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

Read: Philippians 2:1-4

“Hey, Dad.” Kwan plopped down on the couch next to his father. “Today I tried to be kind like Jesus, but it didn’t work.”

“Really?” asked Dad. “What happened?”

“I tried to be friendly to Jayden—he’s new at school—but he’d hardly talk to me. I asked if he wanted to sit with me at lunch, and he said no. During recess I asked him if he wanted to play, and he just shrugged and said, ‘I don’t think so.’ He must not want friends.”

“Any idea why he acted that way?” asked Dad.

“Well, Jackson’s aunt knows Jayden’s mom, and he said Jayden had to change schools because his dad is in jail and his mom had to sell their house and move to an apartment.”

“It sounds like Jayden has a lot of things on his mind,” said Dad.

“I know, but doesn’t he need a friend?” asked Kwan.

Dad nodded. “Remember when you broke your leg and your friends came over with books and games to cheer you up? As I recall, you weren’t very interested in them that day. Your pain medicine made you sleepy, but if you didn’t take it, your leg hurt too much. You didn’t feel good enough to do anything.”

“Yeah,” Kwan said. “That was a bad day.”

“You were healing, so you needed space. Jayden may need time too. With all the difficult things that have happened in his life recently, he must be hurting. He might not have enough energy to make new friends right now. Maybe you can ask Jesus to show you another way you can be a friend to him.”

That’s when Kwan got an idea. He took a piece of paper and wrote, Jayden—I’m sorry if I bugged you today. I won’t do that anymore. How about I be your silent friend? If you want to play with me, just let me know, okay? Kwan.

The next morning, Jayden was standing alone on the school playground, so Kwan walked over and handed him the note. “What’s this?” asked Jayden.

Kwan decided to remain a silent friend, so he just smiled. As he left, he glanced back over his shoulder. Jayden was reading the note, and Kwan thought he saw a little smile appear on his face.

–Janice M. Jones

How about you? Are you sensitive to how other kids feel? Be friendly with others, but don’t be upset if someone wants to be left alone. They may be dealing with difficult things and not want to talk about them. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still be a friend to them. Pray about the situation and ask Jesus to show you how you can help. Show His kindness to those who are hurting.

Today's Key Verse: Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Be sensitive to the feelings of others

Read: Psalm 33:20-22

Aisha very carefully rolled onto her side, trying to get a little more comfortable. At least she was feeling a little better than earlier.

A quiet knock sounded on her door, and Dad came in. “Do you think you could handle some soup?” he asked. Aisha shook her head. “I’m sorry you have to miss Vivian’s party,” Dad said.

“Me too, but I told Vivian she could come over here next weekend. We could have a late birthday celebration—just the two of us.” Aisha rolled over onto her back. “Dad, could you get me another blanket? I’m cold.”

“Sure, honey. Got one right here.”

Aisha smiled as her dad covered her up all the way to her chin. “I’m glad you stayed home from work to take care of me today. When I feel better, can we play a game?”

“That’s a good idea.” Dad sat down on the edge of the bed. “Know what, honey? I appreciate you not getting upset about missing Vivian’s party. Her mom always fixes a big feast for you kids, and I know how much you enjoy it.”

“Yeah,” said Aisha, “but it sure doesn’t sound good today.”

“Well, you and I are having a feast right here at home.”

Aisha opened her eyes in surprise. “A feast? But I can’t eat anything right now, and all you had was soup. That’s not a feast!”

“Not a physical feast,” said Dad. “A spiritual one. The Bible says that when we have a cheerful heart, we have a continual feast. When we remember the hope we have in Jesus—even on bad days—we feast on His goodness and grace, and that affects our attitude and how we respond when things don’t go our way. We can be joyful even in hard times knowing He saved us and is always with us and will one day come back to make all things new—including giving us new bodies that will never get sick.”

Aisha laid her head back on her pillow and sighed. “I can’t wait for that!”

Dad adjusted Aisha’s blanket and turned out the light. “Get some rest now, and before you know it, you’ll be able to give your stomach a feast too.”

–Mary F. Watkins

How about you? Are you having a feast today? It’s no fun to feel sick or have to deal with other hard things. At times like that, you probably wouldn’t describe yourself as cheerful. But if you focus on Jesus and His love and promises—even in times of disappointment—He can help you keep a cheerful attitude. This gives you a different kind of feast—a feeling of joy in spite of circumstances.

Today's Key Verse: The cheerful heart has a continual feast. Proverbs 15:15 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Trust Jesus even on hard days

Read: Psalm 119:33-40; Matthew 4:4

“Hi, Grandpa,” called Caleb as he and Abigail ran up the porch steps to their grandpa’s house.

“Hi, yourself,” answered Grandpa with a grin. “What are you up to today?”

“We got behind in learning our verses for Bible club,” said Abigail, “so we have to learn a whole bunch of them today. Mom said we could take a break and come over here for a while.”

“Yeah,” said Caleb. “I just don’t see how I’m going to remember all those verses.”

Grandpa smiled. “Do you know your locker combination? And what about your address? Aren’t they hard to remember?”

Caleb shook his head. “They’re easy to remember because I use them all the time.”

“I see,” said Grandpa. “In other words, we remember what we use in everyday life.” He sniffed the air.

“Mmmm…I smell fresh bread!”

Abigail opened the sack she was carrying. “Mom sent this loaf for you.”

“How nice!” Grandpa took the bread and set it on the table next to the lamp. “It looks good there, don’t you think?” He sat down on the sofa and looked at the bread.

Caleb stared at him. “You’re not going to leave it there, are you?”

Grandpa smiled and shrugged. “What else should I do with it?”

