Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: JOB 42; ROMANS 12:15 The book of Job wrestles with a question we’ve been asking for a long time: “Why do we suffer?” While we may rush to answers like “suffering makes us stronger” or “only bad people suffer,” these fall flat when we see a friend in heart-wrenching, life-sucking, can’t-get-out-of-bed anguish. And they aren’t the answers God gives in the book of Job. The Bible tells us that Job was “blameless—a man of complete integrity” (Job 1:1). But God permitted Satan to steal Job’s wealth, attack Job’s health, and kill Job’s children. Job’s friends traveled to be with him, and they mourned with him silently for a week. Then Job spoke, cursing the day he was born. But, instead of comforting him, Job’s friends insisted he must have done something wrong to deserve this terrible suffering. They argued back and forth for several chapters as Job defended his innocence and made a legal case against God for his unjust suffering. Meanwhile, his friends repeatedly accused Job of some forgotten or overlooked sin in his past. Finally, God spoke. But God didn’t say, “Hey Job, here’s why I’ve allowed you to suffer.” Instead, He revealed His glory in a whirlwind and reminded Job that He is the loving, sovereign Creator of the universe. God showed Job and his friends that He is there, and He is bigger than suffering. His reasons for allowing suffering aren’t simple, and they aren’t always for us to understand. I know that’s not the answer we want. Or at least, it’s not the answer I want. I would like a precise, point-by-point breakdown of exactly why all the suffering had to happen. But that’s not what God gives us. He doesn’t give us a list of reasons. Instead, He gives us Himself. And, at least for Job, that’s enough. After he heard God’s answer, Job said, “I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me…I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes” (Job 42:3-5). As believers, we can know that Jesus dwells with us in the dust and ashes of this broken world, sharing in our suffering and promising that sin and death will not have the last word. As the all-knowing, all-powerful, loving God of the universe, Jesus became human, suffered on the cross to defeat sin, rose from the grave to defeat death, and is returning to destroy suffering forever. Jesus knows personally what suffering feels like, and He is determined to free us from the grip of sin and all its effects (Hebrews 4:14-16; Revelation 21:1-5). And even as we wait for the day suffering will be over, Jesus is with us through the Holy Spirit, comforting us in all our troubles (John 14:16-18; 2 Corinthians 1:3-5). So where does that leave us? Well, whenever we’re suffering, we can rest in Jesus’s loving arms. We can bring Him all our pain, our anger, our questions, and our frustrations. God may not show up in a whirlwind like He did for Job, but He is right there with us, inviting us to fix our eyes on Him. And when our friends are suffering, we can sit with them in their pain. Hurt with them. Love them. And point them to Jesus, who loves them even more than we do, and who is returning to destroy all sin, suffering, and death—forever. • Taylor Eising • Because the God who holds us through suffering is so big yet also knows our suffering personally, we can bring all our hurts and pains to Him through lament. He can handle it. What laments do you want to bring to Him today, either...

READ: PSALM 66:19-20; MARK 5:21-43; JAMES 1:19 You know the feeling when you’re having a conversation with someone, and then you notice them looking at their phone while you’re talking? When this happens to me, I’m tempted to stop and ask, “Are you listening to me?” Because I wonder if my words actually matter to them. Listening is an important part of communicating, but we often take it for granted in our busy lives. Demands like homework, jobs, and extracurriculars fill our schedules. To stay caught up, we may try juggling several things at once. The problem is, all this multitasking can affect our ability to really listen and love others well. Jesus was a good listener. In Mark 5, Jesus was on His way to save a twelve year-old girl who was close to death. You can imagine the girl’s father and Jesus’s disciples urging Him to hurry. But along the way, Jesus felt the pain of someone else near Him, and He stopped to help. The person in pain was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve long years. Jesus listened to her story and then said, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over” (verse 34). In this moment, and throughout His ministry, Jesus demonstrated how listening involves more than just hearing words. He paid attention. He let people know their value and responded in love. He even took time to listen as He suffered on the cross (Luke 23:39-43). James 1:19 says we should be “quick to listen.” We can learn to listen and love others well as we remember that Jesus is always listening to us, always loving us. • Kristine Brown • Can you think of a time someone truly listened to you? What was that like? • How can listening to others well show the love of Jesus? • James 1:19 tells us to be “quick to listen” and “slow to speak.” What could it look like for you to practice this in your own relationships? But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. Psalm 66:19 (NLT)

