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

Read: John 15:13-15

Cara took her cookie and a glass of milk into the utility room where Mom was folding laundry. “Mom, can I invite Amber over?” she asked. “She’s my new friend.” Cara dunked the cookie into her milk.

Mom added a towel to the stack on the dryer. “And you probably want to invite Jasmine too, right?”

Cara shook her head. “No, I don’t want her over. We had a fight. Anyway, Amber is much more popular.”

“Oh?” Mom frowned slightly as she handed Cara a stack of towels. “Take these to the bathroom, please.”

As Cara set her milk on the dryer, Mom asked, “Are Kenzie and Madison still your friends?”

Cara shrugged. “They’re okay, I guess, but Amber’s more fun.” She turned to leave. “Hey, Mom, can I—oops!” Cara’s arm bumped the glass of milk, and it poured down the side of the dryer. “Sorry!” Cara set the stack of towels down and picked up the one on top to wipe up the spilled milk.

“Don’t use that clean towel!” Mom said. She quickly pulled paper towels from the roll on the wall. “Here, use these.”

Cara sopped up the milk and threw the paper towels into the trash. Mom watched thoughtfully. “Paper towels are pretty handy,” she said. “They’re disposable. Just use them and toss them.”

Cara nodded. “That’s what’s good about them.”

“Yes, but what’s not good is that you’ve been treating your friends like paper towels,” said Mom. “You seem to think it’s okay to use them and throw them away. What if Jesus treated us like we were disposable? If He threw us out whenever we got smudged with sin? But He’ll never do that because we’re valuable to Him. He loves us and promises to clean us when we get dirty. And He wants you to treat your friends like they’re valuable too.” She pointed to the fluffy yellow towel on top of the stack. “When a friendship gets smudged, clean it with love and forgiveness.”

Cara thought about that as she picked up the stack of fresh, clean-smelling towels. “Can I invite Amber and Jasmine and Kenzie and Madison over?” she asked.

“All of them?” Mom laughed. “All right. Invite all of them. The more the merrier!”

–Barbara J. Westberg

How about you? Do you spend time repairing and maintaining your friendships? Or if a friendship gets smudged, do you just toss it and move on? Friends are among the many blessings God gives us. Friendships are so important that Jesus calls those who trust and obey Him His friends. So value your friends the way Jesus values His. Care for the friends you have, and make new ones too!

Today's Key Verse: Never abandon a friend. Proverbs 27:10 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Value your friends

Read: Zephaniah 3:14-17; Hebrews 13:5-6

Ding dong, chimed the doorbell. “Wyatt!” Mom called. “You have a package!”

Wyatt galloped down the stairs. “Who’s it from?” he asked.

Mom squinted at the return address on the package. “It looks like it’s from your Uncle Dale in Texas. I think it’s your birthday present,” she said, handing it to Wyatt.

“All right!” Wyatt ripped open the package. A few minutes later his bare feet were hidden in genuine cowboy boots.

“Very nice. Now all you need is a horse,” Mom said with a grin. “Why don’t you go show them to your brother?”

Wyatt clomped down the hallway and into his older brother’s room where Jared was packing for military boot camp.

“Hey, Jared,” Wyatt said, pointing to his new footwear. “Check it out—boot camp.”

Jared laughed. “Nice. From Uncle Dale?”

Wyatt nodded. “Yep,” he said as he climbed up on Jared’s bed and made himself comfortable. “What kinds of things will you do at boot camp?” he asked.

“It’s ten weeks of intense military training. They’ll teach us discipline and a new vocabulary. We’ll take orders without asking questions and learn to take care of our team members. I’ll also learn how to get ready to protect our country and keep its citizens safe—even if it means dying for them.”

“Wow. Are you scared, Jared?” Wyatt asked, wide-eyed. “I would be.”

