** Daily Devotional 에서 방송된 내용의 줄거리입니다. Daily Devotional은 Keys for kids Ministries에서 지원받은 프로그램입니다. 홈페이지 www.keysforkids.org로 들어가시면 Keys for kids Daily Devotional <Jan 09, 2022>에서 다시 들으실 수 있습니다.**

 

Living Hope (Monday)

Read: Psalm 42; Romans 5:1-11; 15:1-13 

 

Masiko raced to the garden on the other side of the road. The sun shone warm and comforting on her head as she ran. She waved at a majestic-looking kob, a type of antelope plentiful in Uganda, that was watching her lazily from behind some reeds. Masiko gathered some bananas and jackfruit for her mother, then ran back across the road.

 

She heard the motorcycle too late. Pain seared down Masiko's leg as she hit the hard ground. A man scrambled off the motorcycle and raced to help her, concern etched in the lines on his forehead.

 

Weeks later, Masiko was still in the hospital. The bone in her leg had been shattered in several places, and the doctor spoke to her mother in hushed tones about the length of time it would take her to recover.

 

After Masiko's mother left that night to care for her brothers and sisters back at home, nurse Afyia came in to check on her. "You are such a sweet girl," Afyia told her. "You are always smiling even though I know you are in pain." Afyia adjusted Masiko's pillow for her. "Masiko, do you mind if I ask you a question?" Afyia's dark eyes were kind. "How are you so full of joy? Your life has been interrupted by this unfortunate accident and you have to spend your days in this bed, yet you still radiate hope."

 

Masiko grinned. "Afyia, do you know what my name means? Hope! I have hope because of Jesus. I want to show you a Bible verse I read this morning."

 

Masiko pulled her turquoise-covered Bible out from under her pillow and flipped to the book of Romans. "Here it is--‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him.' God is the one who gives me hope. No matter what happens, I can trust Him because He gave His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for me so I could have eternal life! I am His child, and nothing can happen to me without Him knowing about it. He has a reason for me being in this hospital. I may not understand, but He is with me, giving me comfort and hope."

 

Afyia's eyes glistened. "Masiko, please tell me more about this God of hope."

 

-Savannah Coleman

 

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Have you ever had something that seemed hopeless happen to you or someone you love? In John 16:33, Jesus tells us that in this world, we will have trouble. However, if we know Jesus, we are not alone. God gives us hope and comfort through the power of His Holy Spirit. We can have confidence knowing that Jesus has promised us eternal life and that any suffering we endure can make us more like Him.

 

TODAY'S KEY VERSE: Romans 15:13 (KJV)

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (NIV)

 

 

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

 

Mid-Flight Refueling (Tuesday)

Read: Psalm 119:33-38 

 

"Can we please skip family devotions tonight?" Anson asked after dinner. "Max is at Wyatt's house, and they said they'd wait for me before starting a video game. Besides, we already learned about God this week--we were just at church yesterday. So can't we skip devotions this one time?"

 

Dad looked at Anson thoughtfully. "True, we did go to church yesterday, but I think reading the Bible--personally or as a family--is a little like mid-flight refueling."

"Like what?" asked Anson.

 

"When I flew with the Air National Guard, our fighter planes got fueled up at the airfield before they took off, but then they would be refueled in the air too," Dad explained. "I was with the fuel tanker plane, and we'd be a few miles up in the air with the fighter jets maneuvering below us. We had to fly along at exactly the same speed, and then the operator aboard our tanker would lower a pipe from the underside of the plane and position it to connect with the jet."

 

"How fast would you be going?" Anson asked.

 

"Oh, about four or five hundred miles per hour," said Dad.

 

"Wow!" Anson's mouth dropped open in amazement. "I didn't know that!"

 

"Refueling planes in mid-flight keeps them going so they can fly much farther and accomplish more without having to come back to the base," said Dad. "Christians need to refuel too. We need Jesus to refresh us spiritually. He does that for us at church as we hear God's Word preached and explained, but we need Jesus more than once a week--we need Him all the time! One way to remember that He's always with us is to spend time with Him as we pray and listen to what He says to us in the Bible. It reminds us to depend on Him and that He's given us the power to do what's right. That's why I think it's helpful to have devotions every day--so we can let Him refuel us spiritually as a family."