READ: JEREMIAH 1:1-9; 11:1-5; 1 TIMOTHY 4:12; 2 TIMOTHY 2:23-26 Jeremiah was a young man when God called him to be a prophet—a messenger to speak to the people on God’s behalf. At that time in Judah, the religious leaders had abandoned God’s Word. As a result, widows, orphans, and immigrants were being taken advantage of—in clear violation of God’s Word—and the leaders weren’t doing anything about it. Although people were worshipping God in the temple, many were also going out and worshipping false Gods, and some were even engaging in the horrible pagan practice of child sacrifice. Jeremiah was to tell the people of Judah to repent of their evil and follow God instead. Even though Jeremiah felt too young and unqualified for this task, God still worked through him to warn the people that judgment was coming, to call them to repentance, and even to point forward to the hope of God’s promised Messiah (Jeremiah 30-33). Sadly, nobody listened. People don’t always want to hear what a younger person is telling them. Older people sometimes believe they are wiser than young people. And sometimes younger people don’t want to hear what an older person is telling them either. At times, we all resist being told the truth. Yet, Jesus tells us, “The truth will set you free” (John 8:32). God doesn’t want us to be held captive to sin; He wants to free us! That’s why God asks each and every Christian, no matter their age, to tell His wondrous story—which centers around Jesus the Messiah dying and rising again to save us from sin. God calls us to teach others to follow Jesus. Yet it is truly difficult to tell others about Jesus when they willingly turn away and reject the good news. Though people didn’t listen to Jeremiah and even threatened his life, he persevered and spoke the truth boldly and in love—just as all believers are called to do (Ephesians 4:15; 6:19-20). He listened for God’s voice and spoke when God commanded. In the same way, even when no one listens, God asks us to speak and tell about Him, and He promises that He will be with us as we do (Matthew 28:20). Like He did for Jeremiah, God will guide and empower us to tell the true story of the gospel, and He will work through our words. • Anna Gregory • What is the hardest thing for you about telling others about Jesus? What can 2 Timothy 2:23-26 show us about what it means to witness well—even when no one listens? (For more about the gospel, and how to share it with others, see our "Know Jesus" page.) Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. Ephesians 4:15 (NLT)

READ: MATTHEW 6:19-21; JOHN 3:16-17; 14:1-4; REVELATION 19:6-9; 21:1-5 Do you like to host parties? Back when I worked in youth ministry, I used to host gatherings at my house frequently. I would spend a day or more preparing—picking my menu, cleaning the house, and writing a lesson with my co-leader. I would set out blankets and pillows. I would get the space heater going and light a candle. All of this to ensure that when my guests came over, they would feel welcome, loved, at home. Did you know that Jesus is doing the same thing for you? Scripture tells us that Jesus is preparing a place for us right now! However, while my guests would come and go, Jesus is inviting you to stay forever. And though all I did was prepare for a day or so, Jesus literally came to earth as a human baby, lived thirty-three years, and then died on the cross for your sins and rose from the grave to defeat death—all to make the way for you to be with Him forever. While we don’t know a whole lot about what the new heavens and the new earth will be like, we do know some things. We know there will be no more crying, and nothing will fade there. We know there will be a great feast. One of the best things about parties and gatherings is the people who are there. It’s not like we enter eternity by ourselves—we’ll be together with Jesus and with all our fellow believers! Sounds pretty great, right? But I think the biggest thing is that we know we are wanted there. This is one place you’ll never have to question if you’re invited or if you’ll feel comfortable. Jesus is preparing a place for me and for you. Want to go with me? • Natty Maelle • Have you ever been somewhere you didn’t feel welcome, wanted, or maybe even safe? How does it make you feel knowing that Jesus is inviting you somewhere you will feel all of those things and more? [Jesus said,] “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:2-3 (NIV)

