READ: 2 CORINTHIANS 9

I blinked at my phone screen and swallowed the lump in my throat. How could this have happened? I had donated $65 to a Christian charity the month before, back when I was employed, and now I had just received a receipt claiming I had donated another $65 this morning. $65 pulled straight out of my savings rather than my “extras” stash.

I discovered that, either by clerical error or my own mistake, I had been signed up to donate $65 monthly rather than as a one-time gift. I emailed the charity asking them to switch my gift to one-time, but I didn’t ask for my gift back. That just felt wrong.

As this drama ensued, I was on the way to see a visiting relative. When we first arrived, I struggled to maintain focus, but I felt God nudging me to be fully present. There was nothing that could be done about the $65 now. I just had to trust Him.

At the end of the visit, my relative handed me a red packet. These are traditionally given in Chinese culture during the Lunar New Year festivities, but that had passed months ago.

“Since I haven’t seen you in so long,” he explained with a smile.

When I opened it later, I found $100 inside! Nearly double what I had accidentally donated. And I knew, with both conviction and hope, that God was providing for me. Even though my generosity had been unintentional this time, He blessed it.

Whenever I wonder about whether to give, I remember God’s provision. Everything I have belongs to God, and He will always take care of my needs. When I give, I am boldly acting on my faith. Of course, we shouldn’t give expecting to receive more money in return, but we can certainly expect the blessing of increased trust in our loving Father. • Hannah Chung

• God loves you, and He knows about all your needs. Just as He takes care of every living creature, He provides for you (Matthew 6:25-34; Philippians 4:10-20). Have you ever experienced God providing for your needs through the generosity of others? What was that like?

• Generosity is an act of praise to God for what He’s already given us: Jesus. By sending Jesus to die for our sins and rise again, the Father gave us everything we need to spend eternity with Him. Consider taking some time to remember Jesus’s sacrifice and thank Him. You can also ask Him how He might be inviting you to be generous to others this week.

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV)

READ: PSALM 100:1-5; 1 THESSALONIANS 5:18

We’re called to give thanks to God at all times. But how? When I was thirteen, I had to wrestle with that question.

Things weren’t going well for me, and I was depressed. My parents were divorced. My mom got remarried to a man I had trouble getting along with. Then, when my mom lost her job, we lost our house and car. We ended up having to move to a cheap apartment in another town, so I had to leave my hometown and all my friends behind. And, with no car, we had to walk everywhere we went. All I could think about was how bad my life was.

One Sunday, a member from our former church came and picked us up for church so we could visit the people we had to leave behind when we moved. It was a treat to see my church friends!

During the worship service, we sang a song about giving thanks. I remember grumbling in my head, I don’t have anything to give thanks about. Then I looked down at the floor. When I did, I saw my shoes.

That got me thinking: I could be thankful because God had provided the shoes on my feet. So I began by thanking God for them, and then I began thinking of more and more things I could thank Him for. That moment, my focus changed from thinking about how bad my life was to how much I had to be thankful for. My life situation didn’t immediately improve, but my perspective did.

Even when we suffer, we can always remember the promises of God in Jesus Christ. Jesus came here, experienced our suffering, died for our sins, and beat death’s power by rising again. We can go to Him with our hurts, and He will remind us of all we have in Him. • Melissa Yeagle

• What are some hard situations in your life right now?

• What can you thank God for, even now?

• Consider taking a moment to pray, telling God about the hard things you’ve been going through and also thanking Him for the ways He has been providing for you.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4 (NIV)

READ: MATTHEW 6:8; 28:20; HEBREWS 4:14-16; 1 PETER 5:7

What number do you call in an emergency? In the United States, people call 911. In Hong Kong and Kenya, the number is 999. In Denmark, it’s 112. In many countries, there are different emergency numbers depending on whether you need an ambulance, the police, or a team of fire fighters.

When you call an emergency number, you are immediately in contact with a trained person who can get you the help you need, and they usually stay on the line with you until the professionals arrive.

Do you ever wonder why they stay on the line? They do it for a couple of reasons. First, they want you to know you’re not alone. This will help you stay calm so you can face your situation with as clear of a mind as possible. Second, they want to make sure help arrives. If first responders don’t arrive, they find out why and ensure you get the help you need.

As Christians, we are never alone. God is always with us. While He never promised us we would live a problem-free life, He did promise we would not face our problems alone (John 16:33). Through prayer, we can talk to Him any time we want. Hebrews 4:14-16 tells us that, because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave, we can “approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.”

No matter what problems we face, we don’t have to be afraid because we know that our trustworthy God will be with us. • Melissa Yeagle

• How is talking to God through prayer similar to calling an emergency number like 911? How is it different?

