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

Read: Psalm 139:3-12

“I’m scared, Mom,” River said. “What if Dad never comes back?”

“I don’t know if he’s going to, River. I don’t know how things will work out.”

River’s stomach hurt. It had been hurting a lot since his dad stormed out of their house weeks earlier. “It’s just you and me?”

“You, me, and God.” Mom tapped her computer screen. “And I need to find a job.”

Things went from bad to worse that evening when the power went out. River stumbled his way through the house, calling for his mom.

“I’m in here.” Suddenly Mom appeared in front of him and wrapped her arms around him. “I don’t know why they would cut it off like that…I told them I would pay soon…”

“You didn’t pay the bill?” River asked.

“I don’t have the money right now,” said Mom. “I’m sorry.”

“It won’t come back on tomorrow?”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Mom sighed. “We’ll be okay.”

River tried to look around, but he couldn’t see anything. Darkness from outside filled the house. He heard a sound in the corner of the room. “I’m really scared, Mom. I don’t like the dark.”

“That was just the house settling,” Mom said. “It does it all the time, but we don’t think anything of it when it’s light in here. Do you know who can see in the dark?”

“Not me,” River said.

“Me neither,” Mom said. “But God can. The Bible says that both dark and light are the same to Him. He can see now like if the lights were all on.”

“Really?” River asked. “He can see if there are any bad guys in here?”

Mom chuckled. “Yes. And there aren’t.” She rubbed his back. “God is light. Our light. When we were lost in the darkness of sin, Jesus came and died for us so we could have the light of His love in our lives. He sees us now, and He can see the future too. He knows what’s going to happen with your dad, and He promises never to leave us. We can trust Him.”

“Everything is so scary right now,” River said.

“I know, but God will take care of us.” Mom pulled him close. “Always.”

–Emily Acker

How about you? Are you scared of the dark? Not being able to see what’s around you can be scary—and that’s true in life too. Perhaps you’re going through a difficult situation and don’t know how it’s going to turn out. Remember that even though you can’t see the future, God can, and He cares about you. Trust Him to be your light in the darkness and take care of you in every situation.

Today's Key Verse: The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: God sees in the dark

Read: John 3:13-17; Romans 6:23

“And I’m just so thankful God forgives and helps us, or else I’d be totally lost!” Mandy’s mom was saying as she talked on the phone.

“What is she talking about? What does she mean God forgives us? For what?” Mandy’s friend Hailey asked as they sat coloring at the kitchen table.

“God forgives us for our sins,” Mandy replied.

“What does ‘sin’ mean? Why do we need to be forgiven?”

“Umm…” Mandy was uncertain how to respond to her friend’s questions.

When Mandy’s mom got off the phone, Mandy asked her Hailey’s questions. Mom sat down at the table with them. “Hmm, let’s see…” She drummed her fingers against the table. “Mandy, why weren’t you allowed to play on the tablet yesterday?”

Mandy blushed and gave a nervous giggle. “Because I sneaked a cookie right before dinner.”

“Do you ever get punishments like that, Hailey, for doing something you’re not supposed to?” Mandy’s mom asked.

“Yes, lots!” Hailey nodded.

“Exactly. We all do things we’re not supposed to, and because of that, we deserve punishment. God, who created us and everything there is, never does anything wrong. The stuff we do wrong is called sin, and sin separates us from God because God is perfect.”

“But you said God forgives us for our sins,” Hailey pointed out.

Mom nodded. “God’s Word, the Bible, tells us the punishment for sin is death—not just physical death, but complete separation from God. But God sent His Son, Jesus, to earth to take our punishment. Jesus is God and a human. He lived a perfect life and never sinned! Then He died and took our punishment on Himself.”

“Right,” Mandy said, “Like if Dad would’ve taken my punishment and said he doesn’t get to play on the tablet so I can.”

Mom laughed. “Kind of like that. But Jesus didn’t stay dead. He rose again and now lives with God in heaven! Because Jesus took our punishment, God forgives all our sins when we trust Jesus as our Savior. Then, when we die, we won’t stay dead either—Jesus will raise us from the dead and we’ll live with Him forever! I know that was a lot. But do you think you understand?”

“I think I get it,” Hailey said. “But I have lots of questions!”

–Elizabeth Cooper

How about you? Do you have lots of questions about God and the Bible? That’s okay! God loves when we seek to know Him better. Are there any believers in your life or a nearby church you can go to and ask questions? Ask God to show you someone who can help you understand more about Jesus and what it means to trust Him as your Savior. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Jesus took our punishment

Read: John 14:1-3; Revelation 21:1-5

“All right!” Garrison exclaimed as Dad pulled the car into Grandma’s driveway. “We’re finally here!” Grandma lived so far away that they had been traveling for two days to get to her house.

