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

Read: John 1:12-13; 3:1-7

“Who’s that guy singing?” whispered Ollie.

“That’s Mr. Carson,” Joash whispered back. “He leads our Sunday school worship time.” Ollie was visiting Joash’s church for the first time, and everything was new to him.

“Okay, kids, it’s the first Sunday of the month, so you know what that means—it’s birthday week!” Mr. Carson said. “If you have a birthday this month, come on up here.”

“Hey, that’s you, Ollie!” said Joash. “Your birthday’s on Thursday, so go to the front. You’ll get a gift.”

At first, Ollie shook his head, but when he saw that several other kids were going, he slipped out of his seat and headed up the aisle. Mr. Carson handed each of the birthday kids a goodie bag. Then everyone sang “Happy Birthday.”

“Happy birthday, kids,” Mr. Carson said when the song ended. “And remember…” He cupped his hand around his ear, and the whole group said together, “One birthday won’t do—you need to have two!”

After church, Ollie had a question. “What was that thing everyone said about having two birthdays?” he asked Joash. “I just had my tenth!”

“Not really, Ollie,” Joash replied. “You’ve only had one birthday—the day you were born. The rest of the time you’re just celebrating that day.”

“Okay, but then why would I need a second birthday?” Ollie asked.

“When you were born on earth, you became your parents’ child,” explained Joash. “But we all do bad things—we sin, and sin separates us from God, who is always loving and good. The Bible says the only way we can be forgiven and have eternal life with God is to be born again—born into God’s family. That happens when we trust Jesus to save us from sin. Then we’re born again spiritually as God’s children, and we have two birthdays.” Joash looked at his friend. “Get it?”

“I’m not sure,” Ollie replied. “I mean, I know I’m not always good, but I never thought about being born all over again. And I don’t really know a whole lot about Jesus. Can you tell me about Him and explain it all again?”

“Sure!” Joash was delighted. “If you still don’t get it, my dad can help explain too.”

“Okay.” Ollie looked at Joash. “Well, get started!”

–Charlie VanderMeer

How about you? How many birthdays do you have? One—or two? Your first birthday—the day you were born on this earth—made you a part of your parents’ family. God wants you to be a part of His family too. When you put your faith in Jesus, who died to pay the price for your sin, you’re born again as a child of God. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today’s key verse: Don’t be surprised when I [Jesus] say, “You must be born again.” John 3:7 (NLT)

Today’s key thought: You need two birthdays

Read: Colossians 3:12-14

“No!” Tula ran into her room and slammed the door. “She left us. I’m not forgiving her. Ever!”

She dove headfirst into her pillows and burst into tears. It had been three years since Mom left. Two years since her last phone call. Now she wanted to be a part of Tula’s life again? Even though she was married to someone else and had a new baby? It wasn’t right.

Dad came into the room and sat down on the edge of Tula’s bed. “I know this is hard, Tula, but your mom does love you. She wants you to know she’s sorry she hurt you.”

“What she did was wrong!”

“It was. But I did a lot of wrong things too, and you forgave me.”

“But you didn’t leave me,” Tula said into her pillow.

“Maybe not, but some of my choices hurt you just as much as your mom’s did.”

The bed shifted as Dad leaned forward and grabbed a book off her nightstand. She didn’t have to look to know it was her Bible.

“I wonder what God says we should do in a situation like this,” Dad said.

Tula groaned. She knew exactly what God said she should do, but she wasn’t ready to stop being mad. Not yet. “She doesn’t deserve to be forgiven.”

“Can you imagine what it would be like if Jesus had said that about us?”

Tula shivered. Not being forgiven by Jesus? That would be awful. She rolled over and sat up. “I wouldn’t like that.”

“Me neither. So, if Jesus can forgive us for hurting Him, shouldn’t we do the same when someone hurts us?”

Tula thought for a moment before nodding. “Yes, but I’m gonna need help. Forgiving is hard.”

“We’ll help each other,” Dad said as he hugged Tula. “And God will help us too. Because He forgave us for our sins, we’re able to forgive others. That doesn’t mean the hurt magically goes away. But when we forgive others, we allow Him to start healing our broken hearts. I think I’m ready for that.”

Tula hugged Dad back. “I think I’m ready for that too.”

–Jennifer Lindsay

How about you? Is there someone in your life you need to forgive? Forgiving someone doesn’t mean you’re saying what they did was okay. It means you’re allowing God to step into the situation and begin healing your heart and the heart of the person who hurt you. When we forgive, we’re showing others the love Jesus has shown us. Trust Him to help you forgive, even when it’s hard.

Today’s key verse: And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 (NKJV)

Today’s key thought: Forgiveness brings healing

Read: Ephesians 1:4-14

“How did your long meeting go today?” Maya asked her mom.

Mom let out a big sigh as she walked to the kitchen table where Maya was coloring. “We talked with a financial advisor about important things like money your grandma left us and what your dad and I want the future to look like, especially for you.”

Maya nodded. She wanted to hear what Mom had to say, but talking about her grandma made Maya’s heart hurt. She hated how sad she and her family had been for the past month, but her parents assured her it was normal grieving.

“Actually…” Mom sat down at the table. “There’s something we discussed in our meeting that I wanted to talk to you about.”

Maya looked up, trying not to shy away from the topic. Her mom was being brave about it, so Maya could be brave and talk about her grandma too.

Even though talking about her was hard, Maya liked to remember how Grandma would paint her nails, or the summer Maya stayed at her grandma’s cottage.

Mom interrupted Maya’s thoughts. “Your grandma actually left you something. It’s called an inheritance.”

“An inheritance?” Maya asked.

