Read: Ephesians 6:10-18
Callie sat at the edge of her bed and put on a pair of white socks. Then she looked up and saw her brother Jackson standing in her doorway wearing one black sock and one white sock. Callie laughed. “Your socks don’t match,” she said.
Jackson looked down at his outfit. “They do too. The black one matches my black jeans and the white one matches my white t-shirt.” Jackson smiled a big toothy grin, and Callie rolled her eyes and smirked.
Just then Dad came out of his room holding a black sock and a white sock. “Have either of you seen the match to either of these socks?” he asked.
“Yeah,” said Callie. “On Jackson’s feet!” Jackson was slightly big for his age, and sometimes he borrowed Dad’s socks. Dad shook his head as Jackson stood on one foot and yanked the black sock off. He handed it to his dad in exchange for the white sock.
After breakfast, they met in the living room for their morning devotions. “Time to get dressed for the day,” Dad said.
“But we’re already dressed,” said Jackson, looking down at his clothes. “We even have matching socks!”
“I’m talking about getting dressed spiritually,” said Dad. “Think of it this way. Why is it important to wear socks?”
“Well, socks help keep our feet warm and dry,” Callie said.
“And they protect them from getting hurt by rubbing against our shoes,” Jackson added.
Dad nodded. “The Bible talks about putting on spiritual clothes called the armor of God that help and protect us. They help us remember God’s promises and protect us from the devil’s attacks. And one of the things we need to put on like socks is the gospel of peace.”
“How do we do that?” Callie asked.
“By reminding ourselves that Jesus has saved us from sin and won the victory over Satan. That means we don’t have to give in to sin or listen to the devil’s lies. One good way to remember that is to read God’s Word. The Bible reminds us what Jesus has done for us so we can feel His peace in our lives.”
Jackson smiled. “Well, let’s get started. I want to make sure I’m wearing matching gospel socks!”
–Melissa Yeagle
How about you? Do you remember to put on socks every day? What about gospel socks—do you remember to put those on every day too? You do that by remembering what Jesus has done for you and that you belong to Him. Praying, reading the Bible, and spending time with Him are ways you can put on the spiritual clothes you need to stand up against evil and feel God’s peace in your life.
Today's Key Verse: Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground. Ephesians 6:13 (NIV)
Today's Key Thought: Put on God’s armor
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Come to the Table
Read: Matthew 7:7-11
Keaton watched a frog as it hopped around the yard. When it stopped, it blended in with the grass. If Keaton looked away, he had a hard time finding it until it started hopping again.
When Dad got home, he joined Keaton on the porch. “Hey, Keaton. How was your day?”
Keaton shrugged. “I just spent the last half-hour playing hide-and-go-seek with a frog.” He sighed. “Not that he ever tried to find me.”
Dad sat down on the step. “Sounds like an interesting game. How about a contest to see who can find the frog first?” Keaton nodded, and the two spent the next several minutes trying to spot the frog.
“Thanks for playing with me, Dad,” Keaton said after the frog hopped underneath the porch. “It’s a lot more fun than playing by myself.” He kicked at a stick in the grass. “I’m thankful you got a new job and we got this nice house, but I miss my friends from our old neighborhood.”
“I know,” Dad said, patting Keaton on the back. “Have you tried praying about it?”
Keaton frowned. “Doesn’t God already know what I’m going through? Why doesn’t He just give me what I need without me having to ask Him for it?”
Just then Keaton’s stomach let out a loud grumble, and he and Dad laughed.
“It sounds like you’re as hungry as I am,” Dad said. “I’m sure Mom has something for dinner, but she won’t bring it to us out here. We have to go to the table. Sometimes that’s the way Jesus does things too. He always knows what we need, but sometimes He waits for us to bring our worries and problems to Him first.”
“Why?” asked Keaton.
“To help us look to Him as our Savior and trust Him to provide us with everything we need—even when He doesn’t give us exactly what we ask for.”
Keaton’s stomach growled again. “Okay, Dad. I’m ready to go in for dinner. But first can we pray and ask God to help me make some friends?”
Dad nodded, and they bowed their heads and prayed together.
The next day when Dad got home from work, Keaton was sitting on the porch with two other boys his age, all of them trying to spot the frog.
