Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: PSALMS 19:1-4; 148:1-14 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PSALMS%2019%3A1-4%3B%20148%3A1-14&version=CSB] Have you ever looked around at nature and just felt in awe of how beautiful God’s creation is? God made a wonderful world, and He invites us to enjoy it with Him—from sunsets to ocean waves. Sometimes we’re so moved by the beauty around us, we can’t find the words to express how we feel. God made everything that exists, and He made it all good. Though creation has been deeply affected by sin, and we experience brokenness in so many ways, we still encounter many reminders of His beauty, His love, and His power in the world around us. God has no sin. While some of the beauty in creation is marred by sin, God’s beauty is not. His majesty and power are perfect. And He gives reminders of that in creation—all of it praises Him. We are in awe—and maybe a little fear as well—of something like a thunderstorm or a strong wind. But God is the one in control of it all. He’s showing us His power whenever there’s a storm, whenever the wind blows. Creation can leave us awestruck. Just imagine the awe we will feel when we see Jesus in all His glory! Everything was created through Jesus, and when He returns, it will be infinitely better than anything we’ve ever felt on this earth. Until that day, whenever we experience awe or wonder in nature, we can remember who creation is praising—and lift up our own praise to the Creator. • Haley Walts • What in nature leaves you awestruck? Consider taking a moment to remember this feeling of awe, and let it overflow in praise to God. • Because Jesus died for our sins and rose from the grave to give us new life, we have the sure hope of His return—when He will restore the heavens and the earth, and He will raise His people from the dead to live with Him forever! Then, creation will no longer be marred by sin, and everything will be as our Creator intended. If you want to dig deeper, read Isaiah 11:6-10; Romans 8:19-22; Colossians 1:16-20. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Psalm 148:3 (CSB)

READ: JOHN 15:1-17 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=JOHN%2015%3A1-17&version=CSB] Have you ever seen someone prune a tree or another plant—or done some pruning yourself? Pruning involves cutting off part of a plant so there can be new growth. As a gardener clips, cuts, or saws off branches, sometimes it looks like they’re trying to harm the plant rather than help it. But pruning is an important part of helping trees and other plants grow and flourish. For example, if you strategically cut a few branches off a fruit tree, the tree will put more energy into creating fruit, making the fruit plentiful and better tasting. If you cut a stem off a basil plant in the right spot, two more stems will grow in its place, producing more basil. And if you lop off the top of a bush, it won’t just grow taller, it will also fill in more foliage near the ground. Just as a skillful gardener knows when and how to prune, God also prunes us. In John 15, Jesus says He is the vine, we are the branches, and the Father prunes us. Sometimes God cuts things out of our lives to help us grow the way we’re meant to. He may remove an idol—something we had been putting our trust in rather than Jesus, such as wealth, strength, success, or the approval of others—so we can learn to rely on Him for all our needs. Or maybe He’ll allow a favorite activity to be canceled so we’ll have time to hang out with someone who needs a friend. Or He may even allow the loss of a relationship that was hindering our spiritual growth. Pruning may be painful at times, but God does it because He loves us. Jesus died and rose again to save us and graft us into His family tree (Romans 11:17-24). Pruning is one of the ways God cares for us. He is helping us learn to trust Him more, and He is transforming us to become more and more like Jesus. Whenever God prunes something in our lives, we can be sure new growth will flourish in its place. As we look to Jesus, the one who laid down His life for us, we can trust Him to use times of pruning to help us grow in our faith and show His love to others. • A. W. Smith • In John 15, Jesus says He is the vine, and we are the branches. He calls us to remain, or abide, in Him. What might it look like to press in to relationship with Jesus during times of pruning? • Have you experienced a loss recently? Not all losses are pruning—some are simply the result of living in a world that has been broken by sin. Consider spending some time talking with Jesus and trusted Christians in your life who can help you discern whether this loss is a work of pruning, or if it’s something else. Also remember that it’s good to lament and tell God how painful a loss is, regardless of why the loss happened. He is always eager to comfort and help us. “He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit.” John 15:2 (CSB)

