Peace Before You Know

The Gift of Serving Others

READ: ISAIAH 58:10; MATTHEW 25:31-40; 1 JOHN 4:19 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ISAIAH%2058%3A10%3B%20MATTHEW%2025%3A31-40%3B%201%20JOHN%204%3A19&version=NIV] In college, I worked part-time in a children’s ministry program. My tasks ranged from organizing outreach events to teaching elementary schoolers about Jesus. Though some moments were more glamorous than others (ahem, cleaning acrylic paint off a child’s sneakers), everything felt important. This was what serving God feels like. Or so I thought. After that role ended, God called me to take a break from children’s ministry. I prayed about how He wanted me to serve during this season. What God provided wasn’t at all what I was expecting. A single mom was in need of someone to help her daughter get ready for school and drive her there every morning. This wasn’t teaching biblical truths. This wasn’t planning a community event. And it didn’t result in a thank you card. It was simply showing up with God’s love at an hour when most people would rather be sleeping. Including me. After wrestling with God, I agreed. The first few times were tough, especially when it was difficult to find conversation topics. But I kept coming, day after day, until something clicked. We found things in common. She began waking up early so that we could spend more time together, and I looked forward to seeing her. I finally realized God had given me a precious gift. The gift of being able to love Him through my interactions with His daughter. Serving God looks different in each season of life. Right now, it might be teaching Sunday school or playing in the worship band. But it could also mean helping an elderly neighbor carry her groceries or sitting next to a shy kid at lunch. The size of our service isn’t important. What matters is that we’re serving others out of our love for God and one another. How can we do this? By remembering how much God loves us—so much that He was willing to sacrifice His own life on the cross for our sins, and then rise from the dead so we could experience His love forever! As you rest in Jesus, keep your eyes open to how God might be prompting you to show His love today. • Hannah Chung • Can you think of a time someone helped you and you experienced God’s love through them? What did they say or do? Sometimes we worry that our acts of service aren’t enough to make a difference, but God’s standards aren’t the same as human standards. God has the power to work through us to make an impact that’s far greater than anything we can do on our own. (John 6:1-14) [Jesus said,] “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” Matthew 25:40 (NIV)

Need Some Advice?

READ: HEBREWS 4:14-16; JAMES 1:1-8, 16-25; 3:13-18 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=HEBREWS%204%3A14-16%3B%20JAMES%201%3A1-8%2C%2016-25%3B%203%3A13-18&version=NIV] Where do you turn when you need advice? On our phones, we carry around more information in our pockets than most people throughout history have ever had access to. But here’s the thing: our lives aren’t filled with identical, cookie-cutter problems. No quick video can fix our every relationship issue. And even if we use search engines or AI to gather information and suggestions on the exact struggles we face day in and day out, we have no guarantee these tools will steer us in a good direction. James offers a solution in the beginning of his letter to the church. He starts out by saying we all face hard times in this broken world. But he also tells us where to turn when we don’t know what to do. When we need wisdom in our lives, James gives us real hope and clarity by reminding us that God has the wisdom we need, and He gives it freely—without holding back or holding it against us. Jesus isn’t stingy with His help; He wants us to have what we need. To take hold of this wisdom, James explains that, as Christians, we simply need to go to Jesus and ask for it in faith. We can be proactive in seeking wisdom because we have confidence God will follow through. Because Jesus is faithful, we can trust Him to provide what we need as we spend time in His Word, in prayer, and with His people. When we seek God’s wisdom, we can seek it confidently. God has given us everything we need to live godly lives in the knowledge of Jesus (2 Peter 1:3). And He fully equips us for life through His Word, the Bible, where He shows us the good news of Jesus and how it affects every facet of our lives (2 Timothy 3:14-17). • Phil Cox • When you need advice, where is the first place you tend to go? Why do you think God wants us to go to Him for wisdom first and foremost? • God provides wisdom and guidance through His Word and His Holy Spirit, and also through His people, the church. What are some of the benefits of seeking wisdom from real people we know in real life? • According to James 3:13-18, how can we recognize godly wisdom? What sets it apart from false wisdom? (If you want to dig deeper, read Genesis 41 and James 1–5.) If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. James 1:5 (NIV)

What's Next?

