Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

Garbage

READ: PHILIPPIANS 3:1-11 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PHILIPPIANS%203%3A1-11&version=NLT] Have you ever read Philippians 3:1-11? Paul says some pretty surprising stuff in this passage. He talks about all the good things he did—studying God’s Word, living a holy life, and obeying God’s good law—and he calls it all garbage, rubbish, or dung. We might look at passages like this and wonder, “Why on earth would Paul say that?” By this point in his life, Paul had learned a few things about God. He encountered Jesus on the way to Damascus, and Jesus totally changed his life. Paul realized that all the old things he had been doing were fruitless attempts to earn his own righteousness—or right standing before God. And anything we do to try to earn our own righteousness can rightly be called “garbage.” Only Jesus can actually make us righteous, and He offers it to us as a gift. So, when we do good things to try to earn our righteousness or favor with God, we are trying to do Jesus’s job for Him—and that never works. Jesus is the only one who can save us. He lived a sinless life, took our sins upon Himself, and died to give His righteousness (or sinlessness) to anyone who trusts in Him. Then He raised Himself from the grave, defeating sin and death and ensuring the resurrection of His people so we can be with Him forever. As followers of Jesus, it is important for us to study God’s Word and seek to follow God’s good law. But if our actions don’t flow from resting in Jesus and what He has already done, then no matter how good those actions may seem, they are worthless. Good behavior can never make us whole and right before God; only Jesus can do that. But when we rest in the truth of the gospel, it changes the way we approach everything. It frees us to see how Jesus cares about every aspect of our lives, not just the ones we might consider “holy,” like going to church and doing devotions. Our relationships, our health, our work, our hobbies—all of these things are transformed by the gospel. Jesus cares about all of these parts of your life because He cares about you. Rest in Him, friend. He’s got you. • Taylor Eising • It can be difficult to discern when we’re doing things to earn our righteousness, and when we’re doing them because of what Jesus has done for us. And we’re never going to get it right 100% of the time— that’s what forgiveness is for. When we’re not sure about our motivations, it can be helpful to ask, “Am I doing this to get God to love me, or am I doing this because God loves me?” I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. Philippians 3:9 (NLT)

Idols Among Us

READ: 2 CHRONICLES 34:29-33; ACTS 19:18-20; ROMANS 12:1-2; HEBREWS 12:1-3 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20CHRONICLES%2034%3A29-33%3B%20ACTS%2019%3A18-20%3B%20ROMANS%2012%3A1-2%3B%20HEBREWS%2012%3A1-3&version=WEB] “King Josiah!” Shaphan called out as he burst into the palace. “We found this book in the temple.” The king said, “Read it to me.” When the scribe did, Josiah tore his robes and wept. Shaphan read the Book of the Law, the story of God’s love for His people and the rules He gave to sustain His covenant with them. Josiah recognized that Jerusalem was full of sin—the breaking of God’s good rules. There were idols at every corner. So Josiah destroyed them. The next era of Jerusalem was filled with fire—but instead of burning incense to false gods, the city had a thick cloud of smoke over it from burning the shrines, altars, and temples of the idols. It’s easy to think we don’t have idols like they did. But consider this: when tragedy strikes, do you post about it, or pray about it? When you’re overwhelmed, do you start scrolling, or open your Bible? Often, we go to created things before we go to the Creator (Romans 1:25). Humans have a desire to worship. But we tend to forget who made us with that desire, and we try to fulfill it by worshiping unworthy idols of many different forms. But only God is worthy of being at the center of our lives, and anything or anyone else we put there is an idol. For example, social media, scrolling, and gaming can be idols if they occupy God’s rightful spot. So what can we do? We can look to Jesus, the only one who could fulfill the law and forgive our sin—including the sin of idolatry (Matthew 5:17; Romans 10:4). Once we know Jesus, we have the power of His Holy Spirit in us, so we can burn those idols like Josiah did long ago. (Note: please don’t literally burn your phone—the fumes are toxic.) “Burning” could look like setting restrictions on our technology usage and asking others to keep us accountable. Once we’ve removed an idol, our hearts need to be built up to become an altar to the true God. Like Josiah called Jerusalem together to read God’s laws and recommit themselves to the Lord, we can read God’s Word and rely on the Holy Spirit to help us refocus on Jesus. Because when we look at what He did for us on the cross, every idol pales in comparison. • L. M. • Consider taking a moment to ask God what created things have become idols in your life. What could you do to “burn” them? Who is a trusted Christian you could talk to about this? • When you’re tempted to go back to old idols, how could you take time to pause and draw near to Jesus, relying on Him to provide your sense of worth, security, and satisfaction? “You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3 (WEB)