READ: PSALM 139:1-4; ROMANS 5:6-8; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 We curate the caption and crop the distraction, Chasing the applause of a virtual reaction. We polish the exterior to hide the interior, Afraid that our true selves are somehow inferior. But in the quiet, when the screen goes black, We feel the heavy weight of the perfection we lack. See, Jesus didn’t come for your highlight reel, He came for the brokenness you try to conceal. No filter could cover the crimson cost of sin, So He opened His arms to let the rebels in. On the cross, He was exposed, stripped, and bruised, So the real you would never have to be refused. He was buried in the dark so you could walk in the light, Tearing the veil to make your future bright. The grave couldn’t hold Him, the stone rolled away, Giving you mercy that is new every day. You are not a brand, a post, or a trend, You are chosen, beloved, and called His friend. So drop the performance, let the pretense cease, And rest in the rhythm of His perfect peace. • Ty Scott King • Why do you think it’s sometimes easier to show people a curated version of ourselves rather than who we really are? What parts of yourself do you try to curate, edit, and hide away? • Jesus sees the unedited version of you, and He loves you so much that He died and rose again for you. How could this truth affect the way yo view your mistakes, flaws, or things you just don’t like about yourself? • Are there any areas of your life where you feel like you’re putting on a performance instead of trusting God’s grace? Consider spending some time in prayer, laying these things down at Jesus’s feet and asking Him to help you see yourself the way He sees 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: PSALM 77; ROMANS 8:35-39 Have you ever felt abandoned by God? Psalm 77 records a fervent prayer of Asaph. At the beginning, Asaph searches for and calls out to God, so we’d think everything would turn out okay, right? But then Asaph groans! He remembers the ways God helped him in the past, but he feels agony that he is no longer in that place. He starts to wonder if God still cares about him. He goes so far as to question God’s character, wondering if He is even compassionate and merciful anymore. In the same way, we may have moments when we cry out to God, remembering that He is with us, and we still feel no comfort. That’s because our circumstances bring us real pain, and we know that God can do something about it. But He doesn’t. And we can’t understand why He doesn’t. But just when Asaph is going down that path, everything shifts. This is when he intentionally directs his thoughts to God’s faithfulness. Asaph is essentially saying, I’m going to choose to remember what God has done for me in the past. Even though my circumstances have changed since then, God has not changed. My situation is different, but God is still the same. By the end of the psalm, in one sense, nothing has changed for Asaph. His situation is unmoved. But in another sense, pondering what’s true about God changed everything for Asaph, as his mind shifted from the pain of his circumstances to the awesomeness of His God. It’s like he was saying, You have done great things. Nothing stood in your way when you led your people out of the most difficult, hopeless situation. No one and nothing has ever stood in your way. Think about what Jesus has done for you and for me—what His life, death, and resurrection have saved us from, and what He continues to rescue us out of. God has not changed, even if our circumstances have. No matter what’s going on in our lives, God has not given up on us. He never has, and He never will. • Andrew Jacob Mead • Can you think of any examples of good things God has done for you in the past—ways He has rescued, provided for, sustained, or delighted you? Consider taking a moment to thank Him for this! (James 1:17) • Can you think of a time you felt abandoned by God? Jesus felt abandoned by the Father when He was on the cross, so He knows how we feel (Matthew 27:45-46). And because Jesus died and rose again for us, nothing can ever separate us from Him. (Find out more on our "Know Jesus" page.) But then I recall all you have done, O LORD; I remember your wonderful deeds of long ago. Psalm 77:11 (NLT)

READ: ISAIAH 53:3-4; EPHESIANS 1:3-7; 1 PETER 2:4 When my parents divorced, I moved to a brand-new town at the beginning of fourth grade. After feeling rejected by a parent and leaving my hometown where all my old friends were, it felt good when I made three friends at my new school. But suddenly, one day, none of them wanted to play with me anymore. They didn’t want to be my friends. For about a month or so, they intentionally ignored and made fun of me. I felt rejection—again. It hurt to be rejected like that. I was new to the area, and I’d thought these were my only real friends. Since then, I’ve learned that when we face rejection, it helps to remember three things: 1. Jesus experienced rejection too. You are not alone. Jesus knows. Jesus has gone through the pain and the heartache. He was betrayed by a close friend— and then disowned by a friend who was even closer. His disciples completely abandoned Him in His most painful hour. Jesus can relate to us. He’s been there before. He has felt our sadness. And that’s the next point. 2. It’s okay to be sad. Sometimes we think that sadness is a sign of weakness. But we read in Isaiah 53 that Jesus was “a man of sorrows.” He knows our hurt and pain. He experienced deep sadness, and He wept. It’s okay to be sad and acknowledge hurt. It’s healthy to cry and feel the full weight of our pain, knowing that Jesus won’t let it break us. And that’s the third point. 3. We are not crushed. If we’ve put our trust in Jesus to save us, why don’t we break? Because we’ve been chosen by the all-powerful God, the one who created everything! So even if the whole world rejects us, it won’t crush us, because God will never reject us. His Spirit lives in us, sustaining us through heartache and reminding us of God’s unfailing love (2 Corinthians 4:8-10). So whenever we’re rejected, we can run to Jesus, remembering that He knows our pain, and it’s okay to be sad. Rejection cannot crush us, because who we are in Jesus can never be taken away. • Andrew Jacob Mead • When we face rejection, how could it be comforting to know that Jesus experienced the greatest rejection of all—and He endured it for us? (John 1:10-12) • When we feel the pain of rejection, how could it be helpful to remember that God chose us? Consider taking a moment to talk to Him about any times you’ve been rejected. He wants to help us process these terrible experiences through prayer, Scripture, tears, and conversations with trusted Christians in our lives who can show us the compassionate love of Jesus. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. Ephesians 1:4 (NLT)

