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

Read: James 2:1-4 On a bright winter day, Evelyn stopped by her Grandma’s house after school. She found her in the kitchen, pulling a batch of cookies out of the oven. “Hello, sweetheart,” Grandma said. “Grab a cookie. How was school?” “Pretty good,” Evelyn said. “But there’s a new girl in my class. She just moved here. I don’t like her.” “Oh? That doesn’t sound like my kind granddaughter. Why don’t you like her? Is she mean to you?” Evelyn blushed. “I’m sorry, Grandma, I didn’t mean to sound unkind. I haven’t talked to her, but she just looks so grumpy! She never smiles.” Grandma put a hand on Evelyn’s shoulder. “Would you do me a favor, honey? Run upstairs to my bedroom and get the box underneath my bed.” Soon Evelyn was back downstairs with the box. “What is it?” she asked. Grandma opened the box and pulled out a very old violin. It was dirty and missing parts, and all the strings were broken. “Oh, ew!” Evelyn exclaimed. Grandma smiled. “Yes, this old thing has been through some rough times. I haven’t touched it in years. Tell you what—come back in a week and I’ll show it to you again.” The next week, Evelyn was back. “I want to see that violin again,” she reminded her grandma. “Did you clean it up some?” “Yes, I did,” Grandma said. “In fact…” She pulled the violin out of a case and handed it to Evelyn. “It looks like a different instrument.” Evelyn gasped. “Grandma! This is beautiful! I had no idea.” "It just needed some love,” Grandma said. “You know, Evelyn, I showed you this because I thought it might change your mind about the girl from your school. Sometimes people seem mean or grumpy because they’ve been through rough times or are having a bad day. They need love and care, just like my old violin. That’s one reason the Bible says we shouldn’t judge by what we see on the outside. Everyone, no matter what they act like, needs Jesus just like we do, and He wants us to show them His love by caring for them.” Grandma gave Evelyn a wink. “See if you can’t make that girl smile tomorrow.” Evelyn smiled. “Thanks, Grandma. I will!” –Lucy Alessio How about you? Do you know someone who doesn’t seem very likable from a distance? Instead of holding it against them, maybe you need to get to know them. God commands us not to judge people by how they look or act but to treat people equally and show love to everyone. We all need Jesus, and He died for our sins when none of us were very likeable. Follow His example by showing everyone His love. Today's Key Verse: Stop judging by the way things look. Be fair and judge by what is really right. John 7:24 (ERV) Today's Key Thought: Love instead of judging

Read: John 1:14-17; 3:16-17 Caleb and Vanessa sat in the back seat of the car on the way home from Christmas shopping. They didn’t dare say a word. Mom’s face said it all. They were in big trouble. They had saved up money to buy gifts, but when they got to the store, they pushed and fought over every toy. After a couple warnings, Mom marched them out of the store empty-handed. “I’m sorry, Mom,” Caleb ventured. “I don’t know what happened.” “Are we in big trouble?” Vanessa asked. Mom took a deep breath. “We’ll see when we get home. I’ll talk to your dad.” When they walked through the front door, Dad saw their glum faces. “Uh-oh. What’s going on?” Mom looked at Caleb and Vanessa. “I want you both to go sit on the couch in the living room. We’ll be there in a minute.” They slowly walked into the living room and plopped down on the couch. Soon their parents came in. Dad looked stern. “I’m very disappointed to hear about your behavior today, but after talking it over, Mom and I decided we want you to open an early Christmas present.” Caleb and Vanessa looked startled as Mom handed them a small wrapped box. “Is this for real?” Caleb asked. Mom nodded, and they both tore off the wrapping paper. Caleb pulled out a glass ornament of baby Jesus. Vanessa squealed. “It’s beautiful!” Caleb smiled but still looked a bit suspicious. “What’s the catch?” “Do you think you deserved an early Christmas present today?” Dad asked. Caleb frowned. “No, Dad. We deserve something else. We deserve to be punished.” Mom smiled. “That’s exactly why we wanted to give this to you.” Dad nodded. “We are all full of sin—we all act ugly and do bad things. Because of that sin, we all deserve punishment from God. But instead of punishing us, He sent us the most wonderful, undeserved gift. He sent us a baby to be our Savior.” “I get it!” Vanessa said. “Our little undeserved ornament will remind us that God sent Jesus to save us from sin.” Caleb smiled. “I understand too. Jesus was a gift we didn’t deserve.” –Bethany Den Boer How about you? Do you get lots of gifts at Christmas? Do you feel like you deserve your presents and get angry when you don’t get what you want? We receive gifts at Christmas not because we earned them, but because those who give them to us love us. These gifts remind us God gave us Jesus to be our Savior not because we deserved such a wonderful gift, but because He loves us. Today's Key Verse: But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 (NLT) Today's Key Thought: Jesus is the greatest gift

