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

Read: 2 Corinthians 4:16; 5:1-5

“Hey, kids, how about a camping trip to the mountains this weekend?” Dad asked enthusiastically at the dinner table one night.

“I’m in!” yelled Rico. He wanted to get his vote in before his older sister said something negative.

Sure enough, Cara frowned. “Dad, remember the last time we went camping? Our tent collapsed in the middle of the night because we didn’t put it up right, and the mosquitos nearly ate us alive.”

Rico giggled. “Don’t forget the night we camped on a beach. When the tide came in, water sloshed into our tent. Everything got soaked!”

“The scariest experience for me,” said Mom, “was lying in the tent listening to some animal making a racket outside. I was sure it was a bear.”

“But it was only a cute little raccoon!” Dad grinned. “Fun memories, huh? Reminds me of something I read in the Bible the other day about tents.” He got up to find his Bible.

“Really? The Bible talks about tents?” Rico asked.

“Yup. Here it is. Second Corinthians 5:1-5.” Dad read the passage aloud.

“You see?” Cara looked triumphant. “Even the Bible says tents are trouble!”

Mom laughed. “Except those verses are really comparing our bodies to tents. It’s saying that as long as we’re in our frail human skin, we’re at risk of experiencing all kinds of sicknesses, temptations, and hardships.”

“Right,” said Dad. “But don’t forget that it also says our weak bodies are temporary. We’ll only have them for as long as we live on this earth. One day, when Jesus returns, He will provide those who trust in Him with a new home—He’s going to get rid of sin, sickness, and death forever and make the whole world new. And there we will have perfect bodies. Invincible!”

“Like Superman!” shouted Rico. “Cool!”

“Well, in the meantime,” said Mom, “what do you say we trade the tent for a mountain lodge this weekend, maybe near a lake?”

Everyone cheered but Dad, who shrugged good-naturedly. “Okay, okay. I hear you! But we’re not through with camping. We’ve got plenty more adventures out there, just waiting for us!”

–Deborah Meroff

How about you? Have you ever thought of your body as a kind of tent? A tent is temporary—it’s meant to be used for a short time while you’re away from home. And this world is not our home—as Christians, our home is with Jesus. One day He will come back and make the world new so it can be our home forever, and He’ll give us perfect bodies that will never wear out! Until then, remember He’s with you in the temporary hardships you face.

Today’s key verse: For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened. 2 Corinthians 5:4 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: Our weak bodies are temporary

Read: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Chan walked into the six-inch-deep stream right behind his friend Oliver. The water filled his shoes and stuck his pants to his ankles. The round stones shifted under his feet as he slogged through the water.

Further downstream the rocks became larger and rougher, the ground more uneven, and the water muddy. Chan felt around with one foot before taking each step. Even when he found a good rock, sometimes the surface was slick.

Suddenly his foot slipped. He fought for balance, but he fell with a huge splash.

Oliver hurried back to him. “Chan, are you okay?” he asked, reaching down to help Chan to his feet.

“I’m fine,” Chan said. “I mean, besides being so wet.” He laughed and tried not to cry. His elbow hurt, and he had scraped his knee. He wasn’t sure he wanted to keep walking. He would probably just fall again.

“I have an idea,” said Oliver. “Put your arm around my shoulder, and I’ll put my arm around yours. Now let’s try walking in the creek.”

Chan and Oliver took a step forward at the same time. Then another. And another. Suddenly Chan slipped again, but this time Oliver held him up.

After a couple more steps, Oliver slipped, and Chan caught him. They started walking faster and with more confidence, and whenever one of them slipped, the other caught him so he didn’t fall.

“This is fun,” Chan said. “I was scared I’d fall again, but now I feel safe.”

“Maybe we can help each other out of the water too,” Oliver said. “You know, like Pastor Evans was talking about in church last week. He said Christians need to hold each other up spiritually when we start to fall. That’s why going to church and having Christian friends is so important.”

“How can we hold each other up spiritually?” Chan asked. He thought about it. “I know! We could talk about what we read in the Bible.”

“Yeah, and we can share stuff we’re struggling with or worried about and pray for each other,” added Oliver.

“That sounds like a great idea,” Chan said, holding on to his friend as he walked across another slippery rock. “We’re stronger together!”

–Amy Glendinning

How about you? Do you ever feel like the Christian life is too hard? Do you forget to read your Bible or have trouble praying? Maybe you’re discouraged about struggles in your life. Jesus never meant for you to walk with Him alone. Become friends with other Christians and talk often about Jesus and His promises in the Bible so you can encourage and support each other as you walk with Him.

Today’s key verse: Two are better than one…For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NKJV)

Today’s key thought: Christians can help each other

Read: Romans 5:6-11

Oh no! Poor little bird! Aelin thought when she noticed a bird fluttering around in the grass. It’s hurt. I think it has a broken wing. Maybe I can help it. She picked up her butterfly net and tried to catch the bird, moving slowly and quietly toward it. But each time she got close, it flapped its wings and wiggled out of her reach. The bird led her to the front of the house. Just when she thought she could catch it, the bird flew up and perched on a power line high above her. Aelin was surprised. That bird can fly! Why was it acting like its wing was hurt? She ran into the house to ask her mom about it.

Mom smiled when she heard Aelin’s story. “There’s a nest with baby birds in the maple tree out back,” she said. “I think that must have been the mother bird, and she wanted to lead you away from her babies.”

“But wasn’t she afraid I’d catch her?” Aelin asked.

“Maybe, but she’d rather have you come after her than get too close to her family.” Mom smiled at Aelin and gave her a hug. “She’s a good mother, isn’t she? Parents who love their children that much would do almost anything to keep them safe.”

