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

Read: John 15:13-15

Cara took her cookie and a glass of milk into the utility room where Mom was folding laundry. “Mom, can I invite Amber over?” she asked. “She’s my new friend.” Cara dunked the cookie into her milk.

Mom added a towel to the stack on the dryer. “And you probably want to invite Jasmine too, right?”

Cara shook her head. “No, I don’t want her over. We had a fight. Anyway, Amber is much more popular.”

“Oh?” Mom frowned slightly as she handed Cara a stack of towels. “Take these to the bathroom, please.”

As Cara set her milk on the dryer, Mom asked, “Are Kenzie and Madison still your friends?”

Cara shrugged. “They’re okay, I guess, but Amber’s more fun.” She turned to leave. “Hey, Mom, can I—oops!” Cara’s arm bumped the glass of milk, and it poured down the side of the dryer. “Sorry!” Cara set the stack of towels down and picked up the one on top to wipe up the spilled milk.

“Don’t use that clean towel!” Mom said. She quickly pulled paper towels from the roll on the wall. “Here, use these.”

Cara sopped up the milk and threw the paper towels into the trash. Mom watched thoughtfully. “Paper towels are pretty handy,” she said. “They’re disposable. Just use them and toss them.”

Cara nodded. “That’s what’s good about them.”

“Yes, but what’s not good is that you’ve been treating your friends like paper towels,” said Mom. “You seem to think it’s okay to use them and throw them away. What if Jesus treated us like we were disposable? If He threw us out whenever we got smudged with sin? But He’ll never do that because we’re valuable to Him. He loves us and promises to clean us when we get dirty. And He wants you to treat your friends like they’re valuable too.” She pointed to the fluffy yellow towel on top of the stack. “When a friendship gets smudged, clean it with love and forgiveness.”

Cara thought about that as she picked up the stack of fresh, clean-smelling towels. “Can I invite Amber and Jasmine and Kenzie and Madison over?” she asked.

“All of them?” Mom laughed. “All right. Invite all of them. The more the merrier!”

–Barbara J. Westberg

How about you? Do you spend time repairing and maintaining your friendships? Or if a friendship gets smudged, do you just toss it and move on? Friends are among the many blessings God gives us. Friendships are so important that Jesus calls those who trust and obey Him His friends. So value your friends the way Jesus values His. Care for the friends you have, and make new ones too!

Today's Key Verse: Never abandon a friend. Proverbs 27:10 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Value your friends

Read: Zephaniah 3:14-17; Hebrews 13:5-6

Ding dong, chimed the doorbell. “Wyatt!” Mom called. “You have a package!”

Wyatt galloped down the stairs. “Who’s it from?” he asked.

Mom squinted at the return address on the package. “It looks like it’s from your Uncle Dale in Texas. I think it’s your birthday present,” she said, handing it to Wyatt.

“All right!” Wyatt ripped open the package. A few minutes later his bare feet were hidden in genuine cowboy boots.

“Very nice. Now all you need is a horse,” Mom said with a grin. “Why don’t you go show them to your brother?”

Wyatt clomped down the hallway and into his older brother’s room where Jared was packing for military boot camp.

“Hey, Jared,” Wyatt said, pointing to his new footwear. “Check it out—boot camp.”

Jared laughed. “Nice. From Uncle Dale?”

Wyatt nodded. “Yep,” he said as he climbed up on Jared’s bed and made himself comfortable. “What kinds of things will you do at boot camp?” he asked.

“It’s ten weeks of intense military training. They’ll teach us discipline and a new vocabulary. We’ll take orders without asking questions and learn to take care of our team members. I’ll also learn how to get ready to protect our country and keep its citizens safe—even if it means dying for them.”

“Wow. Are you scared, Jared?” Wyatt asked, wide-eyed. “I would be.”

“I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I said I wasn’t a little scared,” Jared confessed. “But I’ve been reading about men in the Bible like Joshua and David who depended on God to help them fight battles, and I can depend on God too. I know that because Jesus died to save me, I can trust Him to be with me in every situation—even in death. Remembering that gives me courage, even if my heart is beating like crazy.”

