Daily Devotional for February 9, 2018
Smiles
Ellen was pouting when she and her mother returned home from shopping. “What’s the matter, sourface?” asked her brother, Jonah.
Ellen scowled. “Mom gets you everything you want, but she wouldn’t buy anything for me,” she said. “All I wanted was a smiley emoji shirt.”
Jonah laughed. “A smiley emoji shirt on you? That would be a joke! The way you whine?” Using a high-pitched tone, he imitated her. “Mo-o-om! I want something cool!” He smirked, and his sister hit him. “Ow!” he yelled, hitting back.
Dad walked in the room as the kids continued hitting each other. “Break it up!” he said. “The place I’d like to see a smile is on your faces for a change.”
On Sunday, Jonah and Ellen got ready to go to church with their next-door neighbors. “Why don’t you come to church with us today?” Jonah asked his parents hopefully. Both he and Ellen had been Christians for some time, but their parents were not believers.
“Count me out!” said Dad. “You two fight constantly. If that’s all the good your religion does, what’s the point? I want nothing to do with it.” Jonah and Ellen didn’t know what to say.
“We’ve got to quit fighting,” Ellen told Jonah later. “If we don’t, Mom and Dad will never listen when we try to tell them about Jesus.”
Jonah nodded thoughtfully. “I know. It’s like what Pastor Peters said last week—we belong to Jesus now, and He’s making us more like Him. We need to remember that when we’re tempted to fight so we can act the way He wants us to instead.”
So they asked Jesus to help them remember to act in a godly way, and soon their parents noticed a difference. When a vase was broken several weeks later, both Ellen and Jonah admitted to not being careful as they played.
Dad was amazed. “You’re not blaming each other!” he said. “I never thought I’d see the day!”
The next Sunday, Dad surprised them. “Mom and I aren’t too old for church, are we?” he asked.
“You mean you’ll go?” Jonah asked.
Mom and Dad nodded, and Jonah and Ellen cheered and gave each other high fives. “Hey!” Dad said, laughing. “That brought smiles to your faces!” –
Agnes Livezey
How about you?
Do your actions and attitudes show that you’re a Christian—a new creation in Jesus Christ? Satan and your sinful nature constantly try to get you to do things that don’t show who you are as God’s child. But because you belong to Jesus, you have the power to say no to ungodly things and yes to the good things He wants you to do. Do things that show others you belong to Him.
Thank you for reading this Keys for Kids devotional! Did you enjoy the story? Has Keys for Kids been an encouragement to you and your family? If so, would you please consider supporting Keys For Kids Ministries in our effort to continue to provide these daily devotionals to children around the world?