Keys for Kids - daily devotions and Bible stories for kids and families

Read: Romans 5:6-11

Oh no! Poor little bird! Aelin thought when she noticed a bird fluttering around in the grass. It’s hurt. I think it has a broken wing. Maybe I can help it. She picked up her butterfly net and tried to catch the bird, moving slowly and quietly toward it. But each time she got close, it flapped its wings and wiggled out of her reach. The bird led her to the front of the house. Just when she thought she could catch it, the bird flew up and perched on a power line high above her. Aelin was surprised. That bird can fly! Why was it acting like its wing was hurt? She ran into the house to ask her mom about it.

Mom smiled when she heard Aelin’s story. “There’s a nest with baby birds in the maple tree out back,” she said. “I think that must have been the mother bird, and she wanted to lead you away from her babies.”

“But wasn’t she afraid I’d catch her?” Aelin asked.

“Maybe, but she’d rather have you come after her than get too close to her family.” Mom smiled at Aelin and gave her a hug. “She’s a good mother, isn’t she? Parents who love their children that much would do almost anything to keep them safe.”

“Wow!” Aelin said. “I guess we don’t think about that very often.”

“What’s even better is that someone loves us more than parents do,” said Mom. “Someone actually died for us!”

Aelin smiled. “You mean Jesus, don’t you?”

Mom nodded. “He willingly gave His life for us so we could have our sins forgiven and live with Him forever. We know that, but we don’t often think about how much love it took. It makes me feel good to think someone loves me that much.”

“Me too,” said Aelin.

When Aelin went back outside to play, she heard baby birds chirping way up in the tree. “Your mother loves you,” she called to them, “but Jesus loves me even more!”

–Karen Cogan

How about you? Do you realize how much Jesus loves you? He loves you so much that He came down to earth and suffered and died on the cross so that you could be saved from sin and have eternal life with Him. Have you responded to His great love by trusting Him as your Savior? If not, trust in Him today! (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today’s key verse: We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. 1 John 3:16 (NLT)

Today’s key thought: Jesus loves you

Read: Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Peter 4:8-11

“Your friend Mason is really growing in his faith, isn’t he? It’s been fun to see him plug in at church,” Uncle Ken said as Aiden helped him replace the worn-out boards on the porch.

“Yeah,” Aiden said.

“His solo with the junior choir was great,” Uncle Ken said between creaks and squeaks as he pulled nails. Aiden didn’t answer. As they worked, he was very quiet—too quiet. Uncle Ken put down his hammer. “Aiden, is everything okay?”

Aiden sighed. “It’s just that Mason does everything better than I do. I used to sing solos, but now Mason sings most of them. He’s the star student in our class at church too—he brings more visitors and learns more Bible verses than anybody else.”

Uncle Ken nodded. “Get the tape measure out of the toolbox, will you, Aiden? Let’s measure and cut the new boards.” He grinned. “What would you think if the hammer got mad when we started using the tape measure? Or what if the tape measure said, ‘You left me in this box for an hour, so I’m not going to measure anything for you’? Or, ‘If you don’t let me pull nails, I won’t work’?”

Aiden grinned. “They couldn’t do each other’s jobs! They’re tools. They have to do what they’re made to do.”

“Right,” Uncle Ken said. “And Christians are tools in God’s hands—He gives each of us a job to do. It’s not a competition. We serve because we love Jesus and want to share His love with others, not to make ourselves look good.”

Aiden frowned. “But why does Mason have to do everything I do—only better?”

“How many hammers are in my toolbox, Aiden?” asked Uncle Ken.

Aiden checked. “Two,” he said.

Uncle Ken nodded. “And I use both of them. It’s like that with Jesus. He uses us in different ways, but like any tool’s purpose is to serve the carpenter, His purpose for all of us is the same—to work in our hearts so that we’ll grow in our relationship with Him and share His love with others. It’s not about what we do or how well we do it—it’s about trusting Him to use us however He pleases to accomplish His greater purpose.”

–Barbara J. Westberg

How about you? Are you jealous of other Christians? Remember that Jesus uses each of us to do His work and share His love with others in the way He knows is best. We often compare our tasks and abilities to other people’s, but that’s not what God is concerned about—His focus is on our hearts and how to shape them to make us more like Jesus. Trust Him to help you serve Him faithfully as one of the many tools in His toolbox.

Today’s key verse: Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others. 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: Christians are God’s tools

Read: Philippians 1:21-26; Revelation 22:3-5

On the way home from church, Joanna noticed her brother staring out the window. “What’s wrong, Derek? You’ve hardly said a word since we got in the car.”

Derek sighed. “I was just thinking about what Pastor Kevin said about Jesus coming again.”

Joanna frowned. “Don’t you want Him to come?”

“Sure…someday,” Derek replied.

“Sometimes I wish He’d come right away,” said Joanna. “Like before my math test tomorrow.”

“If you’d study, you wouldn’t have to wish that,” Derek pointed out.

“Wishing for Him to come soon is a good thing,” said Joanna. “Grandma always ends her prayers with ‘Lord, come quickly,’ remember?”

“That’s easy for her to pray—she’s old!” Derek said. “I want a dog first, but if Jesus comes too soon, I’ll never get to have one.”

Dad smiled. “Remember the camping trip we took last summer? I promised we’d go, but we couldn’t set an exact date because I didn’t know when I’d be able to get off work. So we got all our camping stuff ready and then went on with our daily lives.”

“That’s right,” said Mom. “When Dad finally said he could go, we hopped in the car and took off. Nobody wanted to stay home and miss all the fun of camping, even if it meant not being able to do other things we had planned.”