READ: PSALM 51:7; ISAIAH 1:18; EPHESIANS 2:1-9; REVELATION 19:6-9 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PSALM%2051%3A7%3B%20ISAIAH%201%3A18%3B%20EPHESIANS%202%3A1-9%3B%20REVELATION%2019%3A6-9&version=NIV] I squinted up at the castle as I waited for admittance to the feast. The King had to test all who came through, to see if they were worthy of acceptance. I was sure that I could get in; I hadn’t done many bad things in my life. I’d never murdered anyone. In fact, I’d done quite a lot of good things. I’d also saved up for a new outfit, one that was much better than my old work clothes. Surely the King would let me pass. I smoothed the front of my shirt. It was white, beautiful, and expensive. It’d cost me almost a year’s wages. As the line moved, I watched up ahead. The King—the King himself—stood at the entrance, and as one man stepped forward, the King bent down and said something to him. The man said something back, and the King shook His head. The man was dragged away. My heart began to pound as my turn approached. I was good enough…wasn’t I? My clothes, all my work—surely they had to amount to something. But I knew, even as I stepped forward for my turn, that it was hopeless. I realized now that it wasn’t enough. My clothes looked like dirty rags next to the King’s. And my good works weren’t enough to cover the bad things I had done, no matter how small I’d thought they were before. I have disobeyed the law. I cannot pass the test. I knelt before the King, my hope draining away. I didn’t deserve admittance. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up into the face of the King. “You are not worthy,” He said gently, “But if you receive my gift, I will give you admission.” I blinked. “But—how can that be?” The King smiled gently. “I am worthy, and I paid the price for your acceptance. You must simply take the gift. Do you want it?” “Yes, I do, my King.” He pulled me to my feet, and I looked down. My robes were white as snow. With joy in my heart, I walked through the entrance. I was accepted. • Macy W. • Like in today’s allegorical story, we can never do enough to earn acceptance into God’s eternal kingdom. But God has made the way for us to be forgiven and live in close relationship with Him forever through Jesus’s death and resurrection. Yet, even after we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we sin every day. And every day, our acceptance is based on Jesus’s worthiness, not our own. How does this truth reveal Jesus’s patient, faithful love? (If you want to know more, see our "Know Jesus [https://unlocked.org/knowjesus/]" page.) All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags. Isaiah 64:6 (NIV)

READ: LUKE 15 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=LUKE%2015&version=NIV] Have you ever wondered why Jesus often spoke in parables? Parables are short, metaphorical stories that point to a deeper truth. They illustrate what Jesus was teaching, and they can also make biblical truths easier for us to understand. It’s kind of like the difference between eating a lime and eating a slice of key lime pie. On its own, a lime is very sour. It’s too much for most of our taste buds to handle. But key lime pie is different. We can still taste the lime, but it’s much sweeter. It’s suited for our taste buds so it’s not too intense and we can enjoy the flavor of the limes that were used to make it. A parable is kind of like a slice of key lime pie. It helps our human minds understand the truth of God’s Word. It’s suited to the way God created our brains to learn—we respond to stories. Jesus could have told us God’s truth in a more straightforward manner, and sometimes He did. But He knew that we often listen and learn better from parables. Isn’t it so wonderful that God chose to communicate with us in a way that we could understand? It shows how much He knows us, and how much He wants us to know Him. Even though we will never have all His teachings completely figured out, at least this side of eternity, He made sure we could understand His heart. His desire is for us to know how deeply He loves us, and then to love Him and love each other. • A. W. Smith • Jesus tells three parables in Luke 15, and they all show different facets of the same truth about God’s heart toward us—His love for us is so great that He seeks us out, and He always wants us to come to Him, even after we’ve really messed up. That’s why Jesus died on the cross for us and rose from the grave—to rescue us from sin and bring us near to God. (You can find out more on our "Know Jesus [https://unlocked.org/knowjesus/]" page.) Which of these three parables resonates with you most today? Why? • Parables often invite us to examine the same truth from multiple angles. Consider reading Luke 15:11-31 three times—once from the perspective of the younger son, once from the perspective of the older son, and once from the perspective of the father. What differences and similarities do you notice? • Some parables are harder to understand than others, and Jesus even said that some people wouldn’t understand His parables (Matthew 13:10-17). What questions do you have about parables? Who are trusted Christians you could ask? If you want to dig deeper, read Matthew 13. With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. Mark 4:33 (NIV)

READ: PSALM 51; EZEKIEL 36:16–37:14; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PSALM%2051%3B%20EZEKIEL%2036%3A16%E2%80%9337%3A14%3B%202%20CORINTHIANS%205%3A17&version=NIV]   Remove from me this heart of stone I know I’m more than these dry bones Create in me a heart that’s clean A steadfast spirit willing Restore your joy unto me Morning mercies covering Rebuild the rubble heaped around A garden where new life is found You alone can make me live Mending fast with breath and skin Hope once dead revived again Cleanse me from this guilt and sin A broken heart you won’t despise I’m made righteous in your eyes By the blood of Jesus shed for me Now I’m yours eternally • Savannah Coleman   • God called Ezekiel to be a prophet to the Israelites. Even though they were constantly faithless to God, God remained faithful to them (2 Timothy 2:13). In His holiness, God judged their unholiness and idolatry. Yet He was always willing to draw them back to His heart, no matter how much they rebelled. He promised to give them a new heart and spirit, removing their hearts of stone and giving them hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). And this promise is also for us today! Through Jesus’s death and resurrection, He cleanses us from our sin (Psalm 51:2, 7). And He gives us His Holy Spirit, who enables us to love God, love others, and follow God’s good ways. If you’ve put your trust in Jesus, it’s true that you’ll still struggle with sin until Jesus returns. But it’s also true that all your sins are forgiven, and you have a new heart! (If you want to know more about trusting in Jesus, see our "Know Jesus [https://unlocked.org/knowjesus/]" page.) How have you seen the Holy Spirit at work in your life? • In Psalm 51, David pours out his heart in repentance to the Lord because of his sins of adultery and murder. He knew that he had sinned greatly, but God’s mercy was even greater. Consider taking some time to bring God any sins that come to mind, following David’s example in Psalm 51. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 (NIV)