Keys for Kids - daily devotions and Bible stories for kids and families – Details, episodes & analysis

Read: 1 Peter 1:17-21

“Oh no!” said Mei. “I won’t be able to mail this birthday card to Grandma until Monday.”

“Why not?” asked Mei’s little sister, Anya. “The mailman hasn’t come yet. I’ll go put it in the mailbox for you.”

Mei shook her head. “We’re out of stamps. Without a stamp on the envelope, this won’t go anywhere.”

Anya looked thoughtful for a moment and then bounded off to her bedroom. She soon returned with her hands behind her back and a grin on her face.

“What are you hiding?” asked Mei.

Anya beamed with pride as she held out a roll of dinosaur stickers. “You can use one of my stamps to mail your letter.”

Mei smiled at her sister. “That’s very nice of you, Anya, but I’m afraid your stickers won’t work. A letter has to have a postage stamp on it. Your stickers are nice, but letters have to have the real thing.”

Anya frowned, and Mei tried to explain. “Postage stamps are a special kind of sticker. You buy them at the post office, and when you stick one on a letter, it shows that you’ve paid for the letter to be delivered. Then the people at the post office make sure it gets where you want it to go.” Mei gave her sister a hug. “Sorry, Anya, but thanks for trying to help.”

Anya hesitated, then peeled off a dinosaur sticker and stuck it on the back of Mei’s hand. “You can have a sticker anyway,” she said with a grin.

Mom, who was standing nearby, smiled as Anya skipped away. “You know, Mei, your explanation of how payment has to be made for a letter to be delivered reminds me of the payment needed for us to get to heaven. We might try to pay our own way by doing good things, but that’s like using a dinosaur sticker on a letter. To get to heaven, we need the real thing.”

“Right,” said Mei. “Jesus!”

Mom nodded. “We can’t pay our way to heaven at all—only Jesus can. He died on the cross to make the payment that guarantees our sins are forgiven and we have a place with Him forever. Only He can deliver us from sin into a new life with Him.”

–Kelly M. Schaefer

How about you? Did you know that the price for you to go to heaven has been paid in full? Jesus gave His life so your sins could be forgiven and you could have eternal life with Him. So don’t try to make that payment yourself! None of the good things you do can pay for the wrong you’ve done—only Jesus can. Accept His payment by trusting in Him. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: Since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. Romans 5:9 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Accept Jesus’s payment for sin

Read: Ephesians 4:31-32; Colossians 3:12-13

Aaron and his mom sat on the floor with one of his dresser drawers beside them. “I want to keep that!” Aaron said as Mom tossed a worn-out toy into a trash bag. Mom was helping him clean out his drawers, and she kept wanting to throw things away.

“Why keep all this junk?” Mom asked. “It doesn’t leave any room for all the good things you have.”

“It’s not junk!” said Aaron. “These are good things too.”

“Good things?” Mom pointed to a pair of broken sunglasses and a small motorcycle with only one wheel. “These don’t look like good things to me. They look like they should be dumped in the trash!”

Aaron picked up the motorcycle. “But this was my favorite motorcycle. It would still be good if Reece hadn’t broken it! He always wanted to play with it, and he took it home one day without asking. When he brought it back, a wheel was gone!” Aaron scowled. “It makes me mad when I think about it.”

“Aaron, that happened a long time ago,” Mom said gently.

“I don’t care,” said Aaron. “It still makes me really mad!”

Mom sighed. “I think you may need to put more than this junk in the trash.”

“What do you mean?” asked Aaron.

“It sounds like you’re hanging on to some anger and resentment. The Bible says to get rid of all bitterness and anger. That’s like dumping it in the trash, and I don’t think you’ve done that yet.”

Aaron spun the single wheel of his motorcycle. “I don’t know how.”

“To get rid of it, you need to give it to Jesus,” said Mom. “He’s forgiven you for all the wrong things you’ve done, and He wants you to do the same for Reece. I know it’s not easy, but He’ll help you do it—just like I’m helping you clean out the junk from your drawers. Trust Him to help you let go of the bitterness and anger in your heart and replace it with love so you can forgive Reece.”

Aaron was quiet for a moment, then slowly placed the broken motorcycle in the trash bag. He took a baseball mitt from the drawer. “Reece asked if he could borrow this.” Aaron smiled at Mom. “I’ll bring it to him tomorrow.”

–Pamela J. Kuhn

How about you? Are you holding a grudge against someone? It hurts when others wrong us, and it can be hard to forgive them. But you don’t have to do it on your own. If you trust in Jesus, He’s forgiven you for all the wrong things you’ve done, and He will help you forgive others. Trust Him to help you dump the junk in your heart and replace it with His love.

