B - Be still and know that I am God. ~ Psalm 46:10

There is a lot of noise in the world. People talk, or watch videos, or listen to music, or play the piano, or hammer, or mow the lawn, or vacuum, or watch TV. Sometimes people argue, or shout, or cry, or sing, or the phone rings. Sometimes the noise comes from outside: thunder or rainstorms or birds or dogs or car alarms or dump trucks. Sometimes my head gets too full of noise!

Our verse today is from a worship song in the Bible. It tells us to be still. Be silent. Listen. And know that God is God. How will being quiet help us know that?

When there is a lot of noise, it is hard to hear people talking to us. It’s the same with God. If our mind is busy listening to something else, we can’t think about God. But when we are quiet, we can pay attention to the beautiful world he made us. When we are still inside, we can tell God about the things that are important to us. When we are still and quiet, like the girls in the picture, then God can let us know he is there.

Our Father, thank you that you gave us ears to hear things in the world. Thank you that you love us and want us to know you too. Help us find ways to be quiet and still so we can hear from you as well as from the world. Amen

Children’s Verse Photo by Janko Ferlič on Unsplash

C -Children, obey your parents in everything.  ~ Colossians 3:20

Today’s verse comes from a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to a church. He told the people in the church what they should do to make God happy. His instruction to the children was like God’s instruction in the Ten Commandments. Children should obey their parents in everything. This means you should do everything your parents tell you to.

In the picture, the girl’s father is showing her how to wash her hands properly. You have probably learned how to do this too. The girl is doing just what her father says, and her father looks pleased. It makes parents very happy when their children do as they are told.

Did you know that adults are supposed to obey too? There are many places in the Bible where God tells everyone to obey him. It makes God very happy when people do what he says. When we practice obeying our parents, we will be better at obeying God too. And since God and our parents tell us to do things that are good, it will make all of us happy in the end.

Our Father, thank you for giving us parents who can tell us what things we should do. Help us obey them even when we don’t feel like it. We want to make you happy, and our parents too. Amen.

Children’s Verse Photo by CDC on Unsplash

D - Do not be anxious about anything. ~ Philippians 4:6

The world can be a scary place. Sometimes people can scare us, or things we hear about on the news can. We can be afraid to try doing things that are hard for us. We can feel afraid in the dark or when there is thunder, or if someone we love is sick.

Today’s verse comes from a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to the people in a church, where scary things were happening to them. He wanted them to know what to do when they were afraid. He told them not to be anxious, or worried, or scared, about anything.

But that is not easy to do, because we can’t help being afraid. So Paul went on to tell people what to do when they were afraid. Here is what he said: “Pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” (New Living Translation)

Paul was reminding them that God is always with them, and that he always listens when they talk to him. That’s true for us too, and for the boy in the picture. Did you notice the two ways Paul said to pray when we are afraid?

First, we should tell God what we need. We might need to brave enough to do something, or we might need to find someone to help us. We might need to be strong enough to say no to someone. Or we might need to know inside that God loves us. Whatever we need, we should ask God.

Second, we should remember the ways God has helped us or other people in the past. Reading our Bibles can remind us of the amazing things God has done. For example, he brought Jesus back to life after he died. If he could do that, he is certainly strong enough to help us too.

Our Father, thank you that you always listen to me. Thank you that you are strong and powerful, and that you will help me be strong too. Help me not to be afraid. Help me learn to pray. Amen.

Photo by David Beale at Unsplash

E - Every word of God proves true. ~ Proverbs 30:5

Where do you look when you want to find out something? If I want to find out why the sky looks blue, I can Google the question on a tablet like one the boy in the picture is using. If I want to find out how to make tomato soup, I look in a recipe book — or on my computer. If I want to find out someone’s phone number, I look in the phone book — or on my phone.

We can find the answer to almost anything we want to know by looking it up. The problem is that not everything we read is true.

How can we know what is true and what isn’t? Often we have to look at different answers to our question and see if they are the same. We can also ask if the person who wrote what we are reading is someone who probably knows about it. Or we can ask someone we trust to help us decide.

When we want to know about God, we look in the Bible. Our verse today tells us that God’s word is always true. It is not just true; it is proven to be true. That means that when people believed what God said and acted on it, he showed them it was true. That’s not surprising, right? God knows everything, and he only ever tells the truth.

