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

Read: Galatians 5:16-26

“Riley!” Wynn called to her sister as she inspected her four tiny tomato plants. “Look, little green tomatoes!” This was Wynn’s very first time growing a garden, and she was very excited.

Riley smiled. “See? You just needed to have patience.” Riley was fourteen and had helped their mother grow vegetable gardens before.

“Look at those shrimpy tomatoes!” a voice taunted from next door. “We had tomatoes on our plants weeks ago.” The voice came from Kai, their neighbor, who was always mocking Wynn. He and his mother also had a garden. They had bought their plants already half grown, and they were now full of fruit.

Riley put her hand on her sister’s shoulder. “Ignore him. Yours are growing just fine. Now that they’re starting to get fruit, we should name them,” she told Wynn, trying to distract her from Kai’s rudeness. “That’s what Mom and I do with our plants each year.”

“What should we name them?” Wynn asked.

“Well, tomatoes are fruit,” said Riley. “And the Bible tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of fruit!” said Wynn.

“Yep,” said Riley. “And it’s all fruit that the Holy Spirit grows in our lives when we put our faith in Jesus, just like your tomatoes grow in your garden.”

“But we only have four plants, so which names should we choose?” asked Wynn.

“I think the first one should be Patience,” said Riley, “to remind you to have patience as the tomatoes grow.”

Wynn giggled. “Okay, and we’ll name the second one Joy because I will be full of joy when they finally do! And the next one can be Goodness, because the tomatoes will be full of yummy goodness.” Wynn smiled. “Now I’ve named two and you named one, so you have to name the last one.”

“The last one should be Love,” said Riley. “Because nothing grows without love.”

Wynn looked down at her garden. “Now all four of our fruit of the Spirit plants have names.”

“Yep,” said Riley. “And they’re going to keep growing just like the fruit of the Spirit is growing in you.”

–Kristin Beaven

How about you? Did you know that, if you’re a Christian, you have fruit growing in your life? When we trust Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit begins to work in our hearts so that His ways grow in us like fruit in a garden. As He fills our hearts with love, He grows the fruit of the Spirit in our lives to make us more like Jesus. Trust Him to fill your life with good fruit so others can see His love.

Today's Key Verse: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23 (CSB)

Today's Key Thought: God grows fruit in Christians’ lives

Read: Psalm 133:1; Philippians 2:14-16; Colossians 3:23

George rubbed his stomach and John licked his lips as they entered the kitchen.

“That sure was a good meal,” said George. “I love that chicken Mom makes.”

John set his plate in the sink with a clang. “But look at all the dirty dishes,” he said. “The sink is full of them. I’m glad it’s your turn to clean up.”

“It’s not my turn. I did dishes last night. Don’t you remember?”

John put his hands on his hips. “I know you did them last night, but last week I did them two nights in a row because you had soccer practice. So you owe me.”

Mom entered the kitchen. “Goodness, boys. Do you have to fight about everything? I worked hard to make this meal because I know it’s one of your favorites. I’d appreciate your help cleaning up.”

John pointed his finger at George, and George stuck out his tongue.

“You know what the Bible says?” Mom asked.

“It says lots of things,” said George.

“In the book of Philippians, Paul tells us to do everything without complaining or arguing.”

“Everything?” asked John. “Even dishes? I bet Paul never had to do dishes.”

“Maybe not,” Mom said. “But he worked really hard as a missionary. And he also worked as a tentmaker because he didn’t want to ask for money. In Colossians, another book of the Bible, Paul tells us to do our work willingly and joyfully because we’re really doing it for Jesus, who willingly died on the cross to save us. And do you know what else the Bible says?”

George and John both answered at the same time. “It says lots of things.”

Mom smiled. “In Psalms it says it is good and pleasant when brothers live in unity.”

George and John glared at each other. Then George’s lips curved up the tiniest bit. Then John grinned even more. And suddenly they were both laughing.

“I know you did the dishes last night,” said John. “Sometimes when I have band rehearsal, you do them two nights in a row, and I don’t always repay you. So I can do them tonight.”

“Or maybe we can do them together,” George said as he picked up a dish towel. “You wash, I dry?”

John nodded and flicked on the faucet.

–Carol Raj

How about you? Do you complain about work you have to do? Do you argue with others when it seems like you’re doing more than they are? Instead of complaining and arguing, think of chores and other tasks as opportunities to show others God’s love. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the one we’re truly working for, and when we do our work out of love and joy, we reflect Him.

Today's Key Verse: Do everything without complaining or arguing. Philippians 2:14 (ERV)

Today's Key Thought: Help without complaining

Read: Job 12:7-10; Matthew 6:26

“Mom, what is this animal?” Tiana asked as she gazed past the zoo fence. The animal looked strong like a horse, but it had the stripes of a zebra on its legs. “Is it a type of zebra?”

Mom looked at the plate in front of the cage. “It’s an okapi. It’s related to the giraffe.”

“Not a zebra?” Tiana asked, wondering where the dark brown on the animal’s head and back came from. It was kind of cute with its big ears. “Do you think okapis have good hearing?”

“Not sure, but they can lick their own ears!” Mom exclaimed. “They have long, blueish tongues that help them reach and grab hold of leaves they want to eat. That’s crazy!”

“I hope I see one stick out its tongue today.” Tiana watched the okapis closely, hoping to catch a glimpse of one licking its ear.

“They also have oily coats that make rain slide right off,” Mom said as she continued reading the plate. “So, they never get wet.”

“That’s super cool,” Tiana said, still staring at the animals.

“Tiana, how did the okapi learn to get an oily coat?” Mom asked her. “Do you think they rub their backs in a puddle of oil?”

