Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: JOHN 20:24-29; ACTS 17:10-12; PHILIPPIANS 1:9-11 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=JOHN%2020%3A24-29%3B%20ACTS%2017%3A10-12%3B%20PHILIPPIANS%201%3A9-11&version=CSB] We all have doubts and questions from time to time. Does God exist? Are heaven and hell real? Does the Bible actually teach what people say it does? Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Maybe it’s questions from a friend that make us doubt. Maybe it’s something we hear on social media, in a movie, in a book, or from a teacher. Or maybe it’s just our own wondering hearts. Let me assure you: it’s absolutely okay to doubt. It can even be good! Faith is not blind belief in what someone tells us. Instead, it’s a trusting reliance on a God we can know personally. Doubts can help us realize what we still need to learn… and what we don’t yet understand. That’s a healthy part of the Christian life. It wouldn’t be healthy, though, if we just ignored our doubts, or if we gave in to them. We have to do something about them. We have to answer them. How? The way we answer any question: with thought and research. But also, with prayer. God invites us to entrust our doubts to Him, asking Him to make the answers clear to us and to help us know Him better in the process. For example, if you can’t come up with reasons why you know God exists, maybe ask a trusted Christian in your life to tell you their reasons—such as a friend, pastor, or family member—or find a book by a Christian apologetics expert. If you’re wondering whether something you’ve been taught is truly right, be like the Bereans in Acts 17—pick up a Bible, and find out what God has to say! Easy? Certainly not always. But if we don’t challenge ourselves, if we don’t ask tough questions and search for tough answers, how will we grow? Remember, God can use our questions—and the things we learn from them—to equip us for the missions He has for us in His kingdom. So we don’t need to be afraid of doubts. As Jesus mercifully appeared to Thomas when he doubted—showing Thomas His wounds from the cross to prove that He was alive again—Jesus reveals Himself and comes near to us in our search for tough answers. • Christiana Albrecht • What doubts do you have about your faith? Which topics make you uncomfortable? • Is it hard for you to admit that you don’t have all the answers? Why do you think that is? • When you find yourself struggling with doubt, who is a trusted Christian in your life you can talk openly with—someone who will listen well, pray with you and for you, and remind you that you are forgiven and loved, completely and eternally, in spite of your doubts? But test all things. Hold on to what is good. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 (CSB)

READ: PSALM 139:23-24; 2 TIMOTHY 1:9-13; 2:19-26 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PSALM%20139%3A23-24%3B%202%20TIMOTHY%201%3A9-13%3B%202%3A19-26&version=CSB] As a kid, one of my jobs after dinner was to clear the table and help wash the dishes. Many of my mom’s fancy dishes couldn’t go into the dishwasher but had to be washed by hand. I can still remember the feeling of having finally rinsed them and put them on the drying rack, only to discover there were some spots I had missed. Bits of dried food would be left under the brim or deep in some crevice, and the dish would have to be washed again. The only way to be sure the dishes were completely clean was to turn them over and over under the hot water, searching out every nook and cranny with a soapy sponge. The same is true with our spiritual lives. In 2 Timothy 2, Paul says to Timothy, “Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also those of wood and clay; some for honorable [or special] use and some for dishonorable [or ordinary use]. So if anyone purifies himself from anything dishonorable he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work” (verse 20-21). How do we purify ourselves like this? Paul goes on to instruct Timothy to flee the lusts of youth, to pursue what is good, to “reject foolish and ignorant disputes,” and to instead patiently and gently teach his opponents in hopes that God will grant them repentance (verse 22-26). In order to move toward righteousness and away from wickedness, we need to search out our hearts, thinking deeply and inviting the Holy Spirit to come into those places where, if we’re honest, we would really rather He not go. And this is something we do in community with other believers. Paul says in verse 22 that we are to do this “along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” Together, we pursue righteousness and obedience to Jesus Christ, who saved us from sin by His own death and resurrection. When we are in relationship with brothers and sisters in Christ, we can lovingly point out things in each other’s lives that need repentance and growth. We don’t do this out of pride or arrogance, but out of love for Christ and for one another. God wants to cleanse every nook and cranny of your heart. Will you invite Him to do that today? • Jacob Bier • To be holy is to be set apart. What does holiness have to do with service? How does unconfessed sin get in the way of serving the Lord? And how does Jesus cleanse us? So if anyone purifies himself from anything dishonorable, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. 2 Timothy 2:21 (CSB)

READ: LUKE 9:10-17; ROMANS 5:5; 1 THESSALONIANS 3:12 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=LUKE%209%3A10-17%3B%20ROMANS%205%3A5%3B%201%20THESSALONIANS%203%3A12&version=CSB] Do you like leftovers? I love them. I would prefer to take leftovers as my lunch over a sandwich any day! When I was growing up, I remember my grandmother would designate one day of the week to have “must-go” casserole for supper. That meant she would take all the leftovers from the week before and make some sort of casserole—it was always something unique. Personally, I’m thankful for leftovers because it means that my family has more than enough to eat. The amazing thing about today’s Scripture passage is that there were leftovers. Jesus was feeding over 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fish. There shouldn’t have been any leftovers at all. In fact, there should have been several thousand people who didn’t get anything to eat. Instead, Jesus did a miracle, and there ended up being more food than they started out with—that day was overflowing with leftovers. God can do that in the lives of His people too. He can take a sinner who has lots of bitterness, anger, and unforgiveness, and He can fill them with His overflowing love—so much so that they have leftover love to give to others. The truth is, we’re all sinners apart from Jesus. But once we know Jesus, we can share His abundant love in any situation because, as Romans 5:5 says, “God’s love has been poured out in our hearts.” And His love is too good not to share! • Melissa Yeagle • Can you think of a time someone showed God’s love to you? What did they say or do? • In God’s kingdom, there is always more than enough love, compassion, and forgiveness to go around—because Jesus’s death and resurrection is just that powerful! (You can find more about this good news on our "Know Jesus [https://unlocked.org/knowjesus/]" page.) And if we know Jesus, we never need to worry about running out of love because His Holy Spirit lives in us. The love we share with others doesn’t come from us—it comes from God! When do you find it difficult to love others? Consider taking a moment to talk to God about this. You can always ask Him to remind you of how much He loves you and the people around you. We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19 (CSB)