• Are any problems too small for God to care about? We often think so, but the truth is God wants us to talk to Him about everything. Even the small things are important to Him—because He loves us! And even though He already knows all our needs before we ask Him, He will never “hang up” on us. Consider taking some time to talk to Him about whatever is on your mind.

In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. Psalm 120:1 (CSB)

READ: ROMANS 13:13-14; COLOSSIANS 2:1-14

The early church went through many periods of persecution after Jesus’s ascension into heaven (Acts 1:9). Yet, the church grew quickly. By the 300s AD, large portions of the Roman Empire had converted to Christianity, including a man named Augustine of Hippo.

Born in the year 354 in present-day Algeria, Augustine was one of the greatest thinkers in Christian history. But, like all of us, he wasn’t always a Christian. In his book Confessions, he shares that, early in his life, he really had no interest in Christianity whatsoever. He searched through all the other world religions and philosophies of the time, but none of them cured the restlessness in him.

During his time of searching, his mother prayed fervently that her son’s eyes would be opened to the gospel. Despite his resistance and sinful lifestyle, Augustine eventually came to know Jesus. Augustine says that one day he was weeping under a fig tree, deeply torn about whether or not he should leave his life of sin, but he heard a child from a neighboring house saying in a sing-song voice, “take up and read.” The child wasn’t talking to him, but Augustine thought God was using this child’s words to prompt him to read the Bible. He read Romans 13:13-14, and was instantly convicted of his sin and gave his life to Christ.

From there, he went on to write some very influential books. He also became a bishop and teacher of the Christian faith. His impact on Christianity is still felt to this day, as many who came after him have benefited from his contributions. His books can be tough to read—he did write them 1600 years ago, after all—but I encourage you to try reading Confessions someday! One of the most famous lines reads, “Our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.”

Augustine’s life is a great reminder that the grace of God extends to all people, no matter how much we may resist. God is patient with us. Even when we stubbornly go our own way against God, and end up experiencing the fruitlessness of life apart from Him, He still loves us. And He is always working to draw us near to Himself, and give us rest. • Steven Wierenga

• Consider taking some time to reread Colossians 2:1-14. What are some of the “empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense” you see in the world today? We all fall into believing these at one time or another, often without even realizing it. Consider spending some time in prayer, asking God to show you any false teachings that have taken root in your heart, and to replace those lies with the truth of the gospel. That truth is so much better than any lie.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 (NLT)

READ: MATTHEW 28:16-20; ACTS 1:1-11; 10:34-48; 1 PETER 3:15-18

I have a confession. For a long time, I was scared to witness to others about Jesus. I knew Jesus told His disciples that, through the Holy Spirit’s power, they would witness about Him “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Yet I was afraid to witness to people because I didn’t think I had a very good argument. I thought it was up to me to be the judge of my friends. I was so, so wrong.

You see, in a courtroom setting a witness is not the judge or jury. The witness doesn’t get to make the decisions or judgments regarding the one on trial. And the witness isn’t there to argue for or against whoever is on trial either. A witness’s job is to tell their story. It’s as simple as that.

When I realized this, my perspective on witnessing completely changed. I wasn’t scared anymore, because I realized all I had to do was tell my story— the story of how God loved me before I was even born, and how He sent His Son to die on the cross and be raised from the dead, freeing me from sin, shame, and condemnation. The story of how I have struggled with self-worth, but when I met Jesus I realized I was wonderfully created by God (Psalm 139:13-14). The story of how I have struggled with anxiety, but I have hope knowing that God did not give me “a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7).

You and I are not called to cast judgment. We are called to witness “to the ends of the earth,” telling our story of the goodness of God. • Daevis McMurphy

• Can you think of a time someone shared their own story of God’s goodness with you? How did it impact you?

• Can you think of a time you experienced God’s goodness? What was that like? Consider taking some time to thank God for this, and ask Him if this story is one He’s inviting you to share.

• What questions do you have about witnessing to others about Jesus? Who is a trusted Christian in your life you could talk to about what it means to be a witness of God’s love?

[Jesus said,] “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 (NLT)

READ: PROVERBS 4; GALATIANS 5:13-26; EPHESIANS 4:17–5:20

Guard your heart

Guard your heart

Everything you do

Flows from it through you

From your lips

Past fingertips

Where your feet may go

Every thought God knows

Self-improve

Won’t help you

Let the Spirit lead

God knows what you need

So guard your heart • Savannah Coleman

• Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” What do you think it means to guard your heart?

• It’s tempting to try to do better and think better by relying on our own strength. This may seem to work at first, but the truth is, we all struggle with sin and none of us can live a perfect life. Thankfully, Jesus lived a perfect life on our behalf, then He died on the cross and rose from the grave so we could be forgiven and brought near to God. And 2 Peter 1:3 tells believers that Jesus’s “divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” God’s wisdom, spoken of in Proverbs 4, reminds us to rely on His strength, not our own, for transformation. The more we get to know Him, the more we’ll grow like Him. How could these truths free us to follow God, not out of fear, but out of love?

