Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: GENESIS 32:1-12; 1 SAMUEL 30:1-6; HEBREWS 4:14-16 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=GENESIS+32%3A1-12%3B+1+SAMUEL+30%3A1-6%3B+HEBREWS+4%3A14-16&version=NIV] When you are afraid or in distress, where do you go? What do you do? Genesis 32 tells the story of Jacob preparing to see his brother Esau. These twins had a bad past—Jacob cheated Esau and then ran away. Years later, when Jacob heard Esau was on his way to meet him with four hundred men, the passage tells us Jacob was “in great fear and distress” (Genesis 32:7). He was afraid Esau was going to attack him because of their bad past. So what did Jacob do? He prayed! When Jacob was afraid, he went to God. Later in the Bible, in 1 Samuel 30, we hear about David’s people being attacked while David was away, and many women and children were taken captive. Verse 4 says, “David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.” Then David “was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him,” but verse 6 tells us “David found strength in the LORD his God.” Like Jacob, David went to God when he was distressed. David found his strength in the Lord. The Lord was with David always, as He is with us. Like Jacob and David, when we are afraid or in distress, whether it be stress about homework, fear of the future, or fear for a sick loved one, we can pray to God. He loves us, and He always wants to help us. Remember, Jesus Himself went to the Father in prayer when He was distressed. On the night before He went to the cross, Jesus was in anguish, and the Father heard His cries and lovingly sent an angel to strengthen Him (Luke 22:39-44). Because of Jesus’s sinless sacrifice, we can have a restored, close relationship with God. If we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can know that God has given us the Holy Spirit to equip us and strengthen us. So we can pray to Him whenever we’re worried or afraid. We can strengthen ourselves in God by spending time with Him through prayer or reading Scripture, and we can thank Him for being the God who hears. • Elizabeth Cooper • What do you tend to do when you’re stressed out or afraid? Consider taking some time now to talk to God about any fears that come to mind. We can take comfort in knowing He always hears us, and He always cares about us. And when Jesus returns, we will never be distressed again. • Can you think of a time you went to God when you were afraid and He protected or strengthened you? What was that like? I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4 (NIV)

READ: EXODUS 20:1-20; ISAIAH 53:5-12; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:21 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=EXODUS+20%3A1-20%3B+ISAIAH+53%3A5-12%3B+2+CORINTHIANS+5%3A21&version=NIV] Are you ever confused or discouraged when you read the Old Testament and see the Ten Commandments or all the long lists of laws God gave His people? It seems impossible to follow every single one of those rules. And as humans in a fallen world, it is. God did not give the Israelites all these commandments because He thought they would follow them perfectly. He knew beforehand they would fall short. So why did He give them the law? God wanted to show us we can never measure up to His perfection. We’ve all sinned, and we could never earn His forgiveness. And because God loves us, He wants us to realize our desperate need for a Savior. We need Jesus! Everything in the Bible points to Jesus, including the Old Testament laws (Romans 3:23-26). So flash forward to the New Testament, when God the Father sends God the Son, Jesus, to earth to do what we could never do. Jesus becomes a human and lives a perfect life, embodying all of God’s good ways. Because Jesus is sinless, He is able to give up His own life as an acceptable sacrifice for the sins of all people in all time. When Jesus died on the cross, He took all our sin upon Himself (1 Peter 2:24). And then He rose again, defeating the power of sin and giving eternal life to all who trust in Him as their Savior. So, whenever we read the law, let’s remember it shows us how much we need a Savior. We can’t do it on our own. And because of Jesus, we don’t have to! God saves us through faith in Jesus, not through any works or good deeds we do. Praise God! • Elizabeth Cooper • Have you ever tried to please God by doing good things and trying to do everything right? How could it be freeing to know that we’re not perfect, but Jesus has already done everything that was needed to save us? • The law points to our need for Jesus. We don’t need to do anything or clean ourselves up before coming to God. Because of Jesus’s death and resurrection, we can come to God just as we are. If you want to know more about what it means to trust in Jesus, see our "Know Jesus [https://unlocked.org/knowjesus/]" page. • Once we know Jesus, God the Holy Spirit lives inside us. The Holy Spirit works to transform us to become more and more like Jesus, helping us turn away from sin and walk in God’s good ways instead. What might it look like to obey God, not out of fear, but out of love and gratitude? 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)

