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

Read: 1 John 1:5-9

“Ronan!” Mom called. “Can you take out the trash, please? I had to get rid of the old trash can, so you’ll just have to stack the bags in the garage for now.”

Ronan scowled. “Why can’t Daisy put it out for once? All she ever does is sit around and text her friends.”

Daisy scowled back at him. “At least I have friends!”

“Both of you, stop it!” said Mom. “Why do you kids have to fight all the time?”

Ronan didn’t say anything more as he grudgingly took out the trash.

When they pulled into the garage a couple days later, Daisy held her nose as she got out of the car. “Ugh! Something stinks in here!”

“It’s the trash!” said Mom. “Let’s move these bags out to the driveway. I’ll text Dad and remind him to pick up a new trash can on his way home.”

“Hey! Come back here and help!” Ronan called to Daisy, who was going into the house. “No wonder you didn’t get a part in the school play—they must have known you’d be too lazy to learn your lines!”

Daisy kicked at the bag he was holding. “Be quiet, dummy!” she yelled.

“That’s enough!” Mom said sternly. “You’ll both help.”

When they finished, Mom made them go to the kitchen and sit down. “Your attitudes remind me of that trash,” she told them.

“Sorry,” Ronan muttered. “Can I get up now?”

“No!” Mom pulled out a chair and sat down. “The way you’ve been acting stinks worse than the trash you took out of the garage today. Things like bad attitudes, selfishness, and jealousy hurt people Jesus wants us to love and drive them away from us. That’s why we need to confess those stinky sins to Jesus. He’ll forgive us and make us clean. He’ll also help us apologize to others for what we’ve done and replace mean, selfish attitudes with kindness and love.”

Daisy and Ronan were quiet for a moment, then they looked at each other. “I’m sorry,” they said in unison. That made them smile.

Mom stood up and grinned. “It smells better in here already!”

–Barbara J. Westberg

How about you? Have you noticed any trash in your life lately? Sins like meanness, gossip, laziness, selfishness, and unkind words can really stink up your life and hurt your relationships with others. Ask Jesus to take out the trash! When you confess your sins to Him, He forgives you and makes you clean. Then trust Him to help you tell others you’re sorry and replace unkind attitudes with His love.

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: Confess sin and be clean

Read: Isaiah 53:4-11

“Mom, I don’t understand this verse,” Alec said. “It’s Second Corinthians 5:21. ‘God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.’ I know it’s talking about Jesus, but what does it mean when it says He was made to be sin for us? Jesus never sinned, did He?”

“No, He didn’t,” said Mom. “That’s why He was able to save us by taking our sin upon Himself. Let’s see if I can find a way to help you think about it.” She pulled up a picture on her phone. “Here’s a picture of a leper—a person who has leprosy. It’s a contagious disease mentioned often in the Bible, and it can still be found in some parts of the world today.”

Alec looked at the picture and frowned. “That poor man. He doesn’t have any fingers or toes, just little stumps!”

“Yes,” said Mom, “and he’s blind too. If you saw this man, what would you do for him?”

Alec thought about it. “I would give him a drink of water and some food.”

“But he’s dying,” said Mom. “Would you love him enough to get down beside him and take him in your arms and tell him that if he trusts in Jesus, he’ll go to heaven?”

Alec hesitated, then nodded. “But I’d want to wear a mask so I wouldn’t get sick.”

“But what if, in order to really help him, you had to get sick?” Mom asked. “What if you had the power to allow all of his sickness to flow into your body and let all of your strength and health flow into his? Would you do that?”

Alec cringed at that idea. “I don’t think I could do that,” he said. “He has such a horrible disease!”

Mom nodded. “Yet that’s what Jesus did for us, Alec. He never sinned, but He took all our sin upon Himself and died on the cross to take our punishment. That’s what caused Him to suffer so much—not just the physical pain of the crucifixion, but bearing the huge weight of our sin.”

Alec thought it over. “I think I’m beginning to understand.”

–Harry C. Trover

How about you? Have you ever thought about what Jesus did when He died for your sins? He suffered great shame and horror by taking your sin upon Himself. He took your place on the cross so you could spend eternity in heaven with Him instead of hell—He loves you that much! Accept His sacrifice for your sins and trust Him as your Savior. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Jesus took your sin upon Himself

Read: Ephesians 1:4-6

Audrey sat on the front steps, lost in thought. She’d had a rough week. She failed her math test and skinned her knee, and one of her best friends had moved away. Why is God letting all these things happen to me? she thought. It almost seems like He doesn’t care about me anymore.

Audrey glanced up when her puppy came bounding out onto the front porch. “Hello, Shamrock,” she said. But Shamrock didn’t seem interested in her—he was too busy gnawing on something. “Hey, that’s mine!” Audrey exclaimed, grabbing a wallet from the puppy’s mouth. “I just got this, and now you’ve ruined it!” She looked the torn-up wallet over and sighed. “Maybe Mom can fix it.”

Mom came out onto the front porch and examined the wallet. “Hmm, this is pretty torn up. We’ll probably have to throw it out.”

“But it’s still good,” said Audrey. “It’s just a little torn.”

“This wallet has been through a lot,” Mom said. “Are you sure we shouldn’t throw it away? It’s too torn and dirty to be worth anything.”

“Mom, just because it doesn’t look so good doesn’t mean it isn’t worth anything. If we fix it up, it will be as good as new.”

Mom smiled. “You probably feel a lot like this wallet right now, don’t you?”