Read: Psalm 139:13-16; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 Nate and Peter watched as Dad assembled a miniature model of the human body they had gotten for their homeschool biology class. “I’m amazed at God’s creation,” Dad said, holding up the plastic heart piece. “Did you know that the human heart, which is only about as big as a clenched fist, can pump up to two thousand gallons of blood a day?” “I heard that in our class videos,” said Peter. “We learned about eyes too. They’re set in holes, or sockets, and they’re protected by seven interlocking bones.” “And our eyelashes and eyebrows keep out dust and sweat,” said Nate. “And each time we blink, a special fluid washes over our eyes.” Dad grinned. “Right! And have you noticed that the palms of your hands are sort of skid-proof so you can get a grip on things? And think about your fingers and all they can do. You use them to write, paint, hammer a nail, play the piano—” “Catch a football,” added Nate. Dad nodded. “Just like the Bible says, we’re fearfully and wonderfully made. God created the human body to do amazing things. His great handiwork is nothing to laugh about, is it?” “Laugh about?” asked Peter. “What do you mean?” “Well, sometimes I hear people say things that aren’t respectful about the human body,” said Dad. “They make jokes about things God designed it to do, and sometimes they even mock others whose bodies look different from theirs.” Peter nodded. “Sometimes my friends send me things that make fun of stuff like that—or even specific people.” “That’s not how God wants us to treat the bodies—or people—He created,” said Dad. “He loves us so much He sent Jesus to die for us. When we trust in Him, He gives us new hearts—not a physical heart that pumps blood, but a desire to know and follow Him and share His love with others. And one day He’s going to give us new bodies too! Perfect bodies that will be free from sin, sickness, and death.” “Wow,” said Nate. “That sounds amazing!” Dad nodded. “It is amazing. That’s why we need to treat the bodies God gave us—and everyone else—with respect.” –Agnes Livezey How about you? Are you ever tempted to make fun of the amazing bodies God created? Maybe you’ve made inappropriate jokes about them or looked at pictures or videos that are disrespectful. Perhaps you’ve even mocked someone for the way their body looks. Ask Jesus to forgive you for the times you didn’t treat people He loves and their bodies with respect. Remember that our bodies are meant to remind us of His amazing love. Today's Key Verse: I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14 (NKJV) Today's Key Thought: Respect the bodies God created

