Keys for Kids Devotional: Oct/Nov/Dec 2016

OCTOBER 1

A Lesson from the Bees

READ: PROVERBS 10:4-5; 12:24

Jacob’s heart beat faster as he climbed into the blue SUV. He dreaded the thought of facing his saxophone teacher, Mr. Burk.

Are you okay? asked Mom. You seem upset.

I don’t want to go to my lesson, Mom. I know I’ll do a rotten job of playing today.

Jacob, you’ll do fine if you practiced. Don’t worry. Just do your best.

That was the problem. He hadn’t practiced this week—Mom just hadn’t noticed.

Mom turned the car into Mr. Burk’s driveway. Scooping his books into his arms, Jacob pushed the door open and shuffled out. Mr. Burk greeted him, leaning his six-foot frame against the wooden gate.

Hi, Jacob, he said. I’ve got a surprise for you!

Jacob’s eyes brightened as he followed his teacher into his backyard. A low hum echoed from the almond tree and grew into a buzzing roar as Jacob got closer. Thousands of honeybees swarmed around the trunk near a hive cradled in the tree’s branches.

Guess what bees are doing when they land on flowers? asked Mr. Burk. They suck the flower’s juice—called nectar—and carry it to the hive to make it into honey. They make about sixty trips to a flower just to make one tablespoon of honey!

Do all bees have jobs? asked Jacob.

They sure do, replied Mr. Burk. Every bee works hard. Worker bees build the honeycombs, and sentries watch for enemies and sting them. Other bees flap their wings to keep the temperature in the hive close to 95 degrees so the honey won’t spoil. Isn’t that amazing? Jacob nodded. Well, we’d better go start our saxophone lesson, said Mr. Burk.

Yeah, Jacob whispered. As he followed his teacher inside, he thought of the bees and how hard they worked. They did their best and he hadn’t. His parents often talked about how the Bible encouraged hard work and doing your best for the Lord. Did that include the saxophone?

VIOLET E. NESDOLY

DO YOUR BEST FOR GOD

KEY VERSE

AND WHATEVER YOU DO, DO IT HEARTILY, AS TO THE LORD AND NOT TO MEN. COLOSSIANS 3:23

DO YOU WORK HARD AT THE THINGS GOD HAS GIVEN YOU TO DO? It can be tempting to do only as much as you can get away with, but hard work helps you develop your talents and skills—and one day God may want you to use them in a bigger way than you are now. Bring glory to God by doing your best in your schoolwork and whatever else you do.

OCTOBER 2

Copycats

READ: 1 PETER 1:13-16

Griffin angrily slammed the kitchen door as he entered the room. Startled, Dad looked up from his computer. Tell Cade to quit copying me! said Griffin, crossing his arms over his chest. He’s always following me around, and he tries to do everything I do. As Dad closed his laptop, Cade rushed into the kitchen. He marched over to his brother and promptly crossed his arms, too. See what I mean? complained Griffin as Cade stared up at him.

Dad motioned for Cade to come sit beside him. Cade, said Dad, you need to leave your brother alone now. Then Dad looked at Griffin. Cade copies you because he wants to be like you, said Dad. Take it as a compliment.

Griffin frowned. I don’t like copycats, he grumbled.

You don’t? Well, the Bible says we should all be copycats, said Dad. He reached over, picked up his Bible, and opened it. Come here. Dad pulled out the chair on the other side of him. Griffin shuffled over to the table and sat down. Here, said Dad. Read Ephesians 5:1 out loud for us.

Griffin took the Bible and looked at the verse Dad indicated. Therefore be imitators of God as dear children, he read.

What do imitators do? Dad asked. Griffin shrugged. Cade shrugged, too. They copy, said Dad. We’re supposed to copy God. Dad smiled at the boys. Cade cares for you, Griffin, and he shows it by wanting to do the same things you do. If we love God, we should show that by copying the way Jesus would behave in various situations and by developing attitudes God wants to see in us.

