Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: JOHN 4:3-42; 7:37-39; REVELATION 7:16-17 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=JOHN%204%3A3-42%3B%207%3A37-39%3B%20REVELATION%207%3A16-17&version=NIV] The drought in Xzerio had gone on for a year. People were so thirsty they were fainting in the hot streets. That is why I came up into the mountains—I hoped to find water. I plod on. Then, I see a glimmer up ahead. What is it? Lakes! Three lakes, shimmering in front of me. I rush toward the first one. A sign, made of gold, is engraved with the words “The Lake of Wealth.” Leaning over the water, I see jewels lying on the lake floor. But what do jewels matter? I am too thirsty. I fill my cupped hands with water. “K-ph-eul!” I spit the water out, rubbing my tongue in an attempt to get rid of the incredibly, awfully sweet flavor of the water. I can’t find the words to describe it. I am still desperately thirsty though, and I can only hope that the other lakes are not like the Lake of Wealth. I run along the gold dust shore toward the second lake. Its waters sparkle against white sands. A huge sign with brightly colored letters blares out, “Fame Lake.” Here I am still faster to fill my cupped hands and bring the water to my lips. I start coughing and collapse on the sand. My tongue! My mouth! That couldn’t have been water. It was liquified dryness and bitterness! I begin to run. I will run down the mountain before I find out what the third lake will do to me. But I am too thirsty. I find myself heading toward the third lake. I will only taste a little. Just the smallest sip. The lake is calm, with green grass along its banks. A modest board is carved with only two words: “Living Water.” I kneel and drink. Everything changes. My dry mouth feels moist again. I feel strength and…and joy flowing back into my body. I feel as though I’ll never be thirsty again! I yank out my waterskin and fill it. Then, I run down the mountain, eager to share the news of this Living Water with everyone I meet. • Lorna Garlets • Have you ever felt like the character in today’s allegorical story, desperate for something to soothe your pain, but sorely disappointed at every turn? Jesus has so much compassion on us, and He wants us to come to Him. Consider taking a moment to talk to Him about your longings. • In John 4, Jesus sat down by a well in the heat of the day, and then He talked with a Samaritan woman who came there every day to draw water. Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but… the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Jesus knew about this woman’s messy past, and He loved her. He offered her living water and told her that He is the Messiah, the Savior who has come into the world. Why is Jesus the only one who can truly satisfy our deepest longings? • Because of God’s overflowing love for us, Jesus was willing to die a terrible death to save us from sin. And then, He was raised from the dead to give us new life. Each of us is in need of His living water every day of our lives—and, praise be to God, He freely gives it to us! If you’d like to know more about this good news, check out our "Know Jesus [https://unlocked.org/knowjesus/]" page. • After meeting Jesus, the Samaritan woman ran to tell everyone about Him, and many more people believed in Him! Who is someone in your life you could share the good news of Jesus with? How could you share about the living water Jesus gives you daily, and invite them to come and see for themselves that Jesus really is better than we could hope? Consider taking a moment to pray for this person and ask God to help you notice opportunities to show His love and share His good news. “But whoever drinks the water I [Jesus] give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14 (NIV)

READ: PSALM 63; JEREMIAH 33:3; COLOSSIANS 2:2-8 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PSALM%2063%3B%20JEREMIAH%2033%3A3%3B%20COLOSSIANS%202%3A2-8&version=NIV] I don’t have time for devotions. Not today. Have you ever had this thought before? I know I certainly have. I mean, who has time for devotions? We’re busy, growing young adults. We have family, friends, school, sports, hobbies, jobs…the list goes on and on. In all the chaos—fun as it can sometimes be—it’s easy to think that we don’t have time for God. That other things are more important, and we can just have our devotions later. And then it gets put off. Again. And again. And again. The funny thing is, skipping devotions doesn’t make our lives easier. In the moment, maybe we have that extra couple of minutes to finish that last bit of homework, or stay on social media just a little longer. But we weren’t designed to be alone. God created us to have a relationship with Him. That’s what our ultimate purpose is—to know God. Or, as the Westminster Shorter Catechism says, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. All these other things—sports, friends, school, hobbies, family, you name it—are amazing. They can be crazy fun, and it’s good to enjoy these good gifts from God. …But when God is first in our lives, everything becomes so much better. We have purpose behind our passion. As we regularly spend time in the Bible, learning about how much God loves us, how He saves and redeems us through Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection, and how He calls us to follow Him, our lives become rich in meaning and full of hope. I really noticed the difference when I was at camp last year. We had half an hour for devotions every day. And the more I did them…the more I really wanted to spend time with God. It doesn’t have to be much. Even just ten or fifteen minutes a day. But as we spend time in God’s Word, we find that it draws us. We start thirsting after Him and yearning to know Him more. It gives a whole new meaning to life. And when we press in to relationship with Jesus, we become more like Him. And life becomes a whole lot more incredible. • Chloe Ludlum • If we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can know that God is always with us. Yet, He still calls us to spend intentional time with Him, reading His Word and talking to Him in prayer. When is a good time of day for you to set aside a few minutes, maybe even an hour, to spend time with God? But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16 (NIV)

READ: ECCLESIASTES 3:1-14; MATTHEW 28:20; ROMANS 8:35-39 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ECCLESIASTES%203%3A1-14%3B%20MATTHEW%2028%3A20%3B%20ROMANS%208%3A35-39&version=NIV] Have you ever seen a plant that’s been repotted? If a potted plant gets too big, it needs to be moved to a bigger pot so it can grow and flourish. But, when you first put it in its new home, it may look droopy. That’s because it’s in a state of shock from being uprooted. Yet, if someone takes care of it, the plant will soon take root in the new dirt and get the nourishment it needs. With time, it will even start to thrive. Have you ever felt like a repotted plant—ripped out of a familiar situation and placed in a new one? This can happen when we move, or a relationship changes, or we have a health struggle, or we change schools. We might feel like a droopy plant in a state of shock. And it’s okay to feel that way. Being uprooted and making a new start is difficult. We may feel overwhelmed or helpless. It may seem like we’ll never adjust. But, like a potted plant, we have someone looking after us. Jesus is with us through every new change, and He will take care of us. He’ll give us the strength we need to adjust to each new situation. So, if you’ve just gone through a big change, remember that the state of shock is temporary. It won’t be like this forever. Eventually you will adjust, and grow, and even thrive. And in the meantime, you can lean on Jesus. Like a capable and attentive gardener, He promises to take care of you. His love for you always stays the same, and He wants to walk with you through this season of change, mourning what was lost and celebrating the good things that are to come. It may not be easy adjusting to a new situation, but you can trust Jesus to give you courage and strength as you acclimate to your new surroundings, and to help you thrive in the new place He has planted you. • A. W. Smith • Changes—even good changes—can take a toll on us. They can leave us feeling exhausted physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. But Jesus offers us stability, refreshment, and rest. Can you remember a time when you felt disoriented by changes in your life? As you look back, can you see any ways Jesus was caring for you in that time? • It’s easy to let good habits drop off when we go through a life change. But habits like prayer, Bible reading, and worshiping with other Christians can be powerful ways that Jesus sustains, energizes, and comforts us through changes. When life feels busy or just plain overwhelming, what are some ways you can incorporate intentional moments with Jesus throughout your day? He has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NIV)

