Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

The Impossible Shot

READ: JOHN 14:6; ROMANS 3:21-26; EPHESIANS 2:8-9; HEBREWS 7:25 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=JOHN%2014%3A6%3B%20ROMANS%203%3A21-26%3B%20EPHESIANS%202%3A8-9%3B%20HEBREWS%207%3A25&version=NIV] I looked up at the enormous shimmering gates guarding a city of wonders: streets lined with mansions, rivers of crystal water, and a peaceful people ruled by a just and powerful king. But no person entered the rich kingdom without first earning their spot, and there was only one way to do it. I gripped the rough, wooden bow and took my stance. I knew the king stood on the wall and watched me, but I wouldn’t look at him. I swallowed hard and narrowed my eyes at the target, a large wooden circle nearly a mile away. With shaky fingers, I nocked my arrow and pulled it to my face. I’d trained my entire life for this, practicing day and night so I would be able to make this one, impossible shot. I wouldn’t fail. I couldn’t. My muscles burned as I held my bow, arrow drawn, and pointed it at the target. Sweat was beading on my forehead, the muscles in my face twitched. Breathe. Focus. Release. My arrow, flying straight and fast, fell immensely short of the mark, disappearing into the thick brush. I crumpled to my knees and stared after the only chance I had of living in the shining city with the good king. I dropped my bow, buried my face in my hands, and wept. Someone touched my shoulder. I looked up, into the kind face of the king. He’d left the safety of the city walls to come to me. He held out his hand. Hesitantly, I picked my bow up off the ground and placed it in his outstretched hand. He pulled out a shining arrow and took aim, strong and steady, and confidently released the arrow. It flew across the expanse so quickly I nearly missed it hitting the target, directly in its center. My mouth fell open as I looked back at him. He smiled. “Come,” he said, his voice warm and kind. Again he held out his hand, and I grasped it with my own. The king walked me through the gates of his kingdom, welcoming me as his child. • Emily Tenter • Today’s story is an allegory. How does the king act toward the archer in this story? Is this what you would expect from a king? Why or why not? • The Greek word hamartia is often translated as sin in the Bible, but it’s also an ancient archery term that means “missing the mark.” How could it be helpful to think about sin this way? • We’ve all sinned, missing the mark of loving God and each other (Matthew 22:37-40), and the result of sin is death. But God loves us and wants to save us so we can be with Him in His good kingdom! That’s why Jesus came. He is fully God and fully human—the only human who never missed the mark. By living a righteous life of obedience to God the Father, dying on the cross for our sins, and rising from the grave to defeat death, He hit the mark on our behalf! How could it be freeing to know we can’t earn our place in God’s kingdom, but Jesus made the way for us? • When we put our trust in Jesus, He welcomes us into His kingdom as His dear children. And when He returns, He will raise us from the dead to live with Him forever in a world free from sin and death! For more about this good news, see our "Know Jesus" page. • Jesus is the King of kings, and we can boldly approach His throne because of what He did for us on the cross (Hebrews 4:14-16; Revelation 19:16). Even though we’ll all continue to struggle with sin until Jesus returns, we can know that He empathizes with us because He faced the same temptations we do—yet He didn’t give in. So we can be totally honest with Him about our struggles and shortcomings. He already knows it all, and He wants to cover our faults with His mercy and help us walk in His good ways. Consider taking a moment now to come to Him in prayer. Whatever you want to say, He wants to listen. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)

Where's Your Heart?

READ: JOHN 13:1-17, 33-35; 15:5 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=JOHN%2013%3A1-17%2C%2033-35%3B%2015%3A5&version=NLT] Have you ever done something good…because an adult told you to, or because you wanted to be a “good person,” or because it seemed like the “right” thing to do? Was your heart in the right place? As humans, we’ve all done good things for the wrong reasons. But Jesus makes it pretty clear that following Him means servanthood—the first will be last, and the last will be first—as He had to remind His disciples many times (Matthew 20:16). In John 13, Jesus gives us an example to follow when He washes His disciples’ feet. Look at verse 3, before Jesus ever makes a move to clean His disciples’ feet. John 13:3 tells us that Jesus knew He was God the Son, that He shared God the Father’s authority over all things, and that He was ultimately headed back to the Father after He suffered the cross and rose from the dead—Jesus knew who He was. And in verse 4, because He knew who He was, Jesus got up to wash His disciples’ feet. Do you see how that worked? Before Jesus served others, He remembered His identity, and He acted in accordance with the Father’s plans for Him. I think God wants it to be the same for us—before we can serve others (and do it from the right heart space), we have to know who we are. We have to be reminded of our identity in Christ, which is affirmed all throughout His Word. As people who belong to Jesus, we are children of God, coheirs with Christ, and God’s masterpiece. He has good plans for us that we can’t even begin to imagine. Jesus died for us and rose again so we could be freed from the grip of sin, shame, and death. We are the people whose feet have been washed by Jesus. We need to be reminded of these truths often. Thankfully, God knows this. And as we rely on the love of Jesus and the power of His Holy Spirit within us, He blesses us to serve others and step into the good work He has for us. • Hannah Ruth Johnson • Have you ever found yourself serving others because you felt obligated or because it seemed like the “right” thing to do? How did that feel? • In God’s kingdom, we don’t serve to earn love. Rather, we serve because we are loved. How could remembering the ways Christ serves us, and who we are in Him, change the way we view service? (If you want to dig deeper, read John 1:12, Romans 8:17; 1 Corinthians 2:9; 6:11; Ephesians 2:1-10) For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