God’s word is true. But the Bible can be complicated, and we have to study it carefully to understand what God is telling us. Lucky for us, he gives us people to help us. Jesus promised us that the Holy Spirit would also help us understand. And that is true, because Jesus is God, and he gave us his word.

Our Father, thank you for speaking to us through the Bible, and that all of your words are proven true. Please help us understand what you are saying to us, and help us trust you to show us that it is true. Amen.

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

F - Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. ~ Luke 6:37

The boy and girl in the picture aren’t looking at each other. Uh oh. They look angry. Maybe one of them said something mean to the other one, or maybe they both did. Or maybe they’re fighting over something else.

That happens. When someone hurts us, our first instinct is to do something hurtful back to the person who hurt us. The problem is, then they will do something else mean, and then we will, and it will get worse and worse.

In this verse, Jesus tells us how to live in peace with people who hurt us. He says we should forgive them. That doesn’t mean we have to say what they did was okay, because probably it wasn’t. It means that we choose not to hurt them back. It means we treat them with kindness even though they were mean to us.

Jesus did this when he forgave the people who nailed him onto a wooden cross to die. Then after he was alive again, he kindly invited everyone, including them, to come and be part of God’s kingdom with him.

In today’s verse, Jesus says that if we forgive other people, we will be forgiven for the hurting we do. The person we hurt might or might not forgive us back. It depends on whether they do what Jesus says. But Jesus promised that God will forgive us. And then we will have peace in our hearts, and the kingdom of God will be a little bit stronger.

Our Father, it’s hard to forgive people who hurt us. But we want to be like Jesus. Help us forgive them and be kind to them, even though it’s hard. And please also forgive us for the unkind things we do. Thank you. Amen.

Photo by Izzy Park on Unsplash

G - God saved you by his Grace when you believed. ~ Ephesians 2:8 (NLT)

Everyone likes to get gifts. Especially when it isn’t your birthday, or Christmas, or Valentine’s Day, and someone gives you something for no reason at all, except that they love you. In the picture, the girl’s Dad has just gotten a gift. He looks pretty happy. The girl looks happy too, because it is also fun to give someone a gift.

Our verse today says that God “saved” us. This means that he forgave all of the things we do that we shouldn’t, so we don’t have to be punished for them. He did this when we believed in Jesus, his son, who took our punishment for us when he died on the cross.

It also says that God saved us by his “grace”. The word “grace” in the Bible means giving love and kindness to someone just because you want to, not because they deserve it in any way. That’s how God loves us. We don’t have to be special or extra good or do anything to make him love us. He just does. Always. Because he wants to.

That sounds like God is giving us a gift, doesn’t it? Two gifts: his love and his “salvation” (a big word that means he saved us). And if we look at the next part of this verse, we see another G word that tells us this is exactly what it means! Here it is:

“God saved you by his Grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a Gift from God.” And that is something to be thankful for!

Our Father, thank you that you always love us, no matter what. Thank you Jesus, for loving us enough to be punished in our place for all the bad things we have done and will do. Thank you for the gift of saving us. Help us believe in you always. Amen.

Photo by Bermix Studio on Unsplash

H - Humble Yourselves Before the Lord  ~ James 4:10 (NIV)

Today’s verse comes from a letter that Jesus’s brother James wrote to people in churches. He reminded them that if they are fighting with each other, it is because they are trying to get what they want and not what Jesus wants for them. He said that instead of fighting, they should “humble themselves before God.” What does that mean?

In the picture, a puppy is sitting very nicely on the sand, looking up at something that is probably its owner. Puppies love to run and play, and this one would probably rather do that than sit still. But instead, it is doing what its owner told it to do. It has “humbled itself” before (in front of) its owner.

What do you think the owner will give the puppy for being so obedient? I think he will give it a doggie treat and then play with it on the beach.

Our verse has a second part. Here it is in the New Living Translation: “Humble yourselves before God and He will lift you up in honor.” Wow. That means if we do the loving things God wants us to do instead of the selfish things we sometimes want to do, he will reward us, just like the puppy’s owner rewards the puppy. God won’t give us dog treats or play with us on the beach, but he might give us happy hearts and more peace in our families. Whatever he gives us, it will be good.