Today's Key Verse: Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger…Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:31-32 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Don’t hold grudges

Read: Luke 11:9-13

“Matthew, when you’ve finished raking the leaves, come to the shed.” Matthew’s father pushed a wheelbarrow around the back of the house.

Uh-oh, what did Dad want now? The last time he called Matthew to the shed, he asked him to pick up sticks that had fallen from the windstorm. Maybe he was going to give him more chores to do.

Matthew bagged up the last of the leaves and stared at the little shed behind the house. He didn’t really want to go back there. Maybe Dad was mad at him. Did Mom tell him about the glass serving bowl that he broke yesterday?

Dragging the rake behind him, he headed for the shed. As he approached, he slowed his pace. If Dad knew about the glass bowl, he really didn’t want to go in there. But before he could think about it a minute longer, Dad called to him. “Matthew, is that you?”

Here goes. He dropped the rake just outside the door and stepped into the shed.

To his surprise, a brown and white puppy with long ears greeted him by wagging his tail and jumping up and down.

“The Kleins’ dog had puppies, and I told them it’s about time you had a pet of your own.” With a great big smile stretched across his face, Matthew dropped to his knees and scratched behind the little dog’s ears.

“Wow, Dad. You’re the best! I thought you were angry or that you were going to give me more chores to do.”

His father grinned. “Matthew, you’re my son and I love you. That’s why I enjoy giving you gifts.”

“You do?”

“Yes, I do.” Matthew’s father knelt down and stroked the puppy’s back. “Just like our Father in heaven.”

“What do you mean?” Matthew asked.

“A lot of people are afraid of God. They think He wants to punish them or stop them from having fun. But the truth is that God loves to give His children good gifts. And He gives much better gifts than I do.”

Matthew smiled as he rubbed under the puppy’s chin. “If that’s true, then I can’t wait to get His gifts!”

“You’ve already gotten His best gift of all,” said Dad. “Eternal life through His Son, Jesus.”

–Annika Klanderud

How about you? How do you view God? Do you see Him as a loving Father who loves to give you gifts? The Bible tells us God loves His children and gives them good gifts. He even gave us His Son, Jesus, to take the punishment for our sin so we could receive eternal life. By trusting in Jesus, you receive the best gift of all! (To learn more, go to https://www.keysforkids.org/goodnews.)

Today's Key Verse: Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:32 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: God is a giver

Read: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; James 1:2-6

"I’m not sure I can catch this wave,” Caleb yelled to his uncle as the ocean waves roared. The wind was getting stronger, and it was hard to hear. Dark clouds rolled in from above, blocking the sunshine. Caleb gripped the edges of his surfboard. This surfing lesson wasn’t going well. He wanted to do what his uncle taught him and stand up on his board and ride the wave, but it seemed impossible. “Uncle Luke, I’ve slipped three times, and my arms are exhausted from paddling! I don’t think I’m strong enough.”

Uncle Luke swam over to Caleb. “Let’s take a break, and then I’ll help you. I know it’s scary, but trust me—I’ve been surfing a long time and know what I’m doing. Can you do that?”

Caleb nodded. They bobbed on their boards for a minute before Uncle Luke continued. “You know, Caleb, life is hard sometimes, just like surfing. When scary doubts build up, or the winds blow and it’s hard to hear God’s voice, we can share our fears with Jesus. He wants us to have faith in Him instead of ourselves. He is perfect, and we can always trust Him because He gave His life to save us and promises He will never leave us.”

“Thanks for the reminder, Uncle Luke,” Caleb replied with a smile. “Sometimes life makes me feel even weaker and more exhausted than surfing does!”

“We all feel that way sometimes,” Uncle Luke said. “But when we look to Jesus to help us through hard times in life, the Holy Spirit strengthens us. Just like when I push you into the waves, hold onto your surfboard and look up, not down. Okay, ready to paddle?”

“Yeah!” Caleb replied. This time, he trusted his uncle’s advice and focused on that instead of his doubts. He paddled hard and slowly stood up in the air. He caught a wave!

Caleb popped out of the water with a smile, “Hey, Uncle Luke! Thanks for reminding me that I don’t have to doubt. When I’m afraid, I can trust in Jesus.”

–Grace Thomas

How about you? Do you trust in God when life gets rough? Or does your heart constantly change like the waves of the sea? You may feel discouraged when faced with a challenging situation, and that’s okay. Remember, Jesus understands what you’re going through and promises to be with you wherever you go. You don’t have to be afraid or doubt in the rocky waves of life. Look to Jesus for the help and strength you need.

