know Jalen is with Jesus now,” Daniel said. “Let’s pray that we can help Audra and her parents know that too.”

–Agnes Livezey

How about you? Has anyone ever tried to get you to do something they say will allow you to communicate with someone who’s died? Don’t believe it. Only God has power over people who have died, and He forbids trying to communicate with them. Instead, tell Jesus what you’re feeling and depend on Him to help you through your pain and sadness. He saved you by defeating death on the cross. Trust only Him.

Today's Key Verse: I [Jesus] am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave. Revelation 1:18 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Only God holds power over death

Read: Psalm 19:12-14; Ephesians 4:29

Isabela peeked over her brother’s shoulder at the picture he was drawing. “Hey, that’s pretty good! But you need to color in that bit of sky you missed in the corner or turn it into a cloud.”

“You’re so bossy!” Matías shot back. “I don’t care what you think, so stop trying to tell me what to do!” Isabela’s eyes filled with tears, and she left the room.

That afternoon, Isabela played at a friend’s house while Matías and Mom went to a greenhouse. “Why don’t you look around while I find the stuff I’m looking for?” Mom said.

Matías wandered around, looking at various plants. “Come see our mimosas,” one of the workers said. He pointed to some spiky green plants, and Matías went over to see them. “Blow on one of those,” the man said.

Puzzled, Matías blew. He was surprised to see the plant’s leaves suddenly curl up. “Did I hurt it?” he asked in alarm.

“No, it will be fine,” the worker assured him. “These plants respond to possible injury by curling their leaves. That keeps them from being harmed by insects or rain. It doesn’t take much to cause them to curl up.”

Matías was fascinated by the plants, and he told Mom about them as they drove home.

“Those mimosa plants remind me of your sister,” Mom said.

“Isabela?” asked Matías. “How?”

“They’re very sensitive,” Mom replied. “When you blow on mimosa leaves, they curl up. And when you say harsh, unkind words to Isabela, she’s hurt deep inside and withdraws to avoid being hurt more. We’ve talked about this before, but I’ve noticed that you might have forgotten.”

“I’m sorry, Mom,” Matías said quietly. “I’ll tell Isabela I’m sorry too.”

“Good,” said Mom. “We may not always realize it, but our words have an effect on people. That’s why we need to depend on Jesus to help us make our words acceptable in His sight. Every word He says to us in the Bible communicates His love for us and what He did to save us so we can grow in our faith. Trust Him to help you speak to others in a way that encourages them and helps them grow too.”

–Karen S. Birt

How about you? What kind of words have you used today? Did the things you say encourage others and help them grow—or make them shrivel up? Even if you don’t mean to, it’s easy to say things that are hurtful, so pay close attention to your words and how they affect others. Trust Jesus to help you show His love through everything you say and speak words that are acceptable to Him.

Today's Key Verse: Let the words of my mouth…be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord. Psalm 19:14 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Use words to help, not hurt

Read: Revelation 21:1-5, 9-11, 18-27

“I’d rather go to school than shovel the snow left behind from the blizzard,” Miguel grumbled.

“Oh, it’s not so bad.” Dad pitched a large scoop of snow into the yard before he stopped and looked at their surroundings. “I think a heavy blanket of snow like this is pretty.”

Miguel scanned the horizon. The snow twinkled in the sunlight like it was dusted with silver glitter. He squinted against the brightness and harrumphed. “All I see is work.” Miguel flexed his fingers in his cold, stiffened gloves, then he scraped the flat shovel blade across a patch of sidewalk hoping he could push the snow off the cement, rather than lift the heavy precipitation. “Scooping snow is worse than taking out stinky garbage.”

Dad laughed.

Miguel frowned. He wasn’t joking. He hefted another scoop and flung it into the yard. “I’d rather eat Brussel sprouts than shovel snow.” Now Dad would know he was serious because Miguel disliked Brussel sprouts. A lot.

Again, Dad laughed.

Miguel stopped. “I’m not joking.” His angry breaths came out in huffs of vapor.

