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

Read: Revelation 21:1-4, 22-27

Isaac watched as baby Eloise blinked, nodded, and finally closed her eyes. When he was sure she was asleep, he looked at his mom in the rearview mirror. “Mom? Do you think heaven is gonna be—I don’t know—boring?”

Mom glanced at him. “What makes you say that?”

Isaac squirmed. “Well, everyone’s always talking about how great heaven will be, but it sounds like all we’ll be doing is singing like we do in church. I like church okay, but I don’t think I’d want to be there all the time. I’d miss pizza and basketball and stuff like that. I like it here!”

Suddenly Eloise jumped in her sleep and cried out, and Isaac reached over to pat her hand.

“Do you suppose Eloise was thinking something like that three months ago?” Mom asked.

Isaac was puzzled. “How could she? She’s only two months old!”

“Yes, but she was alive before she was born, you know. Maybe she liked being in my stomach, where she was warm and comfortable and never hungry. If someone asked her if she wanted to be born and be part of a new world, she might have said no.”

“If she did that, she’d be missing out!” Isaac said.

“I agree. We couldn’t even begin to describe the sights, sounds, and tastes to her. And I think it’s the same with us. We can’t imagine how wonderful it will be to see Jesus in heaven or what it will be like when He restores all of creation one day and makes everything new. All we know is that it will be a perfect world free from sin, pain, and death.”

“So, if Jesus is making the whole world new again, do you think there will be pizza and basketball?”

Mom laughed. “Maybe! All I know for sure is that we’ll be with Jesus, and there’s nothing better than that. He’s always with us now, of course, but there we’ll see Him face-to-face.”

“Kind of like how Eloise could hear your voice when she was in your stomach, but she couldn’t see your face until she was born?”

“Exactly,” said Mom. “Jesus wants us to enjoy our time on earth now, but being with Him in heaven will be so much better. It won’t be boring at all!”

–Susan S. Arcand

How about you? Do you wonder what heaven will be like? Are you afraid some of the things you love now won’t be there? We don’t know exactly what heaven will be like, but we know there won’t be any sin, pain, or death. The new earth Jesus has promised us will be a wonderful place where we will live with Him forever. It will be better than anything we can imagine!

Today’s key verse: In My Father’s house are many mansions…I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:2 (NKJV)

Today’s key thought: Heaven will be great

Read: Philippians 2:12-18

“David, can you hold the door open for me?” Dad called. But David and Abby were too busy fighting over which video game to play to hear him. “David!” Dad called again.

“Yeah?” David looked up, startled.

“Please hold the door open so I can bring the ladder inside. I need to change a lightbulb.”

“Why do I always have to help you? Why can’t Abby do it? She never has to help.”

“I didn’t ask your sister. I asked you,” Dad said firmly.

David sighed but got up and held the door. As Dad set up the ladder and climbed the metal rungs, Abby and David started fighting again.

“Abby! David!” Dad called down. “What is this?” He held up the burned-out lightbulb he’d unscrewed from the light fixture.

David shrugged, and Abby rolled her eyes. “It’s a dead lightbulb,” she answered, glaring at her brother. “Duh!” David pulled back his arm like he was thinking of hitting his sister.

“Abby! That’s enough. David, don’t touch your sister. Yes, a broken bulb. What do you hear?” Dad descended the ladder and shook the bulb.

“Broken pieces rattling around,” David said, still scowling.

Dad nodded. “When we complain and argue, we’re like this broken light bulb. It has broken pieces clanging around and is no longer serving its purpose. Complaining and arguing make a clanging noise too. They show there is brokenness—sin—in our hearts. Our purpose as people saved by Jesus is to let the light of His love shine through us. But complaining and arguing show that we’re focused on ourselves instead of trusting Him and loving others.”

Abby and David were silent and looked down.

“Abby, hand me that new bulb, please,” Dad said. Abby quietly handed him the new bulb. Dad started back up the ladder.

