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

Read: Psalm 121; Matthew 11:28-30 James was happy to be camping with his dad, but… “How much further do we have to walk?” His backpack was making him lean forward, and he felt a little like a turtle. Maybe he had overpacked. His dad smiled. “Not too much further, bud. You’ve got this.” James wanted to be strong and make his dad proud. They didn’t see each other often since his parents got divorced. But the weight was really getting to him. “Almost there.” Dad quickened his steps. When they reached their site, James dropped his backpack to the ground and sank down beside it. “That was hard!” “But you did it.” Dad gave him a thumbs-up. “Let me get the tent set up, then we can go on a hike.” “I don’t know if I have the energy to hike.” “We’ll leave our backpacks,” Dad said. “That will make it easier.” James rested while his dad got the tent up, thankful that he didn’t ask for help. He watched his dad take his backpack to the tent and stick it inside before putting a lock on the door. “Let’s hike,” Dad said. James stood and started toward the trail that his dad pointed out. It almost felt like he was floating, his back felt so light. “It does feel better without the backpack.” “Told you,” Dad said. “It always feels better once you lay down your heavy load.” Where did I hear something like that before? James frowned. “Right, in church,” he said. “God promises to carry our load for us if we lay it down before Him.” “What was that?” Dad glanced back at him. James explained what his pastor had taught. “Jesus took our heavy load of sin when He died on the cross, and He is always with us when life gets heavy too. Like, when I’m sad about you and Mom not being together anymore, He can take my sadness and make it so it’s not so heavy.” He straightened up. “It’s like putting down my backpack and feeling lighter.” Dad wiped his eyes. “I’m sorry things are hard for you, bud.” “Me too,” James said. “But I’m glad that I have Jesus to help me.” –Emily Acker How about you? When you’re facing something that feels too hard for you to deal with on your own, do you turn to Jesus? Have you ever felt Him help you through a time that was incredibly hard? He carried your burden of sin to the cross, and He promises to help you with life’s burdens too. Lay your worries, hurts, and problems at His feet and trust Him to help you with them. Today’s key verse: Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT) Today’s key thought: Let Jesus carry your burdens

Read: 2 Samuel 9:3-11; Luke 14:13-14 “Lose your kickball scrimmage?” Dad asked. Will buckled his seatbelt. “No. It’s Carter again.” “The boy who uses a wheelchair?” Dad grinned. “He’s funny.” “Dad! Should you say that about someone who can’t walk?” “Why not? He wears a T-shirt that says ‘A Wheelchair Is How I Roll.’” Dad put the car in reverse. “He must have a great sense of humor.” “Well, I wish he wouldn’t watch us from the sideline the whole game.” Will shoved his dirty sneakers into his duffle bag. “I don’t know why he wants to play with us anyway. Don’t they have Special Olympics for kids like him? He should just play with his own kind of kids.” Dad put the car in gear. “Grab the Bible out of the glove compartment, Will. I want to show you something.” “You don’t have to read me a Bible verse about being nice, Dad. I don’t do anything mean to Carter.” “Just turn to Second Samuel 9.” Dad waited for Will to read the passage. “Well?” Will sighed. “King David asks if there’s anyone left in his friend Jonathan’s family and learns Jonathan has a son named Mephibosheth who can’t walk. So David finds him and tells him, ‘Don’t be afraid, for I will surely show you kindness, and you will always eat at my table.’” “King David didn’t ignore Mephibosheth or make him sit at a separate table for people with disabilities,” Dad said. “David included him. That story is a picture of what Jesus does for us. He died for us so we could be included at His table, even though we’re sinners. And He wants us to include others.” Will twitched his eyebrows the way he always did when he was thinking hard. “But how can we include Carter? You have to run in kickball. He can’t run.” “That’s your puzzle to solve,” Dad said. The next afternoon on the kickball diamond, Will assigned positions to his players. “Who’s pitching?” someone asked. Someone on the sideline caught Will’s eye. Carter. “Wait.” Will jogged over to where Carter sat. “Can you pitch? You just have to roll the ball to the kicker.” Carter’s face lit up, and he patted his chair. “I’m an expert at rolling. I’d love to pitch!” –Holland Webb How about you? Do you include everyone you can in games and other activities? Even if it takes some extra effort to include someone with a special need? We all have a need for Jesus. If He hadn’t died for us, we could never be included in His reward in heaven. How can you show others His kindness by including them? Today’s key verse: When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Luke 14:13-14 (NIV) Today’s key thought: Include everyone you can

