Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

True Friendship

READ: 1 SAMUEL 18:1-5; 20:1-42; MATTHEW 11:19; ROMANS 5:9-11 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20SAMUEL%2018%3A1-5%3B%2020%3A1-42%3B%20MATTHEW%2011%3A19%3B%20ROMANS%205%3A9-11&version=NIV] “My father tried to kill me yesterday,” the one in royal attire said. “You were right—he wants to kill you too. You must go.” The other, armed with a sword, only nodded. They had sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, and this terrible turn of events could not change that. Tears streamed down the faces of the two young men as they embraced. Then, the warrior turned and strode away through the field as the prince returned to his father. Jonathan and David shared a deep friendship, although circumstances could have made them bitter enemies. What glued their friendship together? Jonathan, the heir to the throne of Israel, was to be sovereignly usurped by a lowly shepherd boy. Yet instead of being angry with David, “he loved him as himself” (1 Samuel 18:3). The prince promised to protect David from Saul’s murderous plans and even risked his life for him. The sacrificial love Jonathan showed David preserved their close friendship—and saved David’s life. A true friend loves sacrificially, and Jonathan knew how to be that kind of friend. Jonathan’s love points to Jesus, who performed the greatest act of sacrificial love when He died for us on the cross. We were His enemies, but Jesus became the friend of sinners—He faced the Father’s wrath, absorbed our punishment, and secured eternal life for us. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). John writes in his first epistle (or letter to the church) that Jesus’s death demonstrates God’s love for us—a genuine, sacrificial love willing to put aside everything for His beloved. We may never be asked to physically die for someone, but we are called to daily put to death our selfishness in order to selflessly love others. When we live with a sacrificial mindset in a selfish world, we bear a vibrant testimony to the glory of the gospel. When we sacrificially love others, we point back to the love Jesus first showed us. • Celeste Ashley • Can you think of a time someone showed you sacrificial love? What did they say or do? • 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us.”As werest in Jesus’s amazing love for us, we often find His love naturally overflows from us to others. Consider taking some time just to ponder God’s love for you and the sacrifice He made for you, becoming human and dying in your place. This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 1 John 3:16 (NIV)

Wounded

READ: GENESIS 3:1-10; PSALM 34:5; LUKE 15 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=GENESIS%203%3A1-10%3B%20PSALM%2034%3A5%3B%20LUKE%2015&version=NIV] One day on a walk through my neighborhood, I spotted an injured duck. As I neared the lake behind a row of houses, other ducks flew away at my approach. Unable to fly, the wounded one hobbled around a tree trunk to hide. It seemed desperate to escape on only one functioning leg. I called Animal Control services in hopes that they could collect the duck and transport it to an animal rehabilitation facility. I stayed outside to keep an eye on the injured creature while I awaited help. Animal Control arrived, but the duck couldn’t be found. I had attempted to follow it so I could point it out to the animal rescuer. But in panic and pain, the duck hid itself away—not realizing help was close by. In a way, we do the same thing. When we put our trust in Jesus for forgiveness of our sins, we become God’s beloved children. In His lovingkindness we can experience, not just forgiveness of our sins, but also healing from hurts and bitterness. But, like the wounded duck ran from rescue, our own sin and brokenness may cause us to pull away from the love offered in our relationship with Jesus. Shame may convince us we’re beyond repair. Adam and Eve did the same thing in Genesis 3. They hid from God “among the trees of the garden” after they’d sinned (verse 8). Their shame and regret kept them away from the only one who could provide healing and restoration. Like Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves with flimsy leaves, we may seek to cover our sins, mistakes, and vulnerabilities, hoping to appear whole. But Jesus died and rose again to provide the way to wholeness. So now, instead of trying to convince ourselves, God, and others that we’re okay, or that we have all the resources we need to “fix” ourselves, we can turn in faith to the God who heals. • Allison Wilson Lee • What parts of your past or present do you hesitate to share with others? Sometimes we find it difficult to believe God is trustworthy to heal those things. Why do you think that is? Consider taking some time to talk to God about whatever is on your mind. • We don’t have to endure pain in isolation. God provides help in relationship with Himself, and with fellow Christians. Who are safe people in your life you could open up to about your hurts? (If no one comes to mind, you can ask God to help you identify someone in the future.) He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3 (NIV)