“I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I said I wasn’t a little scared,” Jared confessed. “But I’ve been reading about men in the Bible like Joshua and David who depended on God to help them fight battles, and I can depend on God too. I know that because Jesus died to save me, I can trust Him to be with me in every situation—even in death. Remembering that gives me courage, even if my heart is beating like crazy.”

Staring at his shiny new boots, Wyatt had an idea. “While you’re gone,” he told Jared, “I’m going to wear my boots every day. And every time I put them on, I’m going to pray for you.”

“Thanks, little brother,” Jared said, ruffling Wyatt’s hair. “That means a lot.” He grinned. “Just don’t forget to wash your feet!”

–Kelly Hope

How about you? Do you ever feel scared or lonely? You may not be leaving home to fight for your country, but there may be something else in your life that’s making you feel alone and afraid—like a new school or a divorce in your family. Remember that Jesus is with you in every situation. Trust Him to give you courage, and pray for others who may be scared and lonely too.

Today's Key Verse: Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Don’t be afraid—God is with you

Read: John 20:24-31; 2 Corinthians 5:7; James 2:23

“We’re going to have pen pals for an English project this semester!” Moriah told her parents. “We each got the name of a kid our age in another state, and we’re supposed to exchange letters—real letters, no texts or emails or anything like that. My pen pal’s name is Ryleigh.”

Moriah sat down that evening and wrote her first letter to Ryleigh. She told all about herself, her family, and her church. Soon a reply came from Ryleigh. It contained a picture and told about Ryleigh’s big family and their house in the country. Ryleigh also mentioned that her family didn’t go to church.

During the next several months, Moriah and Ryleigh wrote many letters. Then one afternoon, Moriah came running into the kitchen, holding a letter in her hand. “Mom! Mom! Ryleigh’s dad is coming here on a business trip, and he said Ryleigh could come too. Can she stay with us that weekend? Please?”

Mom laughed. “Sure, honey. That’s fine if it’s okay with her dad.”

Ryleigh’s dad dropped her off at Moriah’s house a couple weeks later, and the girls had a great time together. Each night after supper, Dad read a few verses from the Bible. One night, he read a verse that referred to Abraham as a friend of God. “Mr. Davis,” Ryleigh said, “I don’t know who Abraham was, but how could he be God’s friend? We can’t see God or hear Him, so how can anybody be friends with Him?”

“Tell me something, Ryleigh,” said Dad. “Before this weekend, you and Moriah never met. Yet you seem to be good friends. How did that happen?”

“Well, Moriah told me all about herself in her letters. So by the time I came here to visit, I felt like I already knew her.”

Dad nodded. “Well, God has written us a letter too—the Bible. It tells us who He is and how much He loves all of us. It tells the story of Jesus, God’s Son, who died for us and rose again so we could become God’s friends and know Him personally, even though we can’t see Him.”

Ryleigh thought about that, then looked at Moriah. “Well, I’m sure glad I got to know Moriah. I think I’d like to know more about Jesus too.”

–Jan L. Hansen

How about you? Are you a friend of God? Even though you can’t see Him, you can learn about Him by reading the Bible—His letter to you. You can become His friend by trusting in Jesus. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?) You can have faith that He’s given you eternal life and will always be with you. And you can look forward to one day seeing Him face-to-face and living with Him forever!

Today's Key Verse: You have never seen [Jesus] but you love Him. You cannot see Him now but you are putting your trust in Him. 1 Peter 1:8 (NLV)

Today's Key Thought: You can know God by faith

Read: 1 John 1:5-9

Taya sighed loudly when Mom had to stop because of a roadblock. Workers were repairing the bridge ahead, and traffic was temporarily stopped. “How long will we have to wait?” she asked.

“I’m not sure,” Mom replied. “It might be a while.”

Taya looked out the window. She saw a red van, a delivery truck, some cars, and a motorcycle. Drivers craned their necks, trying to see if they’d be able to move soon.

“Are we going to be late to swim class?” Taya asked. The class at the community pool on the other side of the bridge started at ten.

