Keys for Kids - daily devotions and Bible stories for kids

• Where’s the Parade?

  Bible Reading: Isaiah 48:17-18; Ephesians 5:1-2; 1 John 2:3-6"Mom, I see the parade! It's coming!" Millie squealed with excitement and grabbed hold of her little brother's hand. "James, get ready, because they're going to throw candy right at us and we can put it in our bags, okay?"James nodded and grinned. Millie looked down the street and hopped up and down in anticipation."Just be patient, honey," Mom called from her lawn chair. "It will be here soon."Millie craned her neck to see down the street. The parade was still far away, but she could make out flags, cars, floats, and even a fire truck. She could faintly hear a drum and knew the band was marching her way.Suddenly, she gave a little shriek of dismay. "It turned! They're going down a different street. They're not coming here!""What?" Dad jumped up and looked down the street, and Millie noticed everyone else getting up and looking around in confusion. "Come on, Millie!" Dad scooped up James, and they ran to the next block just as the parade arrived. Millie forgot about all the confusion until they walked home afterward. "Mom, why didn't the parade go by where we were sitting at first? Were we in the wrong place?"Mom laughed. "No, we were on the right street. I think the person at the front of the parade got a little confused and made a wrong turn. Good thing we caught up and didn't miss anything, right?""Right!" said Millie. "It was so much fun, and I got lots of candy!""You know, wrong turns like that can happen in our lives," Dad said. "The people in the parade all trusted that the person in front would go the right way, but they didn't. We can go the wrong way too by following people--like leaders or friends at school--because what they're doing seems right but isn't." Mom nodded. "There's only one Person who can lead us the right way. Do you know who that is?""Jesus!" Millie and James both shouted."Right," said Mom. "When we know Him as our Savior, He forgives our wrong turns in life and makes us able to love others the way He does. We need to follow Him as He leads us in His example of love." –Robyn MulderHow About You?Who do you follow? Friends? Celebrities? Influencers? Looking to other people as examples of how to live will only lead you in the wrong direction, because they are sinners just like you. Only Jesus is perfect. He died and rose again to save you from sin and give you eternal life, and He will lead you in loving others the way He does. Follow His example and trust God to help you be more like Him each day. Today's Key Verse:Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children. (NIV) (Ephesians 5:1)Today's Key Thought:Follow Jesus, not people

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• Sparkling Clean

  Bible Reading: Romans 3:22-26; Titus 3:5-7Rosita wiped sweat from her forehead, then got back to scrubbing the pot in the sink. She was working as hard as she could to clean the kitchen before Mom got home. They'd had a fight that morning, and Rosita was sorry for the things she'd said. She sighed and scrubbed harder. I want this kitchen sparkling clean when Mom gets home from work, she thought. That'll make up for it.She glanced into the living room where her little brother was watching cartoons. "Hugo, bring your plate and cup here so I can wash them. And I just mopped the floor, so be careful!" But Hugo wasn't careful. He ran in and slipped when his socks hit the wet floor. His plastic dishes went flying into the air as he went sprawling across the kitchen, milk and crumbs raining down on top of him.Rosita gasped. "Hugo!" Just then the door opened and Mom walked in. "Wow," she said. "What a mess." Rosita covered her face with her soapy hands and burst into tears. Mom and Hugo stared at her for a moment before Mom sent him upstairs to wash the milk out of his hair. "Rosita, what's wrong?" Mom asked."I--I've been working hard to clean the kitchen all afternoon. I wanted everything to be sparkling clean when you got here because I felt bad about what I said this morning. I wanted to make things right.""Oh, honey." Mom gave her a hug. "You don't have to clean the kitchen to make things right with me. You're my daughter--I love you, and I'll always forgive you. But I know the feeling. In fact, I used to try to do the same thing with God. I thought I could make up for my wrongs by doing something right. But it wasn't enough.""Because the only way to make things right with God is through Jesus, right?" "You got it," said Mom. "When we trust Him to save us, He forgives our sins and makes us sparkling clean." Rosita nodded. "I'm sorry for what I said this morning, Mom. Will you forgive me?" "Of course." Mom grabbed a mop from the closet. "And now I'm going to make this kitchen sparkling clean!" –Courtney LasaterHow About You?Are you working hard to make things right with God? Are you trying to do good things so He'll forgive you for the bad things you've done? No matter what you do, it won't make up for your sin. Only Jesus can make you right with God. He died and rose again so you could be forgiven and have all your sins washed away. Confess your sin and trust in Him, and He will forgive you. (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: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:Only Jesus makes things right