Read: Colossians 4:2-6 Johannah stared out her bedroom window as Mom came into the room and sat down on the bed. “How are you feeling?” Mom asked as she stroked Johannah’s forehead. “I think you still have a fever.” “Why do I have to be sick today?” moaned Johannah. “I wanted to go sing at the hospital with my Sunday school class.” Her lower lip quivered a little. “And it makes you feel bad that you can’t go, doesn’t it?” said Mom. Johannah nodded. “I was really looking forward to going around and singing to people who were sick. Now I can’t.” “I know, honey,” said Mom. “But you can pray and ask Jesus to use your class to bless the people at the hospital with their singing.” Johannah shrugged. “It just doesn’t seem the same,” she said with a sigh. “Maybe not, but…” Mom stood up. “I’ll be right back.” She left the room and returned a few minutes later with a strand of pearls. “See this necklace? Your great-grandmother gave it to me when I was a teenager.” She held it out so Johannah could look at it. “But there’s a very important part of it you can’t see.” Johannah looked puzzled. “What do you mean?” “Well, what do you see when you look at it?” asked Mom. Johannah took the necklace. “The pearls,” she said after examining it. Mom nodded. “That’s what everyone notices, but look.” She carefully pulled two pearls apart to reveal the thin white thread holding them together. “No one notices this plain and simple thread, but without it, my necklace would fall apart.” Still puzzled, Johannah looked at the pearl necklace and then at her mother. “Okay,” she said uncertainly. “Prayer is like this thread,” Mom explained. “We often pray as an afterthought, but really, it’s what holds everything together—nothing we do would make any difference without God working behind the scenes and in people’s hearts. Even though you can’t go with the others to the hospital, you can have a very important part in what they’re doing. You can ask Jesus to use their singing to encourage the people at the hospital and show them how much He loves them and cares for them.” –Richard S. Maffeo How about you? Do you ever feel like you can’t do anything important for Jesus because you’re too young, too sick, or too shy? That’s not true! There’s at least one thing every Christian can do, and that’s pray. It’s not something everybody notices, but Jesus does. He hears each prayer. Pray and ask Him to work in people’s hearts as you and fellow Christians serve Him and show others His love. Today's Key Verse: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV) Today's Key Thought: Prayer is important

Read: Luke 2:4-18 “Mmm…I love candy canes! They’re my favorite Christmas treat,” Abbie said as she licked her sweet candy. “They are yummy,” said Mom. “But what makes them my favorite Christmas candy is the story they tell.” "Candy canes tell a story?” Abbie asked. “Yes,” Mom said with a gleam of excitement in her eyes. “Flip your candy cane upside down. What letter do you see?” “It’s the letter J,” Abbie replied. “That’s right,” Mom said. “And at Christmas we remember the birth of…?” “Jesus!” said Abbie. “The J stands for Jesus!” “You got it. The candy cane reminds us of Jesus at Christmas, and it also reminds us of two special groups of people who came to visit Jesus after He was born. If you turn your candy cane upright again, what does it look like?” “A shepherd’s staff!” Abbie exclaimed. Mom nodded. “The staff reminds us of the shepherds who came to visit Jesus—and also that Jesus Himself is our Good Shepherd. And as you taste your candy cane, the sweet peppermint flavor tickles your tongue, which can be a reminder of the spices the wise men gave to Jesus.” “This part of the story tastes good,” said Abbie, giving her candy cane another lick. “What do the colors mean?” “The red represents the blood Jesus poured out for us when He died on the cross for our sins, and the white reminds us that when we trust Jesus as our Savior, He washes our sin away and makes us clean.” “I never knew the candy cane told a story before!” Abbie said as she munched on a hard piece of her candy cane. “Every part of the candy cane tells a story. Even the fact that the candy cane is hard points to Jesus being our solid rock.” “Wow, that’s amazing! Would it be okay if I give some candy canes to my friends at school? I want to tell them the story of the candy cane too!” “That’s a wonderful idea,” Mom replied. “Telling others the story of Jesus is one of the best gifts you can give your friends.” “Yeah,” said Abbie. “And it tastes good too!” –Rachel Vruggink How about you? Do you have a friend you could tell the story of the candy cane? Telling others about Jesus’s birth and how He died on the cross for their sins and rose again is a wonderful story to share at Christmastime. The shepherds were so excited when they saw Jesus that they spread the good news! Who can you share the good news of Jesus with this Christmas? Today's Key Verse: When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child. Luke 2:17 (NIV) Today's Key Thought: Share Jesus with others