Abigail threw up her hands. “Eat it, of course! Just letting it sit there isn’t going to do you any good.”

Grandpa nodded. “I agree. Bread doesn’t do us any good if it’s left on the table—and the Bible doesn’t do us any good if it’s left on the bookshelf! I’ll eat this bread and get energy from it, and if you regularly ‘eat’ God’s Word—if you read it and let it nourish your soul—it will help you grow in your relationship with Jesus. So keep learning those verses! The more you think about them and apply them to your everyday life, the easier they’ll be to remember.”

“Okay, Grandpa,” said Caleb. “We’ll keep ‘eating’ God’s Word and ask Him to use it to help us grow.”

“Good.” Grandpa picked up the loaf. “And now I’m going to eat some of your mother’s bread, and it will help me grow—around my middle!” He patted his stomach, and they all laughed.

–Jan. L Hansen

How about you? Where is your spiritual “bread”? Are you “eating” it—or is it just lying on a shelf? If you haven’t been reading the Bible, why not start now? You can begin with the suggested verses at the top of this page. Ask God to give you encouragement and direction as you think about what you read in His Word. Then trust Him to use it to help you grow in your faith.

Today's Key Verse: Direct my steps by Your word. Psalm 119:133 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Read God’s Word

Read: 2 Corinthians 3:12-18

“I’m sorry to interrupt your schoolwork, boys,” Mom said, “but we should go outside and see the sunset. It’s spectacular tonight.”

Zach and Connor bookmarked their pages and got up from the sofa.

“How do you even know what the sunset looks like tonight, Mom?” Connor asked as he glanced toward the window. “This window faces north. There’s no way you can see the sun from here.”

Zach nudged him. “Moms have eyes—or spies—everywhere. It’s a known fact.”

Mom laughed as she opened the door. “It’s true I see a lot of things. But my only spies are the houses across the street.”

“Huh?” Connor stepped out, squinting around the neighborhood.

“Look at their windows. What do you see?”

The three of them stood on their front steps. “The sunset!” Zach pointed. “I can see it in the neighbors’ windows! That’s how Mom knew what it looked like.”

Dad joined them as they walked down the driveway until they could see the sun in all its glory to the west. “What if the neighbors didn’t have any windows?” Dad asked.

“Then we wouldn’t have known there was a wonderful sunset tonight,” Zach replied.

“That’s right. There’s a spiritual lesson here for us,” Dad said. “The Bible says others can see Jesus in us, almost like we are windows or mirrors reflecting Him. He changes us more and more into His likeness when we spend time with Him and grow in our faith. Then when our neighbors look at our lives, they may see He’s for real and want to know Him themselves. We want others to see wonderful things about Jesus when they look at us.”

“You mean like seeing us do nice things for people? Like forgiving others or taking food to sick neighbors?” Zach asked.

“How about being more patient when younger kids wanna shoot hoops with us?” Connor added.

Dad put an arm around each of the boys as the family walked back to the house. “Yep. Something like that.”

"Cool! Let’s make a list of ways we can be good reflectors before bed,” said Connor.

“Good idea,” said Mom. “Just don’t forget to finish your schoolwork.”

–Robin Steinweg

How about you? How do you reflect Jesus in your life? You might try hard to do good all on your own, but you’ll only end up showing people yourself. To reflect Jesus, you need to belong to Him. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?) Then, as you spend time with Him and read His Word, He will renew your mind and transform you from the inside out. Trust Him to help you reflect Him so others can see Him at work in you.

Today's Key Verse: And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Reflect Jesus

Read: Hebrews 11:8-9

“Guess what?” Isla said when her mom got home from work. “Miss Collins is moving, and she doesn’t want to take her fish tank with her. She gave me her three Oscar fish.”

“Aren’t Oscars really big?” Mom asked.

“In an open lake they are, but if they grow up in a fish tank, they stay small. Miss Collins says they always grow in proportion to their surroundings.”

“That’s interesting.” Mom went over to Isla’s fish tank and peered at the newcomers. “Your fish might be an interesting topic for you to talk about on show-and-tell night at your youth group next week. In some ways, we’re like those fish.”

“We are?” Isla frowned. “Mom, about youth group…after this year, kids my age are supposed to move up to the older group, and we don’t want to. We just want to keep our same small group.”

“You’re worrying about that a little early, aren’t you? Your group will stay the same for quite a while yet.” Mom looked at Isla’s fish. “What if Miss Collins had set those Oscars free in the lake instead of giving them to you, Isla? What would happen?”

“I guess they would have grown much bigger,” Isla replied.

“Right,” said Mom. “Now, do you think God would want you kids to be like little fish in a tiny cramped tank, never growing very much? Or do you think He’d want you to stretch and grow spiritually as Christians?”

“I guess He’d want us to grow.” Isla thought of her older cousin Chris, who was a missionary overseas. “Chris probably had to grow a lot before he was ready to leave his family and tell people in another country about Jesus. I bet he never thought he’d be doing that when he was my age!”

Mom nodded. “He had to learn to depend on Jesus and follow wherever He led—even if it was somewhere he wasn’t totally comfortable at first.”

Isla sighed. “Okay, I’ll use my fish for an illustration on show-and-tell night. Maybe the other kids will agree that it will be good to move up so we can stretch out and grow.”

–Heather Tekavec

How about you? Do you have a place where you can go to grow spiritually? Do you have Christian friends who help you? Going to church, learning about the Bible with others, taking part in service projects that show people the love of Jesus—all these things help you grow as a Christian. It may be scary at first, but take advantage of new opportunities that help you learn more about Jesus and share His love with others.

Today's Key Verse: But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. Jeremiah 17:7 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Go where you’ll grow