Audrey gave her a puzzled look. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“I know this wallet is still good, and with a little TLC, I can fix it up,” Mom said. “I just wanted to help you see that your life is like this wallet. I know this week has been rough for you. But even though you’ve been through a lot, you’re still valuable. You belong to Jesus, who came into our broken world and gave His life to save you and make you His, and He’ll always be there to help you through life’s difficulties. His thoughts toward you will never change, no matter how torn up you feel.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Audrey said, giving Shamrock a hug. “I’m glad I’ll always be valuable to Jesus. And I’m glad you can fix my wallet—things are already starting to look up!”

–Norah Varner

How about you? Have you ever felt like God has turned away from you? Do you feel like you can’t do anything right? Jesus loves you so much that He died and rose again to save you, and He’ll never leave you. No matter what has happened to you or what you’ve done, His thoughts toward you will never change. He will always love you and care for you.

Today's Key Verse: This is my comfort in my affliction: Your promise has given me life. Psalm 119:50 (CSB)

Today's Key Thought: You’re valuable to Jesus

Read: John 13:35; Romans 1:14-16

“Happy birthday!” Ivy said when she arrived at her friend Rennah’s birthday party. Ivy’s family had moved recently, and she’d been praying for new friends. Now she had some.

But there was a problem at Rennah’s party. “Okay, you guys,” Rennah said when they were ready to play the first game. “Here’s what you do. Everybody has to draw a slip of paper from this basket. When it’s your turn, you have to do what it says.” She began to pass the basket, and each girl pulled out a piece of paper.

Ivy eagerly unfolded her slip of paper and looked at it. Oh no! she thought. Doing this would be wrong, but if I don’t do it, everyone will laugh at me. Ivy tried to think of a way out. Maybe I could trade with somebody—but then I’d be asking someone else to do it. What am I going to do? She silently asked Jesus to help her know what she should do. Then she heard her name being called.

Ivy took a deep breath. “I’m supposed to draw a picture of who I think is the ugliest boy at school and have you guess who it is, but I—I can’t do it.” The room became very quiet. “I don’t like to look at people that way,” Ivy continued. “I feel like I’d be treating someone God created and loves very badly if I did that.”

After a moment, Rennah shrugged. “That’s okay. We’ll skip you. Jasmine, you’re next.”

The next day at school, Serena, one of the girls who had been at the party, came up to Ivy. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what you said at the party,” Serena said. “I’m a Christian too, but I don’t usually let people know that because I’m afraid they’ll make fun of me. I probably would have just done what was on that slip of paper and then felt bad about it afterward.” She paused. “I’m glad you didn’t do that. You reminded me that I need to let people know I belong to Jesus and show it in the way I treat others.”

Ivy was surprised. “Thanks, Serena.” She smiled. “Wanna join me for lunch?”

Serena nodded, and the girls continued talking on their way to the cafeteria.

–Bernard Palmer

How about you? Are you afraid to let others know you’re a Christian? Do you think they’ll make fun of you for doing what God says is right? People might respond negatively, but Jesus will help you. He took your sin and shame on Himself to give you eternal life. Because of Him, you have nothing to be ashamed of! Let others know you follow Him and see His love in your life.

Today's Key Verse: I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Romans 1:16 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Let others know you follow Jesus

Read: Ephesians 2:8-10

“I wish I never came to your house for spring break,” Miles told his cousin Jonathan. “Since you became a Christian, all you say is ‘Don’t do this’ and ‘Don’t do that.’ Next you’ll be complaining about the picture on my t-shirt and telling me to dress in a choir robe!” Miles stomped outside, letting the door slam behind him.

When the house grew unusually quiet, Jonathan’s dad came into the living room. “Where’s your cousin?” he asked.

Jonathan told his dad about the argument. “I was only trying to get Miles to act more Christian,” he said.

Just then a male robin flew to the driveway and began attacking the side mirror of Dad’s truck.

“Hey, look at that!” Jonathan exclaimed. “That bird’s a fighter!”

“You’re right,” said Dad. “If he keeps that up, he’ll wear himself out. I’d better go put the truck in the garage.”

Once the truck was out of sight, the bird flew to the lawn and tussled with another male robin on the grass.

“Why are those birds fighting?” asked Jonathan.

“They’re fighting to claim nesting territory,” Dad answered. “The fight at the mirror was also over territory. When the robin saw his reflection, he assumed an intruder was challenging him. After I put the truck away, the bird left to chase a real robin.”

“Well, that makes more sense,” said Jonathan. “He wasn’t going to get anywhere fighting his own reflection!”

“Right,” said Dad. “That’s why it’s important to chase the real robin in Miles.”

Jonathan looked at his dad. “You want me to chase birds?”

Dad laughed. “No! What I want you to do is fight real battles. Miles’ problems are deeper than his actions. He needs Jesus. While Miles is here, I’ve set certain limits for him. But rules won’t change his heart—only Jesus can. Instead of expecting Miles to act like a Christian, let’s show him Christ’s love. He needs to know Jesus died for him and trust Him as his Savior. Only then will he be able to live as a Christian.”

“Okay, Dad. I’ll go find him and tell him I’m sorry for making him upset.”

“Good,” said Dad. “But first let’s pray and ask Jesus to help us show Miles His love.”

–David J. Belleau

How about you? Have you wished a non-Christian friend would act more Christian? Even if you could get them to change their behavior, you wouldn’t be able to change their motives. Only Jesus can change a person’s heart. Pray for your friend. Show them God’s love through your actions. Then, if they ask what makes you different, tell them how Jesus changed you.

Today's Key Verse: Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Only Jesus changes hearts