** Daily Devotional 에서 방송된 내용의 줄거리입니다. Daily Devotional은 Keys for kids Ministries에서 지원받은 프로그램입니다. 홈페이지 www.keysforkids.org로 들어가시면 Keys for kids Daily Devotional <May 25, 2021>에서 다시 들으실 수 있습니다.**

 

Learning to Fly (Monday)

Read: James 1:1-12 

 

"Mom, I think it's time!" Jenny waved her mother over, never taking her eyes off the tiny chrysalis hanging from the bush. "See, the top part has started to expand!" Jenny pointed to the wrinkles that had formed on the upper part of the chrysalis since that morning. "The website said that's a sure sign the butterfly is getting ready to come out!"

 

Jenny and her parents had been observing the chrysalis every day since Jenny had discovered it about two weeks before. During that time, Jenny had researched and learned a lot about monarch butterflies.

 

They watched for several minutes, but nothing happened.

 

"Maybe the butterfly needs help getting out," Jenny said, looking worried. "I'll go get some scissors."

 

"No," Mom said firmly. Then, more gently, she explained, "The monarch needs to exercise its wings so they'll become strong enough to fly. If it doesn't encounter any resistance while shedding the chrysalis, the butterfly won't grow strong and will never be able to fly. It has a long journey to make and needs strong wings."

 

The chrysalis finally started to split open, and the wet, crumpled butterfly wings were beginning to emerge.

"But I want to help it!" Jenny looked close to tears. "It looks so weak."

 

"God knows what butterflies need to grow and mature. The struggle is part of its growing process."

 

Mother and daughter watched in silence as the new butterfly hung upside down from the leaf, its beautiful wings slowly expanding in the sunlight.

 

"You know," said Mom, "as your parents, it's hard for your father and me to watch you struggle with things, like falling off the balance beam in gymnastics or figuring out how to do your math homework. But we know that if we removed all the obstacles from your life, you would never learn or grow as a person. Our spiritual lives are like that too. Wrestling with problems and facing difficult circumstances can help us learn to trust Jesus and grow stronger in our faith. He can use the difficulties you go through to make you more like Him and become the person He created you to be. Just like that butterfly."

 

As they watched, the butterfly opened its wings and flew away.

-Suzanne Felton

 

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Are you facing obstacles in your life right now? Life isn’t always easy. In fact, sometimes we encounter very difficult experiences. Jesus doesn’t always remove the obstacles in our lives, but He does promise to walk beside us and give us what we need to get through them. Just like a butterfly working its way out of a chrysalis, we can grow stronger in our faith as we learn to trust Jesus through our struggles.

 

TODAY'S KEY VERSE: James 1:3 (KJV)

For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. (NLT)

** Daily Devotional 에서 방송된 내용의 줄거리입니다. Daily Devotional은 Keys for kids Ministries에서 지원받은 프로그램입니다. 홈페이지 www.keysforkids.org로 들어가시면 Keys for kids Daily Devotional <May 24, 2021>에서 다시 들으실 수 있습니다.**

 

The Power Outage (Tuesday)

Read: John 1:1-5 

 

"Mom!" Erdi shouted as the living room plunged into darkness. "We don't have any power."

 

"Don't worry," Mom called from the kitchen, scraping a chair and banging a cupboard door as she rummaged around in the dark. "I'll get some candles."

 

A few minutes later, Mom came in with a lit candle and continued to light some scented candles in the house. Shadows from flickering candles danced across the walls, and the aroma of fruit and vanilla filled the room.

 

"Wow, Mom. The candlelight looks awesome!"

 

Mom and Erdi peered through the window. The whole street was in darkness, so Mom called the energy company while Erdi sat down on the sofa, thinking of all the video games he couldn't play and the TV shows he couldn't watch.

 

"Okay, they hope to have the power back on in about an hour," Mom said when she got off the phone. "The street is cut off, but we'll be okay. We have enough light."

 

Erdi glanced around at the flickering flames. "Last month Mrs. Ashworth taught us about the importance of light and electricity. We even wrote an essay on it. But I didn't really understand how important it is until now!"

Mom nodded thoughtfully. "Wait here," she said. "I have an idea."

 

She brought in some juice and a Bible. "Jesus and His disciples didn't have electricity. Let's read some stories about them."

 

They read some Bible stories together, then prayed and offered up their worries to God. Afterwards, Mom completed her Sudoku while Erdi read his comic by candlelight.