 

"Okay, I think I get it," said Anson.

 

"Good." Dad winked as he picked up his Bible. "Once we're done refueling, you'll have plenty of time to go play with your friends before you're due back at the base."

 

-Lucinda J. Rollings

 

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Have you been getting mid-flight refueling by spending time with Jesus? He is with you all the time, and He wants to continually refresh you with His love, peace, and joy. So take time to refuel spiritually by reading your Bible, thinking about what it says, and talking with Him. Let Him give you the fuel you need to get through each day.

 

TODAY'S KEY VERSE: Hebrews 4:12 (KJV)

God’s Word is living and powerful. It is sharper than a sword…It cuts straight into where the soul and spirit meet and it divides them. (NLV)

 

** Daily Devotional 에서 방송된 내용의 줄거리입니다. Daily Devotional은 Keys for kids Ministries에서 지원받은 프로그램입니다. 홈페이지 www.keysforkids.org로 들어가시면 Keys for kids Daily Devotional < December 30, 2021>에서 다시 들으실 수 있습니다.**

 

Why So Snappy? (Wednesday)

Read: 1 Peter 3:8-12 

 

"Taelyn is so mean!" Niyah said as she came into the kitchen. "She's been rude to me all week!" A tear slipped down her cheek as she slumped into a chair.

"I'm sorry," said Mom. "What's going on? Taelyn's been a good friend for a long time."

 

"I don't know, but I'm getting sick of her snapping at me," said Niyah. "If she doesn't stop it, I'm going to--" The loud yipping of a dog sent Niyah and her mom running to the window. "It's Baxter!" Niyah exclaimed. "It looks like his paw is caught between the boards of the deck!" They ran out the back door.

 

"I knew we should have fixed the gap between those boards," Mom said as she knelt beside the whimpering dog. As she reached out to touch him, Baxter snapped at her hand. "It's okay, Baxter," she said softly. Once more she reached for him, and again Baxter snapped. After several attempts, Mom was able to pick up the little dog, and they took him to the vet.

 

When they got home, Dad was home too. "I'm so glad Baxter's okay," Niyah told her dad when she explained what had happened. "He has a sprain, but the vet said he'll be fine. But he's still kind of snappy."

 

"That's because he's still hurting," Dad told her. "He'll need some extra love and care for a little while."

Niyah nodded. "Don't worry. I'll take care of him!"

 

"Good," said Dad. "By the way, I heard some sad news today. Taelyn's mom works in our office, you know, and she told me she's filing for a divorce. I thought you should know so you can pray for Taelyn and her family. She may need some extra love and care too."

 

"Oh no!" Niyah took a deep breath. "I didn't know that."

 

"Sounds like Taelyn is hurting, just like Baxter," said Mom. "No wonder she's been snapping a lot lately." Mom put an arm around Niyah. "It sounds like she needs someone to be there for her--someone who can remind her that Jesus loves her and will help her through this, even when she doesn't act so nice."

 

Niyah nodded. "I'll take care of Taelyn too," she said. "Even if she snaps at me!"

 

-Barbara J. Westberg

 

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Is there someone who’s been snapping at you? Have you thought about why they might be acting that way? It’s possible that person is hurting. They may be facing problems they don’t feel they can share with anyone. Such a person needs to know that Jesus cares about them and wants to help. So don’t snap back. Instead, try to ease the pain with your love, kindness, patience, and prayers.

 

TODAY'S KEY VERSE: 1 Peter 3:9 (KJV)

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called. (NIV)

 

** Daily Devotional 에서 방송된 내용의 줄거리입니다. Daily Devotional은 Keys for kids Ministries에서 지원받은 프로그램입니다. 홈페이지 www.keysforkids.org로 들어가시면 Keys for kids Daily Devotional < December 31, 2021>에서 다시 들으실 수 있습니다.**

 

End of Vacation (Thursday)

Read: Ecclesiastes 3:1-14; John 19:28-30 

 

When Jack sat down for lunch, his mom noticed his glum mood. "What's wrong, Jack?" she asked. Jack just shrugged.

 

Mom placed sandwiches and chips on the table. "It's a beautiful day," she said after they thanked God for their food. "You have several Christmas gifts to keep you busy, and school is out for a few more days. But you don't look very happy."

