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

Read: Romans 3:10-12; 5:6-8

“Cade,” Mom said, coming into Cade’s room, “do you know where Ducky is?”

Finley, Cade’s little sister, was wailing in the hallway. “Cade took him. I know he did!”

“I don’t know where that dumb duck is, but I hope it’s gone forever!” Cade said. Ducky was a stuffed toy, and although the little duck was worn and ragged, Finley loved it dearly. She didn’t care that its fluff was all rubbed off and it was limp and faded. But Cade thought it was awful. He called it the Ugly Duckling.

“Well then, come out here and help look for Ducky,” Mom said, and the search was on. They looked everywhere—in the basement, under the furniture, even in the garbage can—but Ducky was nowhere to be found.

The next day, Mom had a talk with Cade. “Have you noticed that Finley is still very unhappy over losing Ducky?” she asked.

Cade rolled his eyes. “Why would she feel so bad about that thing? It looks like it’s made of old rags and sawdust. How can anybody love anything so ugly?”

Mom smiled. “Actually, Finley’s love for the Ugly Duckling, as you call him, reminds me of God’s love for us. He loves us even though we’re ugly ducklings, in a way—we’re all ugly sinners. For example, some of us tell lies.”

Mom looked intently at Cade, and his face turned red. “I—I lied,” he admitted. “I hid Ducky. He’s on the top shelf in my closet.”

“I saw him there when I was putting away laundry,” Mom said. “How do you think God feels about that?”

“I guess I never thought about how He feels—or thought of myself as an ugly duckling.” Cade hesitated.

“Do you think God loves me anyway? Like Finley loves the Ugly—I mean, like Finley loves Ducky?”

“He loves you much more than that,” Mom assured him. “He loves you so much that He sent Jesus to take the punishment for your sins. He wants to cleanse you and make you His child. Would you like to ask Him to do that?”

Cade nodded. “I don’t want to be an ugly duckling anymore.”

–Harry C. Trover

How about you? Do you realize that, in God’s sight, you’re like an ugly duckling? The Bible says everyone—including you—has sinned by doing wrong things, and sin is ugly. But God loves you in spite of your sin. He loves you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for you. You don’t have to be an ugly duckling any longer. Trust Jesus as your Savior, and He will make you clean and new. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Jesus died for sinners

Read: Colossians 1:9-12

Hadley came running out of children’s church. “How was your class today?” Mom asked as they climbed into the van.

“Mrs. Burton’s lesson was on intercession. When we pray, we need to pray for others too. Mrs. Burton explained that intercede means to act or plead on someone’s behalf,” Hadley proudly stated as she buckled in.

“Praying for others is important,” Mom said. “It’s easy to pray for ourselves, but sometimes we forget to ask God to help others with their needs and let them feel His love and presence in their lives.”

“Mrs. Burton often walks around her neighborhood praying for her neighbors. She calls it prayer walking,” Hadley said. “We went on a prayer walk this morning while you were in big church. We prayed for Pastor Tom, the congregation, and all the children’s church teachers. Mae and I want to start prayer walking around our apartment complex each week.”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea, Hadley!” Mom replied. “Why don’t we put together a list of specific prayer requests for our neighbors.”

Starting that week, Hadley, Mae, and their moms prayer walked every Tuesday. One evening, as they were walking past Mr. Swanson’s apartment, he came out to visit. “Getting your exercise each week, I see.”

“And we’re praying too,” Hadley explained. As she talked, she noticed a tear slide down Mr. Swanson’s cheek. “Is everything okay?”

Mr. Swanson shook his head. “May I share a prayer request with you?” Hadley, Mae, and their moms gathered around as he spoke. They took turns praying over Mr. Swanson, then he said, “Thanks for praying with me.”

“Anytime,” Mae answered.

As the weeks went by, many prayer requests were answered in their small apartment community. The most exciting news was when one of Hadley’s neighbor friends gave his life to Jesus!

“You know, Mom, prayer walking has really taught me how to pray for others, and it’s been so exciting to see prayers answered,” Hadley said one Tuesday night.

“It’s given us so many reasons to praise God,” Mom replied as she gave Hadley a hug. “And it’s been great exercise too!”

–Lisa Fuller

How about you? Did you know that God wants us as Christians to intercede for others in prayer? Prayer is powerful, and when we ask God to act in other people’s lives out of love for them, it can result in changed hearts and deeper relationships with Jesus. You can pray for anyone anytime and anywhere, but doing a prayer walk in your church, school, or neighborhood is a great way to practice praying for others.