Read: Matthew 14:25-31 Jonah climbed up the playset at the park close to his family’s apartment. Sirens wailed as he settled at the top and looked at the city around him. “Come on, Lydia.” Jonah offered his hand to his little sister. “It’s really cool once you get all the way up here.” “It’s scary.” Lydia shook her head and started to go backwards down the ladder. “I’m going to stay on the ground by Nana.” Jonah looked to where their grandma sat on a bench, taking a work call on her phone. She was busy, and he knew Lydia wouldn’t have any fun if she chose to sit by her instead of playing with him. “I won’t let you fall,” Jonah said. “I’ll make sure you’re safe.” “Okay.” Lydia started to climb up again. A gust of wind blew across the park, and Lydia’s eyes grew wide. “It’s windy. I’m scared.” She went back down to the ground and hugged herself tight. “You should come down too.” Jonah moved to the slide and slid down, then walked over to his sister and put his arms around her. “Do you remember the story of Peter in the Bible?” “He walked on water,” Lydia said. Jonah nodded. “But as soon as the wind blew, he got scared. He began to sink, and Jesus caught him. I’m not Jesus, but I’ll look out for you, Lydia. That wind isn’t going to blow you down. We’ll be safe.” “We can all be like Peter sometimes,” Grandma said, coming up beside them. “I trust God to take care of you two and your mom, but as soon as I hear about anything bad happening here in the city, I worry about the three of you living alone. The wind and other scary things can make all of us doubt. But Jesus is still with us in those times. He died to give us eternal life with Him, and we can trust Him to be with us no matter what.” Grandma put a hand on Lydia’s shoulder. “I bet you can see pretty far from the top. Why don’t you climb up with Jonah and try it out?” Jonah hurried to move up the ladder. “Come on, Peter,” he said. “If you get scared, I’ll reach out and hold your hand, just like Jesus did.” –Emily Acker How about you? Do you trust God even when things start to get a little scary? Or do you start to have doubts? Bad things happen sometimes, but Jesus promises to be with you when they do. Even when your faith falters, He is there to catch you and hold you up. He gave His life to save you, and He won’t ever abandon you. When you feel scared because of what’s going on around you, trust Him. Today’s key verse: Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” Matthew 14:31 (NIV) Today’s key thought: Trust God when you’re scared