“Dad?” David asked. “If we’re like broken bulbs, does that mean we can never shine again?”

Dad started twisting in the new bulb. “The good news, David, is that Jesus always makes us shine, even though we sin. And when we do something wrong that makes us rattle and clang, we can ask Him to forgive us. He fixes our broken pieces and we become like new.”

Dad came back down the ladder and flipped the switch on the wall. The new bulb shone brightly and lit the whole room.

–Pearl Allard

How about you? Do you argue with your brothers and sisters? Do you complain when a parent or teacher asks you to do something? Complaining and arguing expose sin in our hearts. If those things have been clanging around your life lately, ask Jesus to forgive you and replace them with thankfulness and love. Then live out the purpose He’s given you and shine for Him!

Today’s key verse: Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you will be blameless and pure…[as] you shine like lights in a dark world. Philippians 2:14-15 (ERV)

Today’s key thought: Don’t complain or argue

Read: Luke 10:25-37

The screen door slammed behind Oliver as he bounded down the steps of his house. Humming, he headed toward the barn to feed the chickens.

Buck buck buck buck-AHHHH! squawked Omelet, Benedict, Scrambled, and Dippy as they raced around the corner of the barn. Omelet nibbled at Oliver’s fingers. “I’m not your supper, you crazy bird!” he said with a laugh.

Mom was turning the TV volume up when Oliver returned to the house. A news correspondent was reporting on a hurricane in another part of the country while wind and rain whipped around him.

“I’m standing on what used to be one of the main roads here,” he shouted above the blustery weather. “Now the road has turned into a river. Behind me, you can see families leaving all they own behind to get to safety. Flooding is expected to get worse before it gets better.”

That night, Oliver could hardly sleep. He kept thinking of all the kids he saw on TV who had to leave their homes and everything they had.

During family devotions the next morning, Dad read from the book of Mark.

“What does ‘love your neighbor as yourself’ mean?” Oliver asked his parents.

“It means we should help those in need, even if they don’t live next door,” Mom explained. “Doing that shows others the love of Jesus, who left heaven and came to earth to save us from sin. He sacrificed His life so we could have a relationship with Him, and we can show that same kind of love to others, no matter who or where they are.”

“How can I do that?” Oliver asked.

“The best thing you can do is pray,” Dad said. “You can also share things like your allowance or your time.”

Oliver thought about his chickens. “Can I use the money I’m making from selling eggs to help the kids in the hurricane?”

Mom smiled. “I think that’s a great idea.”

The late afternoon sun washed over Oliver as he collected eggs later that day. He closed his eyes, basking in the warmth. Please, Lord, he prayed, help the kids who have lost everything in the hurricane. And help me use the money from these eggs to show them Your love.

–Kelly Hope

How about you? Do you know someone who needs help from a neighbor? In the Bible, a neighbor isn’t necessarily someone who lives on the same street as you—or even in the same country. It’s a person Jesus loves, and that’s everyone! Helping a neighbor in need can be as simple as inviting someone to play with you or praying for someone far away. How else can you show God’s love to your neighbors?

Today’s key verse: Love your neighbor as yourself. Mark 12:31 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: Love your neighbor

Read: 1 John 1:5-9

“And please forgive me for the lie I told. In Jesus’s name, amen.” Aubrey climbed into bed, and Mom gave her a kiss and turned out the light. After lying to her mother a few days earlier, Aubrey had asked God to forgive her. But every now and then she still felt guilty, so she’d ask Him again.

The next afternoon, Mom suddenly exclaimed, “Oh, Aubrey, I was supposed to ask if you wanted to go shopping with Grandma this afternoon, and it slipped my mind! I’m afraid it’s too late now. I’m so sorry.”

“Oh no!” Aubrey wailed. “That would have been so much fun!”

Mom felt bad. “Can you forgive me?” Aubrey sighed and nodded.

As the family sat down for supper that evening, Mom looked at Aubrey. “I’m so sorry about forgetting the shopping trip,” she said. “Please forgive me.”

