Keys for Kids - daily devotions and Bible stories for kids

• The Beautiful Backyard

  Bible Reading: Ephesians 3:14-21Mariah was glad to finally be back home. Her mom had wanted to get her and her twin brothers away from the house while a landscaper was working in their backyard, and they had spent the whole day just trying to kill time.She was helping her little brother out of their van when she heard her mom let out a shriek. She scooped Reggie into her arms and took off for the backyard."Are you okay?" Mariah ran to her mom's side. She was pretty sure she saw tears in her mom's eyes. "What happened? Did you get stung?" She could hear a bee buzzing.Mom shook her head. "Nothing bad happened. I'm just…I'm really surprised at what I see. Everything is so beautiful."Mariah looked out at the yard as her brother squirmed out of her arms. There were flowers everywhere, and there were tiny stones on the ground, making paths that the twins seemed excited to try out. Everything did look really nice."I can't believe they did all this," Mom said. "We didn't have a lot of money to spend, but they seemed to figure out a way to make my dreams come true anyway.""You're crying." Mariah looked up at her mom."I'm happy," Mom said. "If I have tears, it's because I didn't know I could have a yard this beautiful."Mariah smiled. "Pastor John was talking about something like this on Sunday. He said God does more than we ask Him to do, surprising us with the way He works and all that He accomplishes."Mom nodded. "God did more than we could ever imagine when He sent His own Son to save us by dying for our sins, and He blesses us in other ways that go beyond anything we could even think to ask for. The team we had working out here did a good job of showing us what that can look like.""I'm happy the yard is everything you wanted it to be." Mariah wrapped her arms around her mom. They had been through some tough times together, and she really wanted her mom to be happy. "And I'm glad God loves us and promises to do great things for us too."–Emily AckerHow About You?Have you ever been surprised by a gift someone gave you? Has someone ever done something so special for you that you just couldn't believe it? That's the way God blesses His children. When He promised us a Savior, He fulfilled that promise by sending us His own Son, Jesus. He is working in your life and promises to do big things for you--more than you could ever imagine.Today's Key Verse:Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. (NIV) (Ephesians 3:20)Today's Key Thought:God surprises us with more

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• Snared!

  Bible Reading: Hebrews 12:1-3"Savannah, I'm leaving for work," Mom said. "Be sure to set the house alarm when your bus gets here." When the bus arrived, Savannah set the alarm and started to dash out the door when…WHOOSH! Her favorite sweater, which had sleeves that were too long and too loose, caught on the door handle, holding her captive. When she finally got free and jumped on the bus, the kids laughed and asked, "What took you so long?" At least I remembered to set the alarm this time, Savannah thought. The alarm had been installed for extra security, and whoever arrived home first had thirty seconds to disable it by entering a secret code, otherwise it would start blaring. It was directly connected to the local police department, and the officers weren't amused when Savannah accidentally set it off…twice. That day after school, Savannah opened the door and heard the thirty-second warning start. Beep, beep, beep! She rushed to disable the alarm when, BAM! She was knocked flat on her back. It was her sweater again, caught on a chair. Beep, beep, beep! Unable to get free, Savannah wiggled out of the sweater just as the alarm started to blare ferociously. She sheepishly walked out to the porch to wait for the police car. "Hello, Officer Hamlin. I'm sorry," she said when the policeman arrived. She explained how her sweater had snared her. Later that evening, Mom laughed as Savannah told her about the day's events. "Savannah, do you remember what verse we talked about at church last Sunday?" "Not really," Savannah admitted. "Hebrews 12:1. It's about laying aside the sins that so easily snare us. In other words, we have to deal with those issues that get us into trouble, like bad habits and unkind attitudes.""This sweater sure has gotten me into trouble," Savannah said."Yes, but being snared by your sweater is different from being snared by sin, which holds us back from the life of love and joy that Jesus died to give us. That's why we need to fix our eyes on Jesus and trust Him to forgive our sins and help us out of their snares." Mom tugged Savannah's sleeve. "Now, let's see if there's a way to fix this sweater so it doesn't snare you either!"–Teresa AmbordHow About You?Are there sinful habits in your life that keep snaring you and getting you into trouble? It might be watching inappropriate TV shows or looking at things online you know you shouldn't. Or maybe it's an angry, unkind attitude you have toward someone. When you need help with sinful habits, look to Jesus. He will forgive you and help you eliminate your snares. Today's Key Verse:Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. (NKJV) (Hebrews 12:1)Today's Key Thought:Don't let sin snare you