Our Father, sometimes we fight with people to get the things we want. We’re sorry. Help us humble ourselves before you by being kind to our families and friends and not just thinking about what we want. Help us to notice the good things you give us when we do. Amen.

Photo by Ryan Walton on Unsplash

I - I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
~ John 10:11 (NIV)

A shepherd is a person who looks after sheep. Our picture shows a shepherd carrying a very large sheep. Maybe it got lost in the woods and he rescued it. Look how relaxed that big, floppy sheep looks in the shepherd’s strong arms. It feels safe because it knows the shepherd will look after it no matter what. It has a good shepherd.

Jesus is a good shepherd too. How do we know? He said so. We can read what he said in today’s verse. But his sheep don’t look like the one in the photo. His sheep look like you and me and all the people who follow him like sheep follow a shepherd. How do we follow him? By trusting him and doing what he tells us.

A good shepherd protects his sheep, so if a lion or wolf comes, he will fight it off. He will even die protecting his sheep if he has to. That’s what Jesus meant when he said the good shepherd “lays down his life” for his sheep. Think about that. Jesus loves us so much he would die to keep us safe.

And that’s exactly what Jesus did when he died on the cross. His death made it possible for his sheep, us, to become God’s children. Now, no matter what happens here on Earth, God will keep our hearts safe. And when we die too, we will be safe forever with God our Father and our good shepherd Jesus.

Our Father, thank you for sending your son Jesus to be our good shepherd. Help us listen to Jesus and follow him like good sheep. Amen.

Photo by FOYN on Unsplash

J - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  ~ Hebrews 13:8

A chameleon is a small lizard that can change the colour of its skin depending on how it feels. The picture shows a very colorful chameleon. I wonder what it is feeling to make itself so bright. Can you imagine what it would be like if your skin turned green when you were frightened or orange when you wanted to meet a friend? Sometimes it is good when things stay the same. But not many things do.

The weather turns cold and then warm again. We make new friends when old ones move. People start small and grow big, but then they get shorter again when they get old. Our eyes can get lighter or darker as we grow older too, and our fingerprints can get harder to see if we wash dishes a lot or lay bricks. Mountains and rocks get worn away by water, ice or wind. Even a star that looks the same to us each night is actually getting brighter or dimmer and will eventually go dark.

One thing that doesn’t ever change is God. Our verse today tells us that Jesus, God’s son, is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If Jesus loved us yesterday (and he did), he also loves us today and he will love us tomorrow. If he wanted us to be kind to someone yesterday (and he did), he wants us to be kind today and he will want it again tomorrow. If he promised us yesterday that he will be with us (and he did, in Matthew 28:20), he is with us again today and he will be tomorrow.

We might forget things or change our mind, but Jesus doesn’t. He remembers what he said and keeps his promises forever. Whatever else changes around us, we can depend on him.

Our Father, thank you that you and Jesus don’t change like a chameleon. Thank you that everything you said long ago is still true today. Help us to remember that even when we change, you don’t. Amen.

Photo by Laura Hayek on Unsplash

K - Kindness is rewarded— but if you are cruel, you hurt yourself.  ~ Proverbs 11:17 (CEV)

People often tell us that we should be kind. And we should! Jesus wants us to love each other. Today’s Bible verse tells us another reason to be kind. It comes from the book of Proverbs, which is the Bible’s book of wise sayings.

In today’s picture, the girl is helping her brother get up from the log. Maybe he hurt his foot and that’s why he needs help. Today’s verse says that kindness is rewarded. A reward is something you get, like a prize, for doing something good. So what reward will she get for helping her brother?

Maybe her brother will reward her by helping her later, or sharing snacks he has in his pocket. Often if we are kind to someone, they will be kind back. That’s a very good reward. But even if her brother doesn’t reward her, Jesus will. The Bible tells us that God blesses people who do good things. One of those blessings is making us feel strong and happy inside.

The second part of the verse tells what happens if we aren’t kind. It says that if we are cruel, we hurt ourselves. Imagine that the girl didn’t help her brother, and he had a hard time getting up from the log by himself. He will be angry with her, and if she hurts herself later, he might decide not to help. Cruelty often comes back to hurt us that way.