“Yay!” said Charis. “I’m tired of being in the car.”

Dad grinned. “Me too. All I want to do right now is relax with a nice tall glass of iced tea.”

Garrison laughed. “Well, when you called Grandma a little while ago, you said you couldn’t wait to have some of her iced tea. I bet she has a pitcher of it all ready.”

Charis pointed. “Look! Grandma’s at the door, and she’s got a glass of something in her hand. It’s probably your iced tea.”

Charis was right. “I knew you’d want this right away,” Grandma said as she handed the glass to Dad. Then she gave everyone big hugs. “You must be hungry. Come to the kitchen. I made your favorite pie, Garrison. And here’s some of that fudge you like so much, Charis.”

“Oh, and I see a wonderful cheese tray here on the counter!” Mom said. “You know just what snacks we all like, don’t you?” She helped herself to some cheese and crackers.

“You got new books for us!” Charis called from the living room. “And there are new games here too! Thank you, Grandma!”

Mom smiled. “I can see you’ve been very busy getting ready for us to come.”

“Well, I loved preparing for you to get here because I love you,” Grandma replied.

“That sounds like what we talked about in church last week,” Garrison said. “About how Jesus loves us and is preparing a place for those who trust in Him.”

“That’s a great thing to think about,” Grandma said. “He prepared a place for us in God’s family by dying for our sins, and one day He will welcome us into the new, perfect world He’s getting ready for us. I’m so thankful to know that each of us here trusts in Jesus and that we’ll all enjoy heaven together with Him. What a wonderful place that will be!”

Dad nodded. “You’ve given us a great welcome here, but you’re right. We can’t even imagine how special Jesus’s welcome will be!”

–Lenora McWhorten

How about you? Have you helped prepare for company by getting everything just right for those who are coming to visit? If you know Jesus as your Savior, He’s preparing a place for you in the perfect world He will create when He makes everything new. It’s hard to imagine what a special, wonderful place that will be—and it won’t be just for a visit. It will be forever!

Today's Key Verse: [Jesus said,] “I go to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Jesus is preparing a place for Christians

Read: 1 Corinthians 13:1-7

Samantha sighed and slid in her earbuds. Sometimes being part of a blended family wasn’t easy. She now had three siblings instead of just one, and they were constantly arguing.

“We always watch this game show on Mondays.” Tori stood in front of the TV with her hands on her hips. “It’s a tradition.”

“Well, guess what?” said Reid. “Now you have a new tradition—watching sports on Mondays.”

“No way!” Little Sarah joined in the shouting.

“Yes way!” Reid poked out his tongue.

Their voices grew louder and meaner when suddenly, the most dreadful sound came from the kitchen. “What is that?” Reid asked, his eyes as round as saucers. The tinny thud sounded again. And again. And again.

“It’s horrible!” Sarah put her hands over her ears.

Mom and Dad marched into the family room holding weird metal farmyard objects, which they hit over and over with a spoon. The noise was deafening.

“Dad, what’s going on?” Samantha asked.

“This is my cowbell. Doesn’t it sound great?”

“Please stop the banging!” Sarah begged.

Mom and Dad stopped. “Don’t you like what you heard?” Mom asked.

“No!” the four kids answered in unison.

“Hmm.” Dad put down his cowbell. “Come to think of it, Mom and I didn’t like what we heard coming from you guys when we were cooking in the kitchen.”

“We weren’t making a horrible noise like that cowbell,” Reid said. “We were just talking.”

“But there was no love in your words,” said Mom. “Just anger and selfishness.”

Everyone was quiet for a moment. “We know you kids really do love each other,” said Dad. “But this new family is going to take some getting used to. We all need to depend on Jesus to help us speak with love and show each other grace as we learn to live together. The Bible says if we speak without love, we sound awful—like a clanging cymbal or a—”

“Cowbell?” Samantha smiled. “If we remember to be more loving with our words, will you do something for us?” Dad nodded. “Please,” Samantha said. “Lose the cowbell!”

–Laura Thomas

How about you? Do you always speak with love? It’s not easy, is it? Especially if someone is annoying you or you’re frustrated. Yet the Bible tells us that even if we say great things, if we don’t speak with a loving attitude, we sound like a tuneless cowbell and our words are useless. The good news is we don’t have to do it on our own. Trust Jesus to help you speak to others with love.

Today's Key Verse: If I speak human or angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 1 Corinthians 13:1 (CSB)

Today's Key Thought: Speak with love

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