Staring at his shiny new boots, Wyatt had an idea. “While you’re gone,” he told Jared, “I’m going to wear my boots every day. And every time I put them on, I’m going to pray for you.”

“Thanks, little brother,” Jared said, ruffling Wyatt’s hair. “That means a lot.” He grinned. “Just don’t forget to wash your feet!”

–Kelly Hope

How about you? Do you ever feel scared or lonely? You may not be leaving home to fight for your country, but there may be something else in your life that’s making you feel alone and afraid—like a new school or a divorce in your family. Remember that Jesus is with you in every situation. Trust Him to give you courage, and pray for others who may be scared and lonely too.

Today's Key Verse: Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Don’t be afraid—God is with you

Read: John 20:24-31; 2 Corinthians 5:7; James 2:23

“We’re going to have pen pals for an English project this semester!” Moriah told her parents. “We each got the name of a kid our age in another state, and we’re supposed to exchange letters—real letters, no texts or emails or anything like that. My pen pal’s name is Ryleigh.”

Moriah sat down that evening and wrote her first letter to Ryleigh. She told all about herself, her family, and her church. Soon a reply came from Ryleigh. It contained a picture and told about Ryleigh’s big family and their house in the country. Ryleigh also mentioned that her family didn’t go to church.

During the next several months, Moriah and Ryleigh wrote many letters. Then one afternoon, Moriah came running into the kitchen, holding a letter in her hand. “Mom! Mom! Ryleigh’s dad is coming here on a business trip, and he said Ryleigh could come too. Can she stay with us that weekend? Please?”

Mom laughed. “Sure, honey. That’s fine if it’s okay with her dad.”

Ryleigh’s dad dropped her off at Moriah’s house a couple weeks later, and the girls had a great time together. Each night after supper, Dad read a few verses from the Bible. One night, he read a verse that referred to Abraham as a friend of God. “Mr. Davis,” Ryleigh said, “I don’t know who Abraham was, but how could he be God’s friend? We can’t see God or hear Him, so how can anybody be friends with Him?”

“Tell me something, Ryleigh,” said Dad. “Before this weekend, you and Moriah never met. Yet you seem to be good friends. How did that happen?”

“Well, Moriah told me all about herself in her letters. So by the time I came here to visit, I felt like I already knew her.”

Dad nodded. “Well, God has written us a letter too—the Bible. It tells us who He is and how much He loves all of us. It tells the story of Jesus, God’s Son, who died for us and rose again so we could become God’s friends and know Him personally, even though we can’t see Him.”

Ryleigh thought about that, then looked at Moriah. “Well, I’m sure glad I got to know Moriah. I think I’d like to know more about Jesus too.”

–Jan L. Hansen

How about you? Are you a friend of God? Even though you can’t see Him, you can learn about Him by reading the Bible—His letter to you. You can become His friend by trusting in Jesus. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?) You can have faith that He’s given you eternal life and will always be with you. And you can look forward to one day seeing Him face-to-face and living with Him forever!

Today's Key Verse: You have never seen [Jesus] but you love Him. You cannot see Him now but you are putting your trust in Him. 1 Peter 1:8 (NLV)

Today's Key Thought: You can know God by faith

Read: 1 John 1:5-9

Taya sighed loudly when Mom had to stop because of a roadblock. Workers were repairing the bridge ahead, and traffic was temporarily stopped. “How long will we have to wait?” she asked.

“I’m not sure,” Mom replied. “It might be a while.”

Taya looked out the window. She saw a red van, a delivery truck, some cars, and a motorcycle. Drivers craned their necks, trying to see if they’d be able to move soon.

“Are we going to be late to swim class?” Taya asked. The class at the community pool on the other side of the bridge started at ten.

“I don’t know,” Mom said. “But we can’t go anywhere until that roadblock is removed.”

Taya sighed impatiently. “I wish they’d work faster!”

