Thank you for listening to the Countdown to Christmas with Zach podcast. We'd like to introduce you to our daily devotional Keys for Kids podcast, so for this first week of 2024 we're releasing those episodes on this feed too.

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Burdens

"This is cool!” said Weston as he and some other boys from church hiked through the woods. Sometimes they walked easily along the well-beaten trail, but other times they had to scramble over fallen trees or weave their way around them.

“Hey, Lucas!” Weston called out. “Race you to that tree up there!” But as he started off he tripped on a tree root, and down he went. “Ouch!” he cried, grabbing his ankle. Their leader, Mr. Greg, hurried over as Weston got up. “I think I can walk okay,” Weston said, gingerly testing his ankle. “It doesn’t hurt too bad.”

“It’ll be easier on him if he doesn’t have to carry the extra weight of his backpack,” said Lucas. “I’ll carry it for him.”

“Me too,” chimed in several other voices.

“Thank you, boys,” said Mr. Greg. So for the rest of the hike, the boys took turns carrying Weston’s backpack.

At the end of the hike, the boys built a campfire and had a hot dog roast.

“You know,” said Mr. Greg, “what you boys did for Weston today is exactly what Jesus tells us to do for others. We all carry different responsibilities and problems in our lives, but if one of us has a load that’s too heavy, the others need to help carry it until that person is able to handle it on their own again. You helped Weston carry his backpack, and Jesus wants us to help others carry their life’s burdens. He carried our greatest burden of all—our sin—to the cross, and He offers us help and comfort whenever we’re weighed down with life’s struggles. When we help carry other people’s burdens, we show them His love. What are some ways kids like you get burdened down, and what could a friend do to help?”

After a moment, Weston spoke. “Some kids have trouble with tests,” he said. “Maybe we could offer to help them study.”

“Yeah, and we could make friends with new kids at school and invite them to church,” offered Lucas.

“We could even try to reach out to kids who aren’t always nice to us,” said Pete. “And pray for them too.”

Mr. Greg nodded. “Good suggestions,” he said. “This week, let’s see how many burdens we can help carry for others.”

- Gayle J. Thorn

So how about you?

Does anyone around you have a burden you could help carry? Maybe you know someone who’s struggling with homework or who’s lonely and needs a friend. Even if you can’t help them with their problems, you can still help carry their burdens by praying for them. When we show that we care about others by helping meet their needs, we show them the love of Jesus.

Key Verse

Galatians 6:2 NIV "Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."

Key Thought

Help one another

Further Reading

Ephesians 4:32-5:1; Philippians 2:1-4

Thank you for listening to the Countdown to Christmas with Zach podcast. We'd like to introduce you to our daily devotional Keys for Kids podcast, so for this first week of 2024 we're releasing those episodes on this feed too.

If you like them, you can subscribe to or follow the Keys for Kids podcast for free: https://keysforkids.net/kfkpodcast

Always Showing Up

"It’s so snowy,” Johnny said as he looked out the school bus window. “I wonder if my mom will make it to meet the bus.”

Caden glanced at his friend. Sometimes Johnny’s mom was waiting for them when their bus got to their neighborhood, and sometimes she wasn’t. “My grandpa will be there,” said Caden.

Johnny nodded. “He always is.”

When their bus reached its first stop, a younger girl started crying. “I don’t see my aunt. She’s supposed to meet me.”

“She’s probably having trouble walking through the deep snow.” An older girl took the younger girl’s hand. “I’ll walk with you until you find her.”
Johnny watched them get off of the bus. “My grandpa knows to head out early. He’ll be waiting for me. I trust him.” Ever since he and his brother had moved in with their grandpa, he had made sure to be waiting each day when the bus came to a stop.

The bus moved on, and there was drama at each stop as kids looked for the people who were supposed to walk them home. Caden relaxed against his seat. His grandpa would be there.

When they pulled up to his stop, Caden spotted his grandpa waiting with a big sled.

“Have you seen my mom?” Johnny asked when they got off the bus.

“She asked me to help you home,” Grandpa said. “She didn’t want to take your baby sister out in this weather.”

Caden climbed into the sled with his friend. “I told you he’d be here.”
They bounced their way home, and Caden put the sled away after Johnny ran to his house across the street.

Inside, Caden sat down by his big brother. “Grandpa is always there. He never changes. He’s just there. Waiting.”

Cole smiled. “Kind of like Jesus, huh?” He pointed to the Bible in front of him. “I was just reading about how Jesus is the same every day. Never changing. We can trust Him because of that. He loved us enough to die for us, and He’ll always be there for us.”

“I really do trust Grandpa,” Caden said. “When someone shows up over and over again, you know they’ll do what they need to do to be there.”
Cole rubbed Caden’s head. “I’m telling you, Jesus is like that too.”