Today's Key Verse But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. (NKJV) James 1:6

Today's Key Thought Have faith in Jesus

Read: Matthew 18:19-20; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Mom, I’m really worried about Charlotte,” Anna said as she sat down at the table. Charlotte and Anna were best friends and did everything together.

“What’s going on?” Mom asked as she added ingredients into the mixer.

“Well, she’s been having a lot of headaches lately. I’m worried there might be something seriously wrong with her. What if she has cancer or something?”

Mom plopped a scoop of raw cookie dough onto a tray. “It sounds like you’ve been doing a lot of worrying about this.”

“It’s all I can think about, Mom! I’m just so afraid something bad is going to happen to Charlotte. I can’t imagine life without her.”

Mom brought the tray of cookie dough to the table and sat down. “Have you prayed about it?” she asked.

“Um, well—no,” Anna said.

Mom sighed. “Well, I’ve been pretty worried too lately. Tomorrow is your school bake sale, and I’m worried these cookies won’t get baked in time!”

Anna glanced at the clock. “Mom, you have plenty of time. They don’t take that long to bake—just put them in the oven.”

“I guess I could, but I’d rather just sit here and worry about it,” Mom said.

Anna gave her mom a puzzled look. “Mom, you’re being silly!”

Mom smiled. “You’re right, it’s silly to sit here and worry when there’s something I could do about the problem. But you’re doing the same thing. You’re not helping your friend at all by worrying about her. You can help by doing something about it and praying for her.”

Anna knew her mom was right, and the two took a moment to pray for Charlotte. Then Anna helped bake the cookies and bag them up for the sale.

The next day Anna came home smiling. “Mom, guess what! Charlotte’s mom took her to the doctor yesterday, and it turns out she’s been having headaches because she needs glasses—not because she’s dying from some disease.”

Mom smiled. “So all that worrying for nothing?”

Anna nodded. “You were right, Mom. I should have done something about it and prayed for her in the first place.”

–Melissa Yeagle

How about you? When you or someone you know has a problem, do you worry about it? Why not do something about it instead—pray! God is in control of everything, and He loves you so much He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for you. You can bring all your worries and concerns to Him. He’ll always do what’s best and be with you through everything.

Today's Key Verse Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. (NLT) Philippians 4:6

Today's Key Thought Pray about your worries

Read: Psalm 119:27, 159-160; 2 Timothy 3:14-17

The sun was just poking its head over the treetops when Savannah and her mother left for a walk in the woods near their new home. “I didn’t understand what Dad read in the Bible this morning,” Savannah said. “Why can’t we just skip the parts of the Bible that don’t seem to say anything important?”

Mom was about to reply when Savannah spotted some interesting bushes along the path. “Look, Mom. Those are some kind of berry bushes, aren’t they?”

Mom stopped and peered at the bushes. “I think they might be, but I don’t see any fruit on them.”

Savannah reached out and lifted some of the leaves. “Here! Underneath the leaves.”

“You’re right!” said Mom. “Those are wild blackberries! They’d taste great on our cereal—or just as a snack. How about running back to the house and getting a bucket so we can pick some?”

Savannah eagerly ran home and returned with a pail, and she and Mom began to gather the ripe, luscious fruit. “I’m glad your sharp eyes noticed these,” said Mom. “I saw the green leaves, but I didn’t see what was hidden underneath them.” She dumped a handful of berries into the bucket. “Maybe that’s the answer to the question you asked a while ago.”

“You mean about skipping parts of the Bible?” asked Savannah.

Mom nodded. “When we read the Bible, we don’t always understand every important truth right away—just like I didn’t spot those berries. But when we take time to think about what a verse or passage says, it can help us see how it fits into God’s story of how He continues to love us even though we sin. Everything in the Bible points to God’s gift of Jesus, who became human and died and rose again to save us. Every passage can teach us something about Jesus and our need for Him. That’s why we read all the parts of the Bible.”

“When we get back home, maybe I should read that Bible passage from this morning again,” said Savannah.

“Why don’t we read it together?” suggested Mom. “We can eat fruit from this bucket while we look for spiritual fruit in the Bible!”

–Judith K. Boogaart

How about you? Are some parts of the Bible hard for you to understand? The Bible is full of poems, stories, and events that all reveal God’s faithful love. Each one is important, but some can be difficult to understand on our own. That’s why it’s important to study the Bible with other Christians and depend on God for help. When you come across something that’s confusing, ask God to give you understanding, and ask a trusted adult to help you too.

