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

Read: Matthew 7:7-8; 11:27-30

“Grandpa, I think Grandma needs hearing aids,” said Kelsey. “Someone knocked at the door this morning and Grandma didn’t hear it. By the time I got to the door, the person was gone.”

“That’s odd,” said Grandpa. “I haven’t noticed a problem, but I’ll try to pay more attention.”

Kelsey had been living with her grandparents for a few weeks while her mother was away on military duty. She loved her grandparents, but living with them was weird.

She refilled Grandpa’s coffee cup and asked, “Do I have to go to church today?”

“Of course! We always go as a family. Going to church is a privilege many people don’t have. It’s a way we worship God and connect with other believers.”

“That’s just it,” said Kelsey. “You and Grandma love all that God stuff and talking to your ‘believer’ friends. I believe in God, but I’d rather spend Sunday hanging out with my school friends.”

“Honey, you have the whole afternoon for that,” Grandpa said.

That day in Sunday school, the lesson was about Jericho, but Kelsey was thinking about her mom. Mom never took her to church. Sunday mornings with Mom were for sleeping in. Then they’d walk to the Waffle Barn. The waffles smelled like a cake baking. You could smell them from a block away. She’d smother her waffles with pecan syrup and butter.

Kelsey was still thinking about those waffles when suddenly, there was a firm knock on the Sunday school room door. To her shock, no one went to answer the door. No one else seemed to hear it.

Maybe I’m the one with bad hearing, thought Kelsey.

That evening as she got ready for bed, she noticed a small painting on her bedroom wall. It was Jesus standing outside a door. At the bottom it said, “I stand at the door and knock.”

Knock? thought Kelsey. What’s the deal with all this knocking that nobody seems to hear but me? Is it my imagination or…Jesus, is that You?

Kelsey took the picture and carried it to Grandpa. “I’ve heard this verse before, Grandpa. But what does it mean? Does Jesus knock for real?”

“Sit down here, honey,” he said. “I’ll tell you all about it.”

–Teresa Ambord

How about you? Is Jesus knocking at the door of your heart? It’s not a sound you hear with your ears but an invitation He offers to you in His Word, the Bible. If you’re not a believer, He wants you to trust Him to save you from sin and give you eternal life. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?) And if you do know Him as your Savior, He invites you to spend time with Him in prayer, at church, and in His Word so He can fill your life with peace, hope, and joy.

Today's Key Verse: Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. Revelation 3:20 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Jesus is knocking

Read: John 1:35-45

“This is the best pizza I’ve ever eaten!” Jonah pumped a fist in the air. “I can’t believe this place is here to stay. I’m going to tell my friends about it.”

Mom smiled. “I think our family will be eating here often.”

As soon as he got home, Jonah started a video conversation with a couple of his friends. He was quick to tell them about the pizza he’d just had and where they could get it.

When he went outside that afternoon to help his dad shovel snow from the sidewalk in front of their house, Jonah saw one of his neighbors also shoveling. “Hey, Mr. Fisher!” He waved as he walked over to the older man. Jonah couldn’t help but tell him about the pizza. “You’ll love it,” he said. “You should get it for dinner when you’re done shoveling.”

“I just might do that.” Mr. Fisher grinned.

Dad tapped Jonah’s shoulder as they headed into the house. “I think it’s really interesting how you’re spreading the word about that pizza.”

“It’s just so good!” Jonah’s mouth watered just thinking about it.

“It reminds me of something I was reading,” Dad said. “In the book of John.”

“They didn’t have pizza in the Bible, did they?” Jonah made his way to the kitchen. All that shoveling had made him thirsty.

“No,” Dad said. “But they had something even greater. Jesus.”

Jonah pulled a bottle of water from the refrigerator. “Why did the pizza make you think of Jesus?”

“When the early disciples first started following Jesus, they told their friends and family,” Dad said. “They got others to follow Him too. Sort of like how you’re getting others to go out and get pizza.”

“Because the pizza was amazing,” Jonah said. “Following Jesus had to be pretty amazing too.”

“It was, and it is,” Dad said. “And you’ve got me thinking that maybe we should be telling others about that, sharing our faith a little more. I mean, if you can get people that excited about pizza…”

Jonah nodded. “We could get people excited about Jesus too!”

–Emily Acker

How about you? Have you ever experienced something great and wanted to tell everyone you knew all about it so they could experience it too? Have you told others about Jesus, letting them know how amazing He is? As you share your faith with others and let them know what Jesus has done for you, they might want to know Him themselves. Let others know how great Jesus is so they can get excited too!

Today's Key Verse: Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you. Mark 5:19 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Tell others how great Jesus is

Read: Matthew 21:12-13; John 11:35; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

“Dad?” Madison opened the door to her dad’s workshop.

“My favorite girl! How was art class?” Dad asked.

Madison ran to hug him. “The art part was good.” She paused as she bit her lip.

“What part wasn’t?” Dad asked her, looking concerned. He took off his gloves and set them on the bench.

“Well, Mia told me that I’m too happy. She said I need to wipe the smile off my face sometimes.” Madison frowned. “But isn’t being happy good? I don’t like being sad.”

“Being happy is great. It reminds me of one of my favorite verses, First Thessalonians 5:16. It’s a really short verse, only two words—‘Rejoice always.’ God wants us to rejoice in Him. We can always be joyful because He loves us and sent Jesus to save us.”

Madison smiled. “I like that verse. But I know sad stuff happens, like when Mom died.” She frowned. “I guess that was sadder for you. Did you ever smile then?” Madison’s mom had died when she was three months old, and Dad often told Madison stories about her.

“I was sad, and I’m still sad that she’s gone. But yes, I still smiled.” Dad looked at Madison. “After all, I have you! You make me smile every day. I thank God that I was blessed with such a bundle of joy.”

