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

Read: Ephesians 2:4-7

Harvey threw a baseball toward his dad. “What if I do all this practicing and I still don’t make the team?”

Dad grinned. “I’ll still love you.”

Harvey sighed. “You’ll always love me. You say that all the time.”

“God will always love you too.” Dad lifted his arm. “Get ready to swing.”

The ball came toward Harvey. He swung hard, but his bat didn’t connect with the ball.

“This is what I mean.” Harvey went to get the ball so he could try again. “What if I somehow make the team and then I strike out every time I’m up? My teammates are going to hate me.”

“If we keep practicing, I don’t think that will happen,” Dad said. “But even if it does, I will still love you, and God will still love you too.”

Harvey threw the ball back to his dad. Dad held on to it as he looked over at him. “God and I will still love you, Harvey, but how will you feel about yourself? Do you feel like you have to do well to be deserving of love? What’s going through your head, bud?”

Harvey looked down at the ground. “Ever since Mom left, I find it hard to believe that anyone really loves me. Even you and God. Sometimes I don’t like myself too much either.”

He heard footsteps and knew his dad was coming over to him, but he was surprised when Dad knelt on the ground in front of him. “Bud?” His dad looked up into his eyes. “You are so worthy of love. You can’t imagine how much I care about you and how much God loves you. He sent Jesus to die for you so you could be His child! Your mom leaving had nothing to do with you or anything you have or haven’t done.”

“But…a mom shouldn’t leave her kid.” Harvey blinked his eyes hard.

“No, she shouldn’t.” Dad dropped the baseball and wrapped his arms around Harvey. “But what she did doesn’t change your value in my eyes or God’s eyes, and it shouldn’t change how you think about yourself either. God will always love you, and I will too.”

–Emily Acker

How about you? Do you let what others think about you affect how you see yourself? You have great value in God’s eyes, and nothing will ever change how He feels about you. He loves you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for your sins so you could belong to Him forever. He cares about you so much and will never, ever leave you. When others let you down, know that He is with you and that you are loved.

Today's Key Verse: As the Father loved Me [Jesus], I also have loved you; abide in My love. John 15:9 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: You are very loved

Read: Luke 16:1-10

Mina pouted as her older sister, Jackie, folded a pastel quilt and placed it on top of a large stack of quilts their mother had made.

“Ready to go?” Mom asked as she hurried into the living room. Kitty, Mina and Jackie’s toddler sister, giggled as she bounced on Mom’s hip.

“Ready!” Jackie replied, grinning.

“Why can’t I go to the craft fair too?” Mina whined.

“Dad will take you and Kitty this afternoon,” Mom said.

“But babysitting Kitty is boring,” Mina said. “I want to help at the fair!”

“Shh, don’t listen to her,” Jackie said teasingly, cupping her hands over Kitty’s ears.

Mom passed Kitty to Jackie and led Mina to the couch. “Mina, we’ve talked about this. You are helping me by babysitting.”

“But why does Jackie get to work at the booth and I don’t? Do you love Jackie more than me?” Mina wailed.

Jackie groaned. “Mina, please. You don’t really believe that. If it means that much to you, I can watch Kitty and you can go with Mom.”

“Really?” Mina asked, hopping to her feet. “Yay!”

“Hold on,” Mom said. “I appreciate your willingness, Jackie, but I will make the final call. Mina, there’s a reason why I chose Jackie, even though I love all three of you equally.”

“Why?” Mina asked, slumping back down.

“Jackie already spent years babysitting both you and Kitty. Because I can trust her with smaller responsibilities, I can give her bigger responsibilities. Even now, she put your interests before her own.”

“Oh,” Mina whispered.

“Believe it or not, I’m doing this out of my love for you, based on Jesus’s example,” Mom said. “Jesus loves us and is shaping us to be more like Him, and He offers us opportunities to be faithful and show His love to others. But because He knows us so well, He only gives us challenges we can handle. I want to give you a task you can succeed in to encourage and prepare you for bigger challenges to come.”

Mina nodded. “I guess you’re right. I’ll be faithful by taking care of Kitty today.”

Mom hugged Mina. “Thank you.”

–Hannah Chung

How about you? Have you ever been given a task that felt too simple? Maybe you’ve compared yourself to older siblings or friends who were given tasks you wanted instead. Jesus was always willing to do anything God asked of Him, from washing dirty feet to dying on the cross for us. As you experience Jesus’s love, you will realize any task is important when it shows others His love and faithfulness.

Today's Key Verse: Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much. Luke 16:10 (CSB)

Today's Key Thought: Even small tasks help us grow

Read: Luke 15:11-24

Brock was sprawled on his bed with a book when Seth, his older brother, came into the room. “Hey, Brock, did you know that Dakota Smith talked with Pastor Briggs after church yesterday and decided to trust Jesus as his Savior?”

“Great,” Brock said halfheartedly. “Maybe he’ll stay out of trouble now.” Then he frowned. “But what if he doesn’t? What happens if he sins again? I always wonder about that. Or even you—you’re a Christian. What if you sin again?”

“You mean you think I don’t sin?” Seth grinned. “Wow! Go on thinking that!”

“But what if you started doing really bad things?” Brock asked.

“Well, sometimes Christians do really bad things, Brock. But when I do something wrong, that doesn’t mean I’m not saved anymore. I’m God’s child forever.”

“I don’t know,” said Brock doubtfully. “I don’t want to trust in Jesus till I’m sure I can live right.”

“Brock, no one can live right—that’s why Jesus died on the cross for our sins. We can only be good in God’s eyes by trusting in Him.” But Brock still wasn’t sure, and Seth couldn’t convince him otherwise.

A few days later, an older boy from church crashed his parents’ car while driving it recklessly. “Mr. and Mrs. Peterson are so upset,” Mom said. “But they’re glad Caden’s okay.”

