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

Read: Psalm 121; Isaiah 41:10

“Wow, Dad! Did you see those fish?” Maya’s eyes sparkled as she lifted her face out of the water and adjusted her snorkeling mask.

“I sure did!” Dad said. “Those little blue ones look like some they have in aquariums at the pet store.”

“And I almost touched one of those black-and-yellow-striped ones!” Maya was bubbling with excitement.

Dad looked at the setting sun. “Well, it’s getting late. We’d better start swimming back to shore. Are you ready?”

“So soon? Well, okay. Bet I can beat you back!” They started toward shore, but it was farther away than Maya had realized. “Dad, can we rest a minute?” she called out after a while.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Dad said as he swam up beside her. “If we do, this current may take us too far off shore. Here—” Dad stretched out his hand. “I’ll pull you along.” Soon they reached shore, tired but safe.

When they got home, Maya told her mother about their afternoon. “It’s a good thing Dad was there to tow me in to shore,” she said. “I was really tired!”

Mom smiled. “You know, I needed a little towing myself this afternoon.”

Maya looked at her in surprise. “You did?”

Mom nodded. “I was preparing the lesson I have to teach at church this week, and I felt like quitting. God used a phone call from a friend and some verses I read in the Bible to encourage me. It’s like I was towed back to a better attitude.”

“Sometimes Christians can get a little weary of doing things we know are right,” said Dad. “There are times when we need encouragement and help to move us along.”

“I know where I’d go for encouragement and help,” said Maya. “You and Mom!”

Dad chuckled. “Good. We’ll help as much as we can. God often uses other Christians to help us when we struggle against the current of temptation or difficult circumstances. But there’s an even better source of help we can run to—Jesus Himself. He saved us, and we need to learn to depend on Him in every circumstance. He’s always there to encourage us and pull us along.”

–Richard S. Maffeo

How about you? Do you sometimes get discouraged in living the Christian life? Do you struggle with temptation or get made fun of for doing what’s right? When you need help and encouragement, turn to Jesus. He may use a Bible verse or another Christian to encourage you. Whenever you’re feeling down, trust Him to be with you and give you the help you need.

Today’s key verse: I [God] am with you…I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you. Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV)

Today’s key thought: Look to Jesus for help

Read: Ephesians 4:26-32

The baseball blasted off Logan’s bat like a rocket.

“Nice shot,” Jayden said.

The ball crashed through the upstairs window of the Cooleys’ house. Mrs. Cooley screamed, and a man’s shouts filled the air.

Logan dropped his bat. “We’re dead. Let’s get out of here.”

Jayden was already tightening his shoe laces. “If we’re gonna run, it’s now or never.”

Mr. Cooley appeared from inside the broken window. “Stay right there, Jayden!” he yelled. “I’m coming down. You’re gonna pay for this!”

Jayden froze. “How does he know my name?” he asked Logan.

The boys moved closer together as Mr. Cooley stepped into the yard and stomped toward them.

“Guess you won’t have to wash the window today, dear,” Mrs. Cooley called from inside.

Mr. Cooley stopped—and smiled. “She’s been wanting me to clean that thing all day, but I didn’t want to pull out the ladder. You two may have done me a favor.”

Logan looked at Mr. Cooley nervously. “We’ll pay for the damages,” he said.

Mr. Cooley sighed. “I really erupted like Mount St. Helens, didn’t I?”

Jayden scratched his head. “Who’s St. Helen? Your wife?”

Mr. Cooley laughed. “No. Not my wife. Mount St. Helens is a volcano in Washington State that blew it’s top in 1980. It was one of the largest natural disasters in US history.” He shook his head. “Sorry, boys. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that. It was wrong.”

“You’re saying sorry—to us?” Jayden asked. “But we busted your window!”

“And I overreacted,” said Mr. Cooley. “The Bible has a lot to say about anger. While it’s okay to feel angry, we shouldn’t let our anger cause us to sin and keep us from showing others God’s love.” He smiled at the boys. “It’s clear I’m still learning lessons about controlling my anger.”

Jayden smiled back. “That’s okay.”

“And you boys need to learn some lessons too,” Mr. Cooley said. “Like not to play baseball too close to houses.” Mr. Cooley held up the ball and pointed to Jayden’s name written on it. “And to never write your name on a ball if you’re going to send it through a window.” He winked. “There are too many hotheads living around here!”

–Matt Shoemaker

How about you? Do you have trouble controlling your anger? Does your temper erupt like a volcano? It’s natural to get angry, but letting anger lead to hurtful and unkind words does a lot of damage and keeps you from showing others God’s love. When you feel like you’re about to blow your top, stop and remember how much Jesus loves you. Then trust Him to help you love others the way He does.

Today’s key verse: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. James 1:19 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: Control anger

Read: 1 John 1:5-9

Holding his dirty, greasy hands high in front of him, Dad pushed the kitchen door open with his elbow. “Please turn on the faucet for me, Charlie,” he said. “I don’t want to touch anything.”

“Wow!” said Charlie, quickly turning on the water. “How did you get your hands so dirty?”

“I’ve been working on the car,” replied Dad.

Charlie shook his head. “You’ll never get those hands clean.”

“Sure I will,” said Dad. “But not with regular soap. There’s some special hand cleaner under the sink. It’s made for removing grease and oil.”

Charlie reached under the sink and pulled out the container of hand cleaner. Dad sank his fingers into the goo and rubbed it over his hands. He worked it in well, scrubbing between his fingers and around the nails with a soft brush. When he was finished, he rinsed his hands under the warm water. “What do you think?” he asked, holding up his hands for Charlie to inspect.