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• Doubting Waves

  Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; James 1:2-6"I'm not sure I can catch this wave," Caleb yelled to his uncle as the ocean waves roared. The wind was getting stronger, and it was hard to hear. Dark clouds rolled in from above, blocking the sunshine. Caleb gripped the edges of his surfboard. This surfing lesson wasn't going well. He wanted to do what his uncle taught him and stand up on his board and ride the wave, but it seemed impossible. "Uncle Luke, I've slipped three times, and my arms are exhausted from paddling! I don't think I'm strong enough."Uncle Luke swam over to Caleb. "Let's take a break, and then I'll help you. I know it's scary, but trust me--I've been surfing a long time and know what I'm doing. Can you do that?"Caleb nodded. They bobbed on their boards for a minute before Uncle Luke continued. "You know, Caleb, life is hard sometimes, just like surfing. When scary doubts build up, or the winds blow and it's hard to hear God's voice, we can share our fears with Jesus. He wants us to have faith in Him instead of ourselves. He is perfect, and we can always trust Him because He gave His life to save us and promises He will never leave us.""Thanks for the reminder, Uncle Luke," Caleb replied with a smile. "Sometimes life makes me feel even weaker and more exhausted than surfing does!""We all feel that way sometimes," Uncle Luke said. "But when we look to Jesus to help us through hard times in life, the Holy Spirit strengthens us. Just like when I push you into the waves, hold onto your surfboard and look up, not down. Okay, ready to paddle?" "Yeah!" Caleb replied. This time, he trusted his uncle's advice and focused on that instead of his doubts. He paddled hard and slowly stood up in the air. He caught a wave! Caleb popped out of the water with a smile, "Hey, Uncle Luke! Thanks for reminding me that I don't have to doubt. When I'm afraid, I can trust in Jesus." –Grace ThomasHow About You?Do you trust in God when life gets rough? Or does your heart constantly change like the waves of the sea? You may feel discouraged when faced with a challenging situation, and that's okay. Remember, Jesus understands what you're going through and promises to be with you wherever you go. You don't have to be afraid or doubt in the rocky waves of life. Look to Jesus for the help and strength you need. Today's Key Verse:But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. (NKJV) (James 1:6)Today's Key Thought:Have faith in Jesus

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• Do Something About It

  Bible Reading: Matthew 18:19-20; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18"Mom, I'm really worried about Charlotte," Anna said as she sat down at the table. Charlotte and Anna were best friends and did everything together. "What's going on?" Mom asked as she added ingredients into the mixer. "Well, she's been having a lot of headaches lately. I'm worried there might be something seriously wrong with her. What if she has cancer or something?" Mom plopped a scoop of raw cookie dough onto a tray. "It sounds like you've been doing a lot of worrying about this.""It's all I can think about, Mom! I'm just so afraid something bad is going to happen to Charlotte. I can't imagine life without her." Mom brought the tray of cookie dough to the table and sat down. "Have you prayed about it?" she asked. "Um, well--no," Anna said. Mom sighed. "Well, I've been pretty worried too lately. Tomorrow is your school bake sale, and I'm worried these cookies won't get baked in time!"Anna glanced at the clock. "Mom, you have plenty of time. They don't take that long to bake--just put them in the oven.""I guess I could, but I'd rather just sit here and worry about it," Mom said. Anna gave her mom a puzzled look. "Mom, you're being silly!"Mom smiled. "You're right, it's silly to sit here and worry when there's something I could do about the problem. But you're doing the same thing. You're not helping your friend at all by worrying about her. You can help by doing something about it and praying for her."Anna knew her mom was right, and the two took a moment to pray for Charlotte. Then Anna helped bake the cookies and bag them up for the sale. The next day Anna came home smiling. "Mom, guess what! Charlotte's mom took her to the doctor yesterday, and it turns out she's been having headaches because she needs glasses--not because she's dying from some disease." Mom smiled. "So all that worrying for nothing?" Anna nodded. "You were right, Mom. I should have done something about it and prayed for her in the first place." –Melissa YeagleHow About You?When you or someone you know has a problem, do you worry about it? Why not do something about it instead--pray! God is in control of everything, and He loves you so much He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for you. You can bring all your worries and concerns to Him. He'll always do what's best and be with you through everything. Today's Key Verse:Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. (NLT) (Philippians 4:6)Today's Key Thought:Pray about your worries

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• Hidden Fruit

  Bible Reading: Psalm 119:27, 159-160; 2 Timothy 3:14-17The sun was just poking its head over the treetops when Savannah and her mother left for a walk in the woods near their new home. "I didn't understand what Dad read in the Bible this morning," Savannah said. "Why can't we just skip the parts of the Bible that don't seem to say anything important?"Mom was about to reply when Savannah spotted some interesting bushes along the path. "Look, Mom. Those are some kind of berry bushes, aren't they?"Mom stopped and peered at the bushes. "I think they might be, but I don't see any fruit on them."Savannah reached out and lifted some of the leaves. "Here! Underneath the leaves.""You're right!" said Mom. "Those are wild blackberries! They'd taste great on our cereal--or just as a snack. How about running back to the house and getting a bucket so we can pick some?"Savannah eagerly ran home and returned with a pail, and she and Mom began to gather the ripe, luscious fruit. "I'm glad your sharp eyes noticed these," said Mom. "I saw the green leaves, but I didn't see what was hidden underneath them." She dumped a handful of berries into the bucket. "Maybe that's the answer to the question you asked a while ago.""You mean about skipping parts of the Bible?" asked Savannah. Mom nodded. "When we read the Bible, we don't always understand every important truth right away--just like I didn't spot those berries. But when we take time to think about what a verse or passage says, it can help us see how it fits into God's story of how He continues to love us even though we sin. Everything in the Bible points to God's gift of Jesus, who became human and died and rose again to save us. Every passage can teach us something about Jesus and our need for Him. That's why we read all the parts of the Bible.""When we get back home, maybe I should read that Bible passage from this morning again," said Savannah."Why don't we read it together?" suggested Mom. "We can eat fruit from this bucket while we look for spiritual fruit in the Bible!" –Judith K. BoogaartHow About You?Are some parts of the Bible hard for you to understand? The Bible is full of poems, stories, and events that all reveal God's faithful love. Each one is important, but some can be difficult to understand on our own. That's why it's important to study the Bible with other Christians and depend on God for help. When you come across something that's confusing, ask God to give you understanding, and ask a trusted adult to help you too.Today's Key Verse:All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. (NLT) (2 Timothy 3:16)Today's Key Thought:Learn from all of the Bible

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