Madison giggled. “I love you too, Dad. And if Mia asks, I’ll tell her about the verse. Being happy is good.” She twitched her nose. “Being sad isn’t bad, is it?”

Dad shook his head. “Not at all. In fact, there’s another short verse about that in the Bible—‘Jesus wept.’ He cried when He found out that Lazarus had died. None of our emotions are bad, and Jesus felt them all the same way we do. Whatever we feel, He wants us to share it with Him. That’s a great way to rejoice—by sharing everything with God.”

Madison gave her dad a hug. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll make sure Mia knows that it’s okay if she feels sad, but I’m gonna rejoice!”

–Kimberly Brokish

How about you? How do you feel right now? We all experience a lot of emotions, and none of them are bad. Remember Jesus was human just like us, and He felt all those emotions too—He knows what it’s like to be happy, sad, even angry. He knows exactly how we feel and loves us. Can you tell Him how you feel? He would love to help you rejoice in Him.

Today's Key Verse: Rejoice always. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: You can always rejoice

Read: 1 John 4:7-16

Ella was pouting when she and her mother returned home from shopping. “What’s the matter, grumpy face?” asked her brother, Jax.

Ella scowled. “Mom gets you everything you want, but she wouldn’t buy anything for me. All I wanted was a smiling flower shirt.”

Jax laughed. “A smiling flower shirt on you? That would be a joke! The way you whine?” Using a high-pitched tone, he imitated her. “Moooom! Why won’t you buy me everything I want?” He smirked, and his sister hit him. “Ow!” he yelled, hitting back.

Dad walked into the room as the kids continued to hit each other. “Break it up!” he said. “The place I’d like to see a smile is on your faces for a change.”

On Sunday, Jax and Ella got ready to go to church with their next-door neighbors. “Why don’t you come to church with us today?” Jax asked his parents hopefully. Both he and Ella had been Christians for some time, but their parents were not believers.

Dad settled into his armchair. “And miss out on some peace and quiet without you two fighting? I don’t think so!” Jax and Ella didn’t know what to say.

“We’ve got to quit fighting,” Ella told Jax later. “It’s not helping us get Mom and Dad to listen when we try to tell them about Jesus.”

Jax nodded thoughtfully. “I know. It’s like what Pastor Peters said last week—love is what shows others we belong to Jesus. He gave us the Holy Spirit so we can show His love in all we do. We need to remember that when we’re tempted to fight.”

So they prayed and asked Jesus to help them remember to show His love in their words and actions. And He did! Soon their parents noticed a difference. When a vase was broken several weeks later, both Ella and Jax admitted to not being careful as they played.

Dad was amazed. “You’re not blaming each other! I never thought I’d see the day.”

The next Sunday, Dad surprised them. “Mom and I aren’t too old for church, are we?”

“You mean you’ll go?” Jax asked.

Mom and Dad nodded, and Jax and Ella gave each other high fives. “Hey!” Dad said, laughing. “That brought smiles to your faces!”

–Agnes Livezey

How about you? Do your actions and attitudes show that you have the love of Jesus in your heart? If you’re a Christian, He’s made you a new person and given you the Holy Spirit, who fills you with His love. When you let that love shine out in the way you treat people, others will be able to see that you belong to Him. Trust Him to help you show His love in all you do so others can see who He is.

Today's Key Verse: [Jesus said,] “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35 (NIV)

Today's Key Thought: Let others see Jesus’s love in you

Read: Isaiah 1:16-20

The school bus was expected any minute, so Ethan shoveled his cereal into his mouth. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw his baby sister, Addy, pick up his tablet. He dropped his spoon, darted across the kitchen, and snatched it from her hands.

“Don’t touch that!” he yelled. “I told you not to touch my stuff. You break everything!”

Addy burst into tears, and Mom came hurrying into the room and picked her up. “What happened?” she asked.

“Addy was messing with my stuff again,” Ethan said. “She’s so annoying!”

Mom sighed. “I’m sorry, Ethan, I wasn’t paying attention to what she was doing. But you also need to be more careful about not putting your things where she can reach them. And you know yelling at her like that scares her and is not the way we solve problems.”

Ethan bit his lip, feeling guilty. “I didn’t mean to make her cry. I’m sorry, Addy.” He gave Addy a hug, and she calmed down.

Ethan frowned as he put his cereal bowl in the sink. “I shouldn’t have yelled at her. Is God disappointed in me?”

Mom ruffled his hair. “God knows we all mess up. That’s why He sent Jesus to die for us—so we could be forgiven for the wrong things we do. You can tell Him you’re sorry.”

“But how do we know that God’s forgiven us?” Ethan asked.

Mom smiled. “Do you think your school bus is coming? Even though you can’t see it yet?” She pointed out the window.

“Of course,” Ethan said.

“Why?”

“Because it comes every school day,” Ethan replied.

“God is like that,” Mom said. “He never changes. You can always count on Him to forgive you because Jesus died for you—and He’ll help you be more patient with Addy too.”

Ethan smiled. “I’m going to ask God to help me be nicer to her and set a better example.”

The school bus pulled up, and Ethan looked at the clock. Eight-fifteen a.m. Just like every morning. He grabbed his backpack and ran out the door. It was nice to have things he could count on.

–Abigail Singrey

How about you? What are some things in your life that you can count on? Maybe you eat the same thing for breakfast every day, or your parents say the same thing to you every night before you go to bed. Like the sun rising every morning, we can count on God to forgive us when we make mistakes. Jesus died for our sins so our wrongs wouldn’t be counted against us. Confess your sins to Him and trust Him to forgive you.

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. 1 John 1:9 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: We can count on God’s forgiveness