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• Behind the Scenes

  Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:13-18; 1 Peter 4:10-11"Put the blue block here, Mae," Atlas said as he helped his four-year-old sister build a tower with blocks. When the structure was almost finished, Mae pulled out a green block near the bottom. The tower wobbled, then toppled over. "Mae, you ruined it!" exclaimed Atlas. "Why did you do that?""I want this pretty green one at the top so I can see it," Mae replied.Just then Mom's phone dinged. "Atlas, it's for you," Mom said and showed him the text. "Your youth group leader wants you to call him."Atlas took her phone and stepped into the hall. A few minutes later, he came back to the family room. "He wants me to come to a rehearsal for that skit they're doing," Atlas said. "There aren't any parts left in the skit, but they need somebody to help move props between scenes." He frowned. "I'm not good enough to be in the skit, but I'm good enough to move the props! Well, I don't feel like going just to move stuff around. Anyone can do that!""But the production won't be nearly as effective if the props aren't in the right place," said Mom. "Moving them may not seem as glamorous as acting in the play, but it's a very important job." She paused, then added, "It's like the block Mae took out of the tower you were building.""What do you mean?" asked Atlas."Mae just took out one block that didn't show very much," said Mom. "So why did the whole tower tumble down?""Because the blocks on the bottom support the rest of the tower," Atlas replied. "Well, it's the same when people work together for the Lord," Mom said. "Each worker is equally important in God's eyes. God values everything we do out of love for Him, whether we're on stage or behind the scenes, and we can trust Him to use our work to point others to Jesus and His love for us." "You make it sound like moving furniture for a skit is sharing Jesus with people," Atlas said. Mom shrugged. "Jesus says that whatever we do, we do for Him."After a moment, Atlas nodded. "Okay," he said. "I'll help move the props." –Tanya K. MarshallHow About You?Have you ever done something to help out and wondered if it made a difference? What matters most is that you do whatever work God gives you for Him, not for recognition by others. When we do everything out of love for God, He uses our faithful service to point people to Jesus, who came to earth to serve us by dying for our sins. Know that God values your work, even if it's behind the scenes.Today's Key Verse:Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. (NIV) (Colossians 3:23)Today's Key Thought:God values everything you do for Him

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• Chocolate Milk Confessions

