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

Read: Acts 11:27-30

Caden tugged his mom’s sleeve in the church hallway. “I need some money for our offering.”

“Okay,” Mom said, opening her purse. Caden took the money she held out and dashed off to class.

“I’m guessing many of you get your offering money from your parents,” Mrs. Hallman said after the class had taken the offering. “I have a suggestion. For the next month, why don’t you only put your own money in the offering? Missionaries will be using it to set up a school. You’ll be giving your money to the Lord so those kids can hear about Jesus.”

Caden didn’t like the idea of giving away his own money. “I don’t see what difference it makes whether we give the money ourselves or our parents help us,” he said on the way home from church.

“The difference is you don’t get any real joy out of giving to the Lord when the gift doesn’t cost you anything,” Mom said.

“Maybe not, but I don’t get much money, and I’ve got to save up for a new bike.”

“God doesn’t expect us to give what we don’t have,” Mom said. “No matter how little we have to give, God can use it to bless others in big ways. But giving still requires sacrifice. Jesus sacrificed His life for us, and we give to Him out of gratitude for all He’s given us. Maybe you can give some of the money you’ve already saved for a new bike—and if you want to give more, you could find ways to earn extra money. Pray about it and ask God what you should do.”

Caden prayed about it and decided to give a portion of his bike money to the missionaries. Then, over the next few weeks, he was surprised at how many extra jobs he was able to pick up. He mowed lawns for neighbors and cleaned his grandma’s basement. He actually enjoyed earning money for the missionary offering.

“When I’m working for extra money, I pretend I’m a missionary and that I’m doing the work so people can hear about Jesus,” Caden told his mom one day.

“Pretend?” Mom smiled. “It isn’t pretend, Caden. Even though you’re not in a far-off place, God is using the work you’re doing to help more people come to Jesus!”

–Bernard Palmer

How about you? Do you truly give to God, or do you just pass along someone else’s gifts? Remember that giving always costs something. When God gave us His Son, it cost Jesus His life. Ask God to show you how you can give to Him. Maybe it’s by giving your own money or by donating your things or time to show others His love. Whatever it is, give out of gratitude for all He’s done for you.

Today's Key Verse: I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing. 2 Samuel 24:24 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Give to God

Read: Psalm 61:1-8

Reid sighed happily at the sound of a mountain stream trickling nearby. “I sure love hiking!” he said.

“Me too!” said his twin sister, Nicole. “It’s so pretty out here today!”

“Yeah,” said Reid. “I’m so glad school is over for the summer so we can do this again!”

“Hey, you two, don’t get too far ahead!” Dad called from further down the mountain. The twins decided to rest and wait for their parents.

“Hey, look at that,” Nicole said, pointing to a nearby tree branch.

“What’s going on up here?” Mom asked as she and Dad came up the path and sat down on a log.

“There’s a trail of ants walking on that branch,” said Reid.

Nicole squinted to get a better look. “Why are they all following that ant in front? Why don’t they just walk wherever they want to?”

“They’re following the leader,” Dad explained. “He’s probably leading them to some food he discovered.” He thought for a moment. “We’re a lot like ants.”

Reid and Nicole looked at each other, confused. “How are we like ants?” Reid asked.

“Well,” said Dad, “these ants are trusting their leader to guide them safely, and they go wherever he goes. We need to make sure we’re following our leader with the same trust and obedience.”

“You’re talking about Jesus, aren’t you?” said Nicole.

“That’s right!” said Dad. “He’s our leader. He died for our sins and rose from the dead to save us, and we need to have faith in Him and follow and obey Him in everything we do.”

Mom nodded. “We might be tempted to follow people or chase after things that can lead us away from God and what He tells us in the Bible. But Jesus is the only right path for our lives.”

“I don’t want to follow the wrong crowd,” Reid said.

“Me neither,” said Nicole. “I want to follow Jesus!”

Mom beamed. “I’m very glad to hear you say that.” She stood up. “Let’s finish this hike so we can get some food of our own.”

“I know the way to the top,” Reid said, running to the path. “Follow me!”

Nicole laughed. “Okay, but only because I know you follow Jesus!”

–Elena Ketner

How about you? Do you follow Jesus? Do you trust and obey Him? It may seem hard to follow Him when you’re tempted to chase after what the world has to offer or what other people think of you, but Jesus is a good leader who loves you and will lead you on the right path. John 14:6 says He is the way, the truth, and the life. Trust and follow Him.

Today's Key Verse: Lead me in the right path, O Lord…Make your way plain for me to follow. Psalm 5:8 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Follow Jesus

Read: 1 Peter 3:3-4

Luca’s grandfather patted the tire of the four-wheeler he had purchased. “I found this quad online and got a good deal on it,” he said with a smile.

Luca wasn’t so sure. The fenders were dented, and the seat had a tear in it. The rack behind the seat was bent, and a headlight was cracked. “It doesn’t look very good,” he said. “Why didn’t you buy a new quad, Grandpa?”

“Well, this was much less expensive than a new one, and the engine is in excellent running condition. It also gives us something to work on together. It just needs a little body work, that’s all. We’ll get it all fixed up. You’ll see.”

Luca wasn’t convinced. “It looks awfully banged-up to me,” he said as he began to polish a black helmet that had come with the four-wheeler.

“You’ve got to learn to see beyond outward appearances,” said Grandpa. “Put on that helmet and hop on. I’ll give you a ride.”

Luca slid on behind his grandfather. After a drive through the field across the road, Luca was impressed with the quiet, steady hum of the dented-up quad. “This runs really well!” he said.

“Just goes to show that you should never judge things by appearance alone—and that includes people,” said Grandpa. “I didn’t like the looks of this quad myself when I first saw it. But when I heard it run, it was music to my ears!” He grinned. “Know any people like that?”

