ABCs
of Salvation
Have you asked Jesus to be your Savior? Hes waiting to hear from you!
A ADMIT honestly to God that you have sinned and disobeyed Him.
The Bible says:
Romans 3:23: All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Romans 6:23: The wages of sin is death (everlasting punishment).
No sin is allowed in heaven.
B BELIEVE that Jesus died on the cross and rose again. His blood was shed to pay for your sins.
The Bible says:
1 Corinthians 15:3-4: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.
John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Because Jesus loves you so much, He took the punishment for you so that you can be forgiven.
C CHOOSE to trust Jesus alone for the forgiveness of your sins.
The Bible says:
Romans 10:13: Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
John 3:18: He who believes in Him (Jesus) is not condemned.
When you trust in Jesus Christ alone to save you, God forgives you! You become His child, and He promises you a home in heaven forever! Put your trust in Jesus as your Savior from sin. Do it today, and begin following Him by obeying His Word, the Bible.
Prayer Power
Please pray for me. My grandma just died. I know shes in heaven, but pray that I would be comforted and able to deal with my grief. Selah
My teacher is not saved. I am trying to invite him to church. Please pray that I will have the courage to tell him about God. Joy
Please pray for my friend. She swears a lot and is not saved. Asriella
Pray for my brother, as he has been drifting away from God, and he really needs Him. Also pray about my grades. They arent very good, and I need them to go up a lot. Also pray that I would grow in my spiritual walk with God. Alexis
Please pray that I find a church that will reach out to me and where I can serve Christ. Emily
When I was in second grade, I witnessed to my friend Amelia. I am in fourth grade, but we homeschool now, so I dont have any contact with her. Please pray for her! iTOADu.com friend
The Other Panda
THIS ISSUES CREATURE FEATURE: RED PANDA
What comes to mind when you hear the word panda? Youre probably thinking of a big black-and-white bear that eats bamboo, right? That panda is called the giant panda, but theres another kind of pandathe red panda. Though it shares a name with the giant panda, the red panda is in a family all its own.
Theres another kind of pandathe red panda.
Like giant pandas, red pandas eat bamboolots of it! Because their bodies dont absorb many nutrients from bamboo, red pandas eat 20 to 30 percent of their body weight in bamboo each day. But bamboo is plentiful in the Himalayan mountain ranges where they live, so its easy for them to find. Because of their diet, red pandas need to conserve energy. Theyre only active half the day, usually around dawn and dusk.
Red pandas spend most of their time in trees. Their long tails, which make up half of their body length, help them balance in branches. Climbing trees also helps them stay away from predators such as jackals and leopards, and their fur helps them blend in with red lichen and mosses. But the biggest threat to red pandas isnt other animals eating them, but the forests where they live being cut down.
The red panda has always been hard to classify. While it has some things in common with the giant panda, such as eating bamboo and a wrist bone that looks like a thumb, it doesnt belong in the bear family. It was once placed in the same family as raccoons, weasels, and skunks, but due to DNA studies scientists now put the red panda in its own unique category.
Do you ever feel like you belong in your own unique category? Maybe you dont really know where you fit in. Just remember that if youre a Christian, you already belong to the most important family there isGods family! The next time you feel like you dont belong, remember you belong to Him.
COURTNEY LASATER
OCTOBER 1
A Lesson from the Bees
READ: PROVERBS 10:4-5; 12:24
Jacobs heart beat faster as he climbed into the blue SUV. He dreaded the thought of facing his saxophone teacher, Mr. Burk.
Are you okay? asked Mom. You seem upset.
I dont want to go to my lesson, Mom. I know Ill do a rotten job of playing today.
Jacob, youll do fine if you practiced. Dont worry. Just do your best.
That was the problem. He hadnt practiced this weekMom just hadnt noticed.
Mom turned the car into Mr. Burks driveway. Scooping his books into his arms, Jacob pushed the door open and shuffled out. Mr. Burk greeted him, leaning his six-foot frame against the wooden gate.
Hi, Jacob, he said. Ive got a surprise for you!
Jacobs eyes brightened as he followed his teacher into his backyard. A low hum echoed from the almond tree and grew into a buzzing roar as Jacob got closer. Thousands of honeybees swarmed around the trunk near a hive cradled in the trees branches.
Guess what bees are doing when they land on flowers? asked Mr. Burk. They suck the flowers juicecalled nectarand carry it to the hive to make it into honey. They make about sixty trips to a flower just to make one tablespoon of honey!
Do all bees have jobs? asked Jacob.
They sure do, replied Mr. Burk. Every bee works hard. Worker bees build the honeycombs, and sentries watch for enemies and sting them. Other bees flap their wings to keep the temperature in the hive close to 95 degrees so the honey wont spoil. Isnt that amazing? Jacob nodded. Well, wed better go start our saxophone lesson, said Mr. Burk.
Yeah, Jacob whispered. As he followed his teacher inside, he thought of the bees and how hard they worked. They did their best and he hadnt. His parents often talked about how the Bible encouraged hard work and doing your best for the Lord. Did that include the saxophone?
Im sorry, Mr. Burk, said Jacob as he got out his saxophone. I didnt practice. But I promise, this week Ill work hard. Ill be as busy as a bee!
VIOLET E. NESDOLY
DO YOUR BEST FOR GOD
KEY VERSE
AND WHATEVER YOU DO, DO IT HEARTILY, AS TO THE LORD AND NOT TO MEN. COLOSSIANS 3:23
DO YOU WORK HARD AT THE THINGS GOD HAS GIVEN YOU TO DO? It can be tempting to do only as much as you can get away with, but hard work helps you develop your talents and skillsand one day God may want you to use them in a bigger way than you are now. Bring glory to God by doing your best in your schoolwork and whatever else you do.
OCTOBER 2
Copycats
READ: 1 PETER 1:13-16
Griffin angrily slammed the kitchen door as he entered the room. Startled, Dad looked up from his computer. Tell Cade to quit copying me! said Griffin, crossing his arms over his chest. Hes always following me around, and he tries to do everything I do. As Dad closed his laptop, Cade rushed into the kitchen. He marched over to his brother and promptly crossed his arms, too. See what I mean? complained Griffin as Cade stared up at him.
