Keys for Kids - daily devotions and Bible stories for kids

• The Ocean

  Bible Reading: Psalms 8; 104:24-28Carson loved visiting the aquarium. There was so much to see there, and he not only liked seeing the bigger fish but also the smaller ones and the other creatures that lived in the ocean. He could spend hours watching the tanks and all the different creatures that lived in them."Having fun?" Carson's uncle Brett asked.Carson's younger cousins were running back and forth, shouting out the names of everything they saw, but Carson had chosen to stand and quietly observe the tank in front of him.Carson nodded. "This is awesome.""It is. Just think about God's creativity with all of this," Uncle Brett said. "He could have made all the fish look alike, but instead they are different colors, shapes, and sizes.""Yet they all live together in the ocean." Carson shook his head. "It's amazing."They continued on in the aquarium for a while before taking a break for lunch. Carson was disappointed to leave. "There's just so much to see. I want to make sure we get to all of it," he said with a sigh as he followed his family away from the tanks."We'll see more of it after lunch," Uncle Brett said. "And since you're so interested, maybe we'll have to come back again. Or better yet, maybe you and I could go snorkeling one day."Carson's eyes widened. "Really?"Uncle Brett nodded. "I always love seeing more of God's creation. The ocean is filled with even more amazing creatures than we can find here.""That would be so cool," Carson said.Uncle Brett nudged his shoulder. "The ocean and all that's in it is pretty amazing, but one of God's most special creations is right here.""Huh?" Carson glanced at him."You!" Uncle Brett said. "God created you and your cousins and me and all people with just as much care as He did all the creatures in the ocean. But He made us in His own image, and when we were separated from Him because of sin, Jesus died and rose again to save us and give us eternal life. I think that makes us pretty special, don't you?""Yeah." Carson smiled. "But I'd still love to go snorkeling in the ocean." –Bethany AckerHow About You?When you look at the ocean and all the creatures that live in it, does it amaze you? How does it feel to know God made all that and that He made you too? People are God's most special creation, and He loves us so much He sent Jesus to die for us so we could live with Him forever. When you look at God's amazing creation, remember how special you are to Him.Today's Key Verse:There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number--living things both large and small. (NIV) (Psalm 104:25)Today's Key Thought:God created the oceans and you

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• Shaped Like Clay

  Bible Reading: Isaiah 55:10-11; Jeremiah 18:6Tiago held a headless clay animal in his hand. "Mom!" he wailed. "I forgot to put my animal back in the container, and the clay got all hard and dry before I could finish, so now it doesn't have a head!" "I'm sorry, Tiago," said Mom. "But it's too late to do anything about it now. It's time for bed." "But my animal project is due tomorrow, and now all this work was for nothing!" Tiago groaned as he dropped the animal onto his dresser and crawled into bed. Mom glanced at the Bible on Tiago's dresser. "Aren't you going to read a few verses before you go to sleep?" she asked. "I thought you did that every night."Tiago shrugged. "I've been busy lately, and I don't understand it very well anyway." He pulled the covers up to his chin. "I think it'd be better to wait until I'm older so I can understand it."Mom picked up the animal Tiago had made. "Did you know that we're a lot like clay?" "We are?" asked Tiago.Mom nodded. "The Bible compares us to clay that God shapes. When you shaped this, it took time, didn't it? You kept working with it until it looked good. God does that with us. One way He does that is through His Word--the Bible. Even though you don't understand everything, it helps you learn more about Jesus and what He did to save you. As you read and listen to God's truth in the Bible, He works in your heart and helps you learn to trust and obey Him so He can shape your life into something beautiful."Tiago looked at the hardened clay his mom was holding. "He'll probably do a better job shaping me than I did with that animal, huh?""Yes," said Mom. "You can trust Him to shape you to be more like Jesus--and reading your Bible will help you understand more about what that looks like." Mom set down the animal and picked up Tiago's Bible. "So do you want to read a few verses now? You can let me know if you need help understanding them.""Okay," said Tiago. "But don't go far away. I'll probably need help!" –A.J. SchutHow About You?Does the Bible seem too hard for you to understand? Even though you don't understand everything, it helps you learn more about who God is and what He's done for you. So spend time reading it each day, and ask other Christians--like parents, teachers, or pastors--to explain some of the things you find difficult. God will use it to shape you into the person He wants you to be.Today's Key Verse:My word…will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire. (NKJV) (Isaiah 55:11)Today's Key Thought:God shapes you through His Word