The other thing that happens if we are cruel is that it gets easier to be cruel again. In Bible words, our hearts get hard instead of soft and loving. We find it harder to hear Jesus inside us, telling us that he loves us. We feel guilty because we know we have hurt someone. And that hurts us, as our verse says.

Another translation of this verse says, “People who are kind will be rewarded for their kindness, but cruel people will be rewarded with trouble.” (ERV) So let’s be kind to ourselves by being kind to others.

Our Father, help us be kind. It isn’t always easy. We’re sorry for the times we have been cruel. Please make our hearts soft and loving again so we can be kind to others and to ourselves. Amen.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

L - Love is patient and kind.  ~ 1 Corinthians 13:4

We know what kindness is. Being kind is one way of showing love to other people. Today’s verse adds a new way: being patient. It comes from a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to a church where the people were fighting with each other a lot.

Being patient means waiting for something to happen without getting upset when it takes a long time. It also means not getting annoyed or angry when someone else doesn’t understand what you are trying to tell them. It can also mean not complaining when something is hard for us. It is hard to be patient!

One piece of good news is that we get a lot of chances to practice. Next time someone does something that makes you want to scream, it’s probably a good time to practice being patient. The next piece of good news is that we have help. Galatians 5:22 tells us that patience is a “fruit” of the Holy Spirit. That means that if we let him, the Holy Spirit will make our patience grow.

One way we can become more patient is by thinking about why the other person is acting so annoying, or why we have to wait. For example, in the picture above, the big sister is teaching the little sister to read. If she gets a word wrong over and over, the big sister could get very impatient with her. But if she understands that reading is hard for her sister, and remembers that some things are hard for her too, she won’t feel as annoyed.

Our Father, thank you that you are very patient with us when we get impatient with other people. Please help us think before we get angry, and help us understand why someone might be annoying us. Please make our patience grow, and be patient with us while it does. Amen.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

M - Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.  ~ Psalm 98:4

Today’s verse comes from a psalm, which is a song in the Bible. This song tells us that we should sing! Actually, it tells us that we should make a happy noise to God. Other psalms say this as well, and there are lots of stories in the Bible where people sing and dance for God and play all kinds of musical instruments. God must like loud, happy sounds of praise!

In the picture, one boy has a guitar. Maybe he is about to start singing to God. Maybe the others are too. That would be a joyful noise.

But what about the boy on the end with his head in in his hand? He doesn’t look like he wants to sing. He looks sad. When we feel sad, we don’t feel like making a joyful noise to God. In those times, we don’t have to sing. Instead, we can be quiet with God and tell him what is wrong and remember how much he loves us. When Jesus was sad, that’s what he did.

But sometimes, singing can remind us of God’s love. The words and the music can help us remember the good things he gives us. Making a joyful noise to God can even make us feel happy again. Music is a way to praise God when we feel joyful, but it is also a way to lift our spirits up to God no matter how we feel. Next time you’re feeling sad, why not try making a joyful noise, and see what happens?

Our Father, thank you for the gift of music! Thank you for the gift of joy. Thank you that you like to hear us making happy sounds of praise. Help us sing to you when we feel happy and also when we don’t. Amen.

Photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash

N - Nothing will be impossible with God! Luke 1:37

Do people ever want you to do things you think are impossible? Sometimes God tells people to do things they think are impossible too.

An angel once visited a young woman named Mary and told her she was going to have a baby. Mary wondered how that could be, since she didn’t have a husband. But the angel told her, “Nothing will be impossible with God.” So Mary said she would do what God wanted, and sure enough, nine months later, Mary gave birth to baby Jesus.

Many years later, Jesus was killed, wrapped up in cloths, and buried in a tomb (a cave) made of solid rock with a giant stone over the door. His friends thought they would never see him again, but nothing is impossible for God.

Two days later, Jesus got up and walked right out of the cloths and out of the tomb. He was alive again! That’s impossible, but God did it. Let’s celebrate our awesome God, who does amazing and wonderful things!

And if he could do those impossible things, can we doubt that he can also help us when we need him?

Dear Heavenly Father, you are amazing! You can do anything at all! I can’t do a lot of things, and some of the things I need to do are hard for me. I believe you can help me. Please help me know which things you want me to do, and help me do them. Thank you. Amen.