Today's Key Verse: I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 1 Timothy 2:1 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Pray for others

Read: 2 Corinthians 4:7-16

Amir rushed into the house and dropped his backpack. “Look at this!” he said, holding out a fossilized bone. “My teacher said I could borrow it to show Grandpa. Can I show it to him today?”

Mom smiled. “We’ll go over to the nursing home after supper.”

“Mrs. Patterson says only one out of millions of bones becomes a fossil,” Amir told his mother. “It has to be buried in just the right minerals. As the bone decays, the minerals seep into the pores, and bit by bit they replace the bone until there’s no bone left, just hard, strong rock mineral.”

“Really? Grandpa will love to hear about that,” Mom said. “I bet his neighbor, Mr. Wyatt, would like to see that fossil and hear about it too.”

“I doubt it,” said Amir. “He doesn’t like anything—or anybody. He’s too grumpy!” Amir set the fossil on the table. “I know he’s old, but Grandpa isn’t grumpy like that, and he’s even older than Mr. Wyatt.”

Mom thought for a moment. “Grandpa is a lot like that fossil,” she said.

Amir’s eyes grew wide. “He’s not that old!”

Mom laughed. “What I mean is, because Grandpa knows Jesus, God’s goodness and love have seeped into his heart over the course of his life. Just like minerals filled and replaced the materials originally found in the fossil, the Holy Spirit filled Grandpa with love, joy, and peace—all the right things. Now he’s pretty old. He’s growing weak and tired and is starting to forget things, but God’s Spirit is evident in him.”

“And it’s not in Mr. Wyatt?” Amir asked.

“As far as we know, Mr. Wyatt has never trusted Jesus as his Savior,” said Mom. “If he hasn’t, then he doesn’t have the Holy Spirit in his heart working to replace his old self with God’s goodness and love.”

Amir picked up the fossil. “Maybe I should show this to Mr. Wyatt like you said.” He looked at Mom. “And we should tell him how Jesus changes people like minerals change bones.”

“Yes,” Mom replied. “It’s not too late for him. God can still work a miracle in his life.”

–Heather Tekavec

How about you? Is God’s goodness seeping into your heart? Are the desires of your old sinful self being replaced with His love? When you trust in Jesus, the Holy Spirit begins working in your life to make you more like Him. Even though our physical bodies may grow old and weak, we have eternal life with Jesus, and through His Spirit our faith in Him grows stronger each day.

Today's Key Verse: Our human body is wearing out. But our spirits are getting stronger every day. 2 Corinthians 4:16 (NLV)

Today's Key Thought: Jesus changes us

Read: Colossians 1:15-20

Judah stomped into his brother’s room. “You are not going to believe this, Isaac!” Judah was so angry his ears were red.

Isaac closed the book he was reading. “What’s the matter?”

“Just look at my new interactive robot!” The robot’s arm dangled from its side. “That’s the last time I ever let Sam use one of my toys. Do you know how much I paid for this?” Judah shook his head. “That guy has no respect for other people’s stuff!”

The next morning, Isaac and Judah were late for school. “Here.” Isaac tossed Judah a granola bar. “We don’t have time for breakfast, so eat this on the way.”

As the brothers took a shortcut through a neighbor’s backyard, Judah ate his granola bar in just three bites, then tossed the wrapper on the ground.

“Hey!” Isaac stopped and pointed to the wrapper “That’s littering! Go pick it up.”

“Oh, come on. It’s just one wrapper, Isaac.”

“It’s not your yard, Judah. How do you think the neighbors would feel if they saw you dropping trash in their yard?”

Judah sighed and picked up the wrapper. “I guess I wasn’t thinking.”

“Yeah,” said Isaac. “Kind of like Sam wasn’t thinking when he broke your robot.”

On Sunday, Mrs. Rawlings gave a lesson on creation. “God made everything,” she said. “But because our sin has made a mess of everything, Jesus is making everything new—not just the people who trust in Him, but one day, all of creation! Everything belongs to Jesus, and He wants us to enjoy everything He’s made. But we also need to respect that it belongs to Him and take good care of it.”

I know what it’s like to have someone not respect your stuff, thought Judah. I wouldn’t want to do that with God’s stuff!

The next morning, as Isaac and Judah passed by a neighbor’s yard on their way to school, Judah saw a plastic bag blowing across the grass. “I got it!” he called out. He raced over and stepped on it before it blew away, then placed it in the trash can at the end of the driveway.

“Hey!” shouted their neighbor from the porch. “Thanks for cleaning our yard!”

“No problem!” Judah shouted back. “And actually, it belongs to Jesus!”