“I don’t know,” Mom said. “But we can’t go anywhere until that roadblock is removed.”

Taya sighed impatiently. “I wish they’d work faster!”

“Well, it’s out of our control,” said Mom. “We’ll just have to be patient.”

They waited another five minutes. Then Taya noticed cars moving ahead. “Look!” she said. “I think the roadblock’s down!”

Mom slowly eased the car forward, and soon they were across the bridge. Taya let out a sigh of relief. “I’m so glad we’re going to make it to swim class!”

Mom smiled. “Just this morning I was reading about a different kind of roadblock.”

“Really?” said Taya.

Mom nodded. “The book I was reading referred to sin as a roadblock that keeps us from fully enjoying our relationship with God. But unlike that roadblock on the bridge, we don’t need to wait and wait for Jesus to remove a roadblock of sin in our lives. He does that the moment we confess what we’ve done wrong and trust Him to forgive us.”

“Right,” said Taya. “And we never have to wonder if He still loves us or if we’re still saved when we mess up.”

Mom nodded. “Jesus died to take the punishment for our sin, and that means He will always forgive us. When we confess our wrongs, He removes those roadblocks so they can’t get in the way of us enjoying our relationship with Him.”

Mom swung the car into the pool parking lot and Taya hopped out. “Thanks, Mom,” she said. “If I hurry, I can still make warm-ups.”

–Janet Boulter

How about you? Is there a roadblock of sin in your life that’s keeping you from fully enjoying your relationship with God? Jesus can remove it! He paid the price of your sin on the cross and forgives the instant you ask Him. Confess your wrong to Him and accept His forgiveness. Then get back to enjoying your relationship with Him!

Today's Key Verse: In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Ephesians 1:7 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Confess sin and be forgiven

Read: Isaiah 40:28-31; Matthew 11:28-30

“Finally, something in science I like learning about!” Marissa loosened the binocular cord around her neck. “I wonder what birds we’ll see on our nature walk?”

Mom headed down the boardwalk at their local nature preserve. “Or what birds we’ll hear!”

“I’m on it.” Troy pulled up the bird call identification app on his phone.

The family didn’t have to walk too far over the wetlands before Marissa pointed above them. “Isn’t that a bald eagle?” They watched the elegant bird turn circle after circle, seemingly effortlessly against the blue sky backdrop.

“It’s easy to spot with that bright white head and tail feathers,” Troy noted. “How does it turn circles like that without flapping its wings?”

“I’ll look it up.” Mom scrolled on her phone. “I didn’t know this! Eagles find a thermal column and ride it—it’s a column of warmer air that allows them to stay aloft.”

“So it’s resting, not working,” Marissa mused. “It reminds me of that verse from Isaiah: ‘Those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles…’”

“You’re right!” said Mom. “God provided this bird with opportunities to rest by creating the thermal columns. Imagine how tired it would get if it just kept using its wings instead of relying on those wind currents?”

“Like how you sometimes do too much and forget to rest, Mom?” Troy poked Mom’s arm.

“Ouch, but you’re right. You both have seen how much better I manage my time and how much nicer my attitude is when I take time to rest in Jesus and remember that I’m saved because of what He’s done, not anything I do. After all, if the God who created all this thought it was important to rest on the seventh day, who am I to pretend like I can get by without rest?” Mom shrugged sheepishly.

“We all do it.” Marissa sighed. “Sometimes I want to read my favorite book series and I’m resting my body, but if I don’t spend time reading my Bible and talking to Jesus, I can get a little snippy.”

“Guess we can learn from the birds and rest in Jesus with both our bodies and our souls.” Troy grinned mischievously. “So, Mom, how about a day off school tomorrow?”

–Savannah Coleman

How about you? Do you ever get tired? We wouldn’t be human if we didn’t! God knows we need time to rest and be refreshed in our bodies and souls. This is so important that He rested after creating the world to show us how we should rest too. Perhaps you can take a walk in God’s creation and practice stillness. Maybe you can read an extra chapter in your Bible and meditate on it. How can you rest in Jesus today?