Photo by Jill Heyer on Unsplash

O - Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed by Thy Name.  ~ Matthew 6:9

Prayer is talking to God. Have you ever wondered how to pray, or what you should say to God? Jesus’ disciples did. They asked Jesus to teach them, and he gave them a prayer to use as a guide. We call it “The Lord’s Prayer”, and our memory verse today is the first part of it. (Some people call it “The Our Father”. Can you guess why?)

The verse above is in old-fashioned English, where “which art” means “who is”; “Hallowed” means “holy”; “Thy” means “your”. Here is what it sounds like in the International Children’s Bible:

Our Father in heaven, we pray that your name will always be kept holy.

What can we learn about praying from this? First, we can talk to God the way we talk to a father who loves us very much. In the picture above, the boy looks so happy to be with his dad, and his dad looks happy to be with him! When you pray, think of God being happy to spend time with you.

Look at the picture again. The boy looks like he would do anything his dad asks. When we pray that God’s name will always be kept holy, it means we want everything we do to bring God honour and glory. We want to do the things he wants us to do. We want to make God happy, just like the boy in the picture wants to please his dad.

Our Father, thank you that you love us so much that you want us to come and talk to you. Please help us love you back by doing the things you want us to do. Amen.

Here is a video of some children singing the Lord’s Prayer. You can do the actions and sing along with them!

"The Lord's Prayer" song

Photo by Sebastian Leon Prado on Unsplash

P - Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul!  ~ Psalm 146:1

This verse is the beginning of a song that King David wrote. In his song, he lists a whole lot of reasons he knows he can trust God. Some of these are:

• God made everything in heaven and in Earth
• He keeps his promises
• He gives food to the hungry
• He loves people who do what is right
• He looks after those who need help

One of the songs we sing in church says there are ten thousand reasons to praise God! How many can you think of?

When David thought of how wonderful God is, it made him want to sing and make music.  He wanted to praise God every day for his whole life. How can you praise God today?

Our Father, you are wonderful in so many ways, and we want to tell you so! Praise the Lord! Amen.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Q - Do not Quench the Spirit.  ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:19

Look at the candle in the picture. Do you see anything strange? Where there should be a burning flame, there is water. How will this candle light up the room, or warm your hands? It can’t!

Our verse today is from a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to a church. He told them not to Quench the Spirit. What does that mean?

The Spirit is the Holy Spirit, who lives in us when we believe in Jesus. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit looked like tongues of fire when it came down on the heads of the believers — like the flame of a candle.

Quench means to put out a fire with water, just like someone did to the candle in the picture. So the verse could say, “Don’t put out the Holy Spirit!” How could we do that!?!

The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit works inside us to make us loving and faithful. If we resist by ignoring the Bible, not praying, not thinking about God, and doing things we know we shouldn’t, then we are quenching the Spirit. It is like we are putting water on the candle so it can’t burn. And then the Holy Spirit can’t change us, because we won’t let Him.

So this week, let’s do what we need to, so the Holy Spirit can burn brightly inside us.

Our Father, thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to live in us and make us like Jesus. Help us listen and do what the Holy Spirit says. Amen.

Photo from pxhere.com

R - Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, Rejoice!  ~ Philippians 4:4

Rejoice! The word means to show great joy or delight, like the girl in the photo is doing. You might think she would be crying, because her face, her hair, and her white shirt are splotchy with paint. But no, she is happy.

Of course, it might be fun to be splattered with paint. But often things happen to us that aren’t fun at all. Someone might hurt us: splat blue paint. Or keep us from having something we want: splat yellow. Or we might be hungry: splat gray. Or lonely: splat green. Or we might need help but no one wants to help: splat purple.

But through all of these things, we Christians still have things to rejoice about. God knows us better than we know ourselves. He sees everything we are going through, and he loves us forever. He forgives us when we do things wrong, so we don’t have to feel guilty. Jesus has made us his brothers and sisters, and he gives us the strength to get through anything the world can throw at us. (For more reasons to rejoice, read Psalm 86 at the top of this page!)

So rejoice in the Lord always! Again I say: rejoice!

Our Father, thank you that you give us so many reasons to rejoice in you. Help us know in our hearts that you are here with us right now. We love you. Amen!