–Kelly Carlson

How about you? Do you respect what doesn’t belong to you? Jesus created everything in the world around you—trees, grass, land, animals—and will one day make everything new and even better than it is now! Everything belongs to Him, and He wants you to help take care of what He’s made. How can you be respectful and take care of God’s beautiful creation?

Today's Key Verse: The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth. Acts 17:24 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Care for God’s creation

Read: 1 Corinthians 12:12-19; 13:4

Anna came home from yet another lost softball game. As she walked past the living room cabinet, she saw her sister’s softball trophies. Macy’s team was undefeated. Anna sighed as she walked upstairs.

“Macy, have you started your math homework?” asked Anna.

“Started? I already finished. It’s easy,” said Macy.

Macy was in the advanced track at school. Anna was not. As Anna opened her binder to her math assignment, she felt a knot in her stomach. She couldn’t remember how to do the problems. She slammed her binder shut, put her head on her desk, and cried.

Anna heard a knock at her bedroom door. “Go away,” she said through tears.

Macy opened the door anyway. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“What’s wrong is that no matter how hard I try, you’re always there being a know-it-all!” yelled Anna.

“I’m not a know-it-all!” Macy yelled back and slammed the door.

“Who slammed that door?” Mom asked.

“I did,” said Macy, “because Anna called me a know-it-all.”

“Girls, come out here, please,” said Mom. Anna and Macy stepped out of their rooms.

“I have an idea,” Mom said. “Let’s play softball in the backyard.”

“But we don’t have any infielders,” said Macy.

“Or enough people for the basemen,” added Anna.

“We need people with different strengths to make a whole team, don’t we?” said Mom. “That’s true for more than just sports. As Christians, God has given each of us different strengths so we can work together to spread the good news of Jesus and show others His love. He made each of you girls to be smart and talented in your own way, and He loves you so much that Jesus died for you. Math might be harder for you, Anna, but Dad and I are so proud of you for winning your school’s essay contest.”

“I know.” Anna sighed. “I’m sorry for calling you a know-it-all, Macy.”

“I forgive you,” Macy said. “Would you like me to help you with your math homework?”

Anna smiled. “I’ll trade you homework help for the painting I made today.”

“Deal,” said Macy.

–Alexa Fetterly

How about you? Have you ever felt jealous of someone else? It’s easy to compare ourselves to friends and siblings, but God created each of us with unique gifts so we can show His love to others in our own special way. Jesus thought that you, in all your uniqueness, were worth dying for—that’s how much He loves you! Let Him replace your jealousy with love so you can use your gifts alongside other Christians to point people to Him.

Today's Key verse: Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)

Today's Key thought: God made you unique for a purpose

Read: John 15:12-15

“I can’t believe Aanya would do this to me!” Lucy pulled the friendship bracelet off her wrist and dropped it in the trash.

“Lucy? Are you okay?” her mother asked. “Why are you throwing away your bracelet from Aanya?”

“I thought she was my friend.” Lucy hung her backpack up on its hook and sat down at the table. “But she told my secret to the entire class. Even the boys!”

“What secret?” asked Mom. Lucy told her, and Mom sighed. “I’m sorry, Lu.” Mom thought for a moment. “Do you have any more of the thread you use to make bracelets?”

Lucy nodded. She got up and brought the box of brightly colored threads to the table. Mom started looking through the threads and picking some out.

“What are you doing?” Lucy asked.

“I’m making you a friendship bracelet. It will remind you that you always have a friend, one who will never betray you.” Mom began twisting the strands together. She pointed to a dark thread. “This friend loves you even though you’ve done bad things and will always love you no matter what you do.”

“Is it you?” Lucy asked.

“No. Even though I love you very much, this person loves you even more.” Mom picked up a red thread. “He died to save you from your sins.” She held up a white one and a green one. “He washed you clean of sin and gave you new life.”

“I know who my friend is! It’s Jesus!” Lucy exclaimed. “And the bracelet has the same colors as the wordless book I made at church. The gold stands for the streets of gold in heaven.”

“Yes, Jesus loved you enough to give His life so you could have eternal life with Him. He loves you so much, Lucy. He’ll always be there for you, even when no one else is.” She reached over and slipped the bracelet onto Lucy’s wrist. “You can wear this as a reminder that Jesus is the best friend you’ll ever have.”

Lucy looked at the bracelet. “Since Jesus is such a good friend to me, maybe I should give Aanya another chance.”

Mom smiled and gave Lucy a hug. “That’s a great idea. Jesus will be with you as you show His forgiveness to Aanya.”

