Read: Acts 16:19-25

Josiah felt like his head was going to explode. “Get married! You’re going to get married? To Ryan? But what about Dad?”

“Josiah, you know that after your dad left, he married someone else. He won’t be back,” Mom said quietly. “I thought you liked Ryan.”

“Not for a dad! And I definitely don’t want Brenner and Simon for brothers either.” Josiah stomped to his room, fighting back tears.

The next day they went to church, and Josiah, who normally loved going, was sad all morning. After class his teacher, Mr. Park, asked what was wrong.

“Mom’s getting married again,” Josiah told him. “The guy she’s marrying already has two sons. I don’t want someone else’s dad! I’ve got to get away.” He sank down into his seat. “I’m going to leave—for good! If they get married, I’ll never be happy here.”

“Do you think you’ll find happiness someplace else?” asked Mr. Park.

Josiah shrugged. “I sure won’t find it here!”

Mr. Park sat down next to him. “You know, Josiah, happiness isn’t something you find. It’s rooted in the joy that comes from trusting in Jesus—from knowing He’s good and rejoicing in all He’s done for you, even through tears. The Bible tells us that Paul and Silas sang even though they were in prison. You know Jesus and have the hope of eternal life with Him, so you can be joyful too, even when things are hard.”

Josiah sighed, and Mr. Park patted his shoulder. “I know it will be difficult at first, but I’ll be here if you need someone to talk to. And you can talk to Jesus about it too. Trust Him to give you patience and show your family His love. Your little sister will need her big brother, and your new stepbrothers will need help too—it will be difficult for them as well as for you.”

Josiah hesitated. “I guess you’re right,” he murmured.

“Give your future stepfather a chance to be part of the family,” said Mr. Park. “He loves the Lord, and I know he loves all of you.”

Josiah was quiet a moment, then asked, “Will you pray for me?”

Mr. Park smiled. “Of course.” They bowed their heads, and Mr. Park asked God to give Josiah comfort, peace, and joy.

–Agnes Livezey

How about you? Is something in your life making you unhappy? Are you doing all you can to get away from it? Running away from problems doesn’t bring joy. That only comes from trusting Jesus. Trust Him to be with you and help you through whatever is troubling you. Trust Him to help you show His love to those around you, even in difficult times. Trust Him to fill you with the joy of knowing Him.

Today's Key Verse: Those who trust the Lord will be joyful. Proverbs 16:20 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Trust Jesus for joy

Read: Matthew 24:35-51

Madelyn picked up the tissues and old drawings off the floor and threw them in the trash can. As she was making her bed, her little sister Aria ran into the room. Madelyn’s dad followed her.

“Grandma’s coming!” Aria yelled. She had already told all her friends and teachers at preschool, and she still wanted to tell someone else the good news.

“I know, Aria.” Madelyn picked up a toy and set it on her shelf. “That’s why I’m cleaning my room.”

Aria bounced up on the bed, wrinkling the neatly spread covers.

“Aria,” Madelyn said, frowning as she watched her hard work being destroyed, “why don’t you go watch TV?”

The little girl beamed. “I can’t. I have to get ready for Grandma!”

“By bouncing on the bed I just made?” Madelyn asked with a sigh.

Dad smiled and lifted Aria off the bed. “That reminds me of someone else who’s coming too.”

Aria’s eyes grew wide. “Someone else is coming? Who?”

“Jesus!” Dad said. “We can be just as excited about His coming as we are about Grandma’s. And just like Madelyn is tidying her room for Grandma’s visit, we have to prepare for Jesus’s return. Like you said, Aria, we can’t just sit around watching TV when a visitor is coming!”

“How do we prepare for Jesus’s coming, Dad?” Madelyn asked.

“First we need to get our hearts ready. We do that by trusting Jesus to forgive our sin. Then we need to do what Aria’s been doing. We need to tell others about Him and let them know He’s coming again so they can get their hearts ready too.”