After Mom left the room, Seth turned to his brother. “It’s too bad Caden’s not a Peterson anymore, isn’t it?”

“What are you talking about?” asked Brock.

“Well, Caden took his parents’ car without permission and crashed it into a tree.”

“But he’s still a Peterson,” said Brock. “He’s still their son.”

“Right,” said Seth. “And just like Caden still belongs to the Peterson family, a Christian who sins still belongs to God’s family. Once you trust in Jesus, you’re God’s child forever. Christians still sin, but when we admit our mistakes to Jesus, He forgives us. If you wait until you’re good enough to trust in Jesus, it’s never going to happen. Only He is good, and once you’re part of His family, He will help you live in a way that shows His goodness to others.”

Slowly, Brock nodded. He was beginning to understand.

–Agnes Livezey

How about you? Have you put off trusting in Jesus because you think you can’t live the way a Christian should? When you know Jesus, He forgives you when you sin and gives you the ability to do what’s right. Once you become part of God’s family, you’re His child forever. Nothing can change that. If you haven’t joined His family, don’t wait any longer. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. John 10:28 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: You are God’s child forever

Read: Matthew 25:31-40; Philippians 2:3-8

“Mom!” Jade called as she ran into the kitchen.

“What’s up?” Jade’s mom asked from where she stood kneading bread dough.

“I just saw an ad about kids who don’t have enough food to eat or clothes to wear, and I want to help, Mom!” Jade explained in a rush.

Mom dusted flour off her hands. “Jade, I’m so glad you want to help and serve others. Why don’t we start with Mr. Barton?” Mom turned to the cabinet and pulled down two cans. “I have this chicken noodle soup that we can drop off to him since he’s sick.”

Jade frowned. “But he lives just down the street. I want to help people in a poor country in another part of the world.”

“He’s an older man who lives alone,” said Mom. “It’s hard for him to afford groceries or cook, and he can’t drive anymore. We can show kindness to Mr. Barton by helping him out.”

“He’s just one person, Mom! I want to help lots and lots of people!” Jade exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

Mom removed her apron. “Jade, remember when you trusted Jesus as your Savior last year?”
Jade nodded. “Of course I remember.”

“Well,” Mom continued, “when you trusted Jesus to forgive your sins, the Holy Spirit came to live in your heart. He gives you the desire and ability to love and help others so they can know Jesus loves them too.”

“Then isn’t it good that I want to help lots of people?” Jade asked.

“Of course!” Mom smiled. “Jesus doesn’t want us to forget about people in faraway places. But He wants us to look for opportunities to bless people who are nearby too.”

“So serving one person is just as important as helping out lots of people?”

Mom nodded. “Jesus said that whenever we serve even one person, we are actually serving Jesus Himself.”

“Wow!” Jade’s eyes grew big. “Let’s take Mr. Barton the soup right now. I’ll grab a jug of orange juice from the fridge too. Come on, Mom! We have important helping to do!”

–Allison Wilson Lee

How about you? Has God given you a desire to help people around the world who are struggling? What about people in your hometown or church? Or just one person down the street? When we help others, we show them Christ’s love. You don’t need lots of money or have to go someplace far away to live out His love. Helping a neighbor, friend, sibling, or whoever God places in your life is a wonderful chance to serve Jesus by serving others.

Today's Key Verse: The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” Matthew 25:40 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Serve others near and far

Read: Genesis 1:26; 2:15; Psalm 128:1-2

“I’m outta here!” Micah dunked an old cleaning rag in the trash can and ran into the house.

Calvin looked around at his half of the garage, then at the other half that had been Micah’s responsibility to clean. What a difference! He knew Micah had worked a lot harder than he had. Now Micah was finished and could go to the ball game. Calvin scowled. He hated cleaning the garage!

By the time Calvin finished, the game had been going for an hour. “I’m done!” he called to his mother as he entered the house. “Will you take me to school so I can see the rest of the game?”

“No, Calvin. You should have been ready when I took Micah. I’m cooking dinner now.”

Calvin sighed. “What are you making?”

“Chicken tacos and lemon-garlic potatoes,” Mom replied.

“Yum!” Calvin’s mouth watered as he thought about biting into a taco. “You make the best food. You must love to cook.”

Mom shrugged. “Not always—it can be hard, messy work sometimes. But I do it because I want to provide you and Micah and Dad with healthy food that you enjoy.”

Calvin was surprised. “I sure wouldn’t do all that work if I didn’t have to!”

“Calvin,” Mom said, “did you know that work is part of God’s loving plan for us?”

“No,” Calvin muttered. “I kind of figured work was more like God’s way of punishing us.”

Mom shook her head. “Work is a good thing. The first thing God did after He created Adam and Eve was give them work to do. It was the curse of sin that made work difficult, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find joy and satisfaction in our work.”

“How do we do that?” asked Calvin.

“By remembering that God has done the most important work of all. Jesus saved us by dying for our sins, and God is working in our lives to make us more like Him—and that means the work we do is important. He uses it to help us learn and grow and show others who He is.”

“He does?” Calvin smiled. “I guess work isn’t so bad after all.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that.” Mom handed him a bowl. “Because I could really use some help peeling potatoes!”

–Agnes Livezey

How about you? Do you hate work? Do you complain about it or avoid doing it? God created work to be a good thing, but when sin entered the world, work became difficult. The good news is that because Jesus did the most difficult work of all—dying for our sins—we can find joy in our work. Even when you have to do things that seem boring or unimportant, do them for Jesus, knowing He’ll use your efforts for good.

Today's Key Verse: Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as something done for the Lord and not for people. Colossians 3:23 (CSB)

Today's Key Thought: Find joy in work