Photo by Senjuti Kundu on Unsplash

S - Sing praise to the Lord, O you his Saints!   ~ Psalm 30:4

This verse comes from a Psalm (worship song) written by King David. He loved to sing praises to God, the Lord. We know what it means to sing. The girl in the picture is singing for all she’s worth! But what does “O you his Saints” mean?

In this psalm, David is giving instructions to the people he calls “his Saints”, or the Lord’s Saints, telling them that they should sing praises to God. So who are these saints? Other translations of the Bible say, “you his godly ones”, or “you his faithful followers”. So God’s “saints” are the people who are faithful in doing what God wants them to do.

One of the things God wants us to do is to sing praises to him. Can you do that today, as a faithful follower of Jesus?

Our Father, we want to be your faithful followers, your saints. We praise you with all our hearts.  Amen!

Photo by Felix Koutchinski on Unsplash

T - Trust in the Lord with all your heart.  ~ Proverbs 3:5

A proverb is a wise saying. The book of Proverbs in the Bible is written to help the people who read it to be wise, or to do things that will make their lives go well. Today’s verse is a proverb that tells us to trust in God with our whole hearts. In other words, to trust God completely, in everything we do and in everything that happens to us.

In the picture, the little girl’s dad has tossed her up in the air. You can’t see her face, but do you think she is screaming or laughing? I think she is laughing, because she knows that her dad is going to catch her when she comes back down. She trusts him with all of her heart.

When things happen in your life that seem out of control, and you feel like you are going to fall, remember that your Heavenly Father is right there with you. He knows all about what is happening, and even if it is really hard, he will catch you and not let you fall. Sometimes the hard problems hang around for a long time, but God will stay with you through all of them and hold you up.

Our Father, it is so good to know that you are here with me through everything that happens in my life. When I feel like I am falling, catch me in your strong hands and keep me safe. Show me that I can trust you more and more, until I do trust you completely, with my whole heart. Amen.

Photo by lauren lulu taylor on Unsplash

U - Unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour.  ~ Luke 2:11

Today is a quiz day—because today’s verse is one we usually talk about at a different time of the year! To make it easier to answer, here is the verse in the Christian Standard Bible, a more modern translation: “Today in the city of David a Savior was born for you.”

Our quiz has four questions. Try to answer, and then check your answers below.

1. What is the other name for “David’s town”, or “The City of David”?
2. Why is it named after King David?
3. Who is the Saviour who was born there long after David died?
4. When do we usually talk about this verse?

Ready? Here are the answers:

1. Bethlehem
2. David came from Bethlehem, and was crowned king there as well.
3. Jesus!
4. During Advent and Christmas

Look at the picture of the boy with the small baby. Think about God, the creator of all the stars and nebulas and galaxies, geese and giraffes and whales, and tiny things like eyelashes and earthworms and seeds.

Now think about this enormous, powerful God leaving all of that behind and fitting himself into the body of a little baby like the one in the picture, to become Jesus, our Saviour. When he was a baby, God, who had made everything, needed the very people he had made to keep him alive. He gave up everything to become like us, and live with us, and make us his children. That is truly amazing love.

Our God, how much you must love us to leave your home in heaven to live in a human body in this world where life is not always easy or nice. Thank you. Help us to love you back by loving all the people and things you have made. Amen.

Photo by Ana Tablas on Unsplash

V - Victory Belongs to the Lord.  ~ Proverbs 21:31

In today’s picture, we see a football player kneeling beside a bench and praying. Maybe he is praying for God to help his team win, which is what “victory” means.

Look at what he is wearing. He has big shoulder pads under his jersey, and a helmet to put on his head to keep him safe. He also has round muscles in his arms, so he has probably spent a lot of time training to become strong and fast. All of these things will help him play well and keep him safe. He is in a good position to help his team win their game.

But he is still praying to God for help. Our verse today says that victory, or winning, belongs to God. That means that no matter what we do, God is the one who decides who wins or loses.

Most of us aren’t football players hoping to win football games. We more often need to win over problems in our lives. Maybe we are having a disagreement with someone. Or someone is hurting us. Or we have to do something that is difficult. Just like the football player in the picture, we should prepare ourselves to do what we need to do. But we should also pray. Because it is God that will make us win.

