Keys for Kids - daily devotions and Bible stories for kids

Keys For Kids Ministries
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Keys for Kids - daily devotions and Bible stories for kids

Keys For Kids Ministries is a children's ministry organization, offering Keys for Kids, Down Gilead Lane, and much more.

  1. 17 HR. AGO

    The Broken Train

    "Oh, Nathan, don't cry," Sydney told her little brother when he showed her his broken train. "Let's go see if Grandpa can fix it." They took the train to Grandpa's workshop, where he checked it over. "No problem," he said. "I'll make it as good as new." The kids hopped onto the workbench to watch. When Grandpa started bending a wheel on the train, Nathan gasped. "Stop, Grandpa! You'll make it worse." "Don't be silly, Nathan," said Sydney. "Grandpa's fixing your train, not making it worse!" Grandpa nodded and continued his work. "You're not doing it right," Nathan told Grandpa a moment later. "That piece has to go onto the engine--like this." He reached for the train. Grandpa set the train down. "Nathan, why don't you play outside for a while? This is going to take some time." "But I want my train now!" Nathan grabbed it and headed for the door. Sydney turned to Grandpa and shook her head. "Silly kid! He gave you his train to fix and then took it back without letting you fix it." "He'll probably bring it back soon," Grandpa said. He chuckled. "It makes me think of how we do the same thing with God sometimes." "We do?" Sydney asked. "How?" "By bringing our problems to Him but then continuing to try to fix them our way," Grandpa replied. "Last week you told me you were worried your parents might not be able to afford camp this summer. You said you prayed and gave it to God, right?" Sydney looked down. "Yes. But I've still been worrying about it." "I overheard you pestering your mom about it too," Grandpa said. "So did you leave it with God, or did you take it back?" "I--I guess I took it back," Sydney admitted. "It's hard not to worry." Grandpa nodded. "Worrying means we're not trusting God to handle things that are out of our control. If you start to worry, why not pause and quietly talk to Jesus? He died on the cross to have a relationship with you, and He cares about your problems. Trust Him to help you and give you His peace." Just then the door swung open and Nathan came in and handed Grandpa his train. –Tanya Ferdinandusz

  2. 1 DAY AGO

    Setting Habits

    "Mom, why is Dad scowling?" asked Jackson as he watched Dad working at the edge of the new concrete patio he had poured. "I think the patio looks great!" "I think so too. But the concrete is setting faster than Dad expected." "Setting?" asked Jackson. "You mean it's already getting hard?" "Right," said Mom. "It's easy to level and smooth cement when it's first poured, but once it's set, you can't change it. So now he has to work fast to try and get it the way he wants it before it's too hard." "Oh. Well, I wish I could help him, but I guess I can't." Jackson picked up his baseball mitt. "Is it okay if I go to the park to practice throwing with José for a while?" "That's fine--if you've finished the other things you need to do," said Mom. "Did you pick up your room and take the trash out? And how about your quiet time? Did you do that?" Jackson nodded. "I knew you'd ask that, so I did all those things right after breakfast." "Good for you," said Mom. "I'm glad you're making it a habit to do your work and to pray and read your Bible before going out to play. It's important to practice good habits now so you'll keep doing them when you're older--and spending time with Jesus is one of the best habits to practice. When we spend time with Him, He reminds us that He loves us and will always forgive our wrongs and be with us, no matter what we face in life." Jackson watched his father frantically try to smooth the quickly hardening concrete of their patio. "Does that mean habits are like concrete and harden in place?" "That's a good way to look at it," said Mom. "Both good and bad habits can become hardened into a person's life over time." "And that's why you want me to set good habits while I'm young," said Jackson. Mom nodded. "We can start new habits at any age, but the sooner we let go of bad habits and replace them with good ones, the sooner those good habits will be set in place. The best time to start practicing a good habit is today--no matter how old you are." –Pauline Youd

  3. 2 DAYS AGO

    The Only Ticket

    Seeing the gigantic merry-go-round, Harper and Violet squealed in excitement and ran ahead of Mom and Dad to the entrance. They stood next to the height chart. They were both tall enough. "Whoo-hoo!" Harper clapped her hands in excitement. The merry-go-round came to a stop and the riders got off. Harper and Violet were about to dash through the gate when someone's arm blocked their way. "Hang on, kids. Not so fast." It was the ride operator. Harper and Violet gave each other a puzzled look when the operator let other kids go past them and get on the merry-go-round. "Why can't we ride?" asked Violet. "We're tall enough!" Just then Mom and Dad walked over. "Finally caught up with you!" Mom said. "Mom," Harper said, her face full of disappointment. "He wouldn't let us on. Why?" Dad reached into his pocket and pulled out four small pieces of paper. "Here, you need your tickets." Harper and Violet each grabbed one and brought it to the ride operator. He opened the gate and let them in. They each picked a horse to ride on, bouncing up and down on them excitedly. Mom and Dad gave their tickets to the operator and got on too. "You know," Mom said thoughtfully, "this reminds me of something Jesus said. There is no other way to heaven except through Him. Tell me, why couldn't you ride the merry-go-round at first?" "We didn't have our tickets," Violet replied. "And why was that?" asked Mom. "We just thought we needed to be tall enough," said Harper. "We didn't know we had to have tickets for it." "Right," Dad said. "You couldn't ride the merry-go-round without a ticket, and you can't have eternal life without Jesus. It's a gift you need to receive from Him. There's nothing you can do to get to heaven on your own. Your only ticket is to trust Jesus as your Savior, who paid your way by dying for your sins and rising from the dead." Soon the merry-go-round started moving. "I'm glad I have my ticket for the merry-go-round," Violet said as their horses moved up and down. "But I'm even happier I have Jesus and that one day He'll take me to heaven!" –Goh Su En and Goh Shao En