  Bible Reading: Psalm 32:2-10Lexie twirled around her room in her new dress. She couldn't wait to wear it to her cousin's wedding on Saturday!Mom stood smiling at the door. "That's a beautiful dress, Lexie, but you need to take it off now before you spill something on it. I'm off to the store--Dad is outside gardening if you need him." Once Mom was gone, Lexie rushed downstairs. She swished about in her dress as she got a bottle from the fridge and poured a glass of chocolate milk. I won't spill it--I'm not a baby! she thought, flicking on the television.Glued to her favorite TV show, Lexie accidentally tilted her glass. She gasped as a cold trickle of chocolate milk landed in her lap. Frantically, she tried dabbing at the stain with a napkin, but that only seemed to make it spread. I have to get rid of this stain before Mom sees it! Lexie thought. Then she heard a car. Mom was back! Lexie knew she had a choice--run upstairs and pretend nothing had happened, or tell the horrible truth. A story she'd heard in Sunday school about King David suddenly came to her mind, and how bad he felt when he tried to cover up his sin. Lexie took a deep breath as Mom's key turned in the lock. "Mom, I'm so sorry, I didn't listen!" Lexie blurted out as Mom walked in. "I kept wearing my dress even though you told me not to, and I spilled chocolate milk on it. Now it's ruined!""Oh, Lexie!" Mom sighed. "Let me see."Lexie nervously moved her hand away from the soggy stain. Mom tilted the fabric toward the light. "I'm disappointed you didn't obey me, Lexie, but I'm glad you told me the truth." "I almost didn't tell you," Lexie confessed. "But then I remembered a story Mrs. Summers told us in church about bringing things into the light."Mom smiled. "Mrs. Summers is right. Admitting we've messed up is never easy. But if we cover it up, it just makes a bigger mess in the end. That's why we need to be honest about our wrongs--not just to others, but to Jesus, who forgives our sins and makes us clean. Now, let's get that dress in the wash!"–Angela Jelf How About You?Have you ever been scared to admit when you've done something wrong? Have you ever told a lie to cover up a mistake you made? It can be difficult to confess our sins, but the Bible tells us that when we try to hide our mistakes, we only end up causing ourselves and others more pain. The next time you mess up, admit it--Jesus is always ready to forgive your sin and wash you clean.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. (NKJV) (1 John 1:9)Today's Key Thought:Confess your sins

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• One Hundred Percent

  Bible Reading: Romans 3:23-24; Colossians 1:22Laura sat in bed with math papers strewn all over the place. "Six times eight is forty-eight, seven times eight is fifty-six, eight times eight is--" "Sixty-four!" Mom answered as she walked in. "Are you still studying, Laura? You should be asleep!"Laura sighed. "I know. I'm just so nervous about my test tomorrow. What if I fail? I'm so hopeless at multiplication!" Anxious tears welled up in Laura's eyes. "I don't want to let Mr. Finch down--or you and Dad."Mom sat down and pulled Laura close. "Let us down? No way! You've worked so hard for this test. You've done your best, and that's good enough for us."Laura smiled. Mom's reassuring words made her feel slightly better. "Why do we have to take tests, anyway?" she asked. "Hmm," said Mom. "Good question. Tests can help measure how much we've learned or how far we've come. And they show us areas where we still need to improve and grow."Laura nodded. "God helps us grow, doesn't He?""He certainly does," replied Mom. "But the greatest thing of all is that we can come to God just as we are. He doesn't require us to meet a certain standard before we come to Him, because Jesus has already reached the mark for us!""When He died on the cross?" asked Laura."Exactly," said Mom. "Jesus met God's standard for us because we couldn't--He lived a perfect life and then died for our sins and rose again."Laura grinned. "He took the test so we don't have to!" "Yep!" said Mom. "And He passed it--one hundred percent!"Laura sighed. "I wish I didn't have to take this math test tomorrow. Studying is hard!""I know," said Mom. "Life is full of all kinds of tests--sometimes we're tested by difficulties or temptations. But even when we fail time and time again, Jesus always forgives us. The point isn't to do everything perfectly, but to trust Him to help us persevere and grow. He won't take your math test for you tomorrow, but you can pray that He'll give you the focus and perseverance you need."Laura smiled. "I think I'll pray about it right now."–Angela Jelf How About You?Have you ever been nervous about failing an important test? The Bible says none of us could ever meet the mark when it comes to God's holy standard. Only Jesus, God's Son, can pass that test--and He did! He lived a perfect life and then died to take the punishment for our sins. Because of that great act of love, God sees us as perfect and blameless when we trust Jesus as our Savior. (To learn more, click the "Good News!" button in the right column of this page or go to www.keysforkids.org/goodnews.)Today's Key Verse:Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could be right with God. (ERV) (2 Corinthians 5:21)Today's Key Thought:Only Jesus meets God's standards

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