Making the Grade

Driving in the Slow Lane

READ: MATTHEW 6:25-34; PHILIPPIANS 1:4-6, 9-11; 4:4-13 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=MATTHEW%206%3A25-34%3B%20PHILIPPIANS%201%3A4-6%2C%209-11%3B%204%3A4-13&version=NIV] As I was driving down a rural highway, I glanced in my rearview mirror and spotted a car very close behind me. Even though I was driving the speed limit, I worried this driver thought I was going too slow. So I stepped on the gas, then suddenly spotted a deer crossing the road, and slammed on the brakes. Thankfully, I didn’t hit the deer or cause a collision. From then on, I decided that faster drivers could just pass me. I was content—and safest— going my own speed. Have you ever felt pressured to speed up? Maybe not behind the wheel, but in life? Well-meaning people can sometimes ask questions that make us feel just a little bit panicked about the future, such as “When will you know what career to pursue?” or “Have you picked your college or trade school?” If God hasn’t provided the answers to these questions yet, it can be easy to grow frustrated and doubtful. But God doesn’t operate the way humans do. He is patient, loving, and all-knowing. He often asks us to wait longer than feels comfortable. He knows that slowing down can allow us to learn to trust in Him and notice His presence in every situation. It can be helpful to remember that God cherishes us as His own children, and He calls us to trust Him with our lives. The surprising thing is, we can have peace in the midst of unknowns as we rely on God in the decision-making process. As a result, we may stand out—and perhaps even encourage others. It’s okay if your future feels uncertain right now. It’s okay if your path differs from those around you. Only God knows what lies ahead, and He loves you more than you can imagine. • Hannah Chung • Has there ever been a time when you’ve felt pressured to have your future perfectly mapped out? God doesn’t expect us to figure out every detail of our futures—that’s His job. Instead, He invites us to rest in Him and seek His wisdom, taking one step at a time as He lovingly guides us. While we may sometimes want to know the whole plan ahead of time, Jesus knows what we need each day, and He will never leave us. • What questions do you have about your future? Consider taking a moment to talk to Jesus about whatever is on your mind. You can be honest with Him about any anxiety you feel—He has so much compassion on you, and He wants to share His peace and comfort. (2 Corinthians 1:3-11) [Jesus said,] “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34 (NIV)

Making the Grade

READ: ROMANS 6:15-23; GALATIANS 6:7-8; COLOSSIANS 1:22 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ROMANS%206%3A15-23%3B%20GALATIANS%206%3A7-8%3B%20COLOSSIANS%201%3A22&version=NLT] As the end of the semester loomed, I scrambled to improve my grade. But I’d waited too long to turn things around in this class, and I would simply receive the grade on my report card I had earned. My seventh grade English teacher, Ms. Tyson, taught our class with a stern focus on correct grammar and punctuation. Some of my test scores reflected that I hadn’t learned as much about grammar and punctuation as she demanded. When I realized I wouldn’t get the grade I wanted, I shyly approached Ms. Tyson to request extra credit work to pull up my semester grade. She brusquely answered, “No.” Ms. Tyson had no obligation to give me an extra chance. She hadn’t been unfair. After all, even though I felt disappointed, my report card revealed exactly what my work in that class had earned. We earn grades for the efforts we make (or fail to make) in school. Similarly, the Bible talks about what we earn for our choices in life. Scripture tells us that our sin earns death. This death—eternal separation from God—is what we deserve because of all our thoughts, words, and actions that violate God’s good ways. But, unlike with Ms. Tyson, we have another opportunity. In our relationship with God, we aren’t doomed to receive simply what we’ve earned. Romans 6:23 informs us that God’s gift is eternal life through Jesus. When we trust in Him as the payment for the punishment we deserve, we don’t simply receive “extra credit” to improve our grade in life. We receive a complete replacement of our sinful failure with Christ’s holy excellence. Christ’s perfection covers our failings, bringing us into right relationship with God—not because of our good “grades” but because of His great love. • Allison Wilson Lee • Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, we don’t have to “measure up” in God’seyes with good deeds or obedience—and we couldn’t even if we tried! Instead, Jesus is the one who measured up in our place through His sinless life, sacrificial death on the cross, and resurrection from the dead. Through Jesus, God generously gives us eternal life, along with countless blessings—none of which we could earn! How is God’s way of grace different from the way the world operates? For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NLT)

Helen Cadbury: The Power of God's Word

READ: ROMANS 1:16-17; 10:1-15 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ROMANS%201%3A16-17%3B%2010%3A1-15&version=NIV] Helen Cadbury was born in 1877 in Birmingham, England. Her father was Richard Cadbury—one of the founders of the Cadbury chocolate company. One night when she was 12 years old, Helen received Jesus Christ as her Savior at a church meeting. The next day, Helen told her best friend about it at school. This girl remarked she was already a Christian because she went to church. “I don’t think going to church makes you a Christian,” Helen said. The morning after this, Helen brought her Bible to school, and she and her friend read it together. That night, after reading more of the Bible at home, her friend also received Jesus as her Savior! The two girls led 80 students to the Lord that year and went on to form a club called the Pocket Testament League. To be in the club, each member was to read a portion of the Bible every day, pray, and share their faith whenever God provided an opportunity. They even sewed pockets in their dresses for carrying a New Testament everywhere. However, a few years later Helen was studying music at college when she began doubting God. She heard views different from her own gospel-centered one. But after her father’s death, she came home to help with his programs for social reform, and there she rediscovered her faith. Later, in 1904, she married Charles Alexander, a song leader who did evangelistic work. Wanting to reach more people with the Bible, Helen told him about her old club, and together they started it up again. So, in 1908, the Pocket Testament League was reborn! To this day, the League has not ceased its efforts to bring many people to Christ, now offering online tools teaching others how to share their faith. Helen believed strongly in the power of Scripture, saying, “If we could just get them to read God’s Word for themselves, surely they would come to Christ!” Helen died in 1969 at age 92. Romans 1:16, the verse on her tombstone, summarizes her life’s work: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” • Kayla James • How have you seen the power of God’s Word in your life? Consider taking a moment to thank God for this and ask Him to help you notice who He might be calling you to share His Word with. • To read the story of one of the people who put their trust in Jesus after reading a pamphlet from the Pocket Testament League, download the free Unlocked app and search for “Rescued: Mitsuo Fuchida” (published on June 21, 2022). How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103 (NIV)