  4. 3 DAYS AGO

    A Strand of Happiness

    "Did you see that clunky bracelet Megan is wearing?" Vivian whispered to the girls sitting near her on the bus, but Megan overheard. She looked down at the beaded bracelet she and her grandmother had strung together. Spaced between bright round beads were letters spelling J-O-Y. Megan had been excited to wear her new bracelet, but now it seemed silly. She quickly walked past Vivian and her friends as she got off the bus. "Hi, sweetheart," said Grandma as Megan came in the house. "Do you want a snack before we finish your necklace?" "Grandma, would it be all right if we did something else today?" "Sure, Megan, but you seemed so excited about beading." "I am. It's just that Vivian said something to some other girls about my bracelet." Megan sighed. "She's supposed to be my friend." "Well," said Grandma, "I have something I want to show you. Then if you still don't want to finish your necklace today, we'll do something else." Grandma led the way to her craft room. Jars holding beads of many shapes and colors lined the shelves. Grandma reached for a jar hidden behind the others. "I've been saving this for a special project." She pulled out a large red heart-shaped bead. "Why don't you add this to your necklace?" Megan looked at the necklace she had begun yesterday. The string was already full--there was only room for the clasp. "Grandma, there's no more room. I'd have to take off some beads." "You know, friendship is a bit like stringing beads," replied Grandma. "You have to decide what to keep and what to put aside. We have both happy and hurtful moments with our friends. But if we hold on to the hurtful moments, we won't have room for anything else. Forgiving friends when they hurt us makes room for joy." Grandma carefully eased some beads off the string. She threaded the heart onto the strand and handed Megan the necklace. "When forgiving is hard, we can go to Jesus," Grandma said. "He's the Friend who always forgives us, and He'll help us forgive others." "I need to forgive Vivian," Megan said as she slid more beads onto the strand. "Then we'll have room for more happy moments as friends." –Heidi J. Schmidt

  5. 4 DAYS AGO

    Pass the Chips

    "Mommy, can I have some juice? Ivy made me thirsty! She gave me potato chips." Ivy grinned at her little brother. "You didn't have to eat them, Kylan." "Yes, I did," said Kylan. "You made me want them! You said they were so good, and you kept eating them and eating them. That's why I ate so many, and now I'm thirsty!" "You can have some water," said Mom. She poured water into a cup and gave it to Kylan, then reached over and took a potato chip from the bowl in front of Ivy. "Did you know that Christians are supposed to be like potato chips?" she asked, holding up the chip in her hand before popping it into her mouth. "What? That's silly." Ivy took another chip from the bowl and studied it. "How can anybody be like a potato chip?" Kylan grinned at his big sister. "I'd sure be thirsty if I ate a potato chip as big as you, Ivy. That would be a giant one!" "Yes, it would," said Mom. "You'd probably have to drink a whole bucket of water!" She gave Kylan a playful jab. "Well, that's exactly how you're supposed to be like a potato chip--you should make people thirsty to know Jesus." Ivy frowned. "How are we supposed to do that?" she asked, taking a few more chips. "Potato chips make you thirsty because they're so salty, and Jesus calls His followers the salt of the earth," Mom explained. "If we're salt, we should make people thirsty for the joy, peace, and hope we have in Jesus." "I still don't get how to make them want that though," said Ivy. "Kylan said you made him want the potato chips by telling him how good they were, right?" said Mom. "He also saw you keep eating them and that you enjoyed them." "I think I get it!" said Ivy. "We should tell our friends how great it is to know Jesus and let them see how glad we are to have Him in our lives." "That's it," said Mom. "Jesus is always with us, giving us joy, peace, and hope--even in difficult times. You want to make them thirsty and want what you have." Mom crunched another chip and smiled. –Mary L. DeMott