City on a Hill

READ: MATTHEW 5:14-16; JOHN 13:12-17, 34-35; 1 JOHN 4:19 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=MATTHEW%205%3A14-16%3B%20JOHN%2013%3A12-17%2C%2034-35%3B%201%20JOHN%204%3A19&version=CSB] Recently, some friends and I gathered to pray in someone’s living room for a specific need. It was evening, and the room was lit with warm lamplight. As we were finishing praying for the night, it occurred to me that, from outside, people passing by would see a glowing yellow light coming from the windows. And it reminded me of something Jesus said, about a city on a hill. “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16). Since I was a kid, I’ve always pictured this city on a hill aglow with yellow light. But for some reason, this passage never really resonated with me before that night I prayed in the living room with friends. I had this sense of the hope and power we have access to as people of God. We know Jesus, and nothing is impossible for Him (Matthew 19:26). In fact, He loves working on behalf of His people. And even if He doesn’t answer our prayers in the specific ways or timing that we hope He will, we don’t need to be afraid of any darkness, because His love surrounds us. And the peace and confidence we have in Jesus is something that will, hopefully, be noticed by people who don’t know Jesus yet. Maybe they’ll want to lean in, to see where the light comes from. A couple weeks after that prayer night, I noticed a connection between what Jesus said in Matthew 5, and something else He said in John 13: “Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (verse 34-35). Do you know that I always took Matthew 5:14 to mean that I, as an individual, was supposed to be like a city? But it makes so much more sense that we, together as the family of believers, are like a city. As we love each other out of the overflow of Jesus’s love for us, we shine His light for all to see. And we invite those who don’t know Jesus yet to draw near, and experience His love too. • Hannah Howe • Have you ever been in a gathering of Christians that felt warn and inviting? What was going on? [Jesus said,] “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14 (CSB)

Peace Beyond Understanding

READ: MATTHEW 11:28-30; JOHN 14:26-27; PHILIPPIANS 4:4-13 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=MATTHEW%2011%3A28-30%3B%20JOHN%2014%3A26-27%3B%20PHILIPPIANS%204%3A4-13&version=CSB] Relax your shoulders. Take a deep breath, and let out the tension you’ve been holding. Feel any better? God calls Himself our Comforter. In John 14:26, Jesus calls the Holy Spirit Paraklētos, which can be translated helper, advocate, counselor—or comforter. Similarly, in 2 Corinthians 1:3, Paul praises God the Father as “the God of all comfort.” One way God acts as our Comforter is by giving us His peace. This is a peace for the soul that goes beyond our understanding—showing up even when we face situations that are anything but peaceful. Have you ever encountered someone who has lost a loved one, yet they speak about feeling God’s peace? This doesn’t mean they aren’t grieving, or that they feel no emotion. Rather, God’s peace is a way He meets His children in the midst of their grief. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus calls all people to come to Him for rest. This is a rest that goes beyond a simple power nap. God’s rest is a deep rest for your soul. It’s a rest rooted in the fact that we are saved through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and because He died and rose again, everyone who puts their trust in Him has peace with God (Isaiah 9:6; Romans 5:1). We can rest in Jesus’s promises to be with us no matter what—and to one day make all things new, free from sin and death and all the suffering sin causes (Matthew 28:20; Revelation 21:1-5). So today, consider taking a moment to just rest in God’s peace. Whatever you go through—times of stress, grief, or discontentment; times of rejoicing, celebration, or worship; and everything in between—you can know that Jesus loves and comforts you, always. • Naomi Zylstra • Have you ever experienced peace beyond understanding in your own life, or seen it in someone else’s life? What was that like? • What kinds of things have been causing you stress or worry lately? Consider taking a moment to talk to God about whatever is on your mind. (Philippians 4:6-7) And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 (CSB)

He Can Relate

READ: JOHN 1:1-4, 9-14; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-5; HEBREWS 4:14-16 Have you been rejected by your family? Jesus can relate. His own brothers didn’t believe in Him (John 7:5). Have you been rejected by your friends? One of Jesus’s best friends denied that he even knew Him three times (John 18:13-27). Do you feel alone in your hometown? Jesus was driven out of His (Luke 4:14-30). Have you been kind to someone who showed no gratitude in return? Jesus healed ten men with leprosy, and only one came back to thank Him (Luke 17:11-19). Have you been criticized for doing the right thing? Jesus was constantly chastised by the Pharisees for healing on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:9-14) and for hanging out with people they considered to be the worst of sinners (Luke 5:27-31). Have you been bullied? Jesus was mocked by His own people (Matthew 27:41-42), brutally tortured by the Romans (John 19:1-6), and taunted and tempted by the devil himself (Matthew 4:1-11). Have you lost someone close to you? Jesus wept when His friend Lazarus died (John 11:1-44). Just because Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of the world doesn’t mean He can’t relate to us. He is fully human. He faced the full range of human experiences and emotions, which gave Him a profound understanding of human rejection, sadness, suffering, and pain—He even endured the deepest of suffering by dying on the cross for our sins. That means He can fully empathize with us in whatever we’re facing right now. He did all of this for us. He is with us. He will never leave us (Hebrews 13:5). What’s more, Jesus is also fully God. That means He can comfort us in a way no one else can. He offers us the peace that comes from resting in His love— and looking forward to the day He will return and make all things new. Let’s turn to Him for comfort today. • Sarah Elizabeth Child • What kinds of hurts have you experienced lately—whether physical, emotional, mental, relational, or spiritual? Can you think of any times Jesus experienced something similar? If nothing comes to mind, who is a trusted Christian in your life who could help you find Bible passages that reveal just how much Jesus gets what you’re going through? Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:3 (WEB)