Dad stuck his shovel in a deep snow drift. “Shoveling, like any chore, is something that must be done, so you might as well do it with joy. Besides, seeing the ground covered in sparkling snow makes me think God is giving us a little glimpse of heaven’s glory, a reminder to believers of what we will see someday.” Miguel scrunched his brows. “What do you mean?”

“Heaven is a beautiful place. The Bible says that when Jesus comes back to make everything new, the heavenly city where we’ll live will sparkle and shine with gold, crystal, and many jewels. Of course, it’s not the sun glistening on the ice crystals that makes heaven sparkle with beauty. It’s the glory of the Lord.”

“Oh.” Miguel had learned about heaven’s splendor and God’s promise to believers at church, but he never thought about seeing that beauty on earth. He shielded his eyes with a hand and looked at the yards blanketed in snow. This time he appreciated the beauty around him. He smiled at the thought that it was just a small glimpse of the magnificence he’d see one day when he was in heaven surrounded by God’s light.

–Rose Ross Zediker

How about you? Do you see little glimpses of God’s light on earth that point to His promise of heaven? A rainbow after a thunderstorm. A sun dog in the bitter cold of winter. The shimmer of morning dew on green grass. A mirrored reflection off a crystal-clear lake. These are small reminders of the beauty that awaits those who trust in Jesus when He creates a bright, beautiful home for us with Him in heaven.

Today's Key Verse: The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. Revelation 21:23 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: God is heaven’s light

Read: Psalm 78:10-22

"Remi,” said Mom, “will you come and dry these dishes, please?”

Remi groaned. “Can’t Dayo do it?” he asked. “I’m sick of drying dishes!”

Dayo rolled her eyes. “You’re always sick of one thing or another.”

“We seem to get the ‘sick of something’ illness too often around here,” said Dad. “We’re about as bad as the Israelites, who complained constantly in spite of all the good things God did for them.”

Mom nodded. “I have an idea for a game we can play to help us learn to stop grumbling and complaining. When one of us is caught saying we’re sick of something, we have to say one thing we’re thankful for about that same thing.”

“Okay,” said Dayo. “You won’t catch me!”

But all Remi said was, “Huh!”

The next day, Dayo walked in from school with a bulging backpack. “I’m so sick of all this homework!” she said.

“Oh really?” Remi grinned. “And what about your homework are you thankful for?”

“Oh no!” Dayo smiled and shook her head. “I guess I’m thankful it helps me understand more of what we’re learning at school.”

A bit later, Dayo bumped into her brother as he was walking to the table with a glass of milk. “Ugh, I’m so sick of you never watching where you’re going!” he said, grabbing a napkin to wipe the milk off his shirt.

“I’m sorry, Remi.” Dayo smiled and fluttered her eyelashes. “But what about me are you thankful for?”

Remi looked startled for a moment. “Well, I guess I’m thankful you’re not twins.”

Dayo sputtered and started after him.

“Okay, okay,” Remi said with a laugh, halting their chase around the kitchen table. “I’m thankful you always let me choose which shows we watch when I’m sick.”

Dayo smiled. “That’s better.”

“You guys seem to be getting the hang of this,” said Mom, who had overheard everything from the living room. “I think this grumbling game is helping you see the blessings God has put in your lives. When we focus on all He’s given us—and all Jesus has done for us—we may soon find there’s really nothing to complain about.”

–Vera M. Hutchcroft

How about you? Do you have a habit of grumbling and complaining? God was not pleased when the Israelites complained instead of trusting Him to care for them, and He’s not pleased when His children complain today. When you catch yourself grumbling, stop and remember all God has given you—including His own Son to save you from sin and always be with you. Then think of a reason to thank God for the thing you were complaining about.

Today's Key Verse: Do everything without complaining or arguing. Philippians 2:14 (ERV)

Today's Key Thought: Turn complaints into thanks

Read: Genesis 1:1-5; John 1:1-5

Hailey burst into applause as Liam finished saying the alphabet. “Dad, I think he’s finally got it!”

“Does this mean you win your race with Jenny?” Dad asked. Hailey was trying to teach her brother the alphabet before her friend taught her dog how to sit and roll over.

“Well, I need to prove to Jenny that Liam learned the alphabet first,” Hailey replied. “I’ll see if she can stop over.”