Today's Key Verse: All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. (NLT) 2 Timothy 3:16

Today's Key Thought: Learn from all of the Bible

Read: Matthew 11:28-30

Julian cheered in excitement at the tractor pulling contest. One of the contestants—a friend of Julian’s family—revved the engine as his tractor strained to pull the heavy load. It inched along, then gathered speed to the finish line. “He made it!” Julian shouted, and he clapped along with others in the crowd.

“The next load he has to pull will be heavier,” Grandpa said.

The driver revved the engine again, and it moved slowly forward. The load behind the groaning tractor was dragged at a snail’s pace to the finish line. Julian shot up from his seat and cheered.

He grew anxious as he watched the workers add more weights to the next load. The driver powered up the engine, but nothing happened. Again the engine roared, but the load didn’t budge. The driver hunched over the wheel as if to coax the tractor into one last try before time was up. Julian felt like he was in the contest himself, and he yelled encouragement as the tractor began to inch forward. Slowly, slowly it went, until at last it reached the finish line. It had moved a heavier load than any other tractor. The crowd went wild.

Over hot dogs and pop, Grandpa and Julian talked about the contest. “It made me think about the struggles we have in life,” said Grandpa. “Sometimes our loads are almost too heavy for us to pull.”

Julian nodded, thinking about the hard time he had in reading class at school. He just couldn’t read as well as the other kids. After getting his last report card, Julian had gone to his room and cried.

Grandpa smiled at him. “Way back when I was your age, I found out that Jesus wants to help us pull heavy loads—the hardships we face in life. So I ask Him to help me whenever I feel like things are just too much. The problems don’t always disappear, but they seem lighter when I remember that Jesus, who took the burden of my sin by dying on the cross, wants to help me with any struggles that are weighing me down.”

Julian smiled back at Grandpa, knowing what he had to do. He would talk to Jesus about his struggle to read. He needed help with his heavy load.

–Carolyn E. Yost

How about you? Does something in your life seem too heavy to bear? Talk to Jesus about it. He wants to help you with your troubles. Maybe He’ll take the burden away—but maybe not. Perhaps He’ll simply comfort you and make your burden easier to bear as you trust Him with it. Whenever you feel overwhelmed, ask Him for help and trust that He’ll lighten your load.

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

Today's Key Thought: Jesus lightens loads

Read: Exodus 19:3-6; Isaiah 40:27-31

Annie leaned her forehead against the cool windowpane of the airport in Sicily. She sighed as she watched yet another large airplane taxi down the runway and fly off into the big blue sky. Her family had been detoured on the way back to the States from Africa where they were missionaries, and it felt like they had been stuck in the airport for weeks instead of days.

“Vroom, vroom!” Her younger brother, Bryce, flew past her with his arms extended and accidentally bumped her elbow.

“Knock it off, Bryce!” Annie said irritably.

“Hey, what’s the problem?” Dad asked, coming over.

Annie sighed again. “It feels like we’ve been at the airport forever and God has forgotten about us!”

Dad nodded thoughtfully. “I know it feels that way right now, but God is working out just the right flight for us to get on.” He looked out the airport window as another plane took off. “Did you know the Bible talks about wings?”

Bryce stopped making airplane noises and looked at Dad. “Like airplane wings?”

Dad smiled. “These are a different type of wings. Do you remember the story in the Bible about the people of Israel getting ready to go into the land God had promised them? They had waited a very long time—longer than we’ve waited here! God reminded them of how He had taken care of them before, just like an eagle takes care of its young by carrying them on its wings. And God will always take care of us too. Jesus died and rose from the dead to make us God’s children, and He won’t ever forget about us. He promises to help us in every situation.”

“Wow. I never thought of it like that before,” Annie said.

“Me neither,” said Bryce.

“Speaking of wings,” Dad said, “I think I’ll go make another phone call and see if we’ll be able to get on one of those airplanes today.”

As he walked away, Bryce got a silly look on his face. “Hey, Annie, what do you think the eagle said to Dad when the phone rang?”

Annie shrugged. “I don’t know. What?”

“Wing, wing!”

Bryce and Annie’s laughter echoed in the airport as they relaxed, knowing both their dad and their heavenly Father were taking care of them.

–Kelly Hope

How about you? Have you ever been stuck in a hard situation and wondered if God had forgotten about you? It may feel like that sometimes, but He promises to care for you and work things out for the best. The next time you hear the sound of an airplane or see a bird flying in the sky, remember that God sent His own Son to save you and promises to always take care of you.