READ: MATTHEW 11:28-30; MARK 6:30-44; LUKE 5:16; 6:12-13 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=MATTHEW%2011%3A28-30%3B%20MARK%206%3A30-44%3B%20LUKE%205%3A16%3B%206%3A12-13&version=NIV] Have you ever heard the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand? If you’ve spent a lot of time in Sunday School or youth groups, familiar stories like this one can be easy to skim over. But when I reread Mark recently, I found my eyes drawn to the verses just before this miracle. It’s fair to assume that Jesus and His twelve apostles are exhausted. They have been so busy they haven’t even had a chance to eat. So Jesus tells His disciples, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31). It is a quiet place…a solitary place. The disciples call it remote, far enough from civilization that, when the crowds follow them because they want to see Jesus, the twelve urge Him to send the people away to the surrounding villages to find food. In a place like this, there was nothing to distract the apostles from Jesus. Life can be exhausting. School and friends and chores eat up our time and energy, and before we know it our time alone with Jesus falls to the wayside. All of these things are important, but God calls us to take time away to rest in Him. When was the last time you spent time alone with Jesus? He doesn’t call you to work until you fall over, even if your work is all good things. He calls His disciples away to a remote place to rest…and then to return to work with renewed energy. • Rebekah DeVall • Can you think of a time you felt exhausted? Did you notice any ways God invited you to rest in that time? • What is a quiet or solitary place you can visit to spend some time with Jesus? It might be a private spot in your home, a peaceful nook in the library, or somewhere outside. If you’re not sure where you could go, consider taking a moment to ask God to help you notice where He is providing a place for you. So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. Mark 6:32 (NIV)

READ: MATTHEW 14:25-33; HEBREWS 12:1-2 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=%20MATTHEW%2014%3A25-33%3B%20HEBREWS%2012%3A1-2&version=WEB] Lemarti woke up on the third day doubting his purpose here in the treehouse village. As a dendrology intern he felt lonely and useless. Was he wasting everyone’s time? Sure, he’d studied trees in his classes the past couple years, but these people had been researching—and living in—the forest for generations. Every day he discovered more things he still had to learn, and he felt like he just couldn’t keep up. He growled into his pillow, “How do I think about everything, Lord? What do I focus on? How do I find courage to be a part of this village?” He rubbed his face and sat up. So far Lemarti had managed to stick to traveling by stairs, ladders, and the swinging rope bridges built with planks. Today Kolufo, his guide and trainer, told him it was time to learn a new crossing method. “Look, it’s not that bad,” said Kolufo. “Sure, you’re standing on a rope. But there’s another rope to hang on to! Easy sneezy! Just walk across.” Lemarti surveyed the two parallel ropes that reached ten feet to the lab. “Easy sneezy,” he murmured, and grabbed the hand rope that stretched across at arm level. He slid one foot onto the bottom rope. His eyes shot to the forest floor one hundred feet down. The net just below him was almost invisible, and he didn’t quite believe it would catch him. He froze. “Lemarti,” groaned Kolufo. “You’ve got to stop looking around. Look ahead at the lab and walk toward it.” “I can’t help it,” Lemarti hissed. “I keep looking at all those other houses and then at the ground, and then I have a heart attack.” “Here, let’s switch.” Kolufo grabbed the rope and scooted across. “Okay, now you try, but this time, just look at me. If you look down or at all these cool treehouses or whatever, I’m going to take the best microscope. Come on.” Lemarti grabbed the high rope, took a deep breath, and stared at Kolufo. He slid his feet forward. The treehouse village disappeared. The space below him was gone. All he could see was Kolufo. This was exactly what he needed to do with Jesus—keep his eyes on Him, and everything else would make sense. Kolufo grabbed his hand and helped him off the ropes. • Amy Glendinning • Today’s allegorical story is inspired by Matthew 14:25-33. Jesus was walking on the sea, and then Peter started walking toward Jesus—on the water—until he looked at the powerful wind and waves, and he began to sink. But immediately, Jesus reached out and rescued Peter. Similarly, when we keep our eyes on Jesus, instead of on all the overwhelming things in our lives and the world around us, He helps us follow Him one step at a time (John 8:12; 15:5). But, even when we take our eyes off Jesus and fall, He is our safety net. He knows we won’t follow Him perfectly, and He died and rose again to forgive our sins and give us eternal life with Him. How could these truths give us comfort and courage as we navigate life in our broken world? • Can you think of a time you were overwhelmed and didn’t know what to do? Were there any ways Jesus redirected your focus back onto Him. • Have you ever had a moment where looking at Jesus helped the things in your life make sense? What was that like? • What are some practical ways you can keep your eyes on Jesus? Remember, none of us can do this alone. Who is a trusted Christian in your life who can remind you of Jesus’s power and love, point you to Scripture, and pray with you and for you, especially when life is difficult. And let’s run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 (WEB)