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

Read: 1 Corinthians 3:5-9

Manuel rushed onto the stage, set some props in place, picked up some others, and rushed back off. He was the head prop person for the play the youth group was putting on at church.

When the performance ended, Manuel finished what he had to do and picked up his jacket. He sighed loudly as he walked out of the auditorium and started down the church steps.

Pastor Weber stopped him as he was coming up the stairs. “Congratulations on the fine job you did on the play!” he said. “But why the big sigh? Are you tired?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Manuel said. “Tired and discouraged about…about some other stuff.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” said the pastor. “Care to talk about it?”

Manuel shrugged, but then he decided to share his problem. “It’s my dad,” he said. “Mom and I are saved, but Dad isn’t. I don’t want him to be…” Manuel hesitated. “To be lost for all eternity,” he finished in a trembling voice. “Mom and I have prayed and prayed for Dad, and I know you and the people here at church have too, but it hasn’t done any good. We keep trying to help him understand that Jesus loves him and died for him, but he’s still the same.”

“Wait a minute, Manuel,” said Pastor Weber. “How do you know our prayers haven’t done any good? How do you know your dad is the same?”

Manuel was surprised. “I sure don’t see any change,” he said.

“But you can’t see inside his heart, Manuel,” Pastor Weber reminded him. “It’s a little like the play you just put on. The audience couldn’t see all the behind-the-scenes work that took place to make it a success.”

Manuel remembered all the rehearsals and rushing around to set the stage while the curtain was closed.

“God often does a lot of behind-the-scenes work too,” Pastor Weber continued. “Our prayers and our testimony of what Jesus has done for us are part of the unseen things that will bring final results.”

Manuel nodded. “So we have to keep at it, don’t we?”

“Yep,” Pastor Weber said. “Keep at it and trust God to change your dad’s heart.”

–A. W. Smith

How about you? Are you discouraged because you haven’t seen answers to your prayers? Have you told someone about Jesus, but it hasn’t seemed to make any difference? Don’t quit. You don’t know what God has been doing in that person’s heart. It could take a very long time for them to come to Jesus, but keep praying and showing them His love. Trust God with the results.

Today’s key verse: I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 1 Corinthians 3:6 (NLT)

Today’s key thought: God is working, so keep praying

Read: Colossians 3:1, 8-11

Dominoes wound their way through a large room in the basement. “Wow! You have quite a domino network here,” said Amelia’s mother as she came down the stairs. She carefully picked her way to where Amelia was and dropped to the floor beside her. “How did your speech go—the one you did with Ellen in history class?”

“Fine,” said Amelia. “I did really well.”

“And how about math? You said you’ve been doing your homework every night. Is that going better now?”

“It’s going great, Mom.” Irritated, Amelia frowned. “Why all the questions?” As she spoke, her cat Penelope ran down the stairs. Before Amelia could grab her, the cat bumped a domino. One after another, they all fell. Amelia watched as her domino design collapsed all the way through the room, then glared at Penelope.

Mom cocked her head thoughtfully. “Interesting how, when one domino is tipped, it bumps the next one, isn’t it, Amelia? They all affect one another, and before you can stop them, they all fall. Lies are like that. One lie often leads to another, and each lie not only affects the liar, but often someone else too.”

Amelia sighed. “I hope it’s easier to fix lies than domino networks.”

“Do you have lies that need fixing?” asked Mom.

“I, um…yeah, I do. I didn’t do my math homework, Mom. I’m having trouble with fractions. And speaking in front of people makes my stomach hurt, so I didn’t give my speech. I skipped class, and Ellen is really mad at me. I guess I kind of knocked down some dominoes, huh?”

“Yes, you did,” Mom said. “Lying only leads to more lies and hurt, which is why the Bible says it has no place in our lives as Christians. Jesus has given us new life as God’s children, and our words should reflect His truth and love.”

Amelia nodded. “I’ll tell Ellen I’m sorry.”

“Good.” Mom smiled. “By the way, your math teacher said she’d help you after school tomorrow, and your history teacher said you and Ellen can give the speech on Friday.”

Amelia’s mouth fell open. “You knew?”

Mom laughed. “I do have a phone! Clean up the mess down here, then come upstairs and call Ellen.”

“Okay,” said Amelia. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

–Danika Cooley

How about you? Can you think of a lie you’ve told? When you lie to try to stay out of trouble, you just create a bigger mess. If you’re a Christian, God says to “take off your old self” so you can live the new life Jesus has given you—and lying is included in the list of things to get rid of. When you make a mistake and do something wrong, be honest and apologize—and ask Jesus to forgive you too.

Today’s key verse: Do not lie to one another. Colossians 3:9 (NKJV)

Today’s key thought: Tell the truth

Read: Matthew 6:31-34

“You look tired,” Mom said when Dylan came into the kitchen for breakfast one morning.

He sighed as he sat down for a bowl of cereal. “I am tired. I couldn’t sleep.”

“Why not?” Mom carried a glass of orange juice over to him.

Dylan thanked her for the juice, then shrugged. Mom pulled out the chair beside him. “Were you thinking about Grandpa?”

“Sort of,” Dylan admitted.

“It’s hard knowing he’s in the hospital and facing some health issues,” Mom said. “But we need to keep praying that he’ll be okay.”

“I tried, but I still couldn’t sleep.” Dylan stirred his cereal around in his bowl.

Mom put a hand on his arm. “Sometimes our worries are strong and it feels almost impossible to get over them,” she said. “But God is stronger.”

Mom got up and grabbed her phone from the counter. She tapped on the screen a few times before stepping back over to Dylan.

