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

Read: 1 Corinthians 3:18-23; 4:7

Max rolled his eyes when his brother smugly waved a piece of paper in front of his nose. “Stop it, Liam! You’re always bragging about your good grades.” Max stuck his nose in the air and mimicked his brother. “I got an A in this and a 100 on that. I’m soooo smart!”

“Well, I am the smartest kid in my class,” said Liam.

“Boys, that’s enough!” Dad took out his wallet and removed some bills. “What do you think of this, Liam?”

Liam’s eyes opened wide. “Wow! That’s a lot of money!”

“Yep,” said Dad with a nod. “Remember the snowblower Uncle Jeffrey asked us to sell for him when he moved to Florida? Well, I sold it this morning, and the man paid me in cash. This should come in handy, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, but…” Liam gave his dad a confused look. “You’re not going to spend it, are you?”

“Why not?” asked Dad. “The man gave it to me.”

“But it’s not yours,” said Max. “It belongs to Uncle Jeffrey, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, Dad,” said Liam. “The snowblower belonged to him, so if you kept the money, you’d be stealing, wouldn’t you?”

Dad smiled. “You’re right. I would be stealing. The buyer handed the money to me, but he was really paying Uncle Jeffrey. I’m just the go-between. Just like you, Liam.”

“Like me?” asked Liam. “What do you mean?”

“What I mean is that all the abilities and talents you have, great or small, come from God,” Dad replied. “He gave them to you, but they really belong to Him. Sometimes people will compliment you on them, but you’re just the go-between. God gave you those abilities so you could use them to point people to Jesus, not yourself.”

Liam looked embarrassed. “So, you’re saying I shouldn’t be proud of being smart?”

“Right,” said Dad. “God wants you to enjoy your love of learning, but He gave you that ability so you could use it to help others and show them Jesus’s love—not rub it in people’s faces. When you get a good grade or a compliment, remember it really belongs to God and thank Him for the gifts He’s given you.”

“Okay, Dad,” said Liam. “I’ll try to remember. I don’t want to steal from God!”

–A. W. Smith

How about you? Are you good at schoolwork or sports? Do you do well in music or public speaking? Maybe you have a talent for fixing things or making others feel welcome. Remember that any ability you have comes from God. He didn’t give you that ability so you could brag about it—He wants you to use it to help others and point them to Jesus. Give Him the credit and use your abilities to show others His love.

Today’s key verse: Everything you have was given to you…why do you act as if you got it all by your own power? 1 Corinthians 4:7 (ERV)

Today’s key thought: All your talents belong to God

Read: Luke 21:1-4

The tips of Adam’s fingers dug into his cheeks as he glanced at his mother, who was typing on her computer. She noticed his troubled face. “Is there a problem?” she asked.

Adam sighed. “I’ve been trying to make money for the special offering at church this week, but all I’ve got is the two dollars Mrs. Grey gave me for sweeping her front walk. How is two dollars going to make any difference? It’s hardly anything!” Adam slumped into his chair. “I’m sure everyone else at church will give way more than I can.”

“Adam, I know two dollars doesn’t sound like a lot, but even though you only made a little, you’re willing to give it all to God, and I know He’ll use it to help others.”

Adam shrugged. “I guess.”

Mom pulled up a web page on her laptop. “I read this story recently, and I think it might encourage you.” She turned her computer so Adam could see it. “During World War II, a man named Bohn Fawkes flew a B-17 bomber. While he was flying over Germany, his plane got shot at, and the gas tanks were hit. But you know what? The plane didn’t explode!”

“Wow!” said Adam. “Even though the gas tanks were hit?”

“That’s right,” said Mom. “When the plane got back on the ground, technicians found not just one but eleven unexploded shells in the tanks. All the shells were opened and found to be empty—except for one that had a piece of paper inside.”

Adam’s eyes widened. “What did it say?”