Today's Key Verse: But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. Isaiah 40:31 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Resting in Jesus will give you strength

Read: Psalm 55:16-18

“Pick up, Dad.” Harlow held her mom’s phone. “I need to talk to you.”

She heard her dad’s voice and smiled, then she realized it was just his voicemail.

“We’ll try again later,” Mom said. “He must be busy with work.”

Harlow sighed. Ever since her dad had gotten remarried, he was always too busy for her and her sister. Either he was working or he was hanging out with his new wife and her kids. He didn’t have time for them anymore.

After dinner that evening, Harlow watched as Haven typed a text to their dad. “Call me,” her little sister said, her fingers moving over their mom’s phone.

“Tell him I have to talk to him about school,” Harlow said.

Haven wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know how to spell that.”

Mom looked between them with a sad smile. “Just tell him to call, and if he doesn’t call before bedtime, you can try calling him.”

Bedtime came without a response from Dad, and Harlow sank down onto the floor outside the bathroom as Mom combed her sister’s hair after her bath.

“Let’s try again.” Mom grabbed her phone after braiding Haven’s hair.

Harlow waited as her mom tried to get in touch with Dad. She knew he wouldn’t answer.

Mom lowered the phone from her ear. “You know what, girls? This makes me think of something I was reading in my Bible earlier. Your dad has been busy a lot lately, but do you know who’s never too busy for you?”

“God?” Haven asked.

Mom nodded. “The Bible says we can talk with Him anytime—morning, noon, and night. He’s there when we get up, when we eat lunch, and when we’re lying in bed and can’t sleep. He’s never too busy for us.”

“Do you think He knows how much we miss talking to Dad?” Harlow asked.

“I do. Jesus became human to save us, which means He understands everything we feel. And I think He hurts for you.”

Harlow blinked her eyes, feeling like she might cry. “I’m glad we have God,” she said. “And I’m really glad that He doesn’t get too busy to listen to us.”

–Emily Acker

How about you? Have you ever wanted to talk to someone only to have them be too busy to pay attention to you? It hurts, doesn’t it? Jesus understands how you feel, and He has all the time in the world for you. He loves you so much that He died for your sins so you could have a relationship with Him. You can talk to Him anytime. He’s never too busy to hear what you have to say.

Today's Key Verse: The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. Psalm 145:18 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: God is always listening

Read: John 5:28-29; 2 Corinthians 5:1, 6-10

Stretching sleepily, Camden wondered why he had a strange, empty feeling in his stomach. Then it all came back to him. He glanced over at the empty bed on the other side of the room. It really was true—his brother Aaron was gone. It had been almost a month since Aaron had left for school in the morning and had not come back. Tears rolled down Camden’s cheeks as he remembered. There was an accident, and Aaron had been killed.

The door to Camden’s room opened and Mom came in. “Morning, honey. I see you’re already awake.” Noticing his tears, she sat beside him on the bed. “You’re thinking of Aaron, aren’t you? Dad and I miss him too.” Mom sniffed and wiped her eyes. “Death is a sad thing, and it hurts to lose someone we love. But we know we’ll see Aaron again someday.”

“But Mom, how do you know?” asked Camden.

“I know because Aaron trusted Jesus as his Savior,” Mom answered. “The Bible says that those who trust in Jesus go to be with Him when they die.”

“But…” Camden stifled a sob. “But he was right there in the casket! And then he was put in the ground at the cemetery.” Camden covered his face with his hands.

Mom leaned over and gave Camden a hug. “Aaron’s body is in the grave, but his soul is with Jesus,” she said.

“His soul?” Camden looked at his hands. “So my hands and feet, and my head and ears and eyes—they’re not really me?”