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• New Creation

  Bible Reading: Romans 8:28-29; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21Trey was excited because today Grandma was finally going to teach him how to make her famous molasses bread. As Dad dropped him off and waved goodbye, Trey could already taste the rich, fluffy bread and the salty crunch of toasted oats on top.Grandma welcomed Trey with a hug and led him into the kitchen. They used sign language to communicate because Trey was deaf. Grandma signed "flour," "molasses," "yeast," and "spoon." Trey scurried around the kitchen to find the ingredients while Grandma started mixing. As they added more and more ingredients, a dark and gooey dough formed. Grandma placed a towel over the dough bowl before gently setting it in a sunny part of the kitchen."Why doesn't the dough look like bread yet?" Trey signed.Grandma smiled. "The dough must rise before it goes in the oven."That made sense to Trey. After an hour and a half, they checked the dough. It was double the size and very poofy. Grandma punched down the dough before laying it on the pan and putting it in the oven.Trey frowned. The dough still didn't look like bread. It didn't look tasty at all. Did Grandma forget something?He asked her this, and she replied, "Just you wait and see."When Grandma took the tray out of the oven, Trey was nervous. But the bread looked perfect, smelled perfect, and tasted even better than perfect.As they ate, Grandma said, "You know, making bread reminds me of what it's like to become God's new creation."Trey shrugged, confused. Grandma continued. "Before we put our trust in Jesus, we are like raw, scattered ingredients--we don't have a purpose. We are controlled by our wrong desires and deserve death because of our sin. But Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross, and rose from the dead so we could have new life and live with Him forever. Jesus gives us a purpose--to love Him and others and become more like Him. Just like the dough needs the oven to become bread, we need Jesus to be saved from sin and be made new."Trey nodded eagerly and took Grandma's hand to pray. Somehow this seemed even better than Grandma's famous molasses bread.–Hannah ChungHow About You?Have you ever baked something and wondered, "How do these random ingredients make something so delicious?" Without the oven, the dough would be raw and inedible. Similarly, we can only have true life by trusting in Jesus. When you trust Him to save you, God immediately makes you new! Trust in Jesus today and experience a new life of purpose. (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:Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (NKJV) (2 Corinthians 5:17)Today's Key Thought:Christ alone makes us new

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• Mango Messes

  Bible Reading: Romans 8:35-37; 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; 1 Peter 4:12–14Alisha ran inside the house. "There's a butterfly outside!" she exclaimed. "I got a picture on my phone. Do you want to see it?" she asked Devin, her older sister."Sure." Devin inspected the photo. "That butterfly is beautiful," she said as she cut into a mango. Alisha frowned as juice hit her phone. "That mango juice is getting everywhere."Devin shrugged as a piece of mango flew across the kitchen. "I'm trying to keep it from splashing all over the place, but mangos are messy."Alisha sat down at the counter and watched her sister. "Why eat mangos then? If they're messy, you could just not buy them." Devin popped a piece of mango into her mouth. "Because they taste really good, and I think it's worth it." She gave Alisha a smile. "It's kind of like your school problem." Alisha blinked. "Your mango is like people being mean to me at school because I believe in Jesus?" she asked doubtfully. "Kind of. Being a follower of Jesus can be messy. The Bible even tells us that--it says others might make fun of us or try to make life harder for us, like the kids at school who are mean to you. But you haven't stopped trusting in Jesus, have you?" Alisha looked shocked. "Why would I do that? He died for my sins so He could be with me all the time, and someday I'll be able to spend forever in heaven with Him."Devin smiled. "See? Knowing Jesus is worth it. Just like the mangos." She cut into a second mango. Alisha ducked so no juice would hit her. "I don't care how messy following Jesus is! Just like you don't care how messy your mango is." She thought about that for a moment. "I guess that makes sense. Kids at school make fun of me, but I know that Jesus loves me and died to save me, and that's worth whatever mean stuff people say." Alisha shrieked as a piece of mango hit her arm. "But those mangos are not worth it at all. I'm getting out of here!" –Kimberly BrokishHow About You?Has anyone ever been mean to you because you believe in Jesus?* Maybe they've called you names or said Jesus isn't real. The Bible tells us that being Christians doesn't protect us from all hardships--in fact, sometimes we will experience difficulties because we follow Jesus. But the Bible does tell us that Jesus will always love us and be with us. Take comfort in knowing that Jesus will be with you no matter what happens. He is worth any difficulties that come with following Him. *If someone is being mean to you, talk to a trusted adult so they can help.Today's Key Verse:That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (NIV) (2 Corinthians 12:10)Today's Key Thought:Hardships come when we follow Christ

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• Have Jesus, Will Travel

  Bible Reading: Joshua 1:1-9The sick feeling in Micah's stomach got worse as the plane lifted off the ground and lurched into the air. Everything below him was the size of ants. Not only did he feel sick to his stomach, his chest felt tight too. Dad sat next to him and tried to smile encouragingly. It didn't help. Since his parents' divorce he'd had to spend most of his time with Mom and went to visit Dad in the summer and over Christmas. Every time he left Mom, Micah felt scared. He wasn't afraid of his dad--he loved him--just scared of change. Of traveling to new places. Airports. Big cities. The sadness he felt from his parent's divorce was bad enough, but the fear that came with it made him feel like his life was out of control. The plane leveled off, and Micah began to breathe a little easier. Dad reached over and gave him a hug. "Change is hard, isn't it? New things and places can be uncomfortable. But I know something that might help you." Dad pulled out his Bible. "This morning I read about Joshua leading the children of Israel into their new land. There were bad guys to fight, he'd never led anyone into battle before, and change was all around him. But God was with him and brought him through it all." Dad squeezed Micah's arm. "I know your mom's and my divorce has been very difficult for you and how many changes you've had to go through. But I also know that because you trust in Jesus, God is with you and will never leave you. Wherever you go, He goes. God was with Joshua just like He promised, and He promises to be with you too. You don't have to be afraid."After Micah listened to Dad read some verses from his Bible, he thought about it for a while. He liked the idea of never being alone. Someone would always be with him when new things happened or new people came into his life. And not just anyone, but someone who loved and cared about him. A trusted Friend--Jesus. Micah relaxed back into his seat and smiled. "You know, Dad, I think this is gonna be our best visit ever!" –S.K. FryHow About You?Have you ever been afraid of change? Of being alone? God promises in His Word that He will always be with His children. Jesus gave His life to save you from sin and make you God's child, and He will be with you in hard times and give you strength and guidance. No matter what happens or where you go, He will always be with you. Today's Key Verse:Be strong and courageous…for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (NIV) (Joshua 1:9)Today's Key Thought:God is with you

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