–Jessica Kleeberger

How about you? Have you ever been disappointed by someone? Maybe it was a friend, a parent, a brother, or a sister. The good news is that God’s children have a friend who will never let them down. That friend is Jesus Christ! He loved you enough to die for you so you could have eternal life with Him. You can trust Him as your very best friend. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today's Key Verse: There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Jesus is the ultimate best friend

Read: Hebrews 4:14-16

Bryson wrote something on a piece of paper, then crumpled it up and threw it in the trash can. He did this several times, and before long he was out of paper. He laid his head on his desk in frustration.

Just then Mom walked by. “What’s wrong, Bryson?”

“I’m all out of paper. Can we go to the store so I can get some more?”

Mom glanced at the crumpled balls of paper in and around the trash can. “What are you trying to write?”

“Our Sunday school teacher challenged us to write an encouraging letter to someone. I immediately thought of Dylan. He’s been really upset lately about his parents getting a divorce. So I’ve been trying to write him a letter, but everything I write sounds dumb.” Bryson picked up a ball of paper and handed it to his mother. “You can read one of my attempts if you want.”

Mom uncrumpled the paper. “Hey, Dylan. Sorry your parents are getting a divorce. Hope you have a good day anyway.”

“See, Mom? Everything sounds so dumb, and I don’t know what I can say to make Dylan feel better. I have no idea what he’s going through, but I know it must be hard.” Bryson sighed. “And now I’m all out of paper.”

“I’m sorry, Bryson,” Mom said. “I have no idea how to make paper, so I can’t help you.”

Bryson frowned. “Mom, I don’t need you to make me paper. I just need you to take me to a place where I can get some.”

Mom nodded. “You’re exactly right—and it’s the same with Dylan. He doesn’t need you to solve his problems. He just needs you to take them to someone who can—God. Jesus understands what Dylan is going through and loves him so much that He suffered and died to save him. He knows exactly what Dylan needs. The biggest encouragement you can give Dylan is to tell him you’re praying for him and then do it.” She smiled. “I’ll pick up some more paper at the store tomorrow. In the meantime, why don’t you take Dylan’s problems to Jesus in prayer?”

Bryson nodded, and after Mom left, he bowed his head and said a prayer for Dylan.

–Melissa Yeagle

How About You? Do you know someone who’s going through a hard time? Even though you may want to, you can’t solve everyone’s problems. The best thing you can do for a friend in need is take their problems to God in prayer. He may direct you to help them in other ways too, but ultimately He’s the only one able to give them what they need. Encourage your friend by letting them know you’re praying for them.

Today's Key Verse: God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. Psalm 46:1 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Pray for those who are hurting

Read: Proverbs 3:5-6; Psalm 37:5-9, 39-40

Mallory blew her nose. Again. “Mom, how long do allergies last?” she asked as they drove away from

Mom smiled sympathetically. “The doctor said you have seasonal allergies, so you’ll probably have them the next couple of months.”

“Great,” said Mallory glumly. She felt stuffed up, and her head was foggy.

“I know you don’t feel well,” Mom said. “We’ll be home soon.”

As they drove across a bridge, a blanket of fog seemed to come up out of nowhere and surround them. Mallory peered out the window, trying see the water below the bridge, but it was like everything had disappeared.

“I can hardly see a thing,” Mom muttered as she turned on the headlights. She slowed down and carefully steered the car over the bridge.

A few minutes later they were off the bridge and heading home. Mallory couldn’t believe how quickly it went from being so foggy to clear skies and sunshine. She turned around to watch the fog slowly float away behind them. “Wow, that was crazy, Mom! Weren’t you scared driving over the bridge when you could hardly see?”

Mom nodded. “It was a little scary, but as long as I kept my eyes focused on what was in front of me, I knew we’d get to the other side of the bridge eventually.” She turned the headlights off and headed into the sunshine. “You know, Mallory, faith can sometimes be foggy too,” she said thoughtfully.

“How can faith be foggy?” Mallory asked.

“Even though we have Jesus in our lives, there will sometimes be days when we won’t feel joyful or know what to do about a tough situation. That’s when we need to depend on God to show us the way through our foggy faith.”

“How do we do that?” asked Mallory.

“By keeping our focus on Jesus. We can do that by listening to what He says to us in the Bible and talking to Him about everything. Even when we can’t see what’s in front of us, we can hold on to God’s promises and what we know is true. Jesus will always be with us in the fog, and we can trust Him to bring us out on the other side.”

–Kelly Hope

How about you? Are you going through a foggy time in your faith? Maybe you’re not feeling very joyful or you’re facing difficulties in life. Keep talking to Jesus in prayer and reading your Bible to get to know Him better. Remember that He saved you by dying for your sin, and trust Him to help you get through the fog and show you the next step to take.

