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

Read: Psalm 25:6-7; 1 John 1:9

Jacki and Blake waited anxiously in line with their uncle at High Seas Tees—the best mini-golf course in the entire world. Blake stretched himself tall to see to the front of the line when he noticed a sign that read: Mulligans $2, all proceeds go toward field trip funds!

“What’s a mulligan?” Blake asked Uncle Lee.

“It’s a redo in golf,” Uncle Lee answered. “The first attempt doesn’t count on your scorecard; it’s like it never happened. You might ask for one if a gust of wind messes up your shot or the ball lands in an obstacle. Or if you just take a terrible swing.”

Jacki laughed. “Might need to buy some for Blake!”

“Hey!” Blake scowled at his sister. “I’m going to win the whole tournament!”

“How about I get one mulligan for each of us,” Uncle Lee said. “That way we each have a redo swing.”

The kids nodded and soon got their clubs, balls, and scorecards. On a particularly difficult hole, Jacki swung off the tee, but her ball sunk into a shallow pool of water. Jacki groaned.

“Use your mulligan,” Uncle Lee offered.

Jacki fished her ball out of the slimy water, shook it off, and set it back at the start as if her mess-up never happened. Just as she was about to hit the ball, Blake shouted, “I know what this reminds me of!”

Startled, Jacki swung off course again, and her ball landed back in the pool.

Blake gasped. “Sorry, Jacki! I just wanted to say your mulligan reminded me of forgiveness.”

Jacki crossed her arms in frustration. “You couldn’t have waited until after I swung?”

Uncle Lee chuckled. “You’re right, Blake. When you use a mulligan, it wipes your score card clean, much like how God wipes our sin away when we confess our wrongs to Him. Jesus died to pay for all our sin so we could be forgiven and have a redo whenever we need one.” Uncle Lee looked at Jacki. “God also wants us to forgive each other.”

Jacki sighed. “I forgive you for messing up my shot, Blake.”

Blake grinned. “I’ll give you my mulligan for free.”

“Oh no,” Jacki said, a smile growing on her face. “I’m winning fair and square.”

–Zoe Sherman

How about you? Have you ever done something and wished it never happened? Although we can’t go back in time and change our past, God offers us forgiveness when we sin and wipes our record clean. He loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross so that we can always be forgiven. Tell Him what you’ve done wrong and He will forgive you so you can start over.

Today's Key Verse: I will forgive their sins. I will remember their sins no more. Jeremiah 31:34 (NLV)

Today's Key Thought: God forgives sin

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