Today's Key Verse: You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. (NIV) Exodus 19:4

Today's Key Thought: God takes care of you

Read: Isaiah 43:1-4

Max opened his car window and smelled pine trees. Mom and Dad sang their old camp song about a cowboy and his one-eyed horse. Max usually sang along. But today the lyrics caught in his throat.

Mom and Dad’s stories of camp made Max feel like he knew the place even though he’d never been there. He couldn’t wait to come to Bible camp. But now as camp came into view, he wasn’t so sure.

“It’s too bad the other boys from church couldn’t come with you,” Mom said.

Dad parked the car and patted Max on the shoulder. “You’re going to love it here!” Max felt funny inside as he watched Mom and Dad drive away.

Max met his counselor, who showed him around his cabin. “Okay, Mike, here’s your bunk.”

He doesn’t even know my name, Max thought. Nobody here does. I don’t belong here.

The counselor shouted, “Campers! Time to meet out by the lake. Bring your Bibles. Move out!”

In the noisy crowd, everyone seemed to be with friends. No one spoke to Max.

At the beach, the camp director blew a whistle and shouted, “Bibles up! First one who turns to Isaiah 43:1, whistle the cowboy song!” A moment later Max and most of the other boys started whistling. The director pointed to Max. “Read the last part of verse one.”

Max read, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.”

The director nodded at Max and said, “Even though I don’t know this camper’s name, God does. And God knows each of your names. He knows all about you because He made you. He sent His Son, Jesus, to save you. This is the theme verse for camp this week, so we’re going to memorize it and talk about it every day. It shows that God loves you and wants you to belong to Him.”

Max prayed silently, “God, I know I belong to You—thank you for saving me and always being with me. Please help me feel like I belong here too.”

On the way back to the cabin, a boy walked up to Max. “You must be new here,” he said. “I’m Oliver.”

Max smiled and said, “My name is Max.”

–Laura Roesler

How about you? Do you ever feel like an outsider and that people around you don’t really know you? No one knows you better than God. He made you and wants to have a relationship with you because He loves you. Whenever you feel like you don’t belong, remember that God wants you to belong to Him. (To learn more, go to https://keysforkids.org/goodnews.) Trust Him to be with you when you feel alone and afraid.

Today's Key Verse: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine. (CSB) Isaiah 43:1

Today's Key Thought: God knows you and wants you

Read: Romans 12:9-13

"Look!” said Rylee, stepping back from the huge saguaro cactus. “There’s something in that hole!”

Dad and Easton came over to see. Sure enough, a pair of blinking yellow eyes peered back at them from a hole in the trunk of the cactus.

“I think it’s a screech owl,” said Easton. “We learned that woodpeckers peck holes into cactuses when they make their nests. Then after they leave, other birds move into the empty holes and live there.”

Dad nodded. “Each time the cactus skin is broken—like when a woodpecker makes a hole—a thick gluey liquid seeps out and forms a waterproof pouch. The liquid hardens, kind of like a scab, to make the pouch permanent. Inside the hole it’s cooler in the day and warmer at night, so it makes an ideal home for desert birds.”

Rylee saw big and little holes in the arms of one of the cactuses—they were everywhere. “This saguaro is like a high-rise apartment building!” she said with a laugh. “What a crowded place to live.”

Easton grinned. “Just like our house.”

Rylee nodded thoughtfully. Grandma had recently moved into their house, and Julia, a single mom who went to their church, was going to be living with them for a while with her two-year-old son, Wilder.

Rylee remembered the discussion they’d had about Julia and Wilder coming. “You’re kidding!” Rylee had said. “Where are they going to sleep?”

“Well, they will need to move into your room, and you’ll have to share a room with Easton.” Dad patted Rylee’s hand when he saw the look on her face. “It’s only for a while until Julia can get back on her feet. We’ll all have to make some sacrifices, but that’s often necessary when we’re called to love others like Jesus, who sacrificed everything for us. Pray about it, will you?”

Rylee had tried, but she hadn’t felt comfortable praying. She knew she was being selfish. But now Rylee looked at the big saguaro that offered a home to any creature who needed it, even if it meant having holes pecked into its walls. I won’t complain, she thought. Even if Wilder pounds holes into our walls too—and knowing him, I’m sure he will!

–Trudy Vander Veen

How about you? Are you willing to give up some of your comforts or conveniences to help others? Try to put yourself in their shoes and consider how you might feel if you needed help and no one was willing to give it. When we needed to be rescued from sin, Jesus sacrificed His life to save us. Trust Him to help you love others the way He does and be willing to make sacrifices for them.

Today's Key Verse: No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. (NIV) 1 Corinthians 10:24

Today's Key Thought: Make sacrifices for others