Today's Key Verse: Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Trust Jesus in foggy times

Read: 1 Corinthians 13:4-13

Wynn visited her garden every day, and her tomato plants, which she and her sister had named Love, Joy, Patience, and Goodness, grew and grew. Then one evening dark clouds began to gather on the horizon. At first Wynn watched from her bedroom window as droplets of water fell from the sky, but soon she could no longer see her poor little tomato plants through the sheets of falling rain. Suddenly lightning cracked in the sky, and the wind blew so hard that a tree branch fell inches from the window. Mom called for Wynn and Riley to come down into the basement.

In the morning, when the storm was over, Wynn and Riley walked timidly to the garden. The grass was swampy, and several branches littered the ground. Wynn’s and Riley’s rain boots made great slurping noises as they plodded through the mud. Both girls were afraid of what they might find in the garden, but when Wynn approached, she let out a shout of excitement. “They’re okay!”

All four tomato plants were unhurt. Wynn was about to give Riley a hug when she heard a sob from next door. She looked over to see Kai, the mean neighbor boy who had made fun of her tomato plants, crying. The wind had lifted his tomato plants up by the roots, and the rain had pounded them into the ground. Now the space of earth where Kai’s garden had been was nothing but green mush.

Riley leaned down and whispered into Wynn’s ear as they watched Kai go back into his house. “Do you remember what the first fruit of the Spirit is?”

“Love,” said Wynn. “Nothing grows without love.”

The girls whispered together for a moment longer, then Riley got a shovel. Carefully she dug up Love, the tomato plant that had just begun to sprout little green fruits. They were careful not to damage the roots as they lifted the plant out of the ground. Together they took the plant next door. Riley dug a spot in the ruined mush of Kai’s garden. Then, ever so carefully, Wynn placed the tomato plant inside the hole. She filled the hole with dirt and planted Love there in the center of her neighbor’s garden.

–Kristin Beaven

How about you? Is it hard for you to love someone who’s been mean to you? The Bible tells us that love is the most important way we show others who Jesus is and what He’s done for us. He loved people who were mean to him—He died for us when we were His enemies, separated from God because of our sin. When we’re kind to others—even when they’re not kind to us—we’re planting seeds of His love.

Today's Key Verse: Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NLT)

Today's Key Thought: Plant seeds of love

Read: Galatians 5:16-26

“Riley!” Wynn called to her sister as she inspected her four tiny tomato plants. “Look, little green tomatoes!” This was Wynn’s very first time growing a garden, and she was very excited.

Riley smiled. “See? You just needed to have patience.” Riley was fourteen and had helped their mother grow vegetable gardens before.

“Look at those shrimpy tomatoes!” a voice taunted from next door. “We had tomatoes on our plants weeks ago.” The voice came from Kai, their neighbor, who was always mocking Wynn. He and his mother also had a garden. They had bought their plants already half grown, and they were now full of fruit.

Riley put her hand on her sister’s shoulder. “Ignore him. Yours are growing just fine. Now that they’re starting to get fruit, we should name them,” she told Wynn, trying to distract her from Kai’s rudeness. “That’s what Mom and I do with our plants each year.”

“What should we name them?” Wynn asked.

“Well, tomatoes are fruit,” said Riley. “And the Bible tells us that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of fruit!” said Wynn.

“Yep,” said Riley. “And it’s all fruit that the Holy Spirit grows in our lives when we put our faith in Jesus, just like your tomatoes grow in your garden.”

“But we only have four plants, so which names should we choose?” asked Wynn.

“I think the first one should be Patience,” said Riley, “to remind you to have patience as the tomatoes grow.”

Wynn giggled. “Okay, and we’ll name the second one Joy because I will be full of joy when they finally do! And the next one can be Goodness, because the tomatoes will be full of yummy goodness.” Wynn smiled. “Now I’ve named two and you named one, so you have to name the last one.”

“The last one should be Love,” said Riley. “Because nothing grows without love.”

Wynn looked down at her garden. “Now all four of our fruit of the Spirit plants have names.”

“Yep,” said Riley. “And they’re going to keep growing just like the fruit of the Spirit is growing in you.”

–Kristin Beaven

How about you? Did you know that, if you’re a Christian, you have fruit growing in your life? When we trust Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit begins to work in our hearts so that His ways grow in us like fruit in a garden. As He fills our hearts with love, He grows the fruit of the Spirit in our lives to make us more like Jesus. Trust Him to fill your life with good fruit so others can see His love.

Today's Key Verse: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23 (CSB)

Today's Key Thought: God grows fruit in Christians’ lives