When Jenny arrived, Hailey brought her into the kitchen. “Okay, Liam,” she said. “Say your ABCs, just like we practiced.”

Liam took one look at Jenny, then giggled and shook his head.

“Liam, come on! Please?” But Liam giggled again and covered his eyes, trying to get Jenny to play peek-a-boo. Hailey continued to coax him, but Liam refused to say one letter of the alphabet.

“Ugh!” Hailey said after Jenny had left. “Why couldn’t Liam do what he was supposed to? Now Jenny doesn’t believe I taught him the alphabet.”

“Well, just because Jenny doesn’t believe something doesn’t mean it’s not true,” said Dad. “I heard Liam say his ABCs.”

“Yeah, but I need to prove it to Jenny to win our game.” Hailey sighed. “I wish I could prove more than that to her. As I was walking her out, I answered the question she asked me yesterday about how old God is. I told her God doesn’t have an age—that He always was, is, and will be. But Jenny said she’s not sure God even exists. I wish I could make her believe!”

“Well, you can’t make anyone believe in God just by what you say, but maybe you can help Jenny think about it another way.” Dad tickled Liam’s tummy, and Liam giggled. “Would Liam be here if I never existed?”

“Of course not. You’re his father, so without you, he wouldn’t exist either.”

Dad nodded. “Because he’s my son, Liam points to the fact that I exist. Well, God has a Son too, and He points to the existence of His Father. Jesus came to earth to show us that God is real and that He loves us. By helping Jenny understand who Jesus is, you can help her see that God exists—and that He loves her so much He sent His Son to die for her.”

–Melissa Yeagle

How about you? Do you wish you could prove God exists? Perhaps you have friends or family members who don’t believe in God—or maybe you struggle to believe yourself. God reveals Himself in many ways, but the most important way is through His Son, Jesus, who came to earth and died for us. You and others can know God exists by knowing Jesus. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. John 1:1-2 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: God exists—and He loves you

Read: Revelation 1:4-8

“A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z.” Hailey looked at her three-year-old brother. “Okay, Liam, now you try.”

Liam looked like he was thinking intensely. “A!” he suddenly shouted, and then, after a pause, “Z!”

“Ugh!” Hailey clapped a hand to her forehead in frustration.

Dad, who was watching the whole thing, began to laugh.

“I’m glad you think this is funny,” Hailey said. “I’ve been working with him for an hour, and he’s just not getting it.”

“Why is it so important that he know the alphabet right now anyway?” asked Dad.

“Jenny and I are having a race. If I can teach Liam the alphabet before she teaches her dog to sit and roll over, I get to pick the movie we watch this weekend.”

Dad chuckled and shook his head. “You guys are silly.”

Hailey laughed. “Yeah, I guess.” She sighed. “Yesterday Jenny asked me a question that made me feel really silly. She asked me how old God is. I didn’t know what to say.”

Liam walked over to where Dad was sitting, and Dad picked him up and put him in his lap. “Well, Liam just told you the answer.”

Hailey gave her dad a confused look. “But all he said was, ‘A, Z.’ That’s not a number.”

“In the Bible, Jesus says He’s the Alpha and Omega—the beginning and end. Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, like our A and Z. God is A to Z, just like Liam said. He always was, is, and will be. He doesn’t have an age.”

“So God has no beginning or end?” Hailey asked.

“That’s right.” Dad’s eyes twinkled. “And yet, He was born—and also died.”

“But wait, you just said…” It took Hailey a moment to realize what Dad meant. “Oh, I get it—you’re talking about Jesus! He was born as a baby and died on the cross for us, and then He came back to life.”

Dad nodded. “Jesus is God, who is eternal with no beginning or end, but He was willing to become human and die for us so we could have eternal life with Him.”

–Melissa Yeagle

How about you? Have you ever wondered how old God is? Unlike humans and everything else, God doesn’t have an age—there was never a time when He didn’t exist! But even though He has no beginning or end, Jesus still chose to be born on earth and die on the cross so we could be saved. When you trust in Him, He gives you a new life that will never end. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: God has no beginning or end