–Melissa Yeagle
How about you? Do you bring your worries and problems to God? Do you ask Him to provide the things you need? He already knows exactly what you need—and sometimes it may be different from what you ask for. But He still wants you to bring your needs to Him so you can learn to trust Him in all of life’s situations. Jesus loves you and gave His life to save you. In Him, you have everything you need.
Today's Key Verse: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7 (NKJV)
Today's Key Thought: Bring your needs to God
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Not So White
Read: Psalm 51:7; Philippians 2:1-11
“I’m glad I’m not like Rachel,” Mackenna said as she gazed at the falling snow through the car window.
“What do you mean?” Mom asked with a slight frown.
“Well, Rachel is kinda—oh, I don’t know—stuck on herself a bit. Whenever we talk, she does most of the talking, and it’s usually about all the things she’s good at.” Mackenna rolled her eyes. “What an ego!”
“Rachel is good at a lot of things,” said Mom. “But so are you! You don’t think you have an ego?” She gave Mackenna a sideways glance.
“Of course not! Do you ever hear me bragging about what I can do?”
“No, but that doesn’t mean your heart is humble. And isn’t your heart what we really should be concerned about?” Mom pulled into the driveway and turned off the engine. “Tell you what, why don’t you go get Bumpkin and let her run around outside for a while?”
Mackenna gave her mother a confused look, but she went and got her pet bunny.
“Before you set her down,” Mom said, “tell me what color Bumpkin is.”
Mackenna laughed as they both looked down at the fuzzy bunny. “White, of course!”
“Are you sure?” Mom asked. “Put her down in the snow.”
Mackenna set her rabbit down at the edge of the snowy yard and stood back. “Ew!” she said. “She looks so dirty!”
“Yep,” agreed Mom. “She doesn’t look so white anymore! Snow has a way of making other white objects look gray.” Mom turned to Mackenna. “It’s the same with us. We may think we’re pretty good when we compare ourselves to other people. But when we compare our hearts to Jesus, we see how dirty they really are.”
Mackenna nodded sheepishly. “I guess when I compare myself to Jesus, I’m a lot like Rachel after all.”
“We all are,” said Mom. “That’s why Jesus died on the cross for our sins. When we trust in Him and ask Him to forgive us for the wrong we do, He makes our hearts whiter than snow!”
“I guess I need to remember that when I’m around Rachel,” Mackenna said as she watched Bumpkin hop around in the snow. “And ask Jesus to forgive me for comparing myself to her instead of Him.”
–Rebecca Thomas
How about you? Do you ever compare yourself to others? It may make you feel better about yourself sometimes, but it doesn’t give an accurate picture of what your heart is really like. Jesus is the only perfect standard. When we compare ourselves to Him, it’s easy to see our hearts are dirty with sin—but He can make them whiter than snow. (To learn more, go to Have You Heard the Good News?)
Today's Key Verse: They are only comparing themselves with each other, using themselves as the standard of measurement. How ignorant! 2 Corinthians 10:12 (NLT)
Today's Key Thought: Compare yourself to Jesus
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The Perfect Time
Read: Matthew 5:23-24; Romans 12:18; 1 John 1:9
“Jia’s mad at me,” Lara told her mother as they drove down a country road toward town. “When she got an A on our spelling test and I got a C, I—well, I said she must have cheated. I know I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Why don’t you text her and apologize?” suggested Mom.
“Okay, I will, but not right now,” Lara said. “I’ll wait until she’s in a better mood.” As Mom turned down a side road, Lara looked at her in surprise. “Why are we turning here?”
“This is a shorter way to town,” said Mom. “I don’t know how good the road will be after all the rain we’ve had, but let’s give it a try.”
For a short distance the road was good, but then the pavement ended and the road became very muddy. “I think we should go back,” said Lara.
“I think you’re right,” said Mom. “We’ll have to find a place to turn around.”
“How about there?” Lara pointed to a narrow path leading into a field.
Mom slowed down, but then shook her head. “Those ditches at the side of that path are awfully deep. We need to find a better spot.”
A little later, Lara motioned toward a wider spot in the road. “How about here?”
