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

Read: James 1:22-25

After a delicious lunch on Father’s Day, Ophelia joined the rest of her family to watch Dad open his presents.

“Open mine first, Daddy,” Evelyn said eagerly. “I made you a picture.”

“Don’t tell,” said Ophelia, but everyone laughed as Evelyn insisted on helping her father open the package containing the picture she had drawn for him. Then they watched while he opened the rest of his gifts. Every family member had bought or made something for Dad—everyone, that is, except for Ophelia.

“These gifts are wonderful!” said Dad. “I can hardly wait to use them. Thank you all very much!”

“You didn’t open Ophelia’s present,” Evelyn said. “Where is it, Ophelia?”

Ophelia was embarrassed. Everyone was waiting to see what she had for Dad. “I—I love you, Dad, and I was going to buy or make you something, but I’ve been so busy,” she said, blushing.

Dad was very gracious. “I know,” he assured her, “and I have enough presents. Come on, let’s have some of that great-looking cake!”

That night Mom found Ophelia crying in her room. “I didn’t have a present for Dad,” she said, tears spilling onto her pillow.

“It’s okay, Ophelia. You couldn’t help it if you didn’t have time or money to get something for Dad,” Mom told her.

“I know, but…I could have taken time to make something for him,” Ophelia admitted. “You even offered to help me make him some cookies, but I just didn’t get around to it.”

“It would have been nice to do something to show your love,” Mom said. “It’s so easy to say we love someone, but love is more than words. It’s action—like God showing how much He loved us by sending Jesus to save us.”

Ophelia nodded. “I’m going to make tomorrow another Father’s Day for Dad!” she said. “I’ll, uh—oh, I know! I’ll show him I love him by cleaning out his car.”

“I’m sure He’ll love that,” Mom said. “And let’s not forget to let our actions show our love for our heavenly Father too.”

–Jan L. Hansen

How about you? Do your actions show your love for your parents and others who are important to you? It’s important to tell people you love them, but those words need to be backed up with actions. God showed us His love by sending His Son, Jesus, to die to save us from sin. We can show our love for Him in return by obeying and serving Him.

Today's key verse: Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 1 John 3:18 (NLT)

Today's key thought: Put love into action

Read: Psalm 143:8-10; Titus 2:11-14

Austin’s black Labrador tilted his head to one side and lifted his front paw. “No, not shake! Lie down! Can’t you learn anything?” Austin sighed. “Let’s try something else. Fetch, Baxter! Fetch!” Austin hurled a ball across the yard, and Baxter raced after it. Before it dropped to the ground, Baxter leaped into the air and caught it in his mouth. “Wow! Good dog!” Austin called, clapping his hands. “Now bring it here, Baxter!”

Baxter’s wagging tail stopped and pointed into the air. He perked his ears and stared at the other side of the yard. Then he dropped the ball and dashed after a squirrel. “This is hopeless,” Austin said, letting himself drop to the ground.

“What’s hopeless?” asked Austin’s older sister, Makenna. She sat on the grass next to him.

“I’m trying to train Baxter. I’ve been trying to teach him how to sit and shake and lie down and fetch, but I’m about ready to give up. Sometimes it seems like he’s getting the hang of it, then, out of the blue, he runs off and chases a squirrel or something.”

“Baxter’s a hunting dog, so it’s in his nature to do that,” said Makenna. She glanced at her brother. “Kind of like it’s in our nature to do the wrong thing sometimes. That’s what Pastor Pham’s sermon was about, remember?”

“Yeah, thanks for the reminder,” Austin said, thinking of something mean he’d said to Makenna the day before. He hoped God didn’t give up on him as easily as he gave up on Baxter. “Do you suppose God thinks we’re hopeless?” he asked.

“Of course not,” said Makenna. “When we were hopelessly lost in sin, God sent Jesus to save us! He promises to train us and make us grow to be more like Jesus by helping us understand and obey what He says in the Bible. And though there will be many times when we wander away from Him and do something wrong—like Baxter going after those squirrels—He never gives up on us and will always forgive us.”

Something pawed at Austin’s back. He turned to find Baxter holding the ball in his mouth. Austin smiled and patted Baxter’s head. “Want to try again?” He threw the ball, and Baxter bounced away after it.

–Debra VanDyke

How about you? Do you feel like a hopeless case—like you’ll never be able to stop doing things that are wrong? Struggling against sin is part of every Christian’s life, but don’t give up on yourself, because God never will! He sent Jesus to save you from sin and will always forgive you, no matter how many times you do something wrong. Trust Him to train you and make you more like Him—He is all the hope you need.

Today's key verse: Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me on level ground. Psalm 143:10 (CSB)

Today's key thought: God trains Christians

Read: Genesis 1:26-31

Layna held her position as she landed a pirouette, the final move in the dance. She pushed her bellybutton as far back to her spine as she could, gazing at herself in the mirror. Her eyes then followed down the line of girls. She stood a head taller than any of them, and though she tried, she couldn’t get her stomach in far enough.

“Nice job,” said Miss Susan, the instructor at her dance school, when class ended.

Layna shook her head, disagreeing with her teacher.

Miss Susan raised her eyebrows. “What’s wrong? You nailed that turn.”

Layna’s eyes followed the other dancers as they filed out of the studio. She waited until the room had emptied to speak. “I’m the biggest person here, and I’m not even the oldest. I feel so weird, like everyone must be pointing at that big girl and laughing whenever I dance.” Layna studied her reflection some more.

“Layna, you’re a beautiful dancer,” said Miss Susan. “Don’t let anyone speak lies and tell you any different. Besides, I wouldn’t want all my dancers to look the same.”

Layna didn’t answer, but she stopped staring at herself in the mirror to look at Miss Susan.

“Did you know humans are the only ones created in God’s image?” Miss Susan asked. “No animals or even the angels reflect God the way we do. And when God finished creating everything, He saw it was good. Imagine God patting Himself on the back and saying, ‘Wow, look at Layna. I did good!’”

“God thought He had done good by creating me?” Layna asked. She tried to picture God forming Adam out of the dust. “When He made Adam, did He know He’d make me one day too?”

Miss Susan nodded. “Yes, He did. And He loves you, Layna—so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for you so you could be saved from sin. And He gave you a wonderful body that can do amazing things—like think and talk and do pirouettes!”

Layna smiled as she picked up her dance bag. God created her, loved her, and sent His Son to die for her. She’d heard the words before, but she had never let them sink in until now.

–Joanna Bair

How about you? Do you ever find yourself staring in the mirror worrying about how you look? Remember that God made all people in His own image—including you! He made each one of us unique and loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die for us. Instead of comparing yourself to others, remember that you’re created in God’s image and loved by Him, and that makes you truly special.

Today's Key Verse: So God created humans in his own image. He created them to be like himself. Genesis 1:27 (ERV)

Today's Key Thought: You are made in God’s image

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