Keys for Kids - daily devotions and Bible stories for kids

• The Cost of Courage

  Bible Reading: Isaiah 53:3; Matthew 9:10-13; 2 Timothy 1:7"Great game, Hailey!" said Mom. "Two goals--that's incredible!"Hailey kicked off her soccer cleats and sat on the sidelines beside Mom's folding chair. "Sure, I guess.""What's wrong?" asked Mom. "You did great."Hailey's eyes filled with tears. "It's Kaylee and Jenna. They said they don't want to be my friends anymore.""What?" asked Mom. "How come?""At halftime they were making fun of Sarah. She's shy, and she's…well, she's not the best player on the team. They called her 'Slow Sarah' when a ball got past her and said she should go play with those little kids." Hailey pointed to another field where some four-year-olds were chasing a ball around."Oh, that's terrible!" said Mom."They kept looking at me like they expected me to make fun of her too. I said they were being mean, so they called me a goody-goody and said they can't be friends with someone who's no fun. I just said, 'Fine,' and walked away. I didn't know what to do."Mom hugged Hailey. "I'm proud of you for standing up for Sarah."Hailey shrugged. "I thought I was doing what Jesus wanted me to do. Why did He let it turn out so badly?"Mom squeezed Hailey's shoulder. "You're right, Jesus does want you to love people because He loves us, but that doesn't mean it's always easy. The Bible is full of people who were rejected by others when they acted out of faith and obedience to God. Even Jesus was rejected for showing love to people everyone else wanted to stay away from. Through the Holy Spirit, He gives us the courage to love others that way too.""But now I don't have any friends on the team! Doesn't He care?""He cares very much," Mom assured her. "Your courage may have cost you your friendship with Kaylee and Jenna, but Jesus promises to always be with you." Mom pointed toward the field where Sarah was waving at them, a shy smile on her face. "Besides, it looks like you may have made a new friend."Hailey wiped her eyes and motioned for her teammate to join them. –Jennifer DillardHow About You?Have you experienced rejection for following Jesus's example of love? You are not alone. God's people have often faced hardship and rejection for standing up in faith and doing what's right. Jesus Himself was even rejected for loving sinners like us. He understands how you feel, and He promises to give you courage and strength and help you love others.Today's Key Verse:Listen to me, you who know right from wrong, you who cherish my law in your hearts. Do not be afraid of people's scorn, nor fear their insults. (NLT) (Isaiah 51:7)Today's Key Thought:Stand up for others

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• God's Promises Mean Something

  Bible Reading: Psalm 12:5-7"He said he was going to help us." Sammy frowned. "How could Uncle Riley say that and then change his mind? We need help if we're going to move!"Mom held a finger to her lips. She nodded to the open window. "Look at our babies getting their first meal."Sammy peeked out the window. In the branch of the tree right outside, there was a nest with baby birds that had just hatched. A big bird was feeding each of the babies with something out of her beak. It was cool to watch.When the meal was finished, Sammy looked to his mom. "Without money from Uncle Riley, we're going to be stuck here forever.""I was excited when he said he was going to help," Mom said. "But we can figure things out without him. It will just take a little longer. We're going to be okay.""How can he make a promise and then change his mind?" Sammy moved to their brown couch and sank down onto it, running his finger along a tear in the fabric. "We were counting on him doing what he said he would do.""People are like that sometimes," Mom said. "They make promises and then don't keep them."Sammy crossed his arms. "It's not right.""No, it's not." Mom looked at him. "You know who isn't like that? God. Every promise He makes, He keeps."Sammy frowned. "It doesn't always feel like it.""It might not," Mom said. "But it's true. It's like those baby birds. I heard them chirping when their mom left them this morning. They were probably worried that she wouldn't come back. But she did come back, because she knows they depend on her to feed them and take care of them. Our heavenly Father is much more dependable than a mother bird, and He promises to take care of us.""What if He doesn't?" Sammy asked."He will," Mom said. "The Bible tells us that God keeps His promises. When we were lost in sin, He promised us a Savior, and He fulfilled that promise through Jesus. And Jesus promises that even though life is full of difficulties, He will always be with us and help us. Other people may fail us, but God never will." –Emily AckerHow About You?Have you ever had someone make a promise to you and then change their mind? How did that make you feel? Do you keep every promise you make? People don't always keep their promises, but God does. He kept His promise to send Jesus to save us, and He promises He's with us through every hardship we face, even when it doesn't seem like it. You can trust Him to keep His promises. Today's Key Verse:He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind. (NIV) (1 Samuel 15:29 )Today's Key Thought:You can trust God's promises