  6. 5 DAYS AGO

    The Son Still Shines

    Eva zigzagged around mud puddles as she walked home in the rain, but her feet were still getting wet. I know Mom and Dad both had to work late today, but I wish they'd asked someone to give me a ride, she thought gloomily. And they know I don't like being home alone! But when Eva reached the back porch, she was surprised to see her older sister there. "Hi!" said Kate. "I'm home from college for the weekend." She grinned. "What a beautiful, sunshiny day, don't you think?" "No, I don't!" said Eva, wiping water off her face. "Oh, but it is!" insisted Kate. "Even if it doesn't look like it." "I think you've been studying too hard, Kate. Your brain must be taking the weekend off too." "So you're saying the sun isn't there anymore?" Kate asked, peering up at the heavy clouds. "That it totally disappeared?" "Of course not," Eva answered. "But it's sure hidden. I haven't seen it for days!" "Well, just because we can't see the sun doesn't mean it's not there. Behind those dark clouds, the sun still shines! It just goes to show that we can't always trust what we see--we need to trust the truth." When Eva didn't reply, Kate smiled and added, "Take Jesus, for example." "Jesus?" asked Eva. "What do you mean?" "Well, when bad things happen, we might feel like we're all alone, but we're not," Kate explained. "Jesus is always with us. The truth is that He's there, whether we feel like He is or not." "So the clouds are like our problems," said Eva. "The clouds keep us from seeing the sunshine, but the sun is still there--and dealing with hard stuff may keep us from feeling like Jesus is with us, but He really is there." "Right!" said Kate. "Because Jesus died and rose again to defeat sin and death, nothing can separate us from God and His love. That's His promise in the Bible, and we should trust Him. The sun is always shining, and God's love is always shining too." Eva grinned. "Okay. So how about going for a walk?" She laughed when her sister made a face. "Come on, Kate. Don't let a little rain stop you on this beautiful, sunny day!" –Diane Strawbridge

  7. 6 DAYS AGO

    Hannah's Prayer

    Hannah looked eagerly at the plates of food the waitress set down on the table. She could hardly wait to eat. "Hannah," said Dad, "why don't you lead us in giving thanks today?" Hannah glanced around the busy restaurant. "Right now?" she asked. "What if the waitress comes back with the ketchup?" "I'm sure she won't mind waiting," said Dad, and they all bowed their heads. Hannah glanced around again, then mumbled a quick prayer. Luke looked up when she finished. "I couldn't even understand what you said!" "Me neither," said Phoebe. "You talked too fast." "I wasn't praying to you," said Hannah. "God understood me, and He knows I'm thankful." "Hannah's right," said Dad. "God does know what she prayed--but, Hannah, Luke and Phoebe are right too." Mom's eyes met Hannah's. "Do you find it embarrassing to pray?" she asked. "No, not usually," said Hannah. "But everybody is watching us here." "Who is?" asked Luke, looking around. "Well, it feels like everybody is watching us when we all close our eyes," said Hannah. "Why can't we pray with our eyes open?" "It isn't your eyes that God is concerned about--it's your heart," said Dad. "We give thanks as a family before each meal because we know God is the one who provides food for us. He provides everything we need--including forgiveness for our sins and eternal life through Jesus. He has given us so much, and we want to thank Him with grateful hearts." "Exactly," said Mom. "Whether our eyes are open or closed or our prayer is silent or spoken out loud, the important thing is to remember that God provides us with everything we need and thank Him for it." Hannah stared down at her plate, thinking about her parents' words. Then she put down her fork. "Can I pray again?" Mom and Dad nodded. "Dear God," Hannah began, and from her heart she thanked God for the food. She finished with a hearty "amen," which was repeated by another "amen" next to the table. Hannah looked up as the waitress smiled and handed her the ketchup. –Heather Tekavec

  8. FEB 23

    Pruning Muscadines

    It was a sunny, warmer-than-normal February afternoon. "It's a perfect day to prune the muscadines!" Dad announced. Cole and Ella threw on their warm clothes and met Mom and Dad outside. Dad hooked the trailer up to the tractor while Mom got the pruning tools. Then she and the kids climbed into the trailer while Dad took the wheel. As they rode down to the vineyard, Cole asked, "Why do we prune the muscadines every year?" "Yeah," Ella agreed. "We're cutting back the vines. Won't that mean fewer grapes?" "Actually, the old shoots just take food away from the main vine," Mom explained. "They cause the vines to produce less fruit." "So we prune them so they'll produce more muscadines," said Cole. Dad pulled the tractor up to the first row. He and Mom began snipping away at the old vines while Ella and Cole collected the cuttings to make wreathes later. After a successful day of work, everyone gathered in the living room for devotions. Ella paused her wreath-making as Cole handed Dad the Bible. Dad flipped to a page and read John 15:2. "He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more." "That's what we did today!" said Ella. "We pruned the muscadines so they'll bear more fruit." Mom nodded. "But the Lord has to prune us sometimes too." "What do you mean?" Cole asked. "Well, sometimes there are things in our lives that the Lord has to cut away, such as sinful patterns or unhealthy attitudes. This process can be painful, but if we allow the Lord to prune us, we can be certain that it will help us grow in our relationship with Jesus, our Vine. We can't grow spiritual fruit by ourselves, which is why we need the Holy Spirit to prune us. Then our lives will overflow with spiritual fruit as we shine the love of Jesus to others." "I want to be like a well-pruned muscadine vine," said Cole. "Me too!" Ella exclaimed. –Lisa Fuller

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Keys For Kids Ministries is a children's ministry organization, offering Keys for Kids, Down Gilead Lane, and much more.

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