5 min listen
The Smelly Cover-Up
FromCountdown to Christmas with Zach - An Advent Podcast for Kids
ratings:
Length:
4 minutes
Released:
Jan 4, 2024
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
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
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
Released:
Jan 4, 2024
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (40)
Advent Day 9: Candy Cane: Thank you for joining Keys for Kids Radio's Countdown to Christmas Advent Activity! Read the story below, answer the questions on the cards, and send us a voice message with your answers! Then you could hear yourself on Keys for Kids Radio as we talk through each day's story! Send In Your Answers Candy Cane "Can we have a candy cane?” asked Josh as he looked at the striped candy canes hanging on the Christmas tree. “Yeah, can we? Please?” echoed his sisters, Adriane and Nicole. Mom smiled. “All right,” she said, “but as you eat them, I want you to think of how they remind you of the reason we celebrate Christmas.” Each of the kids quickly selected a red and white striped candy cane from the tree. Nicole held her candy at arm’s length and stared at it. “I don’t really see what candy canes have to do with Christmas,” she said, “except that it’s the time of year when you always see lots of them. Or maybe it’s because there’s red on them—Christmas colors are red a by Countdown to Christmas with Zach - An Advent Podcast for Kids