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• Amnesia

  Bible Reading: Ephesians 4:17-24Preston jumped from seat to seat in the back of the school bus. He joined in with the boys who were pestering other kids and laughed loudly when rude gestures were made at passing cars. After he and the others ignored several warnings, the bus driver pulled over and wrote down their names. Preston felt ashamed--and he felt even worse when he found out his parents would be contacted. "I heard from your principal today," Mom said when Preston got home. "We'll have to talk about it later. Right now go get your homework done."Preston was relieved when his behavior wasn't mentioned at dinner. When they finished eating, Dad turned on the news. The screen showed a man who'd been found wandering the streets. He couldn't remember anything about his past--not even his own name. "Authorities believe this man has amnesia," said the reporter. "Anyone with information that may help identify him should notify the police.""He doesn't know his name?" Preston asked. "That's hard to believe!""They think he may have received a very hard blow to his head, or that something shocking happened and the man's brain reacted by blocking everything out," explained Mom."Oh, that's so sad!" said Preston's little sister, Mia."Can a person really forget who he is?" asked Preston."We wondered the same thing after Mom got a call from your principal today," said Dad. "It sounded like you might have been suffering from spiritual amnesia on the bus. You seemed to have forgotten who you were.""Preston has amnesia?" asked Mia, looking at her brother wide-eyed."Well, he seemed to forget that he is a child of God," said Dad. "Preston--just like all Christians--has the Holy Spirit inside him. Because of God's presence in us, we're able to do what is right and show others the love of Jesus. If we forget that and start acting out of selfishness instead of love, it's kind of like we have spiritual amnesia--we've forgotten who we are in Jesus." Dad turned to Preston. "Could anyone on the bus this morning have identified you as belonging to Jesus?""I--I guess not," said Preston. "I'm sorry."His parents smiled at him. "We forgive you," said Dad. "And Jesus will forgive you too." –Nance E. KeyesHow About You?Do you remember who you are? If you've trusted Jesus as your Savior, you're a child of God, and He has put His love in your heart and given you His Spirit to guide you in doing what's right. Don't act like you suffer from spiritual amnesia. Remember who you are in Jesus and show His love in all you do so others can identify you as someone who belongs to Him.Today's Key Verse:Put on your new nature, created to be like God--truly righteous and holy. (NLT) (Ephesians 4:24)Today's Key Thought:Remember who you are in Jesus

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• Not a Secret

  Bible Reading: Acts 4:13-20Topher brought Mexican jumping beans to school today," said Tiernan at dinner one evening. "They look like regular beans, but they move all by themselves. Topher wouldn't say what made them move--he said it was a secret. But I looked it up and found out. I don't know why Topher didn't just tell us. It's no secret!""So what makes them move?" asked Tiernan's sister Ariel."Moths," said Tiernan. "Mexican jumping beans are three-celled bean pods that house moths. The jumping is caused by the moth larvae moving inside.""Ew, gross!" Ariel put down her knife and fork. "Well, now I've lost my appetite."When dinner was finished, Dad got out his Bible for family devotions. "Tiernan's story about the jumping beans made me think of something," he said. "Like Tiernan said, the reason they move isn't a secret, but there is something we often keep secret even though we shouldn't. Just like how the moths in the bean pods makes them jump, we have something in us that makes us choose to do the things we do, but we often don't tell anyone what it is.""Well, what is it?" asked Tiernan. "I don't know either."Dad smiled. "It's the love of Jesus in our hearts. For example, I remember when you ate lunch with the new boy at school who didn't know anyone and your friends later asked why you didn't sit with them. What reason did you give them?""Um, well…I just told them I knew him from math class," replied Tiernan."And when I was so sick, God gave me a miraculous recovery," said Dad. "But I wonder how many of us told our friends that God had answered our prayers?""I didn't," admitted Ariel."It's almost as though we're keeping it a secret that we know Jesus," Dad said, opening his Bible to the fourth chapter of Acts. "Tonight, let's read about some men who didn't keep it a secret that they knew Jesus. How about reading it for us, Tiernan? Read verses sixteen to twenty." After Tiernan finished reading, Dad said, "Peter and John couldn't keep themselves from telling others about Jesus and how He died and rose again to save them. Let's join them by telling everyone what He's done for us too." –Nance E. KeyesHow About You?Do you tell others about Jesus? Don't keep it a secret that you know Him. Tell other kids when you're thankful for something God has given you or done for you. Speak up if there's an opportunity to let others know that Jesus loves us all so much He died for us. They may want to know Him too. What are some other things you could tell them about?Today's Key Verse:We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. (NKJV) (Acts 4:20)Today's Key Thought:Don't keep Jesus a secret

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• Roman's Rotten Apple

  Bible Reading: Matthew 5:44-46Roman stomped into the house and headed for the stairs, not even bothering to say hello to his family. "Hey there, Roman!" Dad called from his place at the counter. Roman mumbled something and then proceeded upstairs and slammed his bedroom door. The house shook. Eva, his sister, entered the house a moment later. Mom finished chopping a potato and gave her a hug. "What's wrong with Roman?" Mom asked. Eva opened the fridge and dug out an apple. "Well, this kid named Carson Peters keeps bullying and teasing him," she replied. "Especially on the walk home from school." Later that evening, Roman was asked to help make his mom's famous homemade applesauce. As he chopped apples, he remembered some of the things Carson had said to him on the way home from school. Infuriated, Roman slammed the knife into the apple. The apple squished and splattered all over him and the counter."Oh dear. I suppose that was a rotten apple. I should be more careful when I pick out the bags at the market," Mom said, wiping the gunk off Roman and the surrounding area. "Why did you slam the knife so hard?" she asked. "You could've hurt yourself." "Well, I--I was just thinking about what this guy Carson said to me earlier. He says a lot of mean things." "I think how you're dealing with this is a bit like that rotten apple," Mom said as she mashed up the good apples. "You've been holding all this inside. Allowing angry, bitter feelings like that to stay in your heart can make you rot inside. Eventually, they would've overflowed--or in your case, exploded." Roman sprinkled some cinnamon into the apple mixture. "I guess I thought I could deal with it on my own." "Sometimes the only way to deal with something--or someone--is to ask for help," said Mom. "Jesus loves you so much that He died to save you, and He wants you to go to Him with your problems and hard feelings. He also puts people in your life to help you--like your dad and me. Let us help with the situation, and trust God to help you release those feelings and replace them with His love and peace." –Taylor Carey How About You?Has someone ever been mean to you? Sometimes it's easier to bottle up hard feelings instead of dealing with them. But God wants us to cast our hardships onto Him, and He gives us people to support us. Don't be afraid to ask for help with bullies or other difficult situations and tell a trusted adult how you're feeling. Trust Jesus to comfort you and give you the power to love those who hurt you the way He loves us. Today's Key Verse:Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. (NLT) (1 Peter 5:7)Today's Key Thought:Share your hurts with others

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