The Eternal God

READ: GENESIS 21:22-34; ISAIAH 40:28 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=GENESIS%2021%3A22-34%3B%20ISAIAH%2040%3A28&version=NLT] In the book of Genesis, the author uses several different names for God. One of those names is the “Eternal God.” And the context in which this name is first used may appear strange. Abraham calls upon the Eternal God...after he plants a tree! There are a few essential things to notice about this passage. First, notice the kind of tree Abraham plants is a tamarisk tree. A tamarisk tree in the Middle East can live for hundreds of years. Second, notice Abraham plants this tree in Beersheba. Several chapters earlier, God appeared to Abraham and promised that He would make Abraham into a great nation, give him a great name, give him many descendants, and give him a land to possess. Beersheba would have been a region included in the land God promised that Abraham would one day possess. Once these pieces of the puzzle are put in place, we begin to see the significance of Abraham’s action. By planting this tree in Beersheba, he was communicating a message of belief and trust in God’s promises. He believed in God’s promise to give him the land he was currently sojourning in, and he trusted that future generations would enjoy the benefits of this tree! It is in this context that we read: “Abraham…worshiped the Lord, the Eternal God” (Genesis 21:33). Abraham trusted that the God who promised to bless him would be faithful to those promises, not just in the present, but hundreds and even thousands of years in the future. And today, we can see how His promises to save His people from sin and death have ultimately been fulfilled in Jesus. He made the way for us to become part of God’s family and live with Him forever through His death and resurrection. God loves us, and we, like Abraham, can trust God to be faithful to His promises and His character—day after day, month after month, season after season, and year after year. After all, God is the Eternal God. • Jonathon Fuller • Not only is God eternal, but if we know Jesus, He is eternally with us. He is also eternally loving, eternally good, and eternally faithful. He always keeps His promises. How can remembering that God is the Eternal God encourage us as we face challenges and trials in life? • Today is Arbor Day! How can planting trees remind us of God’s faithfulness? Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he worshiped the Lord, the Eternal God. Genesis 21:33 (NLT)

I Know Him!

READ: JOHN 4:1-30, 39-42; 17:3 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=JOHN%204%3A1-30%2C%2039-42%3B%2017%3A3&version=NLT] Did you know the first time Jesus revealed Himself as the Messiah was to a woman? Jewish Rabbis weren’t even supposed to speak to women, and especially not to Samaritans like the woman at the well (John 4). On top of that, Jesus knew all about her disreputable lifestyle, but He offered her everlasting life. Jesus knows us inside and out, and His love for us is undaunted! A different part of this story caught my attention recently, though. The woman at the well spread the word to the people of her village, but verse 42 says that they believed because they heard Jesus for themselves—not just because of her testimony. Her story drew them in, but it was meeting Jesus, knowing Jesus, that led them to believe. It’s the same for us. I grew up in church, so I heard stories of how God was moving all the timein other people’s lives. As I’ve grown and matured, though, I’ve often prayed, “God, if You are real, make Yourself real to me.” It isn’t enough to know about God. For our faith to blossom and flourish, we have to experience God in our own lives. We have to know Jesus for ourselves. And most incredible of all, Jesus wants us to know Him. Isn’t that amazing? I know the Son of God, because He wants to know me! He isn’t like a celebrity shielding Himself from the paparazzi—if we seek Him, He will reveal Himself to us (Jeremiah 29:13). And the more we seek to follow Jesus, the more we will notice Him at work in our daily lives. If you want to know Jesus better, He’s given us several ways to do so. First, dig deep into His Word—in church, by yourself, and with other believers. The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) tell the story of Jesus’s life on earth, but every book of the Bible points to Jesus, including the Old Testament. Second, pray. Talk to Him. Ask Him to show Himself to you. Finally, connect with other believers. Listen to the stories of how they’ve seen God work in their lives. Then, keep your eyes wide open to see how He is working in your life! • Hannah Ruth Johnson • What testimonies have you heard about God’s work in other people’s lives that have strengthened your belief or made you want to know Him better? (Psalm 9:10; Acts 17:27) • How have you experienced God in your own life? Consider taking a moment to thank Him for this. Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.” John 4:42 (NLT)

God's Gifts

READ: PSALM 136:1-9, 23-26; MATTHEW 6:28-33 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PSALM%20136%3A1-9%2C%2023-26%3B%20MATTHEW%206%3A28-33&version=NIV] Thanks be to God for His innumerable, indescribable gifts. God is wondrous! He continually provides more than enough; He sustains us. He is good. He gives us many gifts: The tools to sustain our material needs. The support of people around us. The blessing of each new day. And, greatest of all, the gift of His Son (John 3:16). He gives us His beautiful creation, a marvelously massive globe to cultivate and enjoy—His Earth—and that is a wonderful gift. He gives us passions and abilities and talents—tremendous gifts we can praise Him with! How humbling. How amazing. Jesus has given up His very life for us—and He has risen from the dead so that we can be with Him forever. In Jesus, we have life, breath, beauty, purpose, and fulfillment. But sometimes we forget God’s great generosity. Often, we can only view the depth of these gifts when we shift our perspective to one of gratitude for all that our God has given us. I have found that when I go out of my way to appreciate the little things—the small gems our Lord places in my path—a fresh gratitude begins to grow in my heart for the bigger things too. It is beautifully flooring to observe each tiny treasure He gives and to see every good thing as a gift from my Father. What a joy it is to know such a faithful God! • Chelsea Leigh • The beginning of today’s devotion is written in the style of a psalm, thanking God for a variety of good gifts. What are some of the things you’re thankful for, in the world and in your own life? • Today is Earth Day! This planet is one of the most amazing gifts God has given us to steward. What is one thing you can do to take care of it today? • If you want to dig deeper, read Genesis 1:26-28; Psalms 63:3; 115:16; John 1:14; 10:10; Acts 17:28; 2 Corinthians 5:14-21; Ephesians 2:10; 1 Peter 4:10 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17 (NIV)