- Emily Acker

So how about you?

Do you have someone in your life who you trust as much as Caden trusts his grandpa? Someone who is always there when you need them? Someone who does what they say they’re going to do? Jesus is like that. He is always there for you, and that will never change. Even trustworthy people might let us down sometimes, but Jesus never will. You can always trust Him.

Key Verse

Hebrews 13:8 NKJV "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

Key Thought

Jesus never changes.

Further Reading

James 1:16-18

Thank you for listening to the Countdown to Christmas with Zach podcast. We'd like to introduce you to our daily devotional Keys for Kids podcast, so for this first week of 2024 we're releasing those episodes on this feed too.

If you like them, you can subscribe to or follow the Keys for Kids podcast for free: https://keysforkids.net/kfkpodcast

The Path Less Traveled

“This is so much fun!” exclaimed Scarlett as she tramped along through the snow with the other kids from her church.

“Yeah,” said Ada. “This is a cool place to have a winter retreat.”

Soon they came to a fork in the path. The kids ahead of them took the path to the right. “Wait!” called Scarlett. “Mr. Bailey said to turn left at each fork, and then we’ll end up back at camp.”

The other campers hesitated. “Yeah, but look! This path on the right is full of footprints. There aren’t as many in the path to the left,” argued one of the boys. “I think we should take the one everybody else used.” Most of the kids agreed, and they all continued down the well-trodden path.

Scarlett and Ada didn’t know what to do. “Mr. Bailey said to take the fork to the left,” said Ada. “I think we should do that.”

“Me too,” said Scarlett. “Let’s at least take it for a little ways. If we don’t get back to camp soon, we can turn around and follow the other kids.” Ada nodded, and they started off.

To the girls’ delight, it wasn’t long before they arrived back at camp. They explained to Mr. Bailey why the other campers weren’t with them. He shook his head. “They’ll come to a dead end and have to turn around. I’ll send someone out on a snowmobile just to make sure they’re all right.”

During camp devotions that evening, Mr. Bailey grinned at the group. “We have some tired campers tonight,” he said. “Most of you took a longer hike than you planned because you didn’t follow the directions you were given. Instead, you followed the path many others had taken.”

He opened his Bible. “As many of you learned today, the right path is not always the popular one. God’s Word tells us that many people choose the wrong path in life. We might be tempted to follow our own selfish desires thinking it will make us happy, but the Bible says that well-worn path only leads to destruction. There’s only one way to have true joy and peace, and that’s Jesus. When we trust in Him, He walks with us along the path that leads to eternal life. Choose to follow Him, not the crowd.”

– Mary Rose Pearson

So how about you?

Which path have you chosen to follow? Are you walking with Jesus down the path that leads to eternal life? Or are you going your own way? Though the world may tell us we can find our own way to happiness, the Bible says that path only leads to a dead end. Jesus says He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). Trust and follow Him. (To learn more, go to www.keysforkids.org/goodnews.)

Key Verse

Matthew 7:14 NIV "Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

Key Thought

Follow Jesus, not the crowd.

Further Reading

Proverbs 4:10-15, 18-19; Matthew 7:13-14

Thank you for listening to the Countdown to Christmas with Zach podcast. We'd like to introduce you to our daily devotional Keys for Kids podcast, so for this first week of 2024 we're releasing those episodes on this feed too.

If you like them, you can subscribe to or follow the Keys for Kids podcast for free: https://keysforkids.net/kfkpodcast

The Smelly Cover-Up

Jonathan took out his dad’s aftershave lotion and rubbed some on his face before leaving the bathroom. When his mother stepped into his room a little later, she sniffed the air. “What do I smell?” she asked.

“Jonathan used Dad’s aftershave lotion,” Sophie hollered from her room across the hall. She came to the doorway. “He didn’t take a shower again.”

Mom checked the bathroom. “His towel is damp.”

“Check the soap,” said Sophie. “Lots of times when I shower after him it’s not even wet—he just wets his washcloth and towel and pretends he showered.”

“Is that true, Jonathan?” asked Mom. She went to the shower and picked up the bar of soap. It was bone dry, and she glared at him.

“I just don’t like getting all wet,” Jonathan said defensively.

“You’re so gross!” said Sophie.

“Shhh.” Mom held up a finger. “Jonathan, I’m sure you know that using this—” she held up the aftershave, “doesn’t take the place of using soap. When you splash on cologne or lotion instead of washing, you may smell nice for a while, but the dirt remains. And pretty soon people can tell.”

“Yeah,” said Sophie. “That smelly lotion can’t cover up the fact that you’re still as dirty as a pig!”