“Matthew chapter six talks about worry. It tells us not to worry about tomorrow.” Mom showed him the phone and pointed out the verse. “It’s not always easy to let go of our worries, especially when we’re concerned about someone we love,” she said. “But God is big enough and strong enough to take care of anything. He sent His own Son to save us when we were lost in sin, and He promises to always be with us and take care of us. It doesn’t do any good to worry and lose sleep—it’s much better to trust everything to Him.”

Dylan nodded as he glanced at the verse again. “Do you think we could visit Grandpa today?”

“I think he’d like that,” said Mom. “And I know he’d tell you the same thing I did. He appreciates your concern and prayers, but he doesn’t want you to worry.”

“Yeah, I don’t think Grandpa ever worries about anything,” Dylan said as he finally dug into his cereal.

Mom smiled. “It doesn’t seem like it, does it?” she said. “If only we could all learn to be like that.”

–Bethany Acker

How about you? Are you worried about something? Maybe a loved one is sick or you’re facing another difficult situation and don’t know how it will turn out. Maybe you’ve been so worried that you’ve even lost sleep because of it. Instead of worrying, God wants you to trust Him to take care of things. Worrying won’t change anything, but God is in control of everything, and He loves you and promises to take care of you. You don’t have to worry.

Today’s key verse: Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: Don’t worry

Read: Psalm 40:9-10

Tyler jumped off the school bus and ran home. He burst into the kitchen. “Mom! Mom! Guess what?” He ran through the house until he found his mom. “I won the spelling bee! I did it!” His eyes shone as he held out a big blue ribbon for her to see.

Mom gasped and gave him a hug. “That’s wonderful, Ty!”

Tyler nodded. “Now I get to compete in the regionals next month! I’ve got to text Jack and tell him.” He picked up his tablet to send a message to his best friend, who had moved away a few months earlier.

“What did Jack say?” Mom asked a while later.

“He thought it was great,” said Tyler. He sighed. “I wish we still went to the same school.”

“I know,” said Mom. She picked up Tyler’s ribbon and looked at it thoughtfully. “A lot has happened since he moved away, hasn’t it? We weren’t even going to church back then, but now we know Jesus.” She smiled at Tyler. “I can understand why you wanted to tell Jack about winning the spelling bee right away. It’s always fun to share good news, and that’s certainly good news. But you have even better news than that. Have you shared it with Jack?”

“Better news?” Tyler asked.

Mom nodded. “The best news of all, in fact—about how Jesus died for us and rose again so we could be saved and have a new life with Him.”

“Oh, right.” Tyler sat down on the couch and sighed. “I’m a little afraid to come right out and tell him,” he admitted, “but I do want Jack to know Jesus too.”

He got up and picked up his tablet. “I’m going to do it right now. I’m going to tell him I’ve got the best news of all!” He paused. “Can I invite him to spend the weekend with us?” he asked eagerly. “I think his mom will let him come. Then he could come to church with us and learn more about Jesus. Would that be okay?”

Mom smiled. “Of course!”

–Beth R. Terpstra

How about you? Have you shared good news with someone lately about something exciting that happened? What about the very best news of all—that Jesus died and rose from the dead so we could be saved? Have you told anyone about that? Share the good news of Jesus with others so they can know Him too! (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

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: Share God’s good news

Read: Psalm 145:8-21; Luke 6:31

Maylie stroked Chester’s long orange fur. Her cat purred loudly. “Sir Chester Chatterson, would you like a morsel of cake?” Maylie placed a cat treat on a plate and poured water into a teacup for Chester.

Mom walked by as Chester lapped water out of the cup. “He let you put that top hat on him?” She laughed. “Just remember to let him leave when he’s had enough tea party time.”

After Chester wandered off, Maylie spotted Miss Priss grooming herself in the sunshine. Miss Priss was an older cat and didn’t like to be bothered. Maybe just this one time she won’t mind, Maylie thought.

Miss Priss gave a warning growl when Maylie picked her up. At first, a few treats seemed to appease the calico, but when Maylie tried to pull a doll’s dress over her head, Miss Priss had quite enough!

Hisssss! Scratch! Maylie looked at her arm and began to cry. Mom darted into the room and untangled Miss Priss from the lace dress before attending to Maylie’s scratch.

“Maylie, you know better than to bother Miss Priss!”

“She’s a mean cat!” Maylie sobbed.

“No, she’s just protecting herself. What you did to her was not kind. Do you remember the Bible verse we’ve been working on?”

Maylie stopped sniffling to recite it. “‘Do to others as you would have them do to you.’”

“Good job! Jesus wants us to care about other people’s feelings and needs the way He cares about ours. When we treat people with kindness, we’re showing them the kind of love He showed us when He gave His life to save us. Even the way we care for animals and their needs shows His love in us, because He cares for everything He created.” Mom finished bandaging Maylie’s arm. “Now, what did Miss Priss need?”

“To be left alone. But Mom, Chester doesn’t mind when I dress him up!”

“Chester is a younger cat with a different temperament than Miss Priss. Not everyone likes the same thing. Remember when one of your friends tried to force you to put face paint on at her birthday party?”

Maylie’s eyes widened. “I do not like stuff on my face!” She walked over to the calico and gently pet her head. “I’m sorry, Prissy. You look better in calico than lace anyhow.”

–Savannah Coleman

How about you? Do you ever struggle with being kind to animals? Or maybe you want to love them so much that you don’t give them the space they need. While animals aren’t created in God’s image like people are, the Bible says God cares about all His creation, down to the smallest of sparrows (Matthew 10:29). As we show Jesus’s love to other people, we can also display His love in the way we treat animals. How can you care for a critter today?

Today’s key verse: The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. Proverbs 12:10 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: Being kind to critters matters to God