Aria looked around the room. “Madelyn’s room is ready for Grandma, but I know some of my friends at school aren’t ready for Jesus. I’ll tell them about Him on Monday so they can get ready too!”

“Good idea,” Dad said. “He’s the only one who can make our hearts as clean as your sister’s room.”

Madelyn smiled and grabbed Aria’s hand. “Come on, Aria. Let’s go watch for Grandma’s car!”

–Jessica Kleeberger

How about you? What do you do when a friend or family member is coming to visit? Clean your room? Plan fun things to do together? It’s exciting when someone comes to visit—and when Jesus comes again, it will be even more exciting! Will you be prepared for Him? Make sure your heart is ready by trusting Him to make you clean. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?) Then tell others the good news of what Jesus has done for you!

Today's Key Verse: Always be ready. You don’t know the day your Lord will come. Matthew 24:42 (ERV)

Today's Key Thought: Be ready for Jesus’s coming

Read: Isaiah 55:10-11; James 1:21-25

“Mom, I can’t get the toaster to work!” called William. Receiving no answer, he went to the small office where his mother was working on her computer. “I want to make some toast, but the toaster’s not working,” he said. “It won’t heat up.”

Mom shuffled through papers on her desk. “Is it plugged in?”

“Umm…it always is, isn’t it?” William sighed. “I’ll go check.” He went back to the kitchen. “Oops!” he said when he found the cord nestled against the wall. “No wonder it didn’t work.” He plugged in the toaster, put a piece of raisin bread into it, and was soon enjoying perfectly browned, buttered toast.

The next morning, William shared his toaster incident with his class at church. Their teacher, Mr. Scott, smiled. “William, your story reminds me of an important truth.” He picked up his Bible. “I’m sure you all know you should read your Bible every day, right?” Heads nodded. “While that’s good to do, did you know that just reading the Bible isn’t enough? What you read needs to be plugged into your life.”

“Plugged into my life?” asked Lena. “What do you mean by that? The Bible doesn’t have a cord!” She and some of the other kids giggled.

“When something is plugged in, it’s used to make a change,” Mr. Scott replied. “Toasters change bread. Vacuum cleaners change carpet. Phones and other devices change what we see and hear. When we trust in Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit, and He changes us. One of the ways He does that is by helping us understand and obey God’s Word.”

“So when we read the Bible, the Holy Spirit plugs it into our lives?” William asked.

Mr. Scott nodded. “The Holy Spirit uses the truth of God’s Word to change us and make us more like Jesus. As you learn more and more about Jesus by reading the Bible, your thoughts and actions will be affected.” Mr. Scott smiled at the class. “So keep reading your Bible and learning more about what it says at church, but don’t stop there! Trust God to help you plug it into your life so others can see the love of Jesus in all you say and do.”

–Janice M. Jones

How about you? Is the Bible plugged into your life? It’s good to read it on your own and study it with others at church, but just reading and studying it isn’t enough. What it says needs to affect how you live your life, and that can only happen through the Holy Spirit. As you read and learn about God’s Word, trust Him to plug it into your life so your attitudes and actions reflect Jesus.

Today's Key Verse: Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: The Holy Spirit changes you

Read: Luke 14:12-24

Connor stood beside his dad on the cracked, uneven sidewalk of Nairobi, Kenya, and watched in fascination at the hustle and bustle of city life around him. Horns blared, the sounds of people speaking other languages filled his ears, and the sour smell of diesel fumes from passing cars and buses made him want to hold his nose.

“Hey, Dad!” he called over the noise. “What do they call minibuses in Africa again? I forgot.”

“They’re called matatus.” Dad pronounced the word again slowly. “Muh-TAH-too.”

Just then a brightly colored matatu with writing and pictures on it sped around the corner and came to a screeching halt in front of them. Connor and his dad climbed in, and four more people crammed in behind them. A lady with a live chicken squeezed in and held it on her lap like she was giving it a big hug. Just as they were about to drive off, three more men hopped on and held on tight as the matatu sped up and started zigzagging from one lane to another. The ride was bumpy and fast.