READ: DEUTERONOMY 33:26-29; ISAIAH 40:1-11; JOHN 10:10-11, 27-30 When I was little, my dad had a friend who visited us, named Dennis. Once we took him on a walk through the woods on some family property. My parents probably suggested I change into more suitable shoes, but I wore sandals. Before long, I stepped into a pile of biting fire ants. As the insects swarmed my feet, Dennis quickly reached down and scooped me up. As he held me, he brushed the bugs away. I felt protected and safe in his arms, high above the stinging ants. Later, we ate lunch with Dennis. During the meal, I choked on an onion ring. Dennis knew how to help. I don’t remember how the onion got dislodged, but I do remember Dennis comforting me again in the safety of his strong arms. The strength he shared—and the safety I felt—is something I remember about Dennis decades later. When I ponder God’s character, sometimes these memories of Dennis come to mind. In the Bible, we find that whenever we’re in trouble, God reaches down to rescue us. In Jesus, He endured the cross so that we could be held, protected and safe, in His strong arms. Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, not only do we receive forgiveness and eternal life, but Christ also ushers us into a relationship with God our Father. And what a Father He is! The prophet Isaiah says, “He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart” (40:11). And later, Isaiah shares God’s words to us, “I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you” (46:4). Sometimes it’s difficult to envision God as a loving Father, especially if our parents were distant or harsh. But God the Father looks after us with care and holds us close in our need—like Dennis did for me. • Allison Wilson Lee • Can you think of any people in your life who’ve shown you the compassionate strength of God the Father? How did their actions show God’s love? • How could remembering that God carries us close to His heart help us trust Him more? Consider taking a moment to talk to Him about this, and maybe even imagine Him holding you this way. “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Deuteronomy 33:27 (NIV)

READ: EXODUS 24:12; 34:6; ROMANS 7:1-22; GALATIANS 3 Kids under ten can be pretty blunt. While listening to the book of Leviticus, a freckled-faced girl commented, “I feel like the God of the Old Testament is so different from the New Testament. He’s sitting on a couch saying, ‘Bring me more grapes! Do this! Don’t do that, or you will be punished!’” While her words were startling, this nine-year-old made some sense. Throughout the Old Testament, we find accounts of God punishing sin and disobedience—by death, fire, plagues, and the like. Where is the God of mercy who died on the cross to save us? Did God eventually soften up over the years? What was the point of giving us the law anyway? First, it’s important to remember that, from before the beginning of creation until the end of time and beyond, God remains the same. Like a diamond, He has many facets. Not only is He completely loving and merciful but He is also fully holy and just. God in His goodness and holiness cannot be a part of sin, which breaks and destroys. And, sadly, we have all sinned. Thankfully, God’s plan all along was to come to us in Jesus as “the sacrifice that atones for our sins” (1 John 2:2). The law is useful because it reveals God’s righteousness—and our inability to carry it out. All our good deeds will always be “nothing but filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). We need a Savior—the Son of God Himself who did no wrong. Only His sacrifice for us could make us truly right with God. The law is powerless to save us from sin and death, but in Christ Jesus, we receive the fullness of God’s mercy and new life. • Savannah Coleman • Consider just a few examples of God’s mercy in the Old Testament: saving Noah’s family from the flood (Genesis 6-9), rescuing Lot’s family from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1-29), delivering the Israelites out of slavery (Exodus 1-14), or calling Nineveh to repentance and showing them compassion, even though the city had been wicked to the core (Jonah 3–4). When we read the Old Testament, how could it be helpful to go into it expecting to see God’s rescuing love? • Consider just a few examples of God’s justice in the New Testament: Ananias and Sapphira’s consequence for lying to God (Acts 5:1-11), the parable Jesus told of the widow and her adversary and how that relates to God’s justice on behalf of His children (Luke 18:1-8), and the defeat of Satan at the end of time (Revelation 19:11-21; 20:10). How could it be comforting to know that God does not turn a blind eye to evil and injustice, but promises to right every wrong? But how can that be? Did the law, which is good, cause my death? Of course not! Sin used what was good to bring about my condemnation to death. So we can see how terrible sin really is. It uses God’s good commands for its own evil purposes. Romans 7:13 (NLT)