“Of course they’re you!” said Mom. “Just like your soul is. But because we live in a sinful world, our bodies die. When that happens, our souls go to be with Jesus. But one day, when He returns to earth and makes everything new, He will bring our bodies back to life. Then our souls will be reunited with our resurrected bodies—and they’ll be free of sin and won’t ever get sick or die again!”

Camden wiped his eyes. “I still wish I could see Aaron every day.”

Mom squeezed Camden’s shoulder. “I know. And you will. Because we know Jesus, we can look forward to seeing Aaron again someday. Then we’ll all be together forever with Jesus!”

–A. W. Smith

How about you? Did you know that, if you’re a Christian, your soul will go to be with Jesus after your body dies? Nothing can separate Him from those He’s saved—not even death. But it doesn’t end there! One day He’ll bring your body back to life, and you and every other Christian will live with Him forever! If you’re not a Christian, trust in Jesus today so you can look forward to eternal life with Him. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.” John 11:25 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Bodies die, but souls don’t

Read: Psalm 27:4; Luke 24:44-49

“And now, I would like to present the class of 2026!”

Kendis squinted to see her sister, Derica, in the crowd of high school graduates donned in robes of black and maroon. She stood next to her mom, dad, aunt, uncle, and grandma, all of whom were cheering and clapping and stomping in response to her sister’s graduation.

At dinner, Derica talked excitedly about all the things she was looking forward to. “I can’t wait to find a church and other students at college who also love Jesus. We could start a Bible study. We could learn and grow together!”

Grandma put her hand over her heart and squeezed Derica’s shoulder, brushing her coily hair to the side.

“Does that mean you’re going to move on from the things you learned at church here?” Kendis asked. Her family looked at her, trying to determine what she meant. “Well,” Kendis went on, “we’ve learned about the gospel—how Jesus died for our sins, rose from the dead, and promises to be with us forever.”

“And how the Holy Spirit lives in us,” Derica added.

“But people always say there’s so much to learn about God and you can never understand it all. I guess I just meant you’ll be done learning about Jesus and His life and move onto other things…like the Old Testament.” At Kendis’s comment, both Derica and Grandma laughed. “Well, it’s true!” said Kendis. “There’s so much of the Bible left to read!”

“Yes, yes, Kendis,” Grandma said. “But the whole Bible is about Jesus. It’s one story of how God always loves His people, even when we mess up, and how He fulfills His promise of a Savior. The whole Bible tells the story of the gospel, the good news that Jesus came to save us.”

“I always thought of the Old and New Testaments as two separate things,” Kendis said thoughtfully.

“Think about it this way,” Derica said. “I took math and English classes in high school, and I’ll still keep taking them in college. But they’ll be more advanced, building on what I already know. I want my faith to be like that. I still need to learn about Jesus because without Him, nothing else matters. Everything else I hope to learn simply points to Him.”

Kendis grinned. “I guess you’ll never graduate from the gospel!”

–Zoe Sherman

How about you? Have you ever thought about how much there is to learn about God and the Bible? Does that overwhelm you—or make you excited? You can learn new things about God and experience His presence every single day of your life, and you’ll still never know everything. Isn’t that amazing? But no matter what you learn or how old you get, never forget how much Jesus loves you.

Today's Key Verse: Just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him, being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith. Colossians 2:6-7 (CSB)

Today's Key Thought: You never graduate from the gospel

Read: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

“I hate weeding,” Lynnie huffed, yanking another scraggly weed away from the green beans and throwing it into a pile.

Jayson sat on the soft grass, picking blades and throwing them into the air.

Lynnie watched the wind blow the grass away. “I don’t want to weed anymore, Mom. I want to go play. Weeding is boring.”

Mom knelt in the dirt. “Look at all these weeds. Do you know why we pull them?”

“Punishment,” Lynnie muttered.

“See these tiny pea shoots? They’re so little. They need water and sunlight to grow. See these weeds? They’re called wisteria.”

Jayson poked at the climbing vines and white flowers with a stick. “That doesn’t look like a weed. It has flowers.”