“Well, it’s out of our control,” said Mom. “We’ll just have to be patient.”

They waited another five minutes. Then Taya noticed cars moving ahead. “Look!” she said. “I think the roadblock’s down!”

Mom slowly eased the car forward, and soon they were across the bridge. Taya let out a sigh of relief. “I’m so glad we’re going to make it to swim class!”

Mom smiled. “Just this morning I was reading about a different kind of roadblock.”

“Really?” said Taya.

Mom nodded. “The book I was reading referred to sin as a roadblock that keeps us from fully enjoying our relationship with God. But unlike that roadblock on the bridge, we don’t need to wait and wait for Jesus to remove a roadblock of sin in our lives. He does that the moment we confess what we’ve done wrong and trust Him to forgive us.”

“Right,” said Taya. “And we never have to wonder if He still loves us or if we’re still saved when we mess up.”

Mom nodded. “Jesus died to take the punishment for our sin, and that means He will always forgive us. When we confess our wrongs, He removes those roadblocks so they can’t get in the way of us enjoying our relationship with Him.”

Mom swung the car into the pool parking lot and Taya hopped out. “Thanks, Mom,” she said. “If I hurry, I can still make warm-ups.”

–Janet Boulter

How about you? Is there a roadblock of sin in your life that’s keeping you from fully enjoying your relationship with God? Jesus can remove it! He paid the price of your sin on the cross and forgives the instant you ask Him. Confess your wrong to Him and accept His forgiveness. Then get back to enjoying your relationship with Him!

Today's Key Verse: In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Ephesians 1:7 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Confess sin and be forgiven

Read: Isaiah 40:28-31; Matthew 11:28-30

“Finally, something in science I like learning about!” Marissa loosened the binocular cord around her neck. “I wonder what birds we’ll see on our nature walk?”

Mom headed down the boardwalk at their local nature preserve. “Or what birds we’ll hear!”

“I’m on it.” Troy pulled up the bird call identification app on his phone.

The family didn’t have to walk too far over the wetlands before Marissa pointed above them. “Isn’t that a bald eagle?” They watched the elegant bird turn circle after circle, seemingly effortlessly against the blue sky backdrop.

“It’s easy to spot with that bright white head and tail feathers,” Troy noted. “How does it turn circles like that without flapping its wings?”

“I’ll look it up.” Mom scrolled on her phone. “I didn’t know this! Eagles find a thermal column and ride it—it’s a column of warmer air that allows them to stay aloft.”

“So it’s resting, not working,” Marissa mused. “It reminds me of that verse from Isaiah: ‘Those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles…’”

“You’re right!” said Mom. “God provided this bird with opportunities to rest by creating the thermal columns. Imagine how tired it would get if it just kept using its wings instead of relying on those wind currents?”

“Like how you sometimes do too much and forget to rest, Mom?” Troy poked Mom’s arm.

“Ouch, but you’re right. You both have seen how much better I manage my time and how much nicer my attitude is when I take time to rest in Jesus and remember that I’m saved because of what He’s done, not anything I do. After all, if the God who created all this thought it was important to rest on the seventh day, who am I to pretend like I can get by without rest?” Mom shrugged sheepishly.

“We all do it.” Marissa sighed. “Sometimes I want to read my favorite book series and I’m resting my body, but if I don’t spend time reading my Bible and talking to Jesus, I can get a little snippy.”

“Guess we can learn from the birds and rest in Jesus with both our bodies and our souls.” Troy grinned mischievously. “So, Mom, how about a day off school tomorrow?”

–Savannah Coleman

How about you? Do you ever get tired? We wouldn’t be human if we didn’t! God knows we need time to rest and be refreshed in our bodies and souls. This is so important that He rested after creating the world to show us how we should rest too. Perhaps you can take a walk in God’s creation and practice stillness. Maybe you can read an extra chapter in your Bible and meditate on it. How can you rest in Jesus today?

Today's Key Verse: But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. Isaiah 40:31 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Resting in Jesus will give you strength