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

Read: Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 9:37; 16:15

Hudson dribbled his basketball up the driveway, aiming for the hoop above the garage. As the ball swished through the net, he glanced next door. The new girl was at the window again. She always seemed to be watching, especially on weekends when his family left for church.

One afternoon, Hudson was riding his bike up and down the street when he spotted her kicking a football. As he zoomed past, she gave him a shy wave. Hudson stopped his bike and smiled. “Hi,” he said. “I’m Hudson.”

“I’m Sami,” she said shyly. “Do you want to kick the ball with me?”

Hudson hesitated, but then nodded. “I’ll ask my mum.”

With permission to stay for an hour, he followed Sami into her garden. They kicked the ball back and forth, laughing as they tried trick shots. After a while, Sami tilted her head. “So…why are you always dressed up on the weekends?” she asked. “And why do you and your family carry black books?”

Hudson scratched his neck. “Oh…hmm…well…that’s because we go to church. The black book is the Bible.”

Sami’s eyes widened. “I’ve never been to a church. What’s it like?”

“It’s nice.” Hudson relaxed. “We sing songs, read the Bible, and learn about Jesus.”

Sami kicked the ball gently. “Jesus…what’s so special about Him?”

Hudson thought for a moment. “Well, He’s God’s Son, and He loves us. He came to earth and died and then rose from the dead to save us. That’s why we want to know Him more.”

Sami nodded slowly. “Sounds interesting. Can I ask my mum if I can go with you one day?”

Hudson’s heart thumped with excitement. “Yeah! That’d be cool.”

A few days later, Sami peeked over the fence. “Hey, Hudson!” she called. “Mum said I can go with you to church!”

When Sunday morning arrived, a knock on the door startled Hudson. He opened it to find Sami standing there in a bright yellow dress, beaming. “Ready?” she asked.

Hudson grinned. “Yep! Let’s go.”

As they drove to church, he felt a warm feeling inside. He was glad he hadn’t been too embarrassed to talk about Jesus. Maybe this was the beginning of Sami giving her heart to God.

–Esther Espinoza

How about you? Have you ever felt shy talking about Jesus? Don’t be embarrassed to talk about Him. You never know whose heart you might touch. Jesus wants us to share His love and truth with others so more people can know about Him and live in heaven with Him one day. Sharing your faith is a powerful way to show God’s love to the world. Trust Him to help you tell others about Jesus.

Today’s key verse: I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes. Romans 1:16 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: Sharing Jesus brings joy and hope

Read: Galatians 4:4-7

Morgan never got tired of hearing what happened when her parents took her home from the adoption agency. “You were only six weeks old,” her dad told her one evening when she begged to hear the story again. “I’ll never forget when the agency called to say they had a baby for us. I was at work, and I was so excited I forgot to ask if it was a boy or a girl.” Everyone laughed as they recalled the happy event.

Mom continued the story. “The ride home was a long one, and they sent a bottle along with us so we could feed you on the way home. But you kept falling asleep when you were supposed to be drinking your bottle.”

Morgan giggled. “So Dad kept blowing the horn to try to keep me awake, right?”

“Yes, I did,” Dad said with a grin. “I guess that was kind of silly.”

“And so you adopted me,” said Morgan. “What does the word adopt mean again?”

“It means to take something as one’s own,” said Mom. “In the case of parents and children, it means to voluntarily take a child of other parents as one’s own child.” Mom gave Morgan a hug. “We gladly took you as our own. We’re so thankful the Lord brought us together.”

“I am too,” said Morgan.

“You know, Morgan,” Dad said, “the Bible talks about adoption. God wants to adopt us into His family. The Bible says that when we trust in God’s Son, Jesus, God accepts us as His own children.”

“That’s right, and being adopted into God’s family is even more wonderful than being adopted into our family,” said Mom. “We become God’s children and heirs—we inherit the gift of eternal life that Jesus earned for us by dying for our sins.”

“Then I’ve been adopted twice,” Morgan said. “I was adopted into your family when I was a baby, and I was adopted into God’s family when I trusted in Jesus. Now I belong to you, and I belong to God.” She grinned. “I love being adopted!”

–Charles VanderMeer

How about you? Have you been adopted into God’s family? Even if you have a wonderful family here on earth, God wants you to become part of His family too. You can only become a child and heir of God by trusting Jesus as your Savior. What could be more wonderful than that? Become God’s child today! (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today’s key verse: To all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12 (NLT)

Today’s key thought: God wants to adopt you

Read: Psalm 46:1-7

“I miss our old house,” said Tomás. He sighed as he thought about why they had moved into a trailer on Grandpa’s farm. First his little brother, Felix, was seriously injured in a car accident. Then the company Dad worked for went bankrupt, and it had taken him quite a while to find a new job. Tomás knew living in the trailer on the farm saved a lot of money. “But it’s kinda nice to be living near Grandpa,” he said.

“I like that too,” replied Mom. “It’s one of the blessings that has come along with our troubles.” She glanced out the window. “It’s terribly windy today, and I think we’re in for quite a storm. Let’s get over to Grandpa’s house. We’ll be safer there.”

Mom picked up Felix and they hurried over to the farmhouse. “I think we’d better get downstairs,” Grandpa said soon after they got there. “I don’t like this wind.” So they went down and huddled together in the basement. Even there, they could hear the storm raging outside. “Let’s pray,” Grandpa said. He prayed out loud, thanking God for the rain. I can’t believe Grandpa didn’t even ask God to stop the storm! Tomás thought.

When the storm finally did stop, they hurried out to look things over. “It’s still raining a little,” said Mom, “but look at the beautiful rainbow the storm brought us!”

“Grandpa, when you prayed, why didn’t you ask God to stop the storm?” Tomás asked.