Mom cast Sophie a warning glance before turning back to Jonathan. “Well, Jonathan is going to take his shower now,” said Mom. She sighed. “It’s important to keep our bodies clean, but we also need to think about something even more important. Just like our skin gets dirty, our hearts can get dirty—dirty with sin. Things like pride or an unloving attitude fall into that category, Sophie. And so does deceiving your mother, Jonathan.”
Both Sophie and Jonathan looked at the floor as Mom continued. “We may sometimes try to cover up the wrong things we do and hide them from other people, but there is nothing we can hide from God. Whenever we sin, we need to confess our wrongs to Jesus. He’ll forgive us and wash us clean.”

– Nance E. Keyes

So how about you?

Do you try to cover up your sins? God can see through any cover-up. Even if you can keep people from knowing what you did wrong, you can’t hide it from God. You need to confess your sins to Jesus so He can forgive you and make you clean. He died to pay the price of your sins, so you never need to hide them. Trust Him to give you a clean heart so you can enjoy fellowship with Him.

Key Verse

Psalm 51:2 ERV "Scrub away my guilt. Wash me clean from my sin."

Key Thought

Don’t cover up sin.

Further Reading

Psalm 51:1-12; 1 John 1:9

Thank you for listening to the Countdown to Christmas with Zach podcast. We'd like to introduce you to our daily devotional Keys for Kids podcast, so for this first week of 2024 we're releasing those episodes on this feed too.

If you like them, you can subscribe to or follow the Keys for Kids podcast for free: https://keysforkids.net/kfkpodcast

Stretched Thin

Angelo kicked at a stone on the pavement. “Did I tell you that I can’t go live with my dad?” he asked his friend Tai. “I have to stay with Mom.”

Angelo sighed. “Dad always took time to do stuff with me. Y’know—guy stuff. Now I’ll only get to be with him every other weekend.”

“Well, you can still call and text him, can’t you?” asked Tai. “You still have a lot to be thankful for.”

As Tai spoke, Angelo noticed that his eyes were bright. Are those tears in Tai’s eyes? he wondered. As he thought about it, he realized he’d never heard Tai talk about his father. “Does your dad live with you?”

Tai shook his head. “My dad died,” he said softly.

“Oh! I’m sorry,” said Angelo, not sure what else to say.

The boys walked quietly for a while. “It’s been tough, and I miss Dad a lot,” Tai said finally. “But one day, Mom helped me understand how she deals with it. I had this toy guitar I made by stretching rubber bands around a long box. When I strummed them they made different sounds, depending on how tight they were.” He paused, and Angelo looked at him curiously. “Some of the rubber bands fit over my box easily,” Tai continued, “but others were tight and had to be stretched out thin in order to get around the cardboard. A few even snapped.”
“What does that have to do with missing your dad and getting along without him?” Angelo asked.

“Mom pointed out that when I strummed my make-believe guitar, the rubber bands that fit super-tight made different musical sounds than the ones that were looser. She said life is like that too, and when bad things happen, we’re stretched like those small rubber bands. We may be hurting, but we can still make music during the hard times of our lives because Jesus is with us. He understands what we’re going through because He suffered too. We don’t have to give up and snap.”

Tai looked at his friend. “Mom and I decided to trust Jesus to be with us through the hard parts of our lives. I’ll pray that you’ll be able to do that too.”

– Nance E. Keyes

So how about you?

Have you had hard things happen in your life? The death of someone you love, a divorce in your family, a move away from old friends, a difficult time at school? Jesus understands your pain and promises to be with you. Because He suffered and died to save us, we have hope knowing that we will spend eternity with Him. Trust Him to make your life a beautiful song that points to His love and faithfulness, hard times and all.

Key Verse

Psalm 40:1 NIV "I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry."

Key Thought

Trust God in hard times.

Further Reading

Psalm 40:1-4; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Thank you for listening to the Countdown to Christmas with Zach podcast. We'd like to introduce you to our daily devotional Keys for Kids podcast, so for this first week of 2024 we're releasing those episodes on this feed too.

If you like them, you can subscribe to or follow the Keys for Kids podcast for free: https://keysforkids.net/kfkpodcast

Instant Replay

Levi and his dad were enjoying a football game on TV. “Watch out for that guy on your right!” yelled Levi, and Dad waved his arms as if the players could see him. But it was no use—the man they were cheering for went down. “That was dumb!” exclaimed Levi in disgust. “He should have seen that guy coming at him! He wasn’t paying attention.”

Dad nodded. “The coach pulled him out now. I expect they’ll show him an instant replay of that move and he’ll see his mistake.”