READ: PHILIPPIANS 4:11-13 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PHILIPPIANS%204%3A11-13&version=NIV] “What’s next?” It’s the ever-present question. It comes up every time you change schools, pick classes, or consider options for what to do after high school. When I’m asked this question, I sometimes think it means I’m not good enough. Have you ever had similar thoughts? I haven’t “arrived” at where they think I should be. I don’t know “what’s next”! I was enjoying high school, but now I’m fixated on what comes after this. I find myself becoming discontent, no longer happy where I am. I start comparing myself to other people: They have so many things I don’t have. A nice car. A significant other. A cat. A dog. A plan! As I reflect on what others are doing, I can get so focused on things I might do in the future that I lose sight of what God is doing in me right now. When the Apostle Paul was in prison, I’m sure he would sometimes look around and think of all the other things he could be doing rather than sitting in a cell. But after having been in chains for quite some time, he says he has “learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Philippians 4:11). That doesn’t mean he wasn’t thinking about what could happen if he were released from prison, but it didn’t consume him. Paul was excited about the possibilities, but he was also content where he was. Notice Paul says he had to learn contentment (verses 11-12). It wasn’t like he flipped a switch and everything was suddenly sunshine and roses. No, learning contentment was a process. The Holy Spirit was working in Paul all along. Because he knew Jesus, Paul was able to rest in peace and joy, equipped to do the work God put before him…and even to dream about where God would call Him next. • Kristi Dennis • How do you feel when you hear questions like, “What’s next?” • Read Proverbs 3:5-6 and James 1:5. God invites us to dream about the future, holding our plans with open hands and relying on Him for wisdom and guidance all along the way. How could it encourage us to know that God wants to help us, and He is the one who can direct our steps? I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Philippians 4:12 (NIV)

The Greatest Story Ever Told

READ: PSALM 78:1-4; JOHN 1:1-14 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PSALM%2078%3A1-4%3B%20JOHN%201%3A1-14&version=CSB] Have you ever read a book or watched a movie and been completely blown away? A story with characters who face the same struggles as you, a hero you can cheer for, and a rescue story that grips you from start to finish? Sometimes we find it hard to see the Bible the way we see any other story. We lose sight of the fact that it has all the elements of the stories we love: action, romance, poetry, stirring speeches, and words that inspire us. But here’s the amazing part: the Bible is one, real story—all about Jesus. The Bible starts its true story at the very beginning, setting up the scene. Creation: a perfect world. But then conflict arises. We rebel against God, and the story takes a bad turn. But the moment this tragedy happens, a hero is promised. God has an incredible rescue plan from the start—a plan He continues to fulfill across generations, never giving up. Jesus is that perfect hero. He comes and lives among us, fully God and yet also fully human. In the climax, He faces evil by dying on the cross, and, when we think our hope is lost, He has ultimate victory against all odds by rising from the grave, ascending into heaven as the true King, and promising to continue the work He started…and to finish it when He returns. But, even though we are still living in unresolved conflict today—still struggling with sin and the brokenness it causes—we are living in the “declining action.” In plot terms, that means the end is written. It means we know who comes out victorious in the end: Jesus is returning to execute justice and make all things new (John 5:24-27; 2 Timothy 4:1; Revelation 21:1-5). The best part: the Bible is a true story, and in Christ, we’re an important part of it. If your trust is in Jesus, you are a part of God’s final, eternal victory too. So when life seems boring, pointless, or difficult, you can trust God is writing something beautiful. And He invites you to be part of the good things He is doing! Remember, He has promised to work His good kingdom purposes through everything—and to always stay by your side (Romans 8:28-38). • Abby Ciona • What is one of your favorite stories? What do you love about it? • Have you ever thought of the Bible as an amazing, unified story? If you want to learn more about the true story of the Bible—and how you can be part of it—check out our "Know Jesus [https://unlocked.org/knowjesus/]" page. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31 (CSB)

Fully Known

READ: PSALM 139; LUKE 12:6-7; ROMANS 5:6-11 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PSALM%20139%3B%20LUKE%2012%3A6-7%3B%20ROMANS%205%3A6-11&version=NIV] Recently, a friend told me I walk really loudly. My other friends heartily agreed: they could always tell when it was me walking because my steps were so loud. To be honest, I was caught off guard and a little embarrassed. I’d gone twenty-two years of my life without knowing about my noisy walk. Even though I thought I knew myself well, here was a fact I was totally oblivious to. The whole thing got me thinking though. However much my friends know about me, God knows so much more. God knows the things I know about myself—like how much I enjoy chocolate or that I love dogs (even though I’m allergic). But God also knows the things about me that I don’t know. He even knows things about me that only He—as my Creator and Savior—knows. He knows my victories and my failures better than myself or anyone else (Psalm 19:12; Romans 8:26-27). This knowing makes Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross all the more extraordinary. It wasn’t a sacrifice for a stranger. Jesus’s death and resurrection was for someone fully known. In His love, He died for me, even when I was still a sinner (Romans 5:8). Because I’ve put my trust in Him, I can rest in the truth that I am fully known and deeply loved. • Naomi Zylstra • How well do you think your friends and family know you? • When was the last time you learned something new about yourself? Did it change anything? • How might remembering that God knows us completely help us rest in the truth that He loves us completely? [Jesus said,] “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep.” John 10:14 (NIV)