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

Read: Mark 4:26-29; 1 Corinthians 3:6-9

It was a beautiful spring morning, and Leah couldn’t wait to help her mom plant their garden. This was the first year she was big enough to help.

“Morning, Mom!” Leah exclaimed as she entered the kitchen.

“Well, look at you, up and ready to go.”

Over breakfast, Mom and Leah talked about what to plant. Leah loved tomatoes, so they’d definitely plant some tomato seeds. They decided on tomatoes, green beans, squash, and cantaloupe.

The garden had already been prepped and was ready for planting. Mom showed Leah how to plant the seeds at a certain depth and make sure there was enough space between them. “The seeds need room to become healthy plants,” she said.

Mom and Leah worked happily all afternoon in the garden. It was so nice to be outside in the fresh air again after being cooped up inside most of the winter. When they finished, they put away the gardening tools and headed into the house.

“That was fun today, Mom,” Leah said.

“I enjoyed it too, and as I was planting the seeds down each row, it made me think of a Bible verse.”

“Really?” Leah asked. “Which one?”

Mom got her Bible off the coffee table. She opened it up and read, “I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow.” She smiled at Leah. “We planted all those seeds in the garden today, taking special care to do it properly, and now all we have to do is wait for the sun and rain to do their job—besides weeding, of course. That’s how we plant seeds in people’s hearts too. God wants us to plant seeds of the gospel by telling others about Jesus and showing them His love, and He will make the seeds grow. We may not ever know whose life may have been changed, but we can plant seeds and trust God with the rest.”

“Wow, that’s really cool!” Leah smiled. “And we don’t have to wait for spring either—we can plant seeds in God’s garden all year long!”

–Lisa Fuller

How about you? Are you sharing the gospel with others? When you tell people about Jesus and show them His love in how you treat them, you are planting seeds of the gospel in their hearts. You may not ever know if someone turns to Jesus, but you’re not the one responsible for making that seed grow—God is. Plant seeds of His love and trust Him to make them grow.

Today's Key Verse: [Jesus] told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.” Mark 16:15 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Plant seeds of God’s love

Read: Psalm 119:105

“I haven’t seen the stuff in this old trunk in years,” Gramps told Evan. “There’s no telling what we’re going to find today.”

Digging through the trunk was like digging through a treasure chest. “Wow, is this a picture of you and Grandma on your wedding day?”

“It is. We sure look different now, don’t we?” Gramps laughed. “Look at this.” He opened up a box with his first pocketknife in it. “Tell you what, I’m going to give this pocketknife to your dad to hold on to, and when he thinks you’re old enough, he can let you have it.”

“Cool!” Evan gave him a hug. “Thanks, Gramps!” He took another item from the trunk. “What’s this?”

“That’s my old compass. My dad, your great-grandpa, gave it to me when I was just a boy. I always took it with me when we went on our big hikes through the mountains. I sure did use it a lot. It helped me find my way more than once when I was lost.” Gramps handed Evan the compass. “It’s yours now.”

“Really?” Evan’s eyes lit up.

They continued to look through the old trunk for a while longer. Evan enjoyed hearing all the stories Gramps told as he pulled out different items. “I imagine Grandma will have dinner ready soon,” Gramps said. “Let’s put everything back in except for the pocketknife and compass.”

“Did you find any treasure?” Grandma asked during dinner.

“We sure did! Gramps is giving me his old compass. He says I can have his old pocketknife too when I’m old enough.”

“You know, Evan, that compass got me thinking about a Bible verse,” said Gramps. “Psalm 119:105 says, ‘Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.’ Just like the compass keeps us heading in the right direction, God’s Word guides us through life. It tells us how we can have eternal life by trusting in Jesus and helps us live in a way that shows we belong to Him.”

That night Evan sat looking at his compass, thinking about what Gramps had said. Then he set the compass on his nightstand and picked up his Bible.

–Lisa Fuller

How about you? Have you ever been lost before? Did you have a compass to help you find your way? Like a compass, the Bible shows us which way to go in life. It points us to the only way we can be saved and have eternal life—Jesus—and guides us as we follow Him. Spend time in God’s Word each day and trust Him to lead you along life’s path.

Today's Key Verse: The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” Psalm 32:8 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: God’s Word guides us

Read: Philippians 2:1-8; Hebrews 10:24-25

Max felt sad every time he and his family walked past anyone asking for money. Living in the city, it happened pretty much every day. He wished there was some way to help those people and change their lives.

What do You want me to do, Lord? Max prayed as he followed his family on their walk to church one Sunday.

As Pastor John started to talk, Max was surprised to hear him bring up his favorite basketball team. “Did you hear about the halftime talk the players had?” Pastor John asked. “One of the players told the team they needed to start playing better, that it was time to start doing something. He fired them up, and now they’ve won three games in a row.”

Pastor John tapped the Bible he was holding. “Hearing that reminded me of how we as Christians are told to encourage one another as we live out our faith. Jesus showed His love for us by dying on the cross for our sins, and as His followers, we need to show that love to others. How can you encourage those around you to love and serve others?”

Max thought about his pastor’s words as they passed a homeless man on their way home. He asked his mom if he could speak to everyone at the dinner table.

Mom smiled. “Of course you can.”

“Guys…” Max began as he looked at his brothers, dad, grandma, and mom. “I’ve been thinking about something, and I need your help. There are a lot of people out there on these streets who don’t have money for food or a place to stay. I prayed about it, and I think we need to do something for them as a family rather than just walking by them.”