READ: JOHN 1:29; ROMANS 6:8-11; HEBREWS 10:1-25 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=%20JOHN%201%3A29%3B%20ROMANS%206%3A8-11%3B%20HEBREWS%2010%3A1-25&version=NIV] I sat against my bunk bed. I had just realized that after being a believer for sixteen years, I didn’t understand Jesus. I know this sounds strange—and trust me, it was. I was devastated and confused. I had put my trust in Jesus at five years old and faithfully served ever since. But I realized that I didn’t really understand the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross. I narrowed my questions down to the fact that I didn’t get why Jesus didn’t stay dead. I didn’t think it was fair. If the cost of sin is death (Romans 6:23), and we as humans would be separated from God’s presence forever if we didn’t receive His rescue, why didn’t Jesus have to do the same? Yikes. Those are kind of scary statements. But they were big questions that I’d never asked…that I’d never heard anyone else ask. So, what did I do? I spoke to my Christian mentors. I read multiple books about the heart of Jesus. I spent a lot of time praying. And I can confidently say that today, I feel close to Jesus. And I can personally testify to His unending, unfailing grace in a way I couldn’t before. While it may feel uncomfortable to ask certain questions about our faith, it’s imperative if we ever want to grow. The Lord invites questions. James 1:5 says, “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.” And, by the way, the reason Jesus didn’t stay dead is because He completed the sacrifice. Before Jesus went to the cross, God’s people had to make repeated sacrifices for their sins. They had to use the best of their crops and animals for these sacrifices. But no sacrifice was perfect. Jesus? He’s perfect. And He loves us so much that He was willing to give up His life for us. Because Jesus is the sinless sacrifice, and He is God in flesh, He was able to take all our sin upon Himself, satisfying the righteousness of God. So, He completed the sacrifice once and for all. I like to imagine that He “broke the system.” And now we’re free. • Natty Maelle • What questions do you have about your faith? Who is a trusted friend, parent, counselor, or pastor you could talk to about these questions? Remember, there are some questions we may never get answers to. After all, we’re humans trying to understand things on God’s level. How does that make you feel? Consider taking some time to talk to God about these feelings. 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)

READ: JOHN 15:13-15; ROMANS 3:21-24; 15:7; 1 JOHN 1:8–2:2 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=JOHN%2015%3A13-15%3B%20ROMANS%203%3A21-24%3B%2015%3A7%3B%201%20JOHN%201%3A8%E2%80%932%3A2&version=NIV] Are you good enough? I’m not. Not nearly good enough to please all those voices that tell me to do better, try harder, be perfect. How I’ve tried! Many of us are side-lined perfectionists, watching from the benches while other brighter, bolder, better perfectionists are in the game, seemingly living that gleaming, perfect, successful life where they seem to shine. “Seem” is the definitive word! All the posts and pictures that dominate our feeds make these perfected humans “seem” so perfect. Better than us, for sure. But it’s all an illusion. Not real, not at all. Perhaps they project the illusion that they themselves want so badly to believe. “Maybe, if I appear this way—beautiful, smart, athletic, successful—I will eventually believe it myself.” Because, believe it or not, those who seem so put-together struggle with the same inadequacies that we do. Turns out, humans just aren’t perfect—it’s been that way since humans first sinned. We can’t always achieve high marks, make the team, or have a slew of friends. But I’ll tell you what we do have. As believers in Jesus, we have Him as our Friend. Such a Friend! He will always have your back, include you, and love you exactly the way you are. His love never fails. And He doesn’t require you to be better, try harder, be perfect, measure up. Instead, God in Christ extends to each of us this marvelous, extraordinary gift called grace. Grace is God’s unearned favor, the kind of love and acceptance and inclusion that we all dream of enjoying. But the marvelous truth is, everyone who has put their trust in Jesus can enjoy God’s grace every day. And then, do you know what we can do with this wonderful grace of God? We receive it. We daily remind ourselves that, despite our imperfections, God loved us so much that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead so He could give us this grace. And then we give it out freely, to everybody around us. • Kristen Merrill • In what ways have you tried to measure up? Do you ever feel like you’re pretending to be the person you want to be? How could it be freeing to rest in Jesus’s grace and love for you instead? • Do you feel far away from this free gift of grace? Maybe a bit distant from God? As Christians, sometimes this happens when we have unconfessed sin we need to take to God in prayer. Other times, it may be we’ve been believing things about God that aren’t true, and that makes it hard to feel close to Him. Who are trusted Christians in your life who can walk with you when you’re struggling? (If you’ve never received the grace of Jesus, you can find out more on our "Know Jesus [https://unlocked.org/knowjesus/]" page.) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8 (NIV)