“It was a note that said, ‘This is all we can do for you now.’ Apparently some assembly line workers had purposely not put explosives in those shells. They couldn’t stop the war, but because they did what they could, many lives were saved.” Mom looked at Adam. “If you give what you can out of love and thankfulness for all Jesus has done for you, He will use your gift, even if it seems small.”

Adam got up and headed for the door. “I’ll see if I can find some other neighbors who might hire me to do something. If I can’t, I know God will use the two dollars I can give.”

–Kristi Yutzy

How about you? Do you feel like anything you can do or give is too small to make a difference? In today’s Bible reading, Jesus says the little bit a widow gave was more in God’s sight than the big gifts others put in. Jesus will use your gift, whether it’s a few cents in the offering plate or helping someone in the middle of a busy day, because you were willing to do what you could out of love for Him.

Today’s key verse: “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them.” Luke 21:3 (NLT)

Today’s key thought: God can use the little you have

Read: Luke 12:22-34

Tymeria let the rope slide slowly through her hand as she backed over the edge of the cliff inch by inch. She made her body into an L shape with her feet resting on the side of the cliff. She gripped the rope as tightly as she could through her thick left glove, even though Gavin had said she didn’t need to. The harness around her waist and legs held her up, but she hung on to the rope with her hand, just in case something bad happened.

One slow step-hop at a time, she inched down the cliff wall, trying not to look down. Her hand ached as she gripped the rope. She changed her direction slightly to go around a big lump in the rock. When she looked down, she saw counselors far, far below, looking up.

“Tymeria, stop squeezing the rope so hard,” Evelyn yelled. “It’s slowing you down. Hanging on doesn’t help you.”

“I’m okay,” Tymeria yelled back, squeezing the rope more tightly while she took her next step.
Then something went wrong. Her foot slipped. She dropped the rope and spun in the air, scraping her shoulder against the wall.

But she didn’t fall. She was floating in midair, hands and feet spread wide, nothing holding her up but the harness around her waist. Apparently she didn’t need to hold the rope with her hand to keep from falling. And now her hand ached because she had been squeezing the rope so hard when she didn’t even need to!

After floundering around for a moment, she propped her feet against the cliff side and started stepping downward again, this time with her hand only lightly resting on the rope.

It’s just like worry, Tymeria realized. Jesus said I can trust Him, just like Gavin said I can trust the harness. But I didn’t believe him and squeezed the rope anyway. It just made my hand hurt, and it didn’t do me a bit of good.

As she neared the ground, Tymeria said a silent prayer. Jesus, please help me stop worrying. I know it just hurts me and doesn’t do any good. Help me remember that You died and rose again to save me, and that no matter what happens, you’ll always hold me up.

–Amy Glendinning

How about you? Are you dealing with a hard situation in your life? Do you feel like you need to worry to help Jesus take care of it? It won’t do a bit of good. Jesus saved you when you couldn’t do anything to save yourself, and He promises to take care of you. That doesn’t mean bad things will never happen; it means that no matter what you go through, Jesus will always be with you. You don’t have to worry!

Today’s key verse: Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? Luke 12:25-26 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: We can trust Jesus

Read: John 1:12-13; 3:1-7

“Who’s that guy singing?” whispered Ollie.

“That’s Mr. Carson,” Joash whispered back. “He leads our Sunday school worship time.” Ollie was visiting Joash’s church for the first time, and everything was new to him.

“Okay, kids, it’s the first Sunday of the month, so you know what that means—it’s birthday week!” Mr. Carson said. “If you have a birthday this month, come on up here.”

“Hey, that’s you, Ollie!” said Joash. “Your birthday’s on Thursday, so go to the front. You’ll get a gift.”

At first, Ollie shook his head, but when he saw that several other kids were going, he slipped out of his seat and headed up the aisle. Mr. Carson handed each of the birthday kids a goodie bag. Then everyone sang “Happy Birthday.”