But Mom passed by that one too. “That’s not exactly the perfect spot either,” she said.
“Mom!” Lara threw her head back against the seat. “If you ask me, the first possible spot is always the perfect spot!”
“I’m beginning to think you’re right,” Mom said as she stopped the car and began to back up.
After they turned around, Mom spoke. “Waiting for a perfect spot was pretty silly, huh? We made a mistake in coming this way, and the first chance to correct that mistake was the best chance. That’s also true when we make mistakes that hurt others. When we realize what we did was wrong, we need to confess our sin to Jesus so He can forgive us and help us make things right. That includes apologizing to those we’ve hurt right away.”
Lara sighed. “Okay, I get what you’re saying. Can I use your phone so I can text Jia?”
–Corrine Canavan-Fifield
How about you? Do you have a hard time saying you’re sorry when you’ve done something wrong? It’s not easy to admit our mistakes, but putting it off usually makes things worse. Jesus promises to forgive us the moment we confess our sins to Him, and He’ll help us restore our relationships with others. So don’t wait for a better time—apologize and ask for forgiveness right away.
Today's Key Verse: First go and be reconciled to them. Matthew 5:24 (NIV)
Today's Key Thought: Say you’re sorry right away
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Little Prayers
Read: Isaiah 53:4-5; Matthew 10:29–31; Hebrews 4:16
As soon as Carolina wiped away one tear, another lousy one slid down. She grew tired of crying over her sinus issues because it only made her throbbing head worse. She sniffled. “I don’t understand how Jesus promises to wipe away every tear. That sounds exhausting!”
G-ma kissed Carolina’s forehead. “Darling, crying is okay, especially when we cry out to Jesus. Have you prayed about it?”
“Yeah, sure,” Carolina huffed. “During prayer this morning, Jesus said there are bigger problems.”
G-ma lifted an eyebrow. “He said that to you, sweetie?”
There was silence as Carolina gathered her thoughts. “I mean…I think I just felt guilty praying about my sinus issues when Lily has leukemia.” Carolina pointed to her little sister Lily who was collecting red berries from the bushes. “My pain seems so small compared to hers.”
“Look, G-ma!” Lily tossed berries in the air and giggled.
“Don’t you eat those!” G-ma turned to look at Carolina as she ran to stop Lily. “Oh, honey, yes, Lily is hurting, but so are you. If Jesus knows how many hairs are on our heads and our every thought, then our small problems are a big deal to Him. That’s why He encourages us to pray about everything.”
“Sounds like Jesus really cares,” Carolina replied.
“He does. Do you remember earlier when Lily was sad that she couldn’t find any little red berries and you immediately helped her find some?” Carolina nodded. “You cared about her small request because you love her and knew it was important to her,” said G-ma. “How much more would the Lord help us with our problems, big or small? Because of His love for us, Jesus suffered and died for all our sins on the cross. He cares about all our pain because He experienced all kinds of pain too, and He wants to help us and comfort us.”
Carolina relaxed her shoulders. “Wow, Jesus really was listening…”
“CANNONBALL!” Lily jumped on top of Carolina and squeezed her tightly. They erupted in laughter.
G-ma smiled and leaned over to wipe another tear out of Carolina’s eye. “Remember to keep praying. Jesus is always with you, darling.”
–Toria Keyes
How about you? Are you afraid that the Lord won’t fight your battle because others are dealing with worse problems? We serve a God who knows what it feels like to bump a funny bone or get a paper cut. Whatever your situation is, He wants you to know you are not alone. What are the little red berries in your life—small things that are still really important? Jesus cares about those things and wants to help you with them.
Today's Key Verse: Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:30–31 (NIV)
Today's Key Thought: Jesus cares about small things
About Keys for Kids - daily devotions and Bible stories for kids and families
Keys for Kids is a daily storytelling show based on the daily Keys for Kids children's devotional. Hosted by Zach, this podcast combines Scripture readings with captivating stories that illustrate essential Biblical principles. With Zach's creative voices bringing characters to life, listeners embark on a faith-filled journey. Tune in to discover the keys to growing in faith and understanding God's love. Produced by Keys for Kids Ministries, this podcast is a treasure trove to help young hearts grow closer to God.
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