“Well, Aaron, I guess,” Luca replied. “He’s new in my class, and when I first saw him I thought he’d be mean. But we started talking, and now we’re friends.”

“We need to see people like God does,” said Grandpa. “He doesn’t judge us by the way we look. He sees way beyond that. He sees what’s in our hearts and what we can become—just like we see what this beat-up quad can become. Jesus can make anyone a new person. He made us new people when we trusted in Him, and He wants us to treat everyone in a way that shows them His love.”

“You’re right, Grandpa,” Luca said. “You’re always right!”

Grandpa laughed. “You go on inside now and tell that to your grandma!”

–Vicki Reinhardt

How about you? Do you judge people by the way they look? We often focus on appearance when we look at others, but not God. He looks at our hearts. You can’t see inside hearts like He does, but you can look past a person’s outward appearance and see how much they’re loved by Jesus. Treat everyone in a way that shows them His love. You might even end up with a new friend!

Today's Key Verse: People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Look beyond looks

Read: Ephesians 4:1-3; Philippians 2:1-4

Lisbeth was shocked at the amount of noise that hit her ears when she stepped into the animal shelter behind her best friend. She had never heard so much barking before.

“It’s not always like this,” Jenna said. She had been volunteering for a long time, but this was the first time Lisbeth had come with her and her mom.

They walked down a hallway lined with cages, and it seemed like every dog was barking. Lisbeth smiled when she saw one dog just lying in her cage. She didn’t look upset or sick or anything like that; she just looked peaceful, like she really wasn’t bothered by all the noise the other dogs were making.

“Do you remember what the Bible says about being peaceful?” Jenna’s mom shouted to be heard above the dogs. “It says we should do our part to live in peace with others, even if the world around us isn’t peaceful. I think Miss Ruby got the message.” She pointed toward the dog Lisbeth had noticed. “But we have something she doesn’t,” Jenna’s mom continued. “Since we belong to Jesus, we have His peace and love in our hearts. That’s what allows us to be truly peaceful.”

They spent time playing with the dogs and giving them love, then Lisbeth was dropped off at her house. As she walked up to the door, she could hear shouting. Ever since her mom remarried, the house was constantly noisy.

Lisbeth opened the front door. Her older brother was arguing with one of their stepbrothers. Her twin sisters were fighting over a doll. One of her stepsisters was screaming. She covered her ears.

There were times when Lisbeth would just join in with everyone else. When everyone else was upset, it was hard not to be mad too. But today she wanted to try something different.

Lisbeth walked over to her younger stepbrother and sat down beside him. He wasn’t joining in with all the screaming, but he didn’t look happy either.

“Do you want to play a game?” Lisbeth asked. “I’ll play with you.”

“Outside?” Darren asked, his eyes wide as he looked around the room.

Lisbeth laughed. “Sure.” She wanted to help bring peace to their home, but she didn’t have to stay right in the chaos in order to do that.

–Emily Acker

How about you? When everyone around you is getting loud and grumpy, do you join in? Or do you try to be the one peaceful person in the room? If you know Jesus as your Savior, you can treat others in a peaceful, loving way, even when tempers flare and no one agrees. Trust Him to help you do what you can to keep the peace. Is there anything you can do—with God’s help—to make your home more peaceful?

Today's Key Verse: If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18 (CSB)

Today's Key Thought: Live a peaceful life

Read: Isaiah 61:10; Matthew 20:28

“Jordan, could you please put Athena’s toys away while I give her a bath?” called Mom as she carried Jordan’s little sister to the bathroom.

Jordan groaned. He was right in the middle of a video game. He slammed his controller down and stomped into his baby sister’s room. “This is so unfair!” he said as he threw Athena’s toys into the toybox. “I didn’t make this mess. It’s not my job!”

After soccer practice the next day, Coach handed Jordan a big bag of dirty laundry. It was Jordan’s turn to take the soccer uniforms home to be washed. Jordan dumped the bag of filthy clothes in the kitchen.

“Hang on a minute,” said Mom. “What’s all this?”

Jordan was confused. Mom had washed the soccer uniforms countless times before. “It’s our turn to wash the uniforms,” he replied.

Mom tossed the bag back at Jordan. “Well, I don’t play soccer, so why should I wash them? It’s not my job!”

All of a sudden, Jordan’s own words came back to him. “But I can’t wash these!” he cried. “I don’t know how!”

Dad got up from his chair, a wry smile on his face. “Well then, I’ll show you!”

Dad patiently showed Jordan how to operate the washing machine. “You know, families should help one another, Jordan, and sometimes that means cleaning up someone else’s mess.”

Jordan sighed. “But cleaning up after Athena is hard!”

“Well, so is going to work every single day,” said Dad.

Jordan had never thought about that before.

“And how about Mom?” Dad continued. “She changes dirty diapers. She washes our clothes and cleans up after people all the time. Imagine if she stopped doing all those things because they weren’t her job?”

Jordan laughed. “We’d all stink!”

Dad grinned. “It reminds me of what Jesus did to save us. He came to earth and cleaned up the great big mess of sin we had made. Jesus never sinned. Not once. But He was willing to die on the cross so our sins could be forgiven. I’m so thankful He saved me and made me clean!”

“Me too!” Jordan said as he dumped the dirty uniforms into the washing machine.

–Angela Jelf

How about you? Do you moan and complain when you’re asked to clean up a mess someone else made? Jesus loves us so much He was willing to save us from the biggest mess of all that none of us were able to clean up—sin. When we trust in Him, He removes our filthy rags of sin and clothes us in garments as white as snow. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. Titus 3:5 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Jesus makes us clean