“Wow!” Aelin said. “I guess we don’t think about that very often.”

“What’s even better is that someone loves us more than parents do,” said Mom. “Someone actually died for us!”

Aelin smiled. “You mean Jesus, don’t you?”

Mom nodded. “He willingly gave His life for us so we could have our sins forgiven and live with Him forever. We know that, but we don’t often think about how much love it took. It makes me feel good to think someone loves me that much.”

“Me too,” said Aelin.

When Aelin went back outside to play, she heard baby birds chirping way up in the tree. “Your mother loves you,” she called to them, “but Jesus loves me even more!”

–Karen Cogan

How about you? Do you realize how much Jesus loves you? He loves you so much that He came down to earth and suffered and died on the cross so that you could be saved from sin and have eternal life with Him. Have you responded to His great love by trusting Him as your Savior? If not, trust in Him today! (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)

Today’s key verse: We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. 1 John 3:16 (NLT)

Today’s key thought: Jesus loves you

Read: Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Peter 4:8-11

“Your friend Mason is really growing in his faith, isn’t he? It’s been fun to see him plug in at church,” Uncle Ken said as Aiden helped him replace the worn-out boards on the porch.

“Yeah,” Aiden said.

“His solo with the junior choir was great,” Uncle Ken said between creaks and squeaks as he pulled nails. Aiden didn’t answer. As they worked, he was very quiet—too quiet. Uncle Ken put down his hammer. “Aiden, is everything okay?”

Aiden sighed. “It’s just that Mason does everything better than I do. I used to sing solos, but now Mason sings most of them. He’s the star student in our class at church too—he brings more visitors and learns more Bible verses than anybody else.”

Uncle Ken nodded. “Get the tape measure out of the toolbox, will you, Aiden? Let’s measure and cut the new boards.” He grinned. “What would you think if the hammer got mad when we started using the tape measure? Or what if the tape measure said, ‘You left me in this box for an hour, so I’m not going to measure anything for you’? Or, ‘If you don’t let me pull nails, I won’t work’?”

Aiden grinned. “They couldn’t do each other’s jobs! They’re tools. They have to do what they’re made to do.”

“Right,” Uncle Ken said. “And Christians are tools in God’s hands—He gives each of us a job to do. It’s not a competition. We serve because we love Jesus and want to share His love with others, not to make ourselves look good.”

Aiden frowned. “But why does Mason have to do everything I do—only better?”

“How many hammers are in my toolbox, Aiden?” asked Uncle Ken.

Aiden checked. “Two,” he said.

Uncle Ken nodded. “And I use both of them. It’s like that with Jesus. He uses us in different ways, but like any tool’s purpose is to serve the carpenter, His purpose for all of us is the same—to work in our hearts so that we’ll grow in our relationship with Him and share His love with others. It’s not about what we do or how well we do it—it’s about trusting Him to use us however He pleases to accomplish His greater purpose.”

–Barbara J. Westberg

How about you? Are you jealous of other Christians? Remember that Jesus uses each of us to do His work and share His love with others in the way He knows is best. We often compare our tasks and abilities to other people’s, but that’s not what God is concerned about—His focus is on our hearts and how to shape them to make us more like Jesus. Trust Him to help you serve Him faithfully as one of the many tools in His toolbox.

Today’s key verse: Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others. 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)

Today’s key thought: Christians are God’s tools

Read: Philippians 1:21-26; Revelation 22:3-5

On the way home from church, Joanna noticed her brother staring out the window. “What’s wrong, Derek? You’ve hardly said a word since we got in the car.”

Derek sighed. “I was just thinking about what Pastor Kevin said about Jesus coming again.”

Joanna frowned. “Don’t you want Him to come?”

“Sure…someday,” Derek replied.

“Sometimes I wish He’d come right away,” said Joanna. “Like before my math test tomorrow.”

“If you’d study, you wouldn’t have to wish that,” Derek pointed out.

“Wishing for Him to come soon is a good thing,” said Joanna. “Grandma always ends her prayers with ‘Lord, come quickly,’ remember?”

“That’s easy for her to pray—she’s old!” Derek said. “I want a dog first, but if Jesus comes too soon, I’ll never get to have one.”

Dad smiled. “Remember the camping trip we took last summer? I promised we’d go, but we couldn’t set an exact date because I didn’t know when I’d be able to get off work. So we got all our camping stuff ready and then went on with our daily lives.”

“That’s right,” said Mom. “When Dad finally said he could go, we hopped in the car and took off. Nobody wanted to stay home and miss all the fun of camping, even if it meant not being able to do other things we had planned.”

“You’re saying that being with Jesus will be even better than having a dog, aren’t you?” Derek asked.

“Better than we can imagine!” Dad said. “He’s always with those who trust in Him, but when He comes back, we’ll be able to see Him face-to-face, and He’ll restore all of creation so there will be no sin, sickness, or death ever again! Until that time comes, He wants us to keep loving others and growing in our relationship with Him. Working, learning, making plans, having fun—those are all important things God wants us to enjoy, but none of them compare to what it will be like when we’re with Jesus.”

“I guess you’re right,” said Derek. “But I still hope I get to have a dog while I wait for Jesus to come!”

–Bonnie L. Kinne

How about you? Have you ever hoped Jesus wouldn’t come back before you had the chance to do certain things? Are there places you want to see, people you want to meet, or activities you’d like to try? It’s good to hope and plan for things like that, but remember that nothing compares to what awaits for those who know Jesus. When He returns, we will live with Him in a new, perfect world, and it will be better than anything you can imagine!

Today’s key verse: [Jesus] says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 22:20 (ERV)

Today’s key thought: Nothing compares to being with Jesus