30 Devotions For Youth LeadersSample

Yesterday, in the course of racing from a conference call to an appointment, I found myself digging in my pocket for the keys that would give me access to a rental car and a hotel room. When I arrived at the office complex where I had a meeting, a bar­coded name badge opened an elevator that took me to the 19th floor..

Keys reveal possibilities, and they restrict them. They hold authority, with a mysterious ability to open and close. Whether you hold a plastic card, odd shaped electronic fob, or an elegantly crafted skeleton key, each has a purpose: access, control, power, strength..

In the waning moments of Jesus’ earthly ministry, He places the keys of the “kingdom of heaven” in the palm of Peter’s calloused hand. In the days ahead they would rattle around in Peter’s heart, like a single key in a bottomless pocket. He would fiddle with them, misplace them, and attempt to force them into the wrong lock, but ultimately slid the keys into the lock that masterfully released the gospel to a crowd of listeners in Acts 2... “And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below...,” he confidently declared, because he had the keys. “And everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,” because he had witnessed firsthand the power of the gospel..

The keys to the kingdom of heaven release an explosion of God’s power as they unlock the Good News. “The Lord sets the prisoner free.” ~ Psalm 146:7.

We live among captives and prisoners, and the only key that fits the lock is in our hands. God’s Good News.