What's Next?

Need Some Advice?

READ: HEBREWS 4:14-16; JAMES 1:1-8, 16-25; 3:13-18 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=HEBREWS%204%3A14-16%3B%20JAMES%201%3A1-8%2C%2016-25%3B%203%3A13-18&version=NIV] Where do you turn when you need advice? On our phones, we carry around more information in our pockets than most people throughout history have ever had access to. But here’s the thing: our lives aren’t filled with identical, cookie-cutter problems. No quick video can fix our every relationship issue. And even if we use search engines or AI to gather information and suggestions on the exact struggles we face day in and day out, we have no guarantee these tools will steer us in a good direction. James offers a solution in the beginning of his letter to the church. He starts out by saying we all face hard times in this broken world. But he also tells us where to turn when we don’t know what to do. When we need wisdom in our lives, James gives us real hope and clarity by reminding us that God has the wisdom we need, and He gives it freely—without holding back or holding it against us. Jesus isn’t stingy with His help; He wants us to have what we need. To take hold of this wisdom, James explains that, as Christians, we simply need to go to Jesus and ask for it in faith. We can be proactive in seeking wisdom because we have confidence God will follow through. Because Jesus is faithful, we can trust Him to provide what we need as we spend time in His Word, in prayer, and with His people. When we seek God’s wisdom, we can seek it confidently. God has given us everything we need to live godly lives in the knowledge of Jesus (2 Peter 1:3). And He fully equips us for life through His Word, the Bible, where He shows us the good news of Jesus and how it affects every facet of our lives (2 Timothy 3:14-17). • Phil Cox • When you need advice, where is the first place you tend to go? Why do you think God wants us to go to Him for wisdom first and foremost? • God provides wisdom and guidance through His Word and His Holy Spirit, and also through His people, the church. What are some of the benefits of seeking wisdom from real people we know in real life? • According to James 3:13-18, how can we recognize godly wisdom? What sets it apart from false wisdom? (If you want to dig deeper, read Genesis 41 and James 1–5.) 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)

What's Next?

READ: PHILIPPIANS 4:11-13 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PHILIPPIANS%204%3A11-13&version=NIV] “What’s next?” It’s the ever-present question. It comes up every time you change schools, pick classes, or consider options for what to do after high school. When I’m asked this question, I sometimes think it means I’m not good enough. Have you ever had similar thoughts? I haven’t “arrived” at where they think I should be. I don’t know “what’s next”! I was enjoying high school, but now I’m fixated on what comes after this. I find myself becoming discontent, no longer happy where I am. I start comparing myself to other people: They have so many things I don’t have. A nice car. A significant other. A cat. A dog. A plan! As I reflect on what others are doing, I can get so focused on things I might do in the future that I lose sight of what God is doing in me right now. When the Apostle Paul was in prison, I’m sure he would sometimes look around and think of all the other things he could be doing rather than sitting in a cell. But after having been in chains for quite some time, he says he has “learned to be content whatever the circumstances” (Philippians 4:11). That doesn’t mean he wasn’t thinking about what could happen if he were released from prison, but it didn’t consume him. Paul was excited about the possibilities, but he was also content where he was. Notice Paul says he had to learn contentment (verses 11-12). It wasn’t like he flipped a switch and everything was suddenly sunshine and roses. No, learning contentment was a process. The Holy Spirit was working in Paul all along. Because he knew Jesus, Paul was able to rest in peace and joy, equipped to do the work God put before him…and even to dream about where God would call Him next. • Kristi Dennis • How do you feel when you hear questions like, “What’s next?” • Read Proverbs 3:5-6 and James 1:5. God invites us to dream about the future, holding our plans with open hands and relying on Him for wisdom and guidance all along the way. How could it encourage us to know that God wants to help us, and He is the one who can direct our steps? I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Philippians 4:12 (NIV)