“Well, the storm was really a blessing. It brought the rain we needed so badly.” Grandpa smiled at Tomás.

“You know, sometimes it takes storms in our lives to bring special blessings too. When everything goes the way we’d like, we often forget how much we need Jesus. But when we go through difficult times, we learn how much He loves us as He takes care of us and walks with us through our struggles.”

Mom nodded. “I’ve learned that when God allows storms to come into my life, He can use them to help me know Him more deeply and trust Him to see me through them.”

“Right!” said Grandpa. “Having faith in Jesus and trusting Him to give us strength will help us brave any storm that comes our way.”

–Barbara J. Westberg

How about you? Are there storms in your life right now? Is someone you love sick? Are you having trouble with friends or siblings? Is money tight at your house? You may never know the reason for the storms in your life, but you can trust Jesus to be with you and help you through them. Remember how much He loves you and be thankful for the blessings He brings through the storms.

Today’s key verse: Count it all joy…knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. James 1:2-3 (NKJV)

Today’s key thought: Trust Jesus in life’s storms

Read: Job 12:7-10; Psalm 96:11-13; 2 Peter 1:16-21

“Why are we lying on the trampoline?” Penny asked her dad as she looked up at the sky. “All I see is a couple clouds. And it’s so creepy and quiet.”

“There are clouds, you’ve got that part right. But I don’t think the silence is creepy. Let’s listen for a few moments and see what specific sounds you can hear.” Dad shifted on the trampoline as he spoke.

Penny sighed, but did what her dad said. She watched as one of the clouds floated across the sky. She heard the soft tweeting of birds from somewhere in the yard and noticed the rustling sound the leaves made when the wind hit them. “I hear wind and birds,” she told her dad.

“Great! I hear the little tip-tapping of a woodpecker on a tree, and the swish of the grass moving. Who gave us all those sounds?”

Penny sat up, frowning. “Gave us sounds? I don’t know.”

“God did,” Dad explained. “I know that life has been moving really fast and is probably pretty scary for you with your mom and me getting divorced. A lot is happening, and a lot is changing.” Dad looked around the yard. “Sometimes we just need to stop and listen for a little bit. God is right here with us. You can hear the wind He made in the trees. You can hear the birds He created singing to Him.”

Penny frowned. “But mom’s apartment doesn’t have an outside. There’s no trampoline to listen on.”

Dad smiled. “You don’t have to be in a certain place—you don’t even have to be outside. God is everywhere—there’s nowhere you can go where you won’t hear Him. Even when everything is crazy and confusing, God is always there. You can open a window and hear nature singing His praises.”

Penny clapped her hands together. “And I can open my Bible too! That’s another way to hear God.”

“That’s right!” said Dad. “The sounds of nature point us to God, but He speaks directly to us in His Word. The Bible tells us about the hope and promises we have in Jesus and reminds us that He is always with those who trust in Him.”

Penny smiled. “I’m glad He’s always with me and I won’t ever be alone.”

–Kimberly Brokish

How about you? Do you ever feel like life is moving really fast? Sometimes we forget to take a break and listen to God. We can hear Him everywhere, like out in nature, where all of creation sings His praises. Most importantly, we can hear Him speak to us in the Bible, where He promises to always be with us and invites us to come to Him anytime. Where can you go to take a break and listen to God?

Today’s key verse: Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. Revelation 3:20 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: You can hear God everywhere

Read: Ephesians 5:1-2, 21-33

Hailey knew she should ask for help before trying out her new manicure set, but she couldn’t wait. She needed something to take her mind off the bad day she’d had. She spilled the glittery nails onto her desk, and without bothering to read the directions, she grabbed the glue and unscrewed it.

“What’s wrong with this glue?” she muttered as the watery liquid squirted out of the tiny spout. She shook it, wondering why it wasn’t thick like school glue. Shrugging, she held it against her fingernail and squeezed out a generous amount. She pressed one of the nails onto the glue, which seeped out the edges and down her finger.

Moments later, Mom walked in. “Oh! You’re already trying those out? Be careful with that glue!”

Hailey smiled, then frowned as she tried to pull her hand away from the table. “Help! My hand is stuck!”

Mom groaned and rushed over to inspect. “I wished you’d asked me for help! This glue sticks really tight.”

Hailey gulped back a sob. “It does? I think I used a lot!”

Soon Hailey’s hand was free, but some of her fingers had lost patches of skin. She held up her bandaged fingers. “Mom, you know what this reminds me of?”

“What’s that?” Mom asked.

“The bad news I heard from Megan today,” Hailey said sadly. “Her parents are getting a divorce, and that’s a lot like getting my fingers unstuck from that table, only worse. Ungluing hurts!”

“I’m sorry to hear about Megan’s parents,” Mom said as she sat down. “You’re right, divorce hurts much worse than trying to get that strong glue off your fingers. God created marriage as a picture of Christ and His church—the unity and love between a husband and wife is meant to show how much Jesus loves us. But divorce is a result of living in a world full of sin and broken relationships, and it hurts.”

Hailey nodded. “Megan’s really upset, and both her parents are too.”

“Maybe you can help Megan by reminding her how much Jesus loves her,” Mom said. “When broken relationships hurt us, He promises to comfort us and never leave us. Show her what that looks like by sticking by her as a friend.”

Hailey looked at her bandaged fingers and nodded.

–Rebekah Love Dorris

How about you? Do you know someone who’s gone through the pain of a divorce? Maybe you’ve experienced divorce in your own family. Divorce hurts because it’s not God’s plan for marriage. If you’re experiencing the pain of divorce, remember that Jesus loves you and promises to never leave you. If a friend is dealing with divorce, point them to the love and comfort they can find in Jesus as you walk by their side.

Today's Key Verse: Walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. Ephesians 5:2 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Divorce hurts