“You’re saying that being with Jesus will be even better than having a dog, aren’t you?” Derek asked.

“Better than we can imagine!” Dad said. “He’s always with those who trust in Him, but when He comes back, we’ll be able to see Him face-to-face, and He’ll restore all of creation so there will be no sin, sickness, or death ever again! Until that time comes, He wants us to keep loving others and growing in our relationship with Him. Working, learning, making plans, having fun—those are all important things God wants us to enjoy, but none of them compare to what it will be like when we’re with Jesus.”

“I guess you’re right,” said Derek. “But I still hope I get to have a dog while I wait for Jesus to come!”

–Bonnie L. Kinne

How about you? Have you ever hoped Jesus wouldn’t come back before you had the chance to do certain things? Are there places you want to see, people you want to meet, or activities you’d like to try? It’s good to hope and plan for things like that, but remember that nothing compares to what awaits for those who know Jesus. When He returns, we will live with Him in a new, perfect world, and it will be better than anything you can imagine!

Today’s key verse: [Jesus] says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 22:20 (ERV)

Today’s key thought: Nothing compares to being with Jesus

Read: Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 9:37; 16:15

Hudson dribbled his basketball up the driveway, aiming for the hoop above the garage. As the ball swished through the net, he glanced next door. The new girl was at the window again. She always seemed to be watching, especially on weekends when his family left for church.

One afternoon, Hudson was riding his bike up and down the street when he spotted her kicking a football. As he zoomed past, she gave him a shy wave. Hudson stopped his bike and smiled. “Hi,” he said. “I’m Hudson.”

“I’m Sami,” she said shyly. “Do you want to kick the ball with me?”

Hudson hesitated, but then nodded. “I’ll ask my mum.”

With permission to stay for an hour, he followed Sami into her garden. They kicked the ball back and forth, laughing as they tried trick shots. After a while, Sami tilted her head. “So…why are you always dressed up on the weekends?” she asked. “And why do you and your family carry black books?”

Hudson scratched his neck. “Oh…hmm…well…that’s because we go to church. The black book is the Bible.”

Sami’s eyes widened. “I’ve never been to a church. What’s it like?”

“It’s nice.” Hudson relaxed. “We sing songs, read the Bible, and learn about Jesus.”

Sami kicked the ball gently. “Jesus…what’s so special about Him?”

Hudson thought for a moment. “Well, He’s God’s Son, and He loves us. He came to earth and died and then rose from the dead to save us. That’s why we want to know Him more.”

Sami nodded slowly. “Sounds interesting. Can I ask my mum if I can go with you one day?”

Hudson’s heart thumped with excitement. “Yeah! That’d be cool.”

A few days later, Sami peeked over the fence. “Hey, Hudson!” she called. “Mum said I can go with you to church!”

When Sunday morning arrived, a knock on the door startled Hudson. He opened it to find Sami standing there in a bright yellow dress, beaming. “Ready?” she asked.

Hudson grinned. “Yep! Let’s go.”

As they drove to church, he felt a warm feeling inside. He was glad he hadn’t been too embarrassed to talk about Jesus. Maybe this was the beginning of Sami giving her heart to God.

–Esther Espinoza

How about you? Have you ever felt shy talking about Jesus? Don’t be embarrassed to talk about Him. You never know whose heart you might touch. Jesus wants us to share His love and truth with others so more people can know about Him and live in heaven with Him one day. Sharing your faith is a powerful way to show God’s love to the world. Trust Him to help you tell others about Jesus.

Today’s key verse: I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. Romans 1:16 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: Sharing Jesus brings joy and hope

Read: Galatians 4:4-7

Morgan never got tired of hearing what happened when her parents took her home from the adoption agency. “You were only six weeks old,” her dad told her one evening when she begged to hear the story again. “I’ll never forget when the agency called to say they had a baby for us. I was at work, and I was so excited I forgot to ask if it was a boy or a girl.” Everyone laughed as they recalled the happy event.

Mom continued the story. “The ride home was a long one, and they sent a bottle along with us so we could feed you on the way home. But you kept falling asleep when you were supposed to be drinking your bottle.”

Morgan giggled. “So Dad kept blowing the horn to try to keep me awake, right?”

“Yes, I did,” Dad said with a grin. “I guess that was kind of silly.”

“And so you adopted me,” said Morgan. “What does the word adopt mean again?”

“It means to take something as one’s own,” said Mom. “In the case of parents and children, it means to voluntarily take a child of other parents as one’s own child.” Mom gave Morgan a hug. “We gladly took you as our own. We’re so thankful the Lord brought us together.”

“I am too,” said Morgan.

“You know, Morgan,” Dad said, “the Bible talks about adoption. God wants to adopt us into His family. The Bible says that when we trust in God’s Son, Jesus, God accepts us as His own children.”

“That’s right, and being adopted into God’s family is even more wonderful than being adopted into our family,” said Mom. “We become God’s children and heirs—we inherit the gift of eternal life that Jesus earned for us by dying for our sins.”

“Then I’ve been adopted twice,” Morgan said. “I was adopted into your family when I was a baby, and I was adopted into God’s family when I trusted in Jesus. Now I belong to you, and I belong to God.” She grinned. “I love being adopted!”

–Charles VanderMeer

How about you? Have you been adopted into God’s family? Even if you have a wonderful family here on earth, God wants you to become part of His family too. You can only become a child and heir of God by trusting Jesus as your Savior. What could be more wonderful than that? Become God’s child today! (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today’s key verse: To all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12 (NLT)

Today’s key thought: God wants to adopt you