Griffin scratched his head. Giggling, Cade did the same. Then Griffin gave his brother a quick, playful punch on the shoulder. Cade punched back. He squealed as Griffin tackled him, and together they fell to the floor, laughing.

CAROL A. DECESARE

BE AN IMITATOR OF GOD

KEY VERSE

BE IMITATORS OF GOD AS DEAR CHILDREN. EPHESIANS 5:1

DO YOU GET FRUSTRATED WHEN OTHERS IMITATE YOU? Do younger kids try to act like you by repeating what you say or by wearing similar clothes? No doubt they do it because they admire you, so take it as a compliment. If you love Jesus, treat them the way He would. Let others see Jesus in you by the way you respond to various situations.

OCTOBER 3

TLC

READ: ROMANS 15:1-7

What happened to Ezra? asked Laura as she worked with her brother in the garden. Why doesn’t he come over anymore?"

I don’t know, replied Orson. He settled back on his heels. Ezra changed a lot when his parents got divorced. He started hanging with another group of kids, so I don’t see him that much anymore.

But you still see him at church, right? asked Laura.

Not really, said Orson. He hasn’t come in a long time. He sighed and started pulling weeds again. Whatever. I’m not going to go out of my way to be friends with him if he’s not interested.

Watch what you’re doing! exclaimed Laura. That’s one of Mom’s lavender plants you’re trying to pull up.

But it’s dead, said Orson, and stuck, too. I can’t get it out.

Laura knelt beside him. Look. It’s not really dead. There’s a little green on it down here. She pointed to a green spot. And it’s stuck because lavender plants put their roots down really deep.

Well, if it isn’t dead, then why does it look like this? said Orson.

Laura shrugged. It had a hard winter, I guess. Mom says some plants weather the winter better than others. Some aren’t damaged by the winter weather, but others don’t do so well. I guess this lavender plant had a tougher time for some reason. We’ll just have to take special care of it now. Laura grinned. Mom would say it needs TLC—tender, loving care.

Orson sat and stared at the plant until Laura finally nudged him. Hey, get back to work! she said.

I was just thinking, Orson said slowly. Maybe Ezra needs TLC, too. He’s had a rough time lately, so maybe I should be taking special care of him.

I think you’re right, said Laura. It sounds like he needs a friend to stick with him through everything he’s going through. She yanked a weed out of the ground. And it sounds like he needs someone to pray for him, too.

BARBARA J. WESTBERG

SHOW TLC TO OTHERS

KEY VERSE

COMFORT THE FAINTHEARTED, UPHOLD THE WEAK, BE PATIENT WITH ALL.1 THESSALONIANS 5:14

DO YOU HAVE A FRIEND WHO’S GOING THROUGH A TOUGH SITUATION? Are you unsure how to respond or wondering if they still want to be friends? Don’t give up on them—let them know you’ll be there for them no matter what. And the best thing you can do for them is pray! Ask God to help them through their situation and to show you how you can be a good friend.

OCTOBER 4

Behind the Shield

READ: PSALM 3

Phoebe stood outside the door to one of the rooms in the aquarium. I don’t want to go in there, she protested. It’s full of sharks.

Oh, come on, Phoebe, said Ward. The sharks are behind thick glass walls.

It’s perfectly safe, honey, Dad assured her. Ward is right. Those walls shield you from the sharks. There’s no way they can get out.

Well, I still don’t like it, Phoebe said fearfully, but she joined her family as they entered the room.

On either side of the aisle, glass walls rose from floor to ceiling, and beyond the glass was a magnificent reproduction of life beneath the sea. Phoebe felt like she had sunk to the floor of the ocean. Hundreds of glittering fish swam about, taking no notice of her. Oh, look! she exclaimed. There’s a giant sea turtle! Phoebe stepped forward and watched with her face close to the glass as the turtle swam away. Then she saw a dark shape emerge from the dim shadow at the side of the tank. It grew larger and larger as it swam toward her. A shark! screamed Phoebe. She darted back as the creature glided by right in front of her eyes. She knew there was really nothing to be afraid of, but she was glad when they left the area.