Once the game was over, they headed to the table for dinner. “Hey! How come Henley gets pizza and the rest of us get meatloaf?” asked Levi, glancing at his sister’s plate. He yanked out his chair and bumped the table hard as he sat down. “You’re such a spoiled brat,” he said to Henley.
Henley began to speak, but Levi wouldn’t listen—not even when his mom tried to explain. Instead, he gave his plate a rough shove, spilling his milk.

“Levi, go to your room!” said Dad. “Your behavior is not fit for this table. You can come back when you’re ready to apologize.”

Levi trudged to his room, hungry and angry. He plopped down on his bed. In his mind, he replayed what had happened. He tried to tell himself he’d been treated unfairly and that Henley was spoiled. But then he remembered that Henley had been sick when they’d had pizza the day before and his mom had saved some for her. That’s why she’s getting it now, he thought. He’d made a mess of the situation and hurt his sister’s feelings.

The rest of the family was almost finished when Levi returned and took his place at the table. He looked at his dad. “In my mind, I watched an instant replay of what happened and saw that I made a mistake.” Levi turned to his mom and his sister. “I’m really sorry for the way I acted.”

“We forgive you,” Mom and Henley said together.

“And remember that God will forgive you too,” said Dad. “Whenever He shows us our mistakes through an instant replay of our actions, we can confess our sin to Jesus and He will forgive us and help us do better.”

– Phyllis M. Robinson

So how about you?

Do you sometimes say or do things you later regret? Maybe you often find yourself snapping at your siblings or talking about others behind their backs. When you replay your words and actions in your mind and notice any that were hurtful and wrong, confess them to Jesus. He will forgive you and help you speak and act in a way that reflects His love instead. Then ask anyone you hurt for their forgiveness too.

Key Verse

Psalm 32:5 ERV "I decided to confess my sins to the Lord. I stopped hiding my guilt and told you about my sins. And you forgave them all!"

Key Thought

Confess sin.

Further Reading

Psalms 19:12-14; 139:23-24

Thank you for listening to the Countdown to Christmas with Zach podcast. We'd like to introduce you to our daily devotional Keys for Kids podcast, so for this first week of 2024 we're releasing those episodes on this feed too.

If you like them, you can subscribe to or follow the Keys for Kids podcast for free: https://keysforkids.net/kfkpodcast

No Strings Attached

“Grandma, in Bible times people had to sacrifice animals to God, didn’t they?” Jovie asked one day. “Why don’t we do that now?”

“When Jesus died for our sins, He was the perfect sacrifice. Animal sacrifices are no longer needed because Jesus’s sacrifice covers all our wrongs when we trust in Him.”

“Well, when people made a sacrifice, something had to be killed, right?” said Jovie. “But my memory verse talks about a living sacrifice. What does that mean?”

“To be a living sacrifice means to give your whole life to God.” Grandma picked up a small piece of yarn. “Pretend this yarn is my life. It’s my love, my family, my time, my actions—my everything. Here, I’ll give it to you.” Grandma held out one end of the yarn. Jovie took it, but Grandma kept hold of the other end. “There—my life is all yours now. I’m sacrificing it to you.” She tugged on the yarn a little as she spoke.

Jovie giggled. “Then why are you still holding on to it?”

“Good point,” said Grandma. “That’s like Christians when we say we’ve made our lives a living sacrifice to God, but then we leave strings attached to some areas. For example, we might not want God to have any say in how we spend our time or our money. Or perhaps we continue to put ourselves in situations where we’ll be tempted to do things that are wrong. It’s possible to hold something back in any number of areas.” Grandma dropped her end of the yarn. “Now tie that into a bow.”

“Okay,” said Jovie, but as she began to tie a bow, Grandma reached out and took hold of the yarn again, almost tugging it out of Jovie’s grasp. “Grandma! What are you doing?”

“That bow you’re making is too small,” said Grandma. She smiled at Jovie’s puzzled look. “Christians sometimes act the way I just did. When we don’t like the way things are going, we try to pull our lives back out of God’s hands. To be a living sacrifice, we need to remember that we belong to Jesus, who sacrificed His own life to save us, and trust Him to guide us in every part of our lives.”

“Even when things aren’t going the way we want, right?” Jovie nodded. “I think I get it.”

– Jean A. Burns

So how about you?

Are you listening to God as He guides you in every area of your life? Or are you still holding on to some strings and trying to control some areas yourself? Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice so you could be saved from sin and spend eternity with Him. He cares about you and what’s going on in your life—every part of it. Trust Him to help you and guide you in every area of your life—no strings attached.

Key Verse

Romans 12:1 NIV "I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God."

Key Thought

Give your whole life to God

Further Reading

Romans 12:1-2; Galatians 2:20

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End of Vacation

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!”

So 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.

Key Verse

1 Peter 3:18 NLT "Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but He died for sinners to bring you safely home to God."

Key Thought

Use your time well.

Further Reading

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