Read: Psalm 139:23-24; Jeremiah 17:10

“Why is there an old apple core inside a crinkled chip bag under your pillow?” Dad asked when Camila came into the kitchen.

Camila smirked. “The real question is why were you looking under my pillow?”

“I was just following my nose,” said Dad. “Your room is a mess! You need to clean it before going to Mackenzie’s house.”

Camila stomped upstairs, mumbling something about how unfair life was.

Dad had just finished his second cup of coffee and morning Bible reading when Camila scooted into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “I’m guessing you’re taking a snack break,” he said.

Camila crunched into an apple. “Nope. I’m finished.”

“How could you have cleaned your room in thirty minutes? I couldn’t have cleaned it that fast with a bulldozer.”

“Take a look if you don’t believe me.”

Camila followed her dad upstairs. He was amazed. There was no clutter to be found. Dad got down on his hands and knees. “What are you doing?” Camila asked. This didn’t look good.

“When I was a kid, my favorite cleaning method was to shove all the junk under my bed so everything looked clean. I didn’t think my dad was smart enough to look there.” Dad peeked under the bed. “And it looks like you didn’t think your dad was smart enough either. I guess you have a full day of cleaning ahead of you.”

“I thought it’d be easier to just hide everything by shoving it under the bed,” said Camila. “I didn’t know you were going to send out a search party!”

Dad sat on the edge of her bed. “Believe it or not, a lot of people think they can do the same thing with their sin—they try to hide it to make their lives look perfect. They may think they’re fooling everyone, but they’re not fooling God. In the Bible, David asks God to search his heart. He wanted God to find the sin in his life so he could confess it and be forgiven.”

“Well, God is our Father, and fathers are really good at finding stuff!” Camila said. “I guess I need to tell Jesus—and you—I’m sorry.”

“I forgive you,” Dad said. “And Jesus promises to always forgive us too.”

–Jared Hottenstein

How about you? Do you try to hide your sin and keep others from seeing the messes in your life? Even if you’re able to hide the wrong things you do from others, you can’t hide them from God. The Bible calls the wrong things we do sin, and the best way to handle sin isn’t to try to hide it from God, but to show it to Him. The Bible says that if we confess our sins, Jesus is faithful to His promise to always forgive us.

Today's Key Verse: Search me, God, and know my heart…See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Let God search for sin

Read: Ephesians 6:1-3

Charley toddled happily around the living room. He had just learned to walk, and it was Lacie’s job to keep an eye on him while Dad was cooking dinner. He was a very curious little boy and almost always found a way to get into trouble.

“Charley, get out of there! You could pull the whole bookcase down on you,” Lacie exclaimed. Charley had begun to climb up the shelves to grab an interesting picture he wanted to see. Lacie pulled him off the shelf, and he howled in anger. She set him back on the floor and watched for his next move carefully.

He casually glanced back at his sister, then wandered over to the basement stairs. Lacie wasn’t fooled, and she knew he couldn’t handle going down big steps yet. She scooped him up, and again he screamed.

Lacie tried to explain what would happen to him. “Charley, if you try to do things that will hurt you, then I’m going to keep you from doing them. I know you’re mad because you don’t get to do what you want, but you have to learn what’s good for you and what’s dangerous.” It didn’t make a difference to Charley.

I really hope he figures out he could really get hurt if he keeps this up, Lacie thought. I don’t want to keep rescuing him from danger just because he doesn’t know it’s dangerous.

As Lacie thought about Charley’s attitude, she realized she was doing the exact same thing. Not that she was going to climb a bookcase, but her dad had told her several times that she couldn’t get her own phone like the other girls at school. I just want to fit in with my friends, Lacie thought. But maybe Dad knows it’s something I’m not ready for yet. I need to remember that God wants me to obey Dad because He loves me, and Dad loves me too. I can trust that they both know what’s best for me.

“I know today hasn’t been fun for you, Charley,” she told her bawling brother, “but thanks for helping me learn that I can’t always get what I want either. I just hope I can help you learn the same thing too!”

–Dylan Kraayenbrink

How about you? Do you get angry when your parents won’t let you have something you want? Maybe you’re upset that you can’t have a smartphone, a new bike, or the latest clothes. Remember that God puts parents in our lives to help us learn and grow because He loves us. We need to trust that they—and God—know what’s best for us. Obey your parents and trust that God is using them to help you grow.

Today's Key Verse: Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Ephesians 6:1 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Trust your parents to know best

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