“That’s amazing!” said Charlie. “You had the dirtiest hands I’ve ever seen. I can’t believe you got them so clean!” Dad grinned as he dried his hands.

That evening Dad and Charlie watched a news report about a prisoner who said he had turned his life over to Christ and was now totally changed. Charlie turned to Dad. “Did you hear all the awful things that guy did?” he asked. “He can’t just say he’s sorry and be forgiven after doing all those horrible things, can he?”

“If he’s trusted Jesus as his Savior, God has forgiven him,” Dad replied. “Jesus shed His blood on the cross for our sins, and that blood is powerful enough to cleanse even the most sinful of souls.”

“So if a person trusts Jesus to save them from sin, God will forgive them no matter what they’ve done?” asked Charlie.

Dad nodded and held up his hands. “The blood of Jesus is far more powerful than the cleanser I used on my dirty, greasy hands,” he said. “Jesus’s blood truly is an amazing cleanser!”

–Judith A. Philip

How about you? Has your sin been washed away by Jesus’s blood? Maybe you’ve done some really terrible things and don’t think you could ever be forgiven. It doesn’t matter how big or small your sins seem to you or other people. All sin is terrible in God’s sight, but Jesus’s blood is powerful enough to wash it all away! Confess your sin and trust in Him, and He will forgive you. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today’s key verse: The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7 (NKJV)

Today’s key thought: The blood of Jesus washes sin away

Read: John 15:9-14; 1 John 3:16-18

“Mom, there he is! Grab the bag!” Harper pressed her nose against the glass of the car window as Mom smiled and handed the man on the corner a bag filled with food and treats.

The man smiled and said, “God bless you!” as he accepted the free gift.

Whenever they went out, Mom, Harper, and Lincoln would bring a bag of food for anyone they saw who was in need. Then they would pray for the person after they received their bag.

“Dear God,” Lincoln prayed, “please help this man have enough food to fill him up today, and give him a warm place to sleep tonight. Most of all, if he doesn’t know You, we pray that he would open up his heart to you. Amen.”

“I bet he’ll love those chocolate chip banana muffins we made!” Harper said with a grin.

Lincoln laughed. “Yeah, good thing we went out today. There might not have been any left if we hadn’t—they were so tasty!”

Harper grew quiet as she looked out her window. “Mom? Do you think that man knows what love is?”

“Do you remember the verse we wrote down and put in the bag for him?” Mom asked.

“Yeah! First John 3:16. ‘This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.’”

“Exactly right,” Mom answered. “Do you know the rest of that verse? It says, ‘And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.’”

“We can’t die for people every day!” Lincoln reasoned.

Mom laughed. “No, we can’t. But we can let our words and actions tell others that Jesus loved them enough to die for them. We not only need to tell people about God’s love, we need to show it in the way we act toward others.”

“So I guess that man does know what love is, because we showed him!” Harper said excitedly.

“Hey, Mom?” Lincoln asked as they pulled into their driveway. “After we unload the groceries, will you show us the love of Jesus by making us more muffins?”

–Savannah Coleman

How about you? Do you want to show others love? God showed us the greatest love there is by sending His Son, Jesus, to die for us. You can share that love with others every day through your actions as well as your words. Can you make a card for someone who is sick or rake up leaves for an elderly neighbor? God will use whatever you do for Him to show others His free gift of love in Jesus Christ.

Today’s key verse: Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: Show God’s love in action

Read: Isaiah 42:6-7; Luke 4:18; 10:23-24

“Mom, what’s that lady doing over there?” Layla pointed to a woman with dark glasses who was tapping a small thin cane back and forth on the floor.

“She’s blind,” Mom answered as she placed a bag of sugar in their shopping cart. “That cane helps her know where she’s going.”

“You mean she can’t see?” Layla asked, feeling sorry for the woman.

“That’s right.” Mom looked at the woman again. “Wait, that’s Rebecca Thomas! She lives down the street from us. Let’s go say hello.”

After talking to Miss Thomas for a while, they finished their shopping and were soon on their way home.

“Mom, I don’t understand something,” Layla said. “How can Miss Thomas be so happy? If I was blind, I’d be miserable!”

“Rebecca used to be miserable, even before she went blind,” Mom replied. “She once told me that before she knew Jesus, she only thought about herself and her own comforts and desires. After she lost her sight, she became very bitter. Then someone told her about Jesus, and she trusted Him as her Savior. He helped her see in a whole new way. Now she uses her time to help other blind people know about God’s grace and love.”

“Wow! So she’s happy because Jesus helped her see better as a blind person?”

Mom laughed. “I guess you could say that. He helped her see His love for her and her need for Him, and He’s using her to help others see they need Him too.”

“Like in the song ‘Amazing Grace,’” said Layla. “How does that part go? ‘I was blind, but now I see.’”

Mom nodded as she turned the car into their driveway. “Even though Miss Thomas can’t see physically anymore, Jesus gave her spiritual sight so she could see and know Him. He used a bad situation in her life and turned it into something good. Now she’s helping others who are going through dark, difficult times know that the goodness of Jesus and the joy of knowing Him outweighs everything bad.”

“I’m going to remember that,” Layla said. “I want to help others see and know Jesus too!”

–Elena Ketner

How about you? Has Jesus given you sight? Can you see His great love for you? You can’t see Him with your physical eyes, but with spiritual sight, you’re able to see the love and grace He offers everyone. You can have peace knowing He’s always with you, even in life’s darkest moments, and you can help others see Him too. Seeing and knowing Him is the greatest blessing of all. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today’s key verse: Then Jesus turned to his followers…He said, “It is a great blessing for you to see what you now see!” Luke 10:23 (ERV)

Today’s key thought: Jesus gives spiritual sight