Tiana frowned. “No, that’s silly. They were made that way.”

“Made that way by who?” Mom asked.

“God,” Tiana answered. “He made everything.”

“He did, didn’t He? He gave them their ears and tongues and oily skin. He clearly cares a whole lot about okapis.”

Tiana shrugged. “I guess.”

“If God cares so much about these animals, how much more do you think He cares about you?” Mom asked gently. “I know you’ve been having a hard time since I started dating Rod. I know you miss your dad. I just want you to remember that Jesus loves you and is always with you. He came to earth and died to save you, and He cares about every detail of your life. You can talk to Him about anything—big or small.”

“I’m glad God cares about me.” Tiana watched one of the okapis lie down and lick its ear. She smiled. “And I’m glad He cares about okapis too.”

–Kimberly Brokish

How about you? Do you ever wonder if God cares about you? He does. When you look at the amazing way He created each animal and gave it exactly what it needs, you can see how much He cares about His creation. Yet the Bible says He cares about us even more than animals. He made us in His image and sent His Son, Jesus, to save us so we could have eternal life with Him. You can talk to Him about anything, knowing He cares about you.

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: God cares about you

Read: Philippians 3:4-9

As Dad and Micah walked into the station, the train on the track gave two long whistles. “It looks like our train is almost ready to pull out—we must be later than I thought!” said Dad. “Good thing I got our tickets ahead of time. Come on!” They made a dash for it and were just settling down in their seats when the train began to move.

Micah was so excited he could hardly sit still. “I can’t believe we’re really going to see the Cubs play in person! How many miles is it to Chicago, Dad?”

“I don’t know exactly. You can ask the conductor. Here he comes now—get your ticket ready! Here, you can give him mine too.”

The conductor approached, and Micah proudly held out the tickets. “Thank you, young man,” the conductor said. He looked at the tickets, and then turned to Dad. “Sir, I’m afraid you’ve either got the wrong tickets or the wrong train. Your tickets are for Chicago, but this train is going to St. Louis.”

“Oh no!” exclaimed Dad. “How could I have made such a mistake? I was sure I had the right train.”

“You can get off at the next station,” the conductor said. “Then you can catch the first train back the other way. It shouldn’t take too long.”

“Are we going to make it to Chicago, Dad?” Micah asked anxiously. “What about the ball game?”

“I think we’ll still make it to the game,” Dad assured him. “You know, Micah, this kind of thing happens a lot.”

“You mean a lot of people get on the wrong train?” Micah asked.

“I was thinking of something even worse than that,” Dad replied. “Everyone wants to go to heaven someday, but when we try to get there the wrong way, it’s like we’re on the wrong train. No matter how good we try to be, the Bible says we won’t get to heaven by anything we do. Do you know the way that does lead to heaven, Micah?”

“Sure,” Micah answered. “Jesus says He’s the way.”

“Right,” said Dad. “He’s the one and only way to heaven. We can only have eternal life with God by trusting in Him.”

–Harry C. Trover

How about you? Are you trying to get to heaven by living a good life? By going to church, giving to people in need, or doing nice things for others? If so, you’re going the wrong way! None of those things will get you to heaven. Jesus is the only way. It’s not what you do, but what He did for you on the cross, that gives you eternal life. Trust in Him today! (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Jesus is the way to heaven

Read: Psalm 119:9-16

Manuel looked up when Grandpa walked into the room. “Do you know where I left my glasses?” Grandpa asked as he reached for his Bible.

Grandma sighed. “Did you lose those glasses again? You had them on when you paid the pizza delivery man.”

“We didn’t order pizza today. That was yesterday,” said Grandpa. “Somebody else was here today. Now…” He stopped a moment to cough.

“Your cough doesn’t seem to be getting better,” Grandma said. “You’d better get more medicine.”

“I just got some,” said Grandpa. He paused and furrowed his brows. “Leo!” he suddenly called out, making Manuel jump. “That’s who came today!” Grandpa turned to Manuel. “Leo lives next door, and he picks up medicine for me.”

Just then Manuel spied Grandpa’s glasses lying on the table. “Here are your glasses, Grandpa.”

“Oh good, you found them,” Grandma said. “Now, if only I could find mine!”

Manuel grinned. “They’re on your head, Grandma!”

“Oh, look at that!” Grandma laughed. “I don’t remember putting them on.”

Grandpa put on his glasses and opened the Bible he was holding.

“Are you gonna memorize some verses, Grandpa?” Manuel asked.

Grandpa shook his head. “Not today, but we used to memorize whole chapters when we were kids.”

“That’s right,” said Grandma. “Sometimes when our eyes are tired now, we just say some of them together.”

“Wait a minute,” Manuel said with a puzzled look. “You can’t remember things that happened today—even just a little while ago—so how do you remember things you learned when you were kids?”

Grandpa smiled. “The things we learn as kids just stick in our brains better, I guess. The older you get, the harder it is to remember things. That’s why we encourage you to read and memorize God’s Word as much as you can now, while you’re young.”

Grandma nodded. “The verses I learned as a child have stuck with me all through my life. They’ve reminded me in difficult times that I belong to Jesus and that He’s always with me. That’s something I’ll never forget!”

–Agnes Livezey

How about you? Are you hiding God’s Word in your heart? One way to do that is by memorizing Bible verses. Try it now with today’s key verse. Read it over a few times, then shut your eyes and see if you can say it out loud. Try to do that with a different verse every day or week. But don’t just memorize the words—think about what God is telling you. Use His Word to help you remember His truth and promises.

Today's Key Verse: Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Psalm 119:11 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Memorize Bible verses