 

"It's just that…Christmas vacation is almost over," Jack replied. "School starts next week, and I haven't gotten anything done."

"What do you mean?" asked Mom. "What didn't you get done?"

 

"I was going to read the book Tommy lent me and learn how to ski during vacation," said Jack. "And I was going to surprise Dad by cleaning the garage and vacuuming the car. I was even planning to shovel Mrs. Patten's walks and driveway for free, but I never got around to it. She ended up hiring someone." He sighed loudly. "I wasted my whole vacation."

 

"I understand how you feel," Mom said. "I often feel that way myself when I don't get to everything on my to-do list. But, Jack, you didn't waste your vacation."

Jack looked up from his sandwich. "I didn't?"

 

Mom shook her head. "You spent time with friends and family, and you also got a much-needed break from a busy school year. Rest and relationships are important too. Instead of fretting over everything we want to get done, we need to trust Jesus to help us do the things He wants us to do. We can rest and enjoy time with others because Jesus did what we could never do ourselves--He died and rose again so we could have eternal life with Him!"

 

"So, it's okay I didn't do all that stuff?" asked Jack.

"Would it even be possible to do all that in two weeks?" Mom asked, grinning.

Jack smiled. "I guess not."

"But it's good you want to use your time well and help others," said Mom. "Maybe you can set aside time to work on things that are really important to you. And you still have a couple days of vacation left."

 

Jack nodded and began wolfing down his sandwich. "I should have time to clean the garage before Dad gets home!" -Holly F. Cepeda

 

HOW ABOUT YOU?

How have you been spending your Christmas vacation? Did you have fun? It’s important to relax and enjoy spending time with others. Maybe you had things you hoped to accomplish too—did you do them? It’s good to set goals and get things done, but remember that Jesus has already accomplished the most important thing of all. Trust Him to help you use your time well as you balance work, fun, and rest.

 

TODAY'S KEY VERSE: 1 Peter 3:18 (KJV)

Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. (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 < Jan 02, 2022>에서 다시 들으실 수 있습니다.**

 

Superhero (Friday)

Read: 1 Thessalonians 1:10 

 

Levi sat in the comfortable cinema chair with a big tub of buttered popcorn in his lap and a large soda in the drink holder. He had been wanting to see this movie for weeks, and so far, it was worth the wait! Then the screen darkened and Levi sat upright in his seat. He could tell Uncle Nick felt a little tense too.

 

At the sound of heavy breathing and footsteps, Levi gripped the arms of his chair, not taking his eyes off the movie screen. Everyone in the theater was silent as they watched the shadowy villain creeping closer to the unsuspecting teenager. Where was that superhero?

 

Then out of the sky flew the hero, mighty and powerful, cape blowing behind him. Levi and others whooped and clapped when the hero finally captured the bad guy.

 

"Great movie!" Levi told his uncle as they walked to the parking lot. "Thanks for taking me, Uncle Nick. I always love the part when the good guy gets the bad guy!"

 

Uncle Nick started up the car then turned to Levi. "That's why it's so great to be a Christian. We know for sure, right from the start, that the good guy defeats the bad guy."

 

"What are you talking about?" Levi asked.

 

"Jesus!" exclaimed Levi's uncle. "He is the biggest superhero of them all." Uncle Nick backed the car out and headed for home. "Jesus triumphed over Satan when He rose again after dying on the cross for our sins. He defeated death so we could be rescued."

 

"So how come there are still bad guys doing bad things if Jesus won?" asked Levi.

 

"Because Jesus wants to give everyone a chance to be rescued before He gets rid of sin forever," explained Uncle Nick. "Christians realize that no matter what awful things we have done or continue to do, we have already been rescued by Jesus. And one day Jesus will come back and make everything in the world right. Then everyone will know that God is in control, not Satan."

 

Levi took the last swig of his soda. "I guess knowing the ending of the story sure makes things a lot less scary!"

- Bonnie Carr

 

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Who is your hero? Who do you count on when you’re in trouble? Jesus has already defeated sin and death. Yes, Satan is still out there stirring up trouble, but if you believe that Jesus has already won the battle with the Bad Guy, then you can feel much less frightened about the hard, scary things in life. Jesus has rescued you, and one day He’ll come back to get rid of evil forever!

 

TODAY'S KEY VERSE: Mark 13:26 (KJV)

Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.