Our Father, there are difficult things going on in our lives. We need to solve problems and make peace with people and do things we don’t like to do. Help us remember to ask you for help and to trust you. Please give us victory over these things. Amen.

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

W - We love because he first loved us.   ~  1 John 4:19

Imagine that someone asked you to give them a dollar. Would you be more likely to give them one if you had twenty dollars or if you only had one? Twenty, right?

Or imagine that you had one cookie. Would you be more likely to give it away if you had just eaten lunch and three cookies or if it was still two hours to supper and this was your only snack? It would be easier to give it away if you were already full, right?

Our verse today says “We love because he (Jesus) first loved us.” It comes from a book in the Bible written by John, who was called “the disciple that Jesus loved.” Jesus loved all the disciples, of course, but John was maybe his closest friend. In this verse, John tells us that he and the other disciples were so full of love from Jesus that they had lots left over to share with other people.

In the picture, the dad looks like he loves his daughter soooo much. The little girl looks soooo happy to be close to him. If someone she knew needed some love, I bet she would have plenty to share. Jesus loves us as much as the dad in the picture loves his daughter, and even more. Let’s spend some time with Jesus today, reading about him in the Bible, and praying, so we will be filled up with so much love that we have lots left over to share with the people around us.

Our Father, thank you for how much you love us, and for how much Jesus loves us. Help us know you better so we can be filled up with your love and share it all around. Amen.

Photo by Caroline Hernandez on Unsplash

X - Exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation.  ~ 2 Samuel 22:47

What a huge rock is in that picture! If you tried to push it over, do you think you could? Do you think you could slide it to another place on the beach? Do you think the wind or rain can knock it over? No? I don’t either.

Our verse today says that God is like the rock in the picture. No one is stronger than he is. No one and nothing can move him or knock him down. “Salvation” means saving, and God does that too. He sent his son Jesus to save us from being alone and from doing things that hurt us and others. “Exalt” means to lift someone up high so you can honor them.

Here is how the Contemporary English Version of the Bible translates this verse: “You are a mighty rock. I will honor you for keeping me safe.” Let’s do that this week.

Our Father, thank you that you sent Jesus to save us and keep us safe. Thank you that you are big and strong and that no one can push you around, because that means that I can trust you completely. I praise you for being my solid rock. Amen

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Y - You are the light of the world. ~ Matthew 5:14-16

Today’s verse is something that Jesus said to the people who came to listen to him. We come to listen to him too, right? So he is also speaking to us. He says that we — you and I — are the light of the world. Look at the picture, with the light from the sun shining on the world. Jesus said that’s us. Wow. It’s a good thing Jesus went on to explain what he meant!

Jesus explained that no one turns on lamp and then covers it up so no one can see the light. That would be silly! Instead, the lamp is there to light up the room so people can see. In the same way, we are supposed to light up the world with good deeds, so people will see goodness and love instead of dark things like evil and hate. And then they will praise God. So let’s do it!

Our Father, thank you for giving us a job to do wherever we live. Help us to make the world a brighter place for everyone by doing good things for the people and the animals and the natural world around us. We praise you, Father, because you are good, and we want to be good too. Amen

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Z - Now who is there to harm you if you are Zealous for what is good? ~ 1 Peter 3:13

Today’s verse comes from a letter that the apostle Peter wrote to people who believed in Jesus. First he tells them to do all sorts of good things and love each other. Then he asks a question, which is today’s verse. The “Z” word is “zealous”, which means that a person really, really, really wants something to happen! So Peter’s question means, “Who will hurt you if you really, really, really want to do what is good?”

Most times, nobody, right? So we can do good things to honour God and not worry. But Peter goes on to say that even if someone doesn’t like the good things you do, God will reward you for doing them. Jesus only did good things, and some people did their best to stop him. But God raised him from the dead to show everyone that what Jesus did was right. And now Jesus lives forever in Heaven, where no one can hurt him at all. If we believe in him, we will go there to live with him too.

So let’s be zealous is doing good things! God is with us.

Our Father, you are good! We also want to be good, and we trust you to look after us no matter what anyone else says. Please help us know what is good, and help us to do it. Amen.

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