Read: Matthew 5:14-16; John 8:12; 15:7-8 Jayce and Caleb grabbed their flashlights and headed outside for a game of flashlight freeze tag. Caleb moved among the shadows, silently sneaking up on friends and tapping them, freezing them in their spots. “Rats,” Chloe said. “I didn’t see or hear you, Caleb.” Chloe waited for a flashlight beacon to find her, unfreezing her to move again. Caleb had gone off to tag others. Then his flashlight quit. He flicked it off and on, off and on. Nothing happened. That’s when Chloe tapped him on the back. “Gotcha, Caleb. You’re frozen.” After Chloe ran off, Caleb’s voice filled the darkness. “Jayce, help! I’m frozen. My batteries are dead. And look out for Chloe!” “Good thing I always have extras,” said his brother. He touched Caleb with a beam of light and handed him more batteries. “Thanks, Jayce.” Unfrozen and with a flashlight that worked, Caleb quietly disappeared into the darkness. Later, the boys recapped their night. “Hey, I just thought of something,” said Caleb. “Remember the verse we learned in church—‘Let your light shine before others’? I didn’t really understand what that meant, but I think I get it now.” “How so?” asked Jayce. “When we were tagged, we were frozen, stuck in the dark until someone touched us with a flashlight beam. Well, Jesus is our flashlight. His light shines on us when we trust in Him, and we’re unfrozen from all our sinfulness. We’re free to move and think in new ways. We’re not wandering around in the dark because Jesus gives us the Holy Spirit, who guides us by shining His light in our lives. And we can be a light for others.” “I never thought about it like that, but yeah, you’re right,” said Jayce. “When your batteries died, you were stuck in the dark and couldn’t see. That’s what sin does to us. We need Jesus to unfreeze us and fill us with His light. Then we’re able to move and see clearly, and we can run to others and shine His light on them. Through our actions, they can see Him too. We’re like flashlights that shine Jesus’s light!” “Yeah, our batteries may fail us, but Jesus never will,” said Caleb. “He’s an endless source of light.” –Helen K. Dening How about you? Do you feel like you’re stuck in the dark? Or like you’re in an endless game of freeze tag and you’re frozen in place? Sin keeps us in the dark, unable to move or do anything good. When we trust in Jesus, He frees us from sin and fills us with His light. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?) Then we’re able to see and move so we can shine His light on others. Today’s key verse: Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 (NIV) Today’s key thought: Jesus is our light

Read: Deuteronomy 31:1-8 “Incoming!” Kason ran at top speed and jumped off a stump into a pile of freshly raked leaves. Grandpa leaned on his rake and laughed as Kason peeked at him from the center of the pile, where only the top of his head and eyes were visible. “Thanks for helping me today, kiddo! You deserve a nice jump or five!” “Come on, Grandpa!” Grandpa strolled over to the leaf pile and fell backward beside Kason. “Just as comfy as I remember,” Grandpa joked. Kason and Grandpa lay in the leaves facing the sky as the wind picked up. Several colorful leaves pulled free from tree branches and descended in spirals, twirls, and lazy drifts. “I wish you didn’t have to leave,” Kason said softly. “Me too, Kason. You know I’ll visit you as often as possible—and of course, you can visit me anytime!” “Yeah, but it won’t be the same.” Kason sighed deeply. “Everyone leaves.” “Sometimes it feels like that,” Grandpa agreed. “But don’t forget there is someone who never leaves.” “Jesus?” “You said it, kiddo! Throughout the Bible, God continually showed His people that He was near them. When Moses was nearing the end of his life, Joshua was preparing to take over leading the people of Israel into the promised land. Moses reminded Joshua twice that he didn’t have to be afraid because God would never leave him.” “I bet Joshua was sad and maybe scared because Moses wasn’t going to be there anymore,” Kason mused. “Maybe that’s why Moses told him twice that God wouldn’t leave him.” Grandpa nodded. “Sometimes I have to remind myself of God’s promises over and over when I’m feeling anxious or sad too. But like Joshua, we can trust God’s promise to never leave us. Jesus died for our sins to give us eternal life with Him, and He is always with us.” Kason reached out and caught a falling leaf, handing it to Grandpa. “I’ve got an idea, Grandpa. Let’s each write ‘Jesus Never Leaves’ on a leaf and keep it. When we start missing each other, we can look at it and remember God’s promise!” “Jesus never leaves.” Grandpa winked, waving the leaf in Kason’s face. “Clever! Wonder who you get that from?” –Savannah Coleman How about you? Do you ever feel like lots of people leave you? Maybe you had to move, a friend decided to stop talking to you, your parents got a divorce, or someone you love died. People leaving us can bring sorrow and loneliness. But there’s good news: Jesus never leaves! He gave His life to save us and promises to always be with us. We can be strong and courageous, knowing God is with us wherever we go. Today’s key verse: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 (NIV) Today’s key thought: Jesus never leaves