“Yes,” Mom replied, picking up a crayon and setting it to paper. “Think if it as a gift from your grandma, but one she gives later, after she’s gone to be with Jesus.”

This idea brought a smile to Maya’s lips. She would have something new from her grandma even now.

“Come to think of it, you actually have two inheritances!” her mother mused. “One from your grandma, and one from Jesus.”

“I get an inheritance from Jesus too?” Maya asked, pausing her drawing.

“Yes. Because we have faith in Jesus, He has forgiven our sins, and we are now part of His family and have eternal life with Him. Those things are all part of the inheritance we get from God.”

Maya’s family often talked about Jesus, but she had never thought of Him giving her an inheritance before. After a moment, she spoke up. “Even though Grandma is with Jesus now, it makes me feel better to know she left a gift for me. It reminds me that she loves me and that I’ll see her again one day because of the inheritance Jesus has given us both.”

–Naomi Zylstra

How about you? Have you ever received a gift from someone who passed away? Maybe a loved one left you an item or a message that was special to you. Memories or special items from loved ones can be a great reminder of their love and how they were part of our lives. In the same way, our inheritance in Jesus is a gift that shows how much He loves us and that we are part of His family forever.

Today’s key verse: Because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God. Ephesians 1:11 (NLT)

Today’s key thought: Jesus gives an inheritance

Read: Hebrews 1:10-12; 13:8

As Jonathan finished eating a caramel apple at the carnival, his mom glanced at her phone. “We only have time for one more thing, Jonathan. What will it be?”

Jonathan’s eyes darted back and forth as he tried to decide what one thing he wanted to do before leaving. Straight ahead he noticed the roller coaster’s lights flashing as it looped around and around. To his right, bright red cars spun in a circle to the beat of blaring music. To his left, he saw a building with a sign that said House of Mirrors. “That’s it, Mom. I want to see that.”

“Okay,” said Mom. “House of Mirrors it is.”

After buying tickets, Jonathan and his mother walked through a dark, narrow hallway. He stepped into the first small room and ran to the mirror. “Mom, look at me in this mirror. I look taller than a giraffe!”

“So do I,” said Mom, and they both laughed.

Jonathan moved to the left and pointed. “In this mirror I look like a hippo!”

They made their way through all the rooms and hallways, laughing as each mirror changed and distorted the way they looked. “That was fun!” Jonathan said as they left the building.

Mom nodded. “You know what those mirrors made me think of?”

“They made me think of how glad I am I don’t have to clean them,” Jonathan said.

Mom laughed. “That crossed my mind too, but what I was really reminded of is how we can let our circumstances distort our image of God.”

Jonathan looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”

“Well, when good things happen to us, we may think of God as being loving and kind. But when life is hard or bad things happen, we might wonder if He really cares for us. The thing is, we shouldn’t use the events of our lives as a mirror to see what God is like. The Bible says He never changes. He always loves us—so much that He sent His Son to die for us. No matter what’s going on in our lives or how we feel about it, we can trust that Jesus loves us and is with us. He’s always good, and He’ll never change.”

–Annette S. Bury

How about you? Does your view of God depend on what’s going on in your life? When things go well, do you see Him as a loving, caring God? And when things are bad or simply don’t go the way you want them to, do you wonder if He loves you after all? He does. He loves you so much that Jesus died to save you and will always be with you. He cares for you all the time, and He will never change.

Today’s key verse: I am the Lord, and I do not change. Malachi 3:6 (NLT)

Today’s key thought: God doesn’t change

Read: Psalm 96:4-9

Hailey looked up from reading her Bible on the front lawn. “Amare, are you afraid of God?” she asked her brother.

“No, I don’t think so,” replied Amare. “Why should I be afraid of Him?”

“This verse says, ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.’ What does that mean?”

Just then their neighbor Hunter came along. “Hey, Amare,” he called, “get your bike and come with me. Drake dared me to climb the fence around the power station’s transformer, so I’m gonna do it.”

Amare’s eyes widened. “You’d better not! My dad says it’s dangerous to go near that thing.”

“I’m not scared of anything,” Hunter said. “You coming?”

Amare shook his head. “No. I don’t want to get zapped. Why do you think there’s a high fence around it with all those ‘No Trespassing’ signs?”

Hunter laughed. “To keep out scaredy-cats like you!” He sped off on his bike.

Amare watched Hunter leave, then jumped to his feet. “I’m gonna tell Mom.”

When Mom heard about Hunter’s plan, she decided to call the police department. Soon they heard sirens heading toward the power station. “Maybe seeing the police will teach Hunter to wise up,” said Hailey. “He said he wasn’t afraid of anything.”

“Well, there are some things he should be afraid of,” Mom replied.

“Are we supposed to be afraid of God?” Hailey asked. “One of the verses in my Bible reading today talked about fearing Him.”

“We fear God in the sense that we respect, honor, and trust Him. We know He has power over everything and that, because He is good, He must punish sin.”

“So, fearing God is kind of like how I respect and obey you and Dad because you’re my parents?” asked Amare.

Mom nodded. “When we fear God, we see how serious our sin is and how much we need Jesus to save us from it. We see that His way is better than ours and that we need to trust and obey Him. Then, by trusting in Jesus, we can feel His peace, knowing He loves us so much that He took the punishment for our sin and will always be with us.”

Hailey grinned. “So if we fear the Lord, we have no reason to be afraid!”

–Barbara J. Westberg

How about you? Are you afraid of God? If you’re a Christian, you have no reason to be afraid. When the Bible tells us to fear God, it means to respect His authority and the fact that He must punish sin. Even though you’ve sinned against God, Jesus took the punishment for your sin. Fear God by trusting and obeying Him. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today’s key verse: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Psalm 111:10 (NKJV)

Today’s key thought: Fear God