“It’s okay, Mom,” Aubrey replied as she helped herself to some chicken. “This looks so good!”

After supper, Aubrey helped Mom clear the table. “Aubrey, I feel so bad you missed being able to go out with Grandma,” Mom said. “Will you forgive me?”

Aubrey gave her mother a puzzled look. “Mom, I told you it’s okay,” she said, not noticing her mother’s smile.

When Aubrey was ready for bed that night, she prayed, once again asking Jesus to forgive her for the lie she had confessed so often. Then she jumped into bed. “About the shopping trip,” Mom began as she tucked the blankets around Aubrey, “can you forgive me for—”

“Mom! You’ve apologized over and over!” Aubrey said. “I forgave you the first time, but you sound as though you don’t believe me!”

Mom smiled. “Do you think you might sound the same way to Jesus?” she asked gently. “You sinned when you lied to me the other day. You were sorry and confessed it to me and to Jesus, and I think you know I forgave you. Jesus says He forgives you too—He died for all your sins on the cross so you could be forgiven. Yet you continue to confess the same thing over and over—as though you don’t believe Him.”

Aubrey was startled. “I guess you’re right,” she said. “Thank you for forgiving me, Mom. I’ll thank Jesus for forgiving me too!”

–Hazel W. Marett

How about you? Do you still feel guilty after you’ve confessed a sin to Jesus? Do you continue to ask for forgiveness over and over? When you sin, you should confess it to God—and sometimes to someone else too—and ask to be forgiven. Then remember that Jesus, who died to take the punishment for all your sins, says He forgives you the first time you ask Him to. Believe Him and know you’re forgiven.

Today’s key verse: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (NKJV)

Today’s key thought: Accept God’s forgiveness

Read: Psalm 121; Matthew 11:28-30

James was happy to be camping with his dad, but…

“How much further do we have to walk?” His backpack was making him lean forward, and he felt a little like a turtle. Maybe he had overpacked.

His dad smiled. “Not too much further, bud. You’ve got this.”

James wanted to be strong and make his dad proud. They didn’t see each other often since his parents got divorced. But the weight was really getting to him.

“Almost there.” Dad quickened his steps.

When they reached their site, James dropped his backpack to the ground and sank down beside it. “That was hard!”

“But you did it.” Dad gave him a thumbs-up. “Let me get the tent set up, then we can go on a hike.”

“I don’t know if I have the energy to hike.”

“We’ll leave our backpacks,” Dad said. “That will make it easier.”

James rested while his dad got the tent up, thankful that he didn’t ask for help. He watched his dad take his backpack to the tent and stick it inside before putting a lock on the door.

“Let’s hike,” Dad said.

James stood and started toward the trail that his dad pointed out. It almost felt like he was floating, his back felt so light. “It does feel better without the backpack.”

“Told you,” Dad said. “It always feels better once you lay down your heavy load.”

Where did I hear something like that before? James frowned. “Right, in church,” he said. “God promises to carry our load for us if we lay it down before Him.”

“What was that?” Dad glanced back at him.

James explained what his pastor had taught. “Jesus took our heavy load of sin when He died on the cross, and He is always with us when life gets heavy too. Like, when I’m sad about you and Mom not being together anymore, He can take my sadness and make it so it’s not so heavy.” He straightened up. “It’s like putting down my backpack and feeling lighter.”

Dad wiped his eyes. “I’m sorry things are hard for you, bud.”

“Me too,” James said. “But I’m glad that I have Jesus to help me.”

–Emily Acker

How about you? When you’re facing something that feels too hard for you to deal with on your own, do you turn to Jesus? Have you ever felt Him help you through a time that was incredibly hard? He carried your burden of sin to the cross, and He promises to help you with life’s burdens too. Lay your worries, hurts, and problems at His feet and trust Him to help you with them.

Today’s key verse: Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

Today’s key thought: Let Jesus carry your burdens