Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

Roll on Like a River

READ: AMOS 5:24; MICAH 6:8; LUKE 18:7-8; REVELATION 21:4 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=AMOS%205%3A24%3B%20MICAH%206%3A8%3B%20LUKE%2018%3A7-8%3B%20REVELATION%2021%3A4&version=NIV] A girl stands in front of a judge and jury, retelling her traumatic assault, and her assaulter walks free at the end of the trial. A family breaks into tears after learning there was not enough evidence to convict their son’s murderer. You tell your teacher you’re being bullied, and they say they can’t do anything unless they see it. Our world is riddled with injustices big and small, and they sting. We say, “That’s not fair!” and someone responds, “Life’s not fair.” But there is hope in the midst of these injustices. The book of Amos says that God’s justice will pour outward like a river. And in the book of Revelation, the apostle John says Jesus will enact justice at His return, even removing our death, crying, grief, and pain. John paints a picture of God wiping away our tears as He takes away our suffering. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? Part of God’s plan is to bring His justice. And Jesus revealed God’s justice. When Jesus died on the cross, He took on the sins of the world—and God’s just punishment for them—so that all of us who put our trust in Jesus won’t receive the punishment we deserve. God longs for people to turn to Jesus so they can be made right with Him. But those who reject Jesus will face His just wrath at Judgment Day, when He promises to bring justice for every wrong. So, whether through the cross or at Judgment Day, all injustice will be made right (John 3:15-18; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 Peter 3:9-13). In the meantime, we can rest knowing that God hears us whenever we cry out against injustice, and He promises to bring an end to every wrong and heal our every hurt. Not only that, but God also calls His people to act justly here and now as we wait for His upcoming justice. When we look to Jesus, we see that He acted against injustice on our behalf—for example, He flipped over tables in the temple and stopped the money changers who were taking advantage of people who had come to worship God (Mark 11:15-17). This means one way we can show Jesus’s love to others is through seeking after justice. While we wait for our Savior to return and bring ultimate justice, we can rely on Him to help us shine His light on any injustice we encounter. • Naomi Zylstra • Where do you see injustice in the world today? Consider taking some time to pray about an injustice, asking God to help you notice any ways you could bring His love and justice there. “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” Amos 5:24 (NIV)

Megachurch Fog Machines in Heaven?

READ: COLOSSIANS 3:16; HEBREWS 10:23-25; REVELATION 4:1-11 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=COLOSSIANS%203%3A16%3B%20HEBREWS%2010%3A23-25%3B%20REVELATION%204%3A1-11&version=NLT] The more I study worship, the more frustrated I get with how we do or don’t do it in our churches today. From coffee snobs to music snobs, we all know “that guy.” Well, I think I may have become “that guy” when it comes to finding a church I like. I recently moved back home to the United States from Canada, and I’m trying to find “the right church for me.” Before this, finding my church was simple. It was the only one with a worship time late enough for me to attend after working third shift. Now, I’m church shopping and getting frustrated with myself and with the churches in my area. The megachurch nearby feels like a rock concert with a fog machine and laser light show, which irritates me. But when I go to the smaller churches, they seem lifeless and filled mostly with older people who seem to value tradition more than anything else. I do hope to get over myself soon. To humbly approach the altar and worship God is an incredible and unique aspect of the Christian life. When we do this, we’re joining the elders around the throne room of heaven that John describes in Revelation 4. I want to feel the rumble of the thunder, see the flashes of lightning, and smell the smoke coming off the lit torches in heaven’s throne room when I join in and sing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come” (Revelation 4:8). Maybe that fog machine isn’t as terrible as I first thought. Maybe it would do more to aid in my worship of Jesus if I decided to first humble myself before entering the sanctuary, remembering that Jesus—not me—is the one the service is about. He died and rose again for us so we could be forgiven and live with Him forever—He is truly worthy of our worship. • Andy Smith • How do you normally experience worship services at church? Do you look forward to it, dread it, or something in between? • How does your church worship service remind you of who Jesus is and what He has done? (If you want to dig deeper, read Acts 4:11-12; Romans 3:22-24; 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Colossians 1:13-23; Titus 2:11-14; Revelation 21:1-7) Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.” Revelation 4:8 (NLT)