That evening there was a lot of excited chatter as the family gathered for their daily devotional time. I still don’t like those sharks, said Phoebe. They’d probably like to sink their teeth into us!

Dad smiled. Perhaps, but sharks don’t worry me as much as what preys on our family every day, he said, reaching for his Bible.

You mean the devil, don’t you? asked Ward.

Yes, said Dad. Satan would like nothing better than to sink his teeth into us, in a spiritual sense. But God is like the thick glass that kept the shark away from us. He’s our shield from Satan’s attacks.

ELLEN C. ORR

GOD SHIELDS HIS CHILDREN

KEY VERSE

YOU, O LORD, ARE A SHIELD FOR ME.PSALM 3:3

DID YOU KNOW GOD IS A SHIELD FOR HIS CHILDREN? He loves you and is watching over you, even when scary things happen. But also be aware that Satan is ready to attack if you step out from behind your shield. Read your Bible to learn what God wants you to do, and obey what He teaches you. Then you’ll enjoy the peace and protection God provides.

Journal It!

Have you ever wished for a shield—something to protect you from the things that scare you or that tempt you to sin? If you know Jesus as your Savior, you have protection from those things. God is your shield in times of hardship and temptation (Psalm 3; 2 Timothy 4:18; Ephesians 6:10-11). So you don’t need to lie awake worrying about what might happen or if you’ll be able to resist doing wrong. Instead, live in grace and trust, relying on the One who is your shield.

Spending time in God’s Word is the best way to hear God speak.

Read 1 Peter 5:6-10. Then take some time to answer the questions below.

What scary things do you feel like you need a shield from? Tell God about them here.

What sins do you feel like you need a shield from? Talk to God about them in the space below.

How is God our shield? What things do you know about God from Scripture that show you He is good and you can trust Him?

Know that in Jesus you have all you need to obey and serve Him as a Christian (2 Peter 1:3-4). He is good, and He provides the strength—in scary times and in temptation—that you need to walk with Him (1 Corinthians 10:13; Psalm 46:1).

Ask an Adult: If God is shielding me from Satan, why am I still tempted to do wrong things?

What do you do when you’re scared or tempted to sin?

What is the armor of God? (See Ephesians 6:10-17.)

OCTOBER 5

New and Beautiful

READ: EPHESIANS 2:1-10

Mom! Mom! called Zane one morning. Look what happened!" He was clutching a glass jar with holes punched in the lid and some twigs and leaves on the inside.

Mom and Emily, Zane’s little sister, went to see. Mom took the jar, and they peered through the glass. Oh, cool! said Mom.

Cool? wailed Emily. How can you say that? Fuzzy’s dead! He’s all closed up in that dead piece of skin. He’s not even moving!

It’s okay, honey, said Mom. He’s just beginning the next phase of his life. I know you liked Fuzzy as a caterpillar, but this is all part of God’s plan for caterpillars. You knew this would happen. We talked about it, remember?

Yeah, Emily, said Zane. When the time is right, caterpillars weave a chrysalis around themselves, and then they change.

Oh, right, said Emily. I forgot.

The chrysalis is what you see around Fuzzy now, said Mom. In a way, he dies as a caterpillar while he’s in the chrysalis. But in a few weeks, you’ll get to see him as a new creature. He won’t be a caterpillar anymore—he’ll be a butterfly. Mom smiled. It reminds me of when a person becomes a Christian, she added. We’re spiritually dead when we’re born into this world. But when we place our faith in Jesus, we become part of God’s family, and we’re changed. We become alive in Him. Fuzzy will be more beautiful when he leaves that chrysalis, and our new life in Christ is much more beautiful and free than the old one was.

Zane grinned. And we didn’t even have to spin a chrysalis!