The Greatest Story Ever Told

READ: PSALM 78:1-4; JOHN 1:1-14 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PSALM%2078%3A1-4%3B%20JOHN%201%3A1-14&version=CSB] Have you ever read a book or watched a movie and been completely blown away? A story with characters who face the same struggles as you, a hero you can cheer for, and a rescue story that grips you from start to finish? Sometimes we find it hard to see the Bible the way we see any other story. We lose sight of the fact that it has all the elements of the stories we love: action, romance, poetry, stirring speeches, and words that inspire us. But here’s the amazing part: the Bible is one, real story—all about Jesus. The Bible starts its true story at the very beginning, setting up the scene. Creation: a perfect world. But then conflict arises. We rebel against God, and the story takes a bad turn. But the moment this tragedy happens, a hero is promised. God has an incredible rescue plan from the start—a plan He continues to fulfill across generations, never giving up. Jesus is that perfect hero. He comes and lives among us, fully God and yet also fully human. In the climax, He faces evil by dying on the cross, and, when we think our hope is lost, He has ultimate victory against all odds by rising from the grave, ascending into heaven as the true King, and promising to continue the work He started…and to finish it when He returns. But, even though we are still living in unresolved conflict today—still struggling with sin and the brokenness it causes—we are living in the “declining action.” In plot terms, that means the end is written. It means we know who comes out victorious in the end: Jesus is returning to execute justice and make all things new (John 5:24-27; 2 Timothy 4:1; Revelation 21:1-5). The best part: the Bible is a true story, and in Christ, we’re an important part of it. If your trust is in Jesus, you are a part of God’s final, eternal victory too. So when life seems boring, pointless, or difficult, you can trust God is writing something beautiful. And He invites you to be part of the good things He is doing! Remember, He has promised to work His good kingdom purposes through everything—and to always stay by your side (Romans 8:28-38). • Abby Ciona • What is one of your favorite stories? What do you love about it? • Have you ever thought of the Bible as an amazing, unified story? If you want to learn more about the true story of the Bible—and how you can be part of it—check out our "Know Jesus [https://unlocked.org/knowjesus/]" page. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31 (CSB)

Fully Known

READ: PSALM 139; LUKE 12:6-7; ROMANS 5:6-11 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PSALM%20139%3B%20LUKE%2012%3A6-7%3B%20ROMANS%205%3A6-11&version=NIV] Recently, a friend told me I walk really loudly. My other friends heartily agreed: they could always tell when it was me walking because my steps were so loud. To be honest, I was caught off guard and a little embarrassed. I’d gone twenty-two years of my life without knowing about my noisy walk. Even though I thought I knew myself well, here was a fact I was totally oblivious to. The whole thing got me thinking though. However much my friends know about me, God knows so much more. God knows the things I know about myself—like how much I enjoy chocolate or that I love dogs (even though I’m allergic). But God also knows the things about me that I don’t know. He even knows things about me that only He—as my Creator and Savior—knows. He knows my victories and my failures better than myself or anyone else (Psalm 19:12; Romans 8:26-27). This knowing makes Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross all the more extraordinary. It wasn’t a sacrifice for a stranger. Jesus’s death and resurrection was for someone fully known. In His love, He died for me, even when I was still a sinner (Romans 5:8). Because I’ve put my trust in Him, I can rest in the truth that I am fully known and deeply loved. • Naomi Zylstra • How well do you think your friends and family know you? • When was the last time you learned something new about yourself? Did it change anything? • How might remembering that God knows us completely help us rest in the truth that He loves us completely? [Jesus said,] “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep.” John 10:14 (NIV)

Even More

READ: LUKE 5:2-11; EPHESIANS 1:1-23; 3:14-21; 2 PETER 1:3 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=LUKE%205%3A2-11%3B%20EPHESIANS%201%3A1-23%3B%203%3A14-21%3B%202%20PETER%201%3A3&version=NIV] Once again, I was enjoying one of the several state parks near me. I had been coming here for the past ten years, and I always stopped at the front because the channel was so beautiful, the beach was gorgeous, people were paddle boarding on the lake…what more could you want? I didn’t realize until today, when I took the road deeper in, that the park is so much bigger, so much more than I could have ever imagined. This whole time, the park was just waiting for me to explore more, but I had been satisfied with the limited space I knew. I began to think about how similar this is to our relationship with God. In Christ, we have been given all His riches, all the fullness of His glory in Christ Jesus. In Paul’s letter to God’s faithful people in Ephesus, he begins by reminding them, along with all of us who know Jesus, of the blessings we have as children of God. We are lovingly chosen and adopted by God (Ephesians 1:4-6, 11). We have redemption through the blood of Jesus and forgiveness for our sins, according to the riches of His grace (verse 7). We have wisdom and understanding about the will of God in Christ (verse 8). We were created for the praise of His glory (verse 12, 14). We have the Holy Spirit as our helper and counselor as we wait for Christ’s return, reminding us that we belong to God (verse 13-14). This is what we have as children of God. Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, believing He died and rose again to save us, a whole new world is open to us! But how often are we, how often am I, satisfied with just a taste of life with Him? I could go so much deeper in my walk with God! I could experience His presence on infinitely deeper levels than I am now. Let’s dive into the depths of God and explore all these riches we have in Him, instead of being satisfied with just a glimpse. • Savannah Coleman • Can you think of a time you took a step deeper into your relationship with God? What was that like? • In what ways would you like to go even deeper in your walk with Jesus? Maybe you’d like to read the Bible more often, or understand more of its context, or pray more intimately, or serve more courageously. Who are trusted Christians in your life who can come alongside you on the journey? I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people. Ephesians 1:18 (NIV)