 

Without warning, there was a buzz and a hum as the lights and gadgets switched on. "At last," said Erdi, blinking in the dazzling light. "Phew! I didn't realize how bright our lights were until we were in the dark. That must be what Pastor Evans meant when he told us Jesus is like a light that shines in the darkness of sin."

 

"Yes," Mom replied. "His light changes us and fills us with His hope, joy, and peace. It's only when you see the light that you realize how dark it really was." She smiled and turned on the TV. "Now, how about we watch a movie together and eat some popcorn?"

 

-Cindy Lee

 

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Do you have the light of Jesus in your life? The Bible tells us He is like a light shining in the darkness that can never be put out. When we trust in Him, He brings us out of the darkness of sin and fills our lives with His light so we can reflect it to others. Let His light into your life today!

 

TODAY'S KEY VERSE: John 1:5 (KJV)

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. (NLT)

 

** Daily Devotional 에서 방송된 내용의 줄거리입니다. Daily Devotional은 Keys for kids Ministries에서 지원받은 프로그램입니다. 홈페이지 www.keysforkids.org로 들어가시면 Keys for kids Daily Devotional <May 27, 2021>에서 다시 들으실 수 있습니다.**

 

Search and Destroy

Read: Romans 8:31-39 

 

"Come on, Cyrus. We have to clean the basement now," called Dad.

 

With a sigh, Cyrus put down the book he was reading and went to the basement. Dad handed him a broom, and Cyrus began sweeping cobwebs out of corners while Dad cleaned a shelf.

 

"That must be a good book you were reading," Dad said.

 

Cyrus stopped sweeping. "Yeah! It's about some kids who are spies on a search-and-destroy mission." He described some of the adventures the kids in the story got into.

 

Dad smiled. "Well, you'd better get on with your own search-and-destroy mission here in the basement. The sooner you finish this job, the sooner you can get back to your book."

 

"Okay." Cyrus grinned and waved the broom. "Watch out, spiders! I'm coming after you!"

 

Dad dumped some trash in a container. "Are you aware you're battling someone who's on a search-and-destroy mission against you?"

 

"Against me?" asked Cyrus, a bit startled.

 

"Yep," said Dad. "Satan is the enemy of every Christian. His goal is to steal, kill, and destroy. He tries to steal your love for Jesus, kill your desire to serve Him, and destroy your witness for Him. He doesn't want you helping more people come to Jesus."

 

Cyrus frowned as he thought about what Dad had said. He thought about times when he hadn't wanted to pray or go to church, or had ignored someone who could have used some help or who needed a friend. "That's kinda scary," said Cyrus. "Satan is pretty powerful, isn't he?"

 

"That's true, he is," Dad agreed. "But he's not as powerful as God. Jesus defeated Satan when He died for our sins and rose again, and since we belong to Jesus, we can resist Satan's attacks. Jesus gives us the power to do what's right." Dad gave the basement an approving glance. "So, how's your search-and-destroy mission coming along?"

 

"I'm done!" declared Cyrus. "The spiders are no more. Can I go back to my book and see how it turns out?" Laughing, Dad nodded.

 

-Carolyn E. Yost

 

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Are you aware of Satan’s search-and-destroy mission against you? Are you on guard against it? Satan wants to lead you away from God and feed you lies. He doesn’t want your faith to show, because then more people might trust in Jesus. Satan has a lot of power in this world, but Jesus has already defeated him, and He gives you the power to resist Satan’s attacks. Jesus is stronger than Satan. Depend on Him to help you do the right thing.

 

TODAY'S KEY VERSE: 1 John 4:4 (KJV)

He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (NKJV)

** Daily Devotional 에서 방송된 내용의 줄거리입니다. Daily Devotional은 Keys for kids Ministries에서 지원받은 프로그램입니다. 홈페이지 www.keysforkids.org로 들어가시면 Keys for kids Daily Devotional <May 28, 2021>에서 다시 들으실 수 있습니다.**

 

What Really Counts (Thursday)

Read: Luke 18:9-14 

 

Adam and his friends were stunned. One of their classmates had been killed in a car accident. "We feel sad this morning," said Miss Walters, their teacher. "Sometimes it makes us feel better to remember good and happy things about a person who has died. Would anyone like to share something special about Chase?" So several students mentioned things they liked about their friend.

 

Amelia spoke first. "Chase played his horn really well."

"He was smart," said Jason. "He could figure things out real quick."

"He was always nice to other kids," said Marcy.

 

"Chase was a good person," said Dylan. "He went to church every week."