• Galatians 5:25 says, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Part of guarding our hearts includes thoughtfully discerning if the things and relationships we allow into our lives help us walk in step with Him. What we view with our eyes will affect our hearts, so will what we listen to, and where we go. This doesn’t mean we should avoid being friends with non-Christians or never watch non-Christian movies or listen to non-Christian music, because each person is different and each situation is unique. Instead, God invites us to talk to Him about all these things. He will help us discern how He is calling us to follow Him through His Holy Spirit, His Word (the Bible), and His people (the church). Who are trusted Christians in your life who can help you discern what to allow into your life, and when, and how?

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23 (NIV)

READ: PSALM 34:17-18; ROMANS 6:6-8; EPHESIANS 4:26-32

Harper hid her head under the pillow. She couldn’t take another shouting match. Her parents were just warming up, and lately the fights had lasted late into the night before freezing into a contest of “whoever-talks-first-loses.”

Something was different. Usually about this time of evening, cabinet doors would slam before Dad made some quiet remark that made Mom explode. Not tonight. Suddenly the house was still. Harper ventured into the hallway just in time to see the front door slam. The car fired up and roared out of the driveway. Before Harper knew to stop her, Mom was gone. Just like that. Her nightstand was empty, and so was her closet. Harper didn’t see her mom a lot after that.

She tried to let it go—this ache and anger toward her mom that sometimes threatened to sweep her away. When she had to spend time with Mom for some unavoidable reason, Harper found herself unable to carry on a conversation without exploding in anger or freezing in stone-cold silence.

Finally, after an argument over hairspray that ended in the hottest words she’d ever shot at her mom, Harper locked herself in the bathroom.

She was glaring at her reflection when the thought hit her: “I’m turning into Mom.”

The realization sent her to the floor. Kneeling, she trembled as she prayed, “God, take this anger from me. It’s killing me. Remind me that I belong to You.”

Something melted around her heart, and she knew what she had to do. “Jesus, help me to forgive Mom. Thanks for showing me how she feels when she explodes.” Harper paused and then continued, “Give me Your love for her in the meantime...Because I can’t talk to her right now.” Sitting there on the bathroom floor, hugging her knees, she felt peace flood her. “Jesus, thank You for being with me even when I’m angry.” That truth gave her hope. • Rebekah Love Dorris

• What are some of the things your family struggles with? What are some of your sin struggles?

• Jesus invites us to bring all these sin struggles to Him. He is eager to help us through His Holy Spirit, His Word (the Bible), and His people (the church). Consider taking a moment to talk to Jesus now. And if you want to dig deeper, read Ezekiel 36:26-27 and Galatians 5:13-26.

• Anger is not a sin in itself, but sometimes we give in to temptation more easily when we’re angry. If your family struggles with anger, who is a trusted adult you could talk to about it?

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. Psalm 34:18 (NLT)

READ: PSALM 19; JOHN 1:1-14

Psalm 19 is a psalm of praise and a wonderful description of God’s magnificence. It opens with a declaration of the glory of God’s creation, which speaks a language that is universal to all. The heavens and the earth proclaim God’s majesty and creative power. Looking at creation gives us a tangible glimpse of the majesty and glory of God.

The psalm then switches gears and talks about delighting in the “law of the LORD” (verse 7). The writer, David, expresses how perfect God’s ways are, what wisdom can be found in following God, and what joy it can bring us. The law of the Lord is a guide for our lives, helping us and teaching us that God and His ways are more valuable than all earthly riches and pleasures.

Psalm 19 concludes with a response from David. He reflects on his own shortcomings and his need for forgiveness and God’s help. We all need God’s grace and help, both in avoiding unintentional sins and in resisting temptations to sin willfully. David’s concluding prayer expresses his desire that his words and the thoughts of his heart be pleasing to God, our Creator and Redeemer.

Psalm 19 reminds me of the opening verses in the gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Word is Jesus Christ. He was there at the beginning, and the heavens declare His glory. John goes on to say that “through him all things were made…In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind” (verse 3-4). Christ is God’s Word made flesh, the only one to follow the law of the Lord perfectly, and the only one who can provide the forgiveness we all need through His death and resurrection.

If we know Christ, we have been redeemed. We are a part of God’s wonderful creation, and like “the heavens declare the glory of God; [and] the skies proclaim the work of his hands,” we get to point to Christ and shine His light in the darkness. • Stephanie Mathews

• Have you ever seen something beautiful in creation that led you to praise God? What was that like?

• How is the way we point to God similar to how nature points to God? How is it different?

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19:1 (NIV)