Our Unchanging God

READ: LAMENTATIONS 3:21-26; 2 TIMOTHY 2:8-13 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=LAMENTATIONS%203%3A21-26%3B%202%20TIMOTHY%202%3A8-13&version=NIV] Baking treats for my family is one way I show love. Years ago, I learned to make brownies from scratch. But one day, something that wasn’t on the ingredients list found its way into the brownies. One family member, Dane, took his first warm, chewy bite—but was dismayed to find a sliver of paper in it. Apparently, I hadn’t removed the entire wrapper from the stick of butter I’d used in the recipe, and Dane found it in his brownie. I promised to do better. The next time I baked brownies, I offered Dane the first piece, and he enjoyed a paper-free dessert. The next day he got another serving. But this time he found a small scrap of butter wrapper. I’d made the same mistake twice! After that, I assumed it would take a while before Dane would trust my brownies again. People (and our cooking) can be unpredictable. Some days we treat each other kindly and keep our word. Other days we let each other down in ways that leave behind a trail of hurt and disappointment. Sometimes friends and loved ones break our trust, which can be difficult to rebuild. And sometimes we break theirs. Even after apologies and forgiveness, it may take time for us to open up again as we wonder, What am I going to get this time? Though we humans are often inconsistent, we can count on God to be true to His character. When we begin a relationship with God by putting our trust in Jesus—the one who took all our sins upon Himself when He died on the cross and rose from the dead—we become God’s children. As we grow in this relationship, we come to know how God relates to His people: with consistent forgiveness, love, and compassion. God poured out all His wrath toward sin and evil on Jesus at the cross, so now His children can rest in His faithful mercy and lovingkindness. Even when we are unfaithful, He will always be perfectly faithful to us, and He will never break our trust. • Allison Wilson Lee • When is it hard for you to trust God? Consider taking a moment to tell Him about this. • What are some things that remind you of God’s faithfulness—such as Bible verses, songs, personal experiences, the experiences of others, etc.? Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. Lamentations 3:22 (NIV)

What Will They Think?

READ: ROMANS 12; 1 PETER 2:9-12 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ROMANS%2012%3B%201%20PETER%202%3A9-12&version=NIV] Have you ever felt like you had to try hard to get people to like you? School, church, homeschool co-op, work—anywhere you go there are expectations to act a certain way, say certain things, do this, and definitely don’t do that! You might feel like you have to guard yourself to make sure no one sees who you really are—because they might not like that person. Looking for approval is something we all do, but we often look for acceptance in the wrong places. When we focus on being the cool kid or being the teacher’s favorite or wearing the right thing, we sometimes forget we belong to Jesus. He is our loving God, who laid down His life for us so we could become part of His family. We don’t need to earn acceptance, because He has already accepted us through the cross. And yet, it’s so difficult to fight the urge to fit in because, even though our world says, “Be yourself” and “You’re perfect just the way you are,” we’re still constantly being judged and even rejected by others. But why should we try so hard to fit in when God has called us to be different? In Jesus, He’s given us a new identity as His dearly loved children. When we focus on Jesus, we often find we don’t care how other people are acting. As we experience God’s love for us, our focus shifts to showing others His love and truth, instead of worrying about what they think of us. As teens, we especially have an opportunity to be a light to the world. Why teens especially? You’ve heard the stereotypes! Teens are lazy. They just want to have fun and be popular. They’re self-obsessed and addicted to their phones. But, in Christ, we can be the ones to break the stereotypes. We can be the ones who work hard, genuinely care about the people around us, and don’t care if anybody thinks we’re weird. We can be the ones who are respectful, intuitive, smart, and helpful—putting others first. We don’t have to conform to the world’s expectations. Once we know Jesus, we are being transformed to be like Him. • Leah Najimy • Can you think of a time you felt pressured to look or act a certain way? How did you deal with it? • According to 1 Peter 2:9-12, what are some things that come with having our identity in Christ? • How does knowing we are fully accepted and loved in Jesus affect the way we view others and what they think about us? Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)

Choosing the Bible

READ: PSALMS 63:6-8; 119:103-105; MATTHEW 11:28-30 There are times when I have a few free moments, and I reach for my phone. My finger automatically taps on a social media app, a good place to go when I just want to browse for a little while, see some content quick, and move on. The types of things I see on social media, though, can cause me stress or make me feel down. I wish I was quicker to open the Bible app on my phone instead of social media. When we spend a lot of time on social media, we’re exposed to news that we wouldn’t otherwise see, the lives of others that we automatically compare our own lives to, and drama that has nothing to do with us but still draws us in. Plus, there’s a lot of untrustworthy information online. It’s hard to know what’s true, what’s partially true, and what’s completely made up—even if some people believe it’s real. There is good on social media too, but a lot of what we see on these platforms is not beneficial to us. The more time we spend on social media, and the more we turn to it when we’re bored or we have just a few minutes of free time, the more it can bring us down. Studies have even shown it can negatively affect our brains. But when we spend time with God, we can find peace. Often, the more time we spend with Him, the more peaceful we feel. We were created for relationship with the one who made us. He loves us so much that He suffered the cross for us—and He’s so powerful that He rose from the grave and promises to make all things new. God knows we need His love and strength as we live in a world that still bears the effects of sin. When we take just a few minutes to turn to Jesus by praying or reading the Bible, we may find our entire outlook changes and we feel better. Social media can be good and fun in moderation, but I don’t like the way it makes me feel sometimes. Think about how you feel the next time you get off social media. And then think about how you feel the next time you set aside your Bible after reading a passage. How do the two compare? I’ve found there is a special peace that comes through spending time with God in prayer and in His Word. • Emily Acker • How do you feel after spending time on social media? Are there certain apps or content creators that make you feel better or worse? Why do you think that is? • How much time, and what kind of time, do you think is healthy to spend on social media each week? • Have you ever felt stressed or bored, and then read or listened to the Bible? What was that like? Those who love your law have great peace. Psalm 119:165 (WEB)