Jesus Always Heals

READ: 1 KINGS 19:3-8; MATTHEW 9:20-22; REVELATION 21:4 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20KINGS%2019%3A3-8%3B%20MATTHEW%209%3A20-22%3B%20REVELATION%2021%3A4&version=NLT] Pain and illness are terrible results of the Fall, which is when sin and death entered the world. Whenever we or someone we know is affected by an illness, God wants us to pray for healing in faith that He will heal all believers in one of three ways: natural healing, supernatural healing, or ultimate healing when Jesus comes back. Jesus, who is God, is at work in all three types of healing, and we see examples of each type in the Bible. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah is suffering from utter exhaustion to the point of having suicidal thoughts. In this case, God uses natural means to solve his ailment: sleep and food. Unfortunately, not all illnesses can be cured by a snack and a nap (but those things certainly don’t hurt!). God also uses doctors, counselors, and modern medicine to bring about incredible healing using natural means. When we pray for natural healing, we can thank God for the gifts He has given to the people administering treatment and pray for wisdom in forming a treatment plan. Jesus uses supernatural healing in Matthew 9 when He heals a woman without any medical intervention (see also, Luke 8:43). God brings supernatural healing several times throughout the Bible with the end goal of guiding someone to trust in Him. Often, He heals in this way to deepen our faith—to show He is undeniably in control. When we pray for supernatural healing, we can do so with bold faith, knowing that God is certainly capable of healing in inexplicable ways, and that He is at work whether supernatural healing is His plan for a particular person or not. Lastly, Jesus will heal all believers when He returns to make all things new and resurrect us from the dead. As Christians, we might not experience full healing now, but we can know that Jesus will bring an end to our pain and suffering. On that glorious day, we will have perfectly healthy bodies, minds, and souls through the power and promise of Jesus’s death and resurrection. Until that day, never stop bringing your pains and illnesses to Him in prayer. He loves us so much. He sees, He cares, and He will act in His perfect timing. • Taylor Eising • Have you ever seen natural or supernatural healing? What was that like for you or the person being healed? • Why does Jesus care about our health? • Why can we always have hope in Jesus, even when we are surrounded by pain and illness? (Romans 8:19-39; Hebrews 4:14-16) The Lord nurses them when they are sick and restores them to health. Psalm 41:3 (NLT)

Your Secret Weapon

READ: 1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18; 1 TIMOTHY 2:1; JAMES 5:13-18 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20THESSALONIANS%205%3A16-18%3B%201%20TIMOTHY%202%3A1%3B%20JAMES%205%3A13-18&version=NIV] You’re halfway through the story, and the heroes are stuck. Nothing is working, and the enemies are closing in. You don’t see any way of escape. But, somehow, things turn out okay. Maybe a sudden turn of events changes everything. Maybe they knew something you didn’t. Or maybe they had a secret weapon, more powerful than you or their enemies ever dreamt of. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a secret weapon, something we could pull out to help us when we just aren’t powerful enough? If we’re soldiers of God’s kingdom, shouldn’t He have equipped us with some really strong way to influence our world? Good news: He did! It’s called prayer. What? No bolt of lightning? No neon laser beam? Words we say to God…what sort of a weapon is that? But look deeper. Our actions are limited in ways that prayer isn’t. The fact that we don’t have to do anything is exactly what makes it so powerful. We can influence the other side of the world as we pray for God to change people’s hearts and even work miracles. And the reason we have access to the all-powerful, all-loving God is because of Jesus (Hebrews 4:14-16). Ever heard of George Müller? He took care of 10,000 orphans in nineteenth century England, receiving tens of millions of British pounds in today’s money without ever asking anyone—except God—for money or help. George Müller knew the power of his secret weapon. You might be thinking, “Well, he’s basically a missionary. But can I be a prayer warrior?” Absolutely. Who do you know who needs prayer? A friend who doesn’t know Jesus? Someone who’s going through a tough time? Consider making a commitment to pray for them every day for a week. Choose a specific time to help you remember—maybe right before bed or on the way to sports practice. Keep building up the habit of prayer. As you bring your requests to Jesus, the ultimate Healer, you can rest in His promise to restore what is broken—whether it be now, later, or when He returns to make all things new. • Christiana Albrecht • Can you think of a time you experienced an answer to prayer? Consider taking a moment to thank God for this! • What are some things in your life, or in other’s lives, that you could start praying about today? • When can you set aside time to pray? What could help you remember? • Why is it hard to motivate ourselves to pray? Why do you think Satan would tempt us not to? The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:16 (NIV)

Sharing Jesus

READ: MATTHEW 28:16-20; ROMANS 10:14-15; 1 PETER 3:15-16 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=MATTHEW%2028%3A16-20%3B%20ROMANS%2010%3A14-15%3B%201%20PETER%203%3A15-16&version=CSB] In the Bible, Jesus commissioned His disciples to tell people about Him. As Christians, that is our commission too. And, personally, it’s one area I’ve struggled with. You see, I’m not an extrovert. In fact, there have been times when I’ve wondered if my voice is actually being heard at all. I’ve never imagined myself as the outspoken Peter or the zealous Paul, who both spoke passionately about their devotion to Jesus and His teachings in front of large crowds. When I was younger, there were many times I worried about not being able to share Jesus with others in the same wonderful ways I’d heard preachers do. It would have been easy for me to give up, thinking, “What use am I to God? Why can’t I be like the courageous witnesses I’ve seen openly professing their faith?” Now I am older, and I’ve realized that God, the Creator, knows exactly who I am. He knows my strengths and weaknesses. So I write about faith, trials, and dilemmas in the hope that it helps a reader follow Jesus in this broken world we live in, or even trust in Him for the first time. All of us are called to share Jesus, but all of us have different skills that enable us to reach out to a variety of personalities. Witnessing doesn’t have to look like speaking in front of large groups, and it doesn’t have to be on a platform. It can be in the songs we sing, the words we write, or the loyalty and patience we have. Most of all, it is the kind actions and the integrity we show in our everyday lives that are a testimony to God, who loves us dearly. • Cindy Lee • How might God be inviting you to share Jesus with other people? There are many different ways we can reach out in a troubled world. Consider taking a moment to talk to God about this. Additionally, who are trusted Christians in your life who could help you discern the Holy Spirit’s guidance and tell you what gifts and skills they see in you? • How did you hear the good news of Jesus? Was it through your family, friends, a preacher, books, or some other way? Then he [Jesus] said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Mark 16:15 (CSB)