“Happy birthday, kids,” Mr. Carson said when the song ended. “And remember…” He cupped his hand around his ear, and the whole group said together, “One birthday won’t do—you need to have two!”

After church, Ollie had a question. “What was that thing everyone said about having two birthdays?” he asked Joash. “I just had my tenth!”

“Not really, Ollie,” Joash replied. “You’ve only had one birthday—the day you were born. The rest of the time you’re just celebrating that day.”

“Okay, but then why would I need a second birthday?” Ollie asked.

“When you were born on earth, you became your parents’ child,” explained Joash. “But we all do bad things—we sin, and sin separates us from God, who is always loving and good. The Bible says the only way we can be forgiven and have eternal life with God is to be born again—born into God’s family. That happens when we trust Jesus to save us from sin. Then we’re born again spiritually as God’s children, and we have two birthdays.” Joash looked at his friend. “Get it?”

“I’m not sure,” Ollie replied. “I mean, I know I’m not always good, but I never thought about being born all over again. And I don’t really know a whole lot about Jesus. Can you tell me about Him and explain it all again?”

“Sure!” Joash was delighted. “If you still don’t get it, my dad can help explain too.”

“Okay.” Ollie looked at Joash. “Well, get started!”

–Charlie VanderMeer

How about you? How many birthdays do you have? One—or two? Your first birthday—the day you were born on this earth—made you a part of your parents’ family. God wants you to be a part of His family too. When you put your faith in Jesus, who died to pay the price for your sin, you’re born again as a child of God. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today’s key verse: Don’t be surprised when I [Jesus] say, “You must be born again.” John 3:7 (NLT)

Today’s key thought: You need two birthdays

Read: Colossians 3:12-14

“No!” Tula ran into her room and slammed the door. “She left us. I’m not forgiving her. Ever!”

She dove headfirst into her pillows and burst into tears. It had been three years since Mom left. Two years since her last phone call. Now she wanted to be a part of Tula’s life again? Even though she was married to someone else and had a new baby? It wasn’t right.

Dad came into the room and sat down on the edge of Tula’s bed. “I know this is hard, Tula, but your mom does love you. She wants you to know she’s sorry she hurt you.”

“What she did was wrong!”

“It was. But I did a lot of wrong things too, and you forgave me.”

“But you didn’t leave me,” Tula said into her pillow.

“Maybe not, but some of my choices hurt you just as much as your mom’s did.”

The bed shifted as Dad leaned forward and grabbed a book off her nightstand. She didn’t have to look to know it was her Bible.

“I wonder what God says we should do in a situation like this,” Dad said.

Tula groaned. She knew exactly what God said she should do, but she wasn’t ready to stop being mad. Not yet. “She doesn’t deserve to be forgiven.”

“Can you imagine what it would be like if Jesus had said that about us?”

Tula shivered. Not being forgiven by Jesus? That would be awful. She rolled over and sat up. “I wouldn’t like that.”

“Me neither. So, if Jesus can forgive us for hurting Him, shouldn’t we do the same when someone hurts us?”

Tula thought for a moment before nodding. “Yes, but I’m gonna need help. Forgiving is hard.”

“We’ll help each other,” Dad said as he hugged Tula. “And God will help us too. Because He forgave us for our sins, we’re able to forgive others. That doesn’t mean the hurt magically goes away. But when we forgive others, we allow Him to start healing our broken hearts. I think I’m ready for that.”

Tula hugged Dad back. “I think I’m ready for that too.”

–Jennifer Lindsay

How about you? Is there someone in your life you need to forgive? Forgiving someone doesn’t mean you’re saying what they did was okay. It means you’re allowing God to step into the situation and begin healing your heart and the heart of the person who hurt you. When we forgive, we’re showing others the love Jesus has shown us. Trust Him to help you forgive, even when it’s hard.

Today’s key verse: And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 (NKJV)

Today’s key thought: Forgiveness brings healing