When I'm Overwhelmed

READ: PSALM 61:1-5; ISAIAH 41:10 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PSALM%2061%3A1-5%3B%20ISAIAH%2041%3A10&version=WEB] What should I do? What if this doesn’t turn out? What will I do next? These questions are overwhelming. It’s easy to start overthinking everything and become stressed out about the decisions we have to make, both big and small. It’s easy to be worried about the future and how each decision is going to affect our lives. When I begin to feel overwhelmed, I try to take a step back and remind myself that God is in control. God has taken care of me all my life, and I don’t have to worry about the future because He is already there and He loves me with an unstoppable love (Romans 8:28-29, 38-39). One of my favorite verses in the Bible is in the psalms, in chapter 61. When David is growing faint and overwhelmed, he prays, “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I” (verse 2). Generations later, we find out that the Rock is Jesus (Matthew 7:24-27). Once we know Jesus, we are never alone (Matthew 28:20). We don’t have to be afraid. Even when a lot is going on in our lives, even when there are decisions to make, or even when something goes wrong, we can still trust Him—because He loves us. Whenever we get overwhelmed, we can run to the Rock that is higher than we are. • Bethany Acker • Can you think of a time you felt overwhelmed? Were there any ways God showed you His love and nearness—perhaps through something you read in the Bible, a way people showed you kindness, a quiet moment in nature, or something else? Consider taking a moment to thank Him for this. • Jesus died and rose again so we would never have to be alone. He is with us all the time. And He wants us to bring Him anything that overwhelms us, because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). Consider taking a moment to tell Jesus, unfiltered, about whatever is on your mind today. • In Christ, we have a family of brothers and sisters who also know Him. We are not made to walk alone, especially when we’re overwhelmed (Galatians 6:1-10). When you’re feeling overwhelmed, who are trusted Christians in your life you could talk with? From the end of the earth, I will call to you when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Psalm 61:2 (WEB)

The Writing on the Wall

READ: MATTHEW 7:13-14; JOHN 10:7-10 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=MATTHEW%207%3A13-14%3B%20JOHN%2010%3A7-10&version=NIV] Spelunking. The official yet admittedly odd term for cave-exploring. Fun to say, but not so fun when your spelunking gets you hopelessly lost in a complex cave system where the darkness is absolute and you doubt you’ll ever see the light of day again. Which is exactly the point I’m at right now—hopeless and lost. Every tunnel I try spits me out in the same place again. My map of the cave system might as well be a map of Budapest for all the good it’s doing me. I must have stumbled into an unmapped part of the cave. Unknown territory. I wonder what will run out first—my food, water, or headlamp batteries. I hope it’s not the batteries. If I’m going to die, I don’t want it to be in the dark. The hours go by. I open my last bottle of water and take a tiny sip. My headlamp dims, and my heart skips a beat. Suddenly, a soft glow fills the cavern. I whip my head around and see that words have appeared on the limestone wall behind me. They glow orange like lava. I stare at them, wondering if dehydration has already set in and I’m hallucinating. They say, Choose the narrow path. The words jolt a memory—one I haven’t thought about in years. I’m sitting in church with my grandmother, her perfume wafting down the pew like incense as the pastor reads from the Bible. “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” The words gleam on the wall for a few seconds before fading away, but the memory continues to stab at my heart. What would my grandmother say if she’d lived to see the mess I’ve made of my life? She wanted me to choose the narrow path. She wanted me to choose Jesus, but I chose myself instead. I look at the tunnels leading out of the cavern I’m stuck in. Dead ends, all of them. I sink to my knees. “Jesus,” I pray, “I don’t have much time left. I want to choose the right path before it’s too late.” As my head hangs near the ground, I notice a rock jutting out from the base of the limestone at a funny angle. I move closer, then gasp. Behind it is a large crack in the wall—perhaps just big enough for me to squeeze through. This is it—the narrow path. My only hope. I suck in my breath and climb into the opening. After what seems like hours of pulling myself along with jagged rocks scraping my face and arms, a bright warmth floods my vision. Instead of cold stone, my hands fall upon dew-soaked mountain grass, and I crawl into the light of a glorious spring day. • Courtney Lasater • Have you ever felt like the spelunker in today’s allegorical story—like the path you’d chosen in life got you stuck at a dead end? What made you choose that path in the first place? What made you rethink it later? • In today’s Bible passages, Jesus says He is the gate that leads to life. He died and rose again to save us from the destruction of sin and death and give us eternal life with Him. Why do you think He calls the path that leads to life “narrow”? • Even when we’ve really messed up, Jesus is always reaching out to us with love and mercy. He longs for us to trust and rely on Him to forgive and help us—even when we get ourselves into trouble. Consider taking some time to talk to Jesus, confessing any sins that come to mind, resting in His mercy, and asking Him to help you move forward in following Him. (If you want to dig deeper, read Exodus 34:6; Psalms 9:10; 18:19; Acts 17:27; Luke 19:10; 23:34; 15:1-32) [Jesus said,] “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” Matthew 7:13 (NIV)