READ: PSALM 119:105; PROVERBS 6:23; JOHN 1:1-18; EPHESIANS 5:1-20 Once, when I was about fifteen, I was in the woods late at night with my scouting group. We turned our flashlights off to practice stealthy forest maneuvers—just to see if we could make it back to camp without a light. We decided that one of us would be the leader. The girl in front (she claimed to have excellent night vision) inched slowly ahead, and we each followed, one after the other. To avoid branches in our faces, roots twisting our ankles, nettles ripping our skin, or losing the path altogether, we had to stick as close to the girl ahead as we possibly could. Each of us placed our hand on the shoulder of the one in front of us. And in that way, we made it back to base camp uninjured. However, what if the girl we were following was just plain wrong? She could have led us all into a slimy pond with hordes of mosquitos! Perhaps just using our flashlights wouldn’t have been such a bad idea. Light is key. As Christians, we look to Jesus, who is the Light of the world. We grow in our relationship with Him through spending time in His Word, the Bible. That’s why the Bible is a lamp to our feet and a light for our path (Psalm 119:105), because it points to Jesus. It reveals to us the love of the Father. Through Jesus’s death and resurrection, He calls us and adopts us as His own sons and daughters. How can we walk in our new identity as “children of light” (Ephesians 5:8)? We walk in the light through the power of the Holy Spirit living within. As we read the Bible, He illuminates the truth of God’s Word to our hearts. We live in a very dark world. But, thanks be to God, He has not left us in some dark forest with just one of our number claiming some special skills as our only way through. We don’t have to mindlessly hold on to the shoulder of the one ahead. We can turn on the light. • Kristen Merrill • Some people refer to their daily time in the Bible and prayer as a “daily illumination” because they’re spending time with Jesus, the Light of the world. We all need time like this because we’re all living in a dark world until Jesus renews His creation (Revelation 21:1-5; 22:5). Can you think of a time Jesus’s light illuminated a dark place in your life? When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 (NIV)

READ: JOHN 4:24; GALATIANS 3:26-29; REVELATION 7:9-10 Richard Allen was born into slavery in 1760. As an adult, he put his trust in Jesus. He then asked his non-Christian slaveholder to invite preachers to come speak in their home, and he agreed. One of these sermons convicted Richard Allen’s slaveholder that slavery was wrong. So, he invited Allen to buy his freedom. Head held high, Allen purchased his liberty and began looking for work. As he supported himself in various trades, Richard Allen said, “While my hands were employed to earn my bread, my heart was devoted to my dear Redeemer. Sometimes I would awake from my sleep, preaching and praying.” It was clear God was calling him into ministry. He got off to a rocky start in Philadelphia, though, when leadership at St. George’s Methodist Church segregated their seating by color, cancelled Allen’s prayer meetings, and even tried to remove African Americans forcibly during prayer. Seeing no other choice, Allen and his ministry partner Absalom Jones resolved to build a place of worship for Black Christians. Allen reportedly told the elders, “You cannot seal up the scriptures from us and deny us a name in heaven. We believe heaven is free for all who worship in spirit and truth.” This was the humble beginning of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, as well as the first African American benevolent society, and much more. Richard Allen would spend the rest of his life fighting for the church and for an end to slavery and racial prejudice—in court, in print, in practical service during the yellow fever epidemic, and in preaching. Through his work, many came to know the love Jesus has for everyone—and how He defends the marginalized and oppressed. • Abigail Aswegen • When Richard Allen became a Christian, he said, “I went rejoicing for several days and was happy in the Lord…I was constrained to go from house to house, exhorting my old companions and telling all around what a dear Saviour I had found.” The grace and love of Jesus compelled Allen’s work for his whole life. Where have you seen Jesus’s grace and love in your life? What does it compel you to do? • Revelation 7 gives us a glimpse into the throne room of God, and here we see people of all nations worshipping Him together. How should this truth affect the way we live now? “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt so you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the yoke of slavery from your neck so you can walk with your heads held high.” Leviticus 26:13 (NLT)