“What could we do?” Grandma asked.

“I’m not sure yet, but if we work together, we can find a way to show them God’s love.”

“You know what, Max?” Dad said. “I’ve been feeling a nudge from God too, but I’ve been ignoring it. You’re right, it’s time for us to do something and serve others together.”

Max thought of his favorite basketball team and smiled. He and his family were getting fired up too.

–Emily Acker

How about you? Has anyone ever encouraged you to serve others in a way you wouldn’t have on your own? God doesn’t intend for us to live out our faith all by ourselves—He wants Christians to support and encourage one another as we follow Jesus and show others His love. Who could you encourage today? How can you help each other get fired up about loving and serving those around you?

Today's Key Verse: Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. Hebrews 10:24 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Encourage others to do good

Read: Isaiah 55:8-9; John 9:1-3

“Why, God?” murmured Jolene as she hugged her baby brother. They had recently learned that Jaiden was deaf.

“Oh, Jolene,” Mom had said gently after they found out. “I don’t know why God allowed this to happen. His ways are not like ours, but He is good and loves us so much that He sent His own Son to save us from the mess sin made of us and our world. Even when we don’t understand, we know that Jesus understands what we’re going through and promises to be with us.”

But Jolene wanted to understand. Isn’t God supposed to take care of Christians? she thought. How can Mom and Dad be so calm?

Mom interrupted Jolene’s thoughts. “Are you ready to go to the parade, Jolene?” She held out her arms to the baby. “Come to Mommy, Jay.”

“I don’t see why you talk to him, Mom. You know he can’t hear you!”

“It’s important for him to see our lips move and feel the vibration of our words,” said Mom. “Now, let’s get going.”

At the parade, people were standing three-deep in front of Jolene’s family. She stood on her tiptoes and tried to see past those in front of her. “It would be so much better if I could see more than just one row of the parade at a time,” she said.

Dad handed Jaiden to Mom, and with a swoop, Jolene was up on her father’s shoulders. “Thanks, Dad! Now I can see the whole parade.”

Soon the parade was over and they were on the way home. “Life is a lot like a parade,” Dad said. “We’re like kids in the crowd, and we can only see one moment at a time. But God is above the crowd. He sees each person’s entire life—past, present, and future. We don’t know why He allowed Jaiden to be deaf, but that’s because we can only see the present. God knows why because He sees the whole picture.”
Mom nodded. “He’s working everything out for good and promises to be with us for every step of the journey.”

Jolene reached out to hold her sleeping brother’s hand. She knew it was time to bring her hurt and questions to Jesus.

–Barbara J. Westberg

How about you? Are you confused or angry about something that happened? Bring your hurt and questions to Jesus. You can trust Him, even when you don’t understand. We see only a small part of life, but He sees it all from beginning to end. Trust Him to do what’s best because He died to save you and promises to work everything out for good. When you face hard things, go to Jesus.

Today's Key Verse: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Trust Jesus when you don’t understand

Read: Proverbs 12:17-22

“There!” Isaac said as he finished pounding a nail. “This is the best tree house ever! When it’s really windy like this, you can feel the whole tree house move. It’s like being in a swaying castle! Let’s ask if we can sleep out here tonight.”

“I know my dad won’t let me,” said Bryce. “He says he has to be sure it’s safe first.”

“My dad said the same thing,” said Isaac. “I know! Let’s each ask our parents if we can spend the night together. They’ll think we’re at each other’s houses, but we’ll really be sleeping in the tree house.”

“I don’t know,” Bryce said, but he finally agreed to try it.

Their plan worked, but in the middle of the night, a loud crack of thunder and the sound of wind and rain woke the boys. “The whole tree house is swaying!” Bryce said.

“And the roof is leaking!” said Isaac. “Let’s go into the house.”

The storm had awakened Isaac’s parents too, and they were very surprised when the boys stumbled into the kitchen. “What happened? Is something wrong at your house, Bryce?” Isaac’s dad asked.

“No,” Isaac said, “we…um…we were sleeping in the tree house. But it starting swaying and leaking in the storm, so we came here.”

Mom’s eyes widened. “You mean you’ve been in our backyard this whole time? You asked if you could stay at Bryce’s house overnight.”

“Well, not exactly,” said Isaac. “I just asked if I could spend the night with Bryce.”

“I see,” said Dad. “So you didn’t exactly lie, but you still deceived us by letting us think you were at Bryce’s, didn’t you?”

With downcast eyes, the boys nodded.

Dad sighed. “Boys, lying and deceiving others makes you like that swaying tree house—it tells people they can’t trust you. And how do you think we and Bryce’s parents would feel if none of us knew where you were in the morning?”

“I’m sorry, Dad,” Isaac said.

“I forgive you,” Dad said. “But the tree house will be off-limits for a while. As you build back our trust, remember that the Bible says Jesus is a firm foundation who is always trustworthy. Trust Him to help you show His love by being truthful in both your words and your actions.”

–Agnes Livezey

How about you? Are you trustworthy? Can people count on you to be honest in both your words and your actions? God hates lying and deceitfulness because it goes against everything He is—a firm foundation who always acts in goodness and truth. We can always trust Him to tell us the truth and do what’s right. As His children, He will help us be truthful in all we say and do.

Today's Key Verse: So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. Ephesians 4:25 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Be trustworthy