Adam fidgeted in his seat. The things the kids said were true, but nobody had mentioned the most important thing of all. Chase and I talked about it just last week. Do I dare tell them? he wondered. Adam hesitated a few minutes longer, then slowly raised his hand.

 

His teacher smiled at him. "Yes, Adam?"

 

"Well, my dad always says people are like cars," Adam began nervously. "But Chase wasn't at all like my brother Luke's car." Adam noticed some of the kids frowning at him and realized how odd that sounded. He hurried to explain. "See...when Luke found a car he wanted to buy, he had my dad take a look at it. It looked really nice, and Luke liked the audio system and stuff. But Dad kept saying, What about the engine? It's what's under the hood that really counts.' But Luke didn't listen, and now his car won't run half the time." Adam paused, surprised at the long speech he was making. He noticed kids were still frowning.

 

"That's interesting," said Miss Walters kindly, "but would you like to say something more about Chase?"

 

"What I wanted to say was...we've heard a lot of good things about Chase, but like I said, I'm glad I can tell you he's not like Luke's car. He didn't just look good. A couple of months ago, Chase told me he trusted Jesus as his Savior. That made him good in God's eyes, and that's what really counts."

 

Adam saw that a few kids looked puzzled, but some were smiling now. And he felt like up in heaven, Chase was smiling too.

 

-Hazel Marett

 

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Is your life like a car that doesn’t just look good, but is good? Going to church, being helpful and kind, and doing all sorts of other good things may help you look good to others. But to look good to God, you must receive His righteousness—His goodness—through Jesus. That’s what really counts. Trust Him as your Savior today.

 

TODAY'S KEY VERSE: 2 Corinthians 5:21 (KJV)

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. (NLT)

 

 

 

** Daily Devotional 에서 방송된 내용의 줄거리입니다. Daily Devotional은 Keys for kids Ministries에서 지원받은 프로그램입니다. 홈페이지 www.keysforkids.org로 들어가시면 Keys for kids Daily Devotional <May 29, 2021>에서 다시 들으실 수 있습니다.**

 

Discover Your Gifts (Friday)

Read: 1 Corinthians 12:12-19 

 

Maddie adjusted her backpack and followed her grandmother down the forest trail. Despite her silver hair, Gran still loved the woods and took each of her grandchildren on an overnight hike when they turned eight. Maddie had been eagerly awaiting her turn.

 

She helped Gran pitch the tent and cook lunch over the fire. "I heard you got in some trouble at school this week," Gran said as she settled on a log beside the flames. "What happened, sweetheart?"

 

Maddie looked away, embarrassed. "I hit Callie Thompson when she said my painting of the Mayflower looked like a dump truck."

"Her teasing made you angry?"

Tears filled Maddie's eyes. "No. I got angry because I knew she was right."

 

"I see." Gran sat silent. After a moment, she exclaimed, "Maddie, look! A bluebird! See how beautifully it's colored? It's one of my favorite birds in the forest. And listen. Can you hear the thrush? The male can sing over fifty distinct songs."

 

Maddie listened to the bird's flutelike notes, glad Gran had changed the subject.

"I expect we'll see many birds this weekend. Waterfowl, warblers, doves. Maybe we'll even spot an eagle. God made each one distinctive in its own way." Gran beckoned Maddie beside her on the log.

"It's the same way with people. Some can fix things. Others can teach or perform in plays. I happen to know that you sing well, you make friends easily, and you're generous."

 

"But I want to paint like Callie."

"With practice, you might. Or you might not. Do you see the robin complaining to the duck that she can't swim? Or the penguin wishing he could fly?"

Maddie smiled. "No."

"Then don't worry if you can't do everything well. Instead, discover what gifts God has given you. He created each one of us with different abilities so we can reach out to others and show them the love of Jesus in our own special way."

 

"I guess I wasn't very loving toward Callie, was I?" said Maddie.

 

"Well, it's not too late to change that," said Gran.

 

Maddie's eyes glinted. "I know! I could ask her to show me some painting techniques, then paint her portrait and give it to her!" She sighed. "But first I need to tell her I'm sorry."

-Michelle Isenhoff

 

HOW ABOUT YOU?

What are you good at? You can’t be good at everything, but God has given each of us unique gifts and talents. Sometimes it takes time to develop them; other times they come to us easily. When we use our abilities to help each other, people can see the love of Jesus in our lives. How can you use your talents to point others to Jesus?

 

TODAY'S KEY VERSE:  Ephesians 2:10 (KJV)

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (NIV)