“That was awesome!” Connor said after Dad paid the matatu driver and they climbed off. Dad looked a little dazed.

“Dad, why did more people keep getting on when we were running out of room?” Connor asked.

“Well, Nairobi is a big city, and it’s the cheapest way to get around if you have to get somewhere fast,” Dad explained. “A famous saying about matatus is ‘there’s always room for one more.’”

“That’s kind of like the Bible verse you read during family devotions last night,” Connor remarked. “The one that talks about God’s house being full.”

Dad nodded. “Good memory. Luke 14:23—‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in so that my house will be full.’ Jesus longs for each of us to have a relationship with Him and wants us to share that good news with others so we can all live with Him in heaven one day. He wants His house to be full.”

“But He’ll never run out of room or turn anyone away.” Connor grinned. “Sort of like a matatu.”

“Right,” Dad said with a smile. “Because in heaven, there’s always room for one more.”

–Kelly Hope

How about you? Do you tell others about Jesus? God’s love is so big that He sent His Son to die not just for you but for the whole world! He welcomes anyone who comes to Him, and He wants you to let others know they can live with Him forever. Pray for people who haven’t heard about Jesus—both where you live and around the world—and trust God to use you to help fill His house by telling others the good news.

Today's Key Verse: Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. Luke 14:23 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Tell others about Jesus

Read: Ephesians 4:26-27, 31-32; James 1:19-20

“Mom!” Jessica cried. “Cassi hit me!”

“Because you pushed me!” cried her little sister.

Mom sighed. “Can’t we ever drive to school without you two fighting?”

Jessica felt her face flush with anger at her sister. She tried to ignore her by picking a book out of her bag to read, but before she even finished a sentence, she felt Cassi’s elbow in her side. She pushed back, and before long the girls were hitting each other again.

“Honestly, you two!” Mom brought the car to a stop in front of the school. “No more fighting!”

The girls got out of the car and headed their separate ways without saying goodbye to each other. Jessica held her lunch bag tightly in her hands as she walked to her first class, still fuming at her sister.

At lunchtime Jessica saw her sister sitting alone, looking troubled. “What’s wrong?” Jessica asked coolly as she came up to the table.

“I forgot my lunch,” Cassi said.

Jessica’s hands tightened around her lunch bag. “Too bad. Maybe if you spent less time fighting with me and more time getting ready for school, that wouldn’t have happened.”

Cassi looked down at the empty table sadly. Jessica turned to walk away, but Mrs. Gregory stood in her way. The teacher looked down at her and smiled.

“You’re holding on to your lunch bag very tightly,” she noted. “Are you afraid love and forgiveness might spill out?”

Jessica looked down at the bag in her hands, confused.

“Sometimes when we’re angry about something, we want to hold on to our anger like you’re holding on to that bag,” Mrs. Gregory said, pulling out chairs for herself and Jessica. “But the Bible tells us to let go of our anger and forgive others, just like Jesus has forgiven our sin and doesn’t hold it against us.” She smiled at Jessica. “Maybe it’s time to loosen your grip.”

Jessica looked over at her sister and then down at her lunch bag. She slowly opened her bag and took out part of her sandwich and a small bag of crackers. “Here,” she said, placing them in front of Cassi.

Cassi looked up and smiled. “Thanks, Jessica.”

Jessica smiled back. “You’re welcome.”

–Chandra Philip

How about you? Do you often find yourself fighting with your siblings or friends? Everyone gets angry sometimes, but the Bible warns against holding on to anger tightly and refusing to let go. Instead, remember the love and forgiveness Jesus shows you and trust Him to help you do the same for others. Then let go of your anger and act in love.

Today's Key Verse: Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger…Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Don’t hold on to anger

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.

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

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.

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