READ: GALATIANS 6:8-10 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=GALATIANS+6%3A8-10&version=NLT] I spend a lot of time at home, and sometimes that makes me feel like I’m not touching as many lives as I should. But as I thought about it more, I realized there are lots of things I do while I am at home to look out for others and be there for my fellow believers. Like me, you might feel like you’re not doing enough, but there are small things you can do in your everyday life to make a difference. When we put our trust in Jesus, believing in His life, death, and resurrection, His love transforms us, and He calls us to share that love with others. It’s easy to think we’re only called to minister to those who don’t know God, but that’s not true. Jesus calls us to look out for our fellow believers too. So when we’re home and we serve someone we live with, whether they’re a believer or not, we are serving God. When we surprise them by doing something special for them, we’re following what Paul says in Galatians 6:10, “Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.” We may think we need to be doing big things in order to serve God or live the way He wants us to. But the truth is, there are many things we can do that aren’t necessarily going to be noticed by everyone but can still touch lives just the same. Getting someone their favorite snack, helping with their chores, or just being a listening ear are all everyday ways to serve the people God has placed in our everyday lives. We can show the love of Jesus to the people around us, whether we spend a lot of time out and about or we spend most of our time at home, whether we go to school or are homeschooled, whether or not we have a job we go to. As long as we’re looking to God for direction and relying on Him to help us live how He calls us to, the small things we do out of obedience to Him can change lives. • Emily Acker • Can you think of a time somebody did a small, everyday thing that made you feel loved? What was that like? What have you been able to do recently that showed others God’s love? • Sometimes, it’s hard to think of ways to serve the people around us. Have you asked God how He wants you to serve? Consider spending some time in prayer, asking Jesus to show you how you could show His love to the people around you. 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)

READ: 1 PETER 2:9-12 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+PETER+2%3A9-12&version=NLT]   Blessed That is what I am today Each day of my life Thanks to You   Thankful You take care of me today Each day of my life My journey is with You   Happy To never be alone Each day of my life Your gentle hand leads   Humbled You call me Your child Each day of my life You love me as Your own • Bethany Acker   • Which of the stanzas in today’s poem sticks out to you the most today? Why? • Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, God calls us to ponder the wonderful truths of who we are in Jesus and the blessings He has given us. As we take time to remember God’s goodness, we often find it feels easier to trust Him. If you want to dig deeper, read Psalm 23; John 1:12-13; Ephesians 1:3-11; 1 John 3:1. Do you have any other favorite verses or passages that reveal God’s presence, blessings, care, guidance, love, etc.? You are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9 (NLT)

READ: PSALM 142; ISAIAH 53:3-6 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=+PSALM+142%3B+ISAIAH+53%3A3-6&version=NIV] Imagine this: You walk into the room, and everyone reacts. Some point. Some stare. Some laugh. Apparently gossip spreads quickly, and so do videos. You look around and don’t see a single kind face or one person you could possibly sit with. You turn and run. Have you ever felt completely alone? Have you felt like everyone was against you and you didn’t have anyone on your side? It’s hard to face rejection, to feel alone, or to be scared about what’s happening in your life. And it can be especially hard when difficult things are going on and you feel like you have absolutely no one you can turn to. But the good news is, we can always turn to God. No matter what’s happened, no matter what we’ve done, God is always with us. Just look at Psalm 142. David shares how he feels completely alone. He mentions that no one is concerned about him. He feels friendless and unprotected. So David cries out to God from a place of despair and realizes that he is not as alone as he feels. God is with him. That same God is with us. In every tough situation and every fear. Being alone isn’t fun, and facing life alone can be scary, but even when it feels like the people around us have all turned their backs on us, Jesus is there. We can trust that He is with us. We can ask Him to send people to support us. When we feel overwhelmed and like we have no one else to lean on, we can always lean on Him. • Emily Acker • Can you think of a time you felt alone? Do you feel alone right now? Consider taking some time to follow David’s example and pour out your heart to God, telling Him all about whatever you’ve been going through. God hears you, and He wants to be your refuge (Psalm 142:5). • Because God wants so much to be with us, Jesus came and lived among us. Jesus can truly empathize with all our struggles; He knows what it’s like to be hurt and rejected (Isaiah 53:3). When He was arrested and unjustly accused, His closest friends all ran away and abandoned Him (Matthew 26:56). But Jesus was willing to go through all the rejection and suffering and humiliation of the cross because of His love for us. Though we have all rejected Jesus and turned our backs on Him, His love for us has never changed. Because Jesus died for us and then rose from the grave, everyone who trusts in Him is brought near to God. (Find out more our "Know Jesus [https://unlocked.org/knowjesus/]" page.) Romans 15:7 says, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you.” How has Jesus accepted and welcomed us? How could you welcome lonely people in your own life? “Surely I [Jesus] am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 (NIV)