Lynnie held one of the white flowers in her hand. “Yeah, these are pretty. They’re not really weeds, are they, Mom?”

“They are pretty. But this plant grows long vines that strangle, crush, and ruin any other plants. It will destroy every pea plant in our garden, and then it will move to the green beans until the whole garden is nothing but weeds.”

Lynnie dropped the flower on the ground.

“Jesus talked about weeds,” said Mom. “He told a story that described people as different kinds of soil. Each group heard the truth of God’s Word, but one group’s soil had thorns, or weeds. A weed can be any anything that distracts us from God and makes it harder for us to hear and obey Him.”

“Like how these weeds make it harder for veggies to grow?” Jayson held up a thistle weed by the roots, the spiny leaves dangling from his hand.

Mom nodded. “When we get overwhelmed by worries or believe lies that tell us something other than Jesus will give us peace, hope, or joy, it’s like letting this wisteria grow in our garden—it may look like a flower, but it’s a weed. That’s why we need Jesus to weed our hearts. He gives His followers the Holy Spirit to help us focus on Him and understand the truth of His Word. Then good things can grow in our hearts and lives.”

“Like these vegetables in our garden.” Lynnie grinned at her brother. “Bet I can pull more weeds than you!” And the race was on.

–Nicole Monroe

How about you? Do you like to pull weeds? Probably not, but if weeds aren’t pulled, they’ll take over the garden so that nothing can grow. Because we live in a world filled with worries and distractions, our hearts need to be weeded too, and God does that through the Holy Spirit. Trust Him to make your faith grow by reminding you that peace, hope, and joy come only from Jesus.

Today's Key Verse: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (NIV)

Todays Key Thought: Trust Jesus to weed your heart

Read: Psalm 5:1-3

“Your science project is looking good,” Grandpa said as he looked over Sophia’s shoulder.

“Thanks,” said Sophia. “I’m calling it ‘Means of Communication.’ It’s about how the ways people communicate with each other over long distances have developed over time.” She pointed to pictures on her display board showing handwritten letters, telegraphs, telephones, radios, TVs, and computers. “Hundreds of years ago, the only way you could communicate with someone far away was to send them a letter, which could take weeks or even months to get to them. Over time, we invented new ways to communicate that got better and better. Now, with computers, smartphones, and the internet, we can communicate instantly—with just one person or with a million!”

“It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Grandpa studied Sophia’s work for a few moments. “But there’s an even more amazing form of communication that’s not on here.”

Sophia was startled. “There is? What’s that?”

“Communication with God,” Grandpa answered.

“I never thought of that,” said Sophia. “In Bible times, God sometimes talked to people through dreams, didn’t He?”

“That’s right, and at other times He spoke to people directly,” Grandpa said. “But He has another way of speaking to us now.”

“I know,” said Sophia. “He speaks to us through the Bible, right?”

Grandpa smiled and nodded. “He uses His Word to shape the thoughts and desires of His children’s minds and hearts. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit. Before Jesus came to earth, the Holy Spirit only communicated with some people in specific circumstances. But when Jesus died for our sin and saved us, the long distance between us and God was closed up. The Holy Spirit is now with all Christians, all the time!”

“And He tells us how to live, right?” Sophia asked.

Grandpa nodded. “He guides us and shapes us to be more like Jesus. And because He lives in our hearts, we can communicate with God anytime through prayer. He always hears the prayers of His children.”

Sophia looked at the chart she had made and smiled. “I’m so glad God lives in my heart and I can communicate with Him anytime!”

–Agnes Livezey

How about you? Did you know that if you trust in Jesus, you have the Holy Spirit inside you? There’s no distance between you and God—He is with you every single moment! He speaks to you when you read the Bible and shapes your thoughts and desires to make you more like Jesus. And because He’s always with you, you can communicate with Him anytime through prayer. Talk with God each day and listen as He speaks to you.

Today's Key Verse: O God, You are my God; early will I seek You. Psalm 63:1 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Communicate with God