READ: MATTHEW 1:23; EPHESIANS 2:8-9; COLOSSIANS 1:12-22; HEBREWS 12:2 A few days ago, Keera had been told of the beautiful Golden City where there were no tears. So she had left her home, her family, everything, to seek it out. But when she arrived, she was dismayed to find it was at the top of a huge cliffside. She could just see a bit of light at the peak. Finally, after a long hesitation, she began to climb the Mountain of Sin. Now, she half clung to the broken handholds, half crawled up the cutting path. But every painful step she took seemed to bring her no closer to the shining light at the top. She made her way along different paths, each one seeming to be a relief to her aching feet at the beginning, but proving to be just as painful later on. She wandered and wandered. One moment she thought she was on the right path, and then she would see a boulder she’d visited minutes or hours before. There were no trees. No plants. No life. The bit of water she found was filthy and not fit to drink. Cold. Exhausted. Broken. Alone. Keera was pelted with words of misery as she crawled up the sharp rocks. “Can’t…make it!” her aching body told her. Her heart cried out in desperation as she fell to the ground. She began to weep. Then, through her tears, she saw two bare, bleeding feet stop before her. She looked up to see who the feet belonged to. He seemed to be the kindest, gentlest man she had ever seen. “Hello,” he said in a wonderful voice. “How long have you been wandering here?” “I’ve lost track,” Keera said, her own voice cracking and dry. “But I thought I was alone. Have you wandered here until you can’t feel anything but pain and cold too?” “You might say that,” he answered. “There is only one way to the City, but you would need to trust me.” Without hesitation, she said, “I already do.” Then she felt the man’s arms wrap around her as he lifted her onto his back and began to walk up the steep trail. She heard him gritting his teeth at her weight and felt him wince as each stone pierced his feet. But he kept going. After what seemed like hours, he set her down and said, “We’re here.” Astonished, she asked, “Why could you find a path and I couldn’t?” “Because I am the only way to the top. There is no other way, Keera,” he said. Surprised again, she asked, “How do you know my name?” He answered, “I know everyone’s name. My name is Immanuel.” Then he smiled the most wonderful smile. “Now, come and enter my kingdom.” • Natalie Crowe • What stuck out to you in today’s allegorical story? What questions do you have? • God created us for relationship with Himself, and He longs for us to be with Him in His kingdom of light. Yet our sin separated us from God, like an impossibly steep mountain no one could climb. No one, that is, except Jesus. Matthew 1:23 says Jesus is Immanuel, which means “God with us.” God’s love for us is so great that Jesus came to live among us and, ultimately, to save us. Only Jesus could defeat sin and death. Fully God and fully human, He resisted every temptation, and He willingly laid down His life for us—suffering a terrible death on a cross. And then, He rose from the dead, declaring that all who put their trust in Him are citizens of His eternal kingdom! For more about this good news, see our "

READ: PSALM 139:23-24; ROMANS 8:15, 28-39; PHILIPPIANS 4:4-9; HEBREWS 13:5-6 Exactly one month after receiving my driver’s license, I got into a car accident. Though I was thankful to walk away without serious injuries, this event shook me. I had never been in such a dangerous situation before, especially one in which I was at fault. It took six months to find the courage to drive alone again, and even then, I chose the quietest route possible. Over the years, I’ve experienced both victories and setbacks with car anxiety. Sometimes fear materializes in panic attacks, when it’s tough to breathe or I lose touch with reality. Other times, my heart races as if I’m about to face a threat. Perhaps you’ve experienced anxiety before. Maybe it resulted after a frightening situation that left you feeling out of control. Or it’s possible you can’t pinpoint the exact moment when you first felt anxious, but you fight daily for peace of mind. It’s easy to be frustrated with ourselves—and with God—when we experience setbacks with our mental health. Can good come from these trials? Thankfully, yes, because we belong to a good God who works all things together “for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). Because Jesus died and rose again to save us, we are held securely in His love, now and forever (verses 38-39). When life gets hard, He stays with us, grieving our hurts alongside us and bringing healing. Throughout my healing process, I began to pray whenever anxiety resurfaced. Sometimes I’d spend the entire drive in conversation with God. This led to deeper peace and the realization that I feel closest to God when I release control and trust Him with my life. God didn’t create us to live in fear, but He did create us for relationship with Him (verse 15). We can’t control when fear grips us, but we can decide how we respond to it. When you pray, God may not remove the thing you’re anxious about right away, but He will be with you through whatever you face. No matter what’s to come, He will never leave you. May the truth of His unfailing love and faithfulness provide you with peace. • Hannah Chung • In moments of doubt and fear, how could it be helpful to know that Jesus is right there with us—and His response to our struggles is characterized, not by criticism, but by compassion and empathy? (2 Corinthians 1:3-11; Hebrews 4:14-16) • Do you have any favorite verses or truths about God that bring you comfort and peace? Consider writing one down and carrying it with you as a reminder of His presence with you this week. • Have you ever experienced a specific anxiety following a stressful event? Sadly, in our world that has been broken by sin, many people experience these things at some point in their lives, and this is nothing to be ashamed of. Instead of hiding our pain, God invites us to be honest with Him and with people we trust so we can experience healing. Remember, God not only works through prayer and Scripture, but also through friends and family, as well as professional counselors, therapists, and doctors. • If you’re currently struggling with anxiety, whether it centers around something in particular or it’s more general, who is a trusted adult you could talk to about it? If you need someone to talk to, you can set up an appointment for a on...

READ: PSALM 139:1-4, 23-24; JEREMIAH 23:23-24; 31:3; HEBREWS 4:12-13 As she related her story, my eyes widened. Our friends laughed. And she congratulated herself. This girl, who I’ll call Kelly, had just told us about a trip to the mall. It sounded like she was describing an adventure as she explained how she tried on a swimsuit in the dressing room of a store. Only Kelly didn’t change back into her own clothes and then pay for it. She kept the swimsuit on, put her clothes over it, and walked out of the store—and the mall—wearing a stolen swimsuit. Our friends admired Kelly for getting away with something. But although she hadn’t been caught shoplifting, she’d still committed a crime. And she’d still sinned. Kelly and I attended the same church and youth group. We’d known each other as followers of Jesus, having placed our trust in Christ to pay the penalty and take on the punishment for our own sin. But we all still struggle with sin. Even as new creations in Christ, we still live in a broken world and face temptation. And sometimes we even try to hide our sins, foolishly assuming that not getting caught means we’ve gotten away with something. But these things are still sins, and our loving Heavenly Father notices them all. And even when we manage to avoid some earthly consequences, our choices to sin—whether we’re stealing, lusting, envying, hating, or something else—hinder our walk with Jesus. Thankfully, God loves us with an everlasting love, and He longs to restore us and draw us close to Himself. Jesus died and rose again to make the way for us to be welcomed into God’s family. So, once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, nothing—not even our own sin—can shake our position as His children When sin gets in the way of us experiencing the closeness we have with God, He isn’t waiting to pounce on us for messing up. Instead, God desires for us to draw near to Him and agree with Him about the sin He already sees. As we bring our sin into the light and acknowledge it, according to 1 John 1:9, “he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” • Allison Wilson Lee • God cares about us enough to take notice of everything we do. He doesn’t want us to hurt ourselves, others, or our fellowship with Him. How can this truth affect the way we view God? “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18 (NIV)

READ: PSALMS 92:1-2; 150:1-6; EPHESIANS 5:18-20; 1 THESSALONIANS 5:11 It’s easy to be thankful when we really like the gift. Maybe someone gave you just what you wanted, or maybe school is amazing this year—your friends are awesome, classes are great, and learning has been coming easily. In those times, it feels natural to be thankful. But when life hands us hardships, trials, and even suffering, thanking God might be the last thing we feel like doing. “It is good,” says Psalm 92, to give thanks to the Lord. Our loving Father invites us to spend time thanking Him because He knows there is power in praise. It resets our perspective, something we all need, especially in the middle of hardship. This is part of His plan for His people. It’s one of His gifts to us. But, because we live in a world broken by sin, gratitude doesn’t always come naturally. Thankfully, God doesn’t expect us to do it alone. He has called us to encourage one another. His plan includes you and me, speaking life and truth into each other’s waiting ears. Near the end of Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus, he tells the believers to speak the language of praise to one another! God knows we need reminders of His love and care, so He instructs us to do it together. It’s a privilege to remind each other of the good news of Jesus—that He died and rose again to save us, that He promises to make all things new, and that He is with us always, working on our behalf. As we grow in our relationship with Jesus, we come to realize that we need our brothers and sisters to come alongside us, and we want to be there for them too. We can do this often, even daily! We can read Scripture aloud to each other, sing songs of praise together, share verses that have been coming alive to us, tell each other stories of how we’ve seen God working in our lives, and more. There are countless ways we can encourage each other to lift our gaze to Jesus, the one who is always loving us, always showing kindness to us, always walking with us. We can be thankful, together. • Kristen Merrill • Can you think of a time you felt encouraged to worship, perhaps through others’ contagious joy as they expressed thankfulness to God? What was that like? • As Christians, what are some ways we can encourage each other to turn our hearts to Jesus in thankfulness? Consider taking a moment to ask Jesus to help you notice opportunities to invite others into gratitude and praise this week. Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:18-20 (NIV)

READ: 2 THESSALONIANS 1:1-3, 11-12 Do you share your friends with God? You’re probably wondering what that means. You might even think it’s a typo and should read, “Do you share God with your friends?” While it is important to share Jesus with our friends by telling them about Him, it’s just as important to share our friends with Jesus by praying for them. When they come to us with problems we can’t fix—like parents divorcing, major illnesses, or the death of a loved one—we can feel helpless. But we are not without help: if we know Jesus, we can share our friends with the all-powerful God of the universe, bringing their concerns to Him in prayer. And we don’t even have to wait for hard times to share our friends with God: we can pray for them “at all times” (Ephesians 6:18). And when we’re not sure what to pray, there are lots of prayers in the Bible we can use as a starting point. For example, today’s Scripture passage is Paul’s prayer for his friends in Thessalonica. He thanked God for them and prayed for their growth in Christ. In the same way, we can bring our friends and all their needs before Jesus, our Savior and Friend, who always loves us and always wants to help us. • Melissa Yeagle • According to Hebrews 4:14-16, why can we talk to God about anything and everything? • What are some of the problems your friends are facing right now? Consider taking a moment to tell Jesus about what’s going on and what you want Him to do about it. Remember, He cares about your friends even more than you do, and He knows just how to help. • What are some problems you’re facing right now? Who are trusted Christian friends in your life you can ask to pray for you? (If you’re having a hard time thinking of anyone, remember that friends don’t necessarily have to be the same age as you.) • If you want to dig deeper, read 2 Corinthians 1:8-11; Ephesians 3:14-21; 6:18; 1 Timothy 2:1-7. So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. 2 Thessalonians 1:11 (NLT)

READ: HEBREWS 11:1–12:3 You can’t catch your breath. You feel weak, and you just want to lie down and give up. If life is a race, you’re in last place and the finish line is miles away. Should you even try to keep going? Many people who’ve gone before have felt the same way, and yet somehow they’ve persevered—not just waiting for time to pass, but moving forward, even when the specific outcome was unknown. Noah spent years building the ark before the waters began to rise. Abraham left his home when he didn’t know where he was going. Moses led the Israelites around the desert for forty years and didn’t even get to go into the Promised Land. Rahab hid the Israelite spies and then kept their whereabouts a secret from her own city, not knowing when they would return. These people weren’t perfect. They messed up, but they also stuck with it. What was their secret? Faith in the God who keeps His promises. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” Noah, Abraham, Moses, Rahab, and others knew there was more to their stories than what they could see in front of them. In the same way, God calls us to be faithful in difficult circumstances even when we don’t know exactly how things will work out. But He doesn’t just tell us to persevere—and then leave us to run the race by ourselves. He promises to be with us in it. Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us to “run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus, the one who calls us, is faithful (1 Thessalonians 5:24). He has run the race, finished it, and promised to always be with us. He covers us with His grace, knowing we aren’t perfect, and gives us the strength to keep going until the day He comes again. • Mary Rozendal • Can you think of a time when situations in your life made you feel overwhelmed, and you just wanted to give up? Were there any ways you noticed Jesus providing strength in that time? • Jesus calls us to keep running, knowing that the finish line is eternal life with Him in restored creation! Remember, this race is not a sprint but a marathon. To run with endurance, we have to rest, take breaks, and sometimes reevaluate the things we’re doing. Who are trusted Christians in your life who can help you discern how you can run well in your own unique situations? I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (CSB)

READ: MARK 1:29-39; LUKE 5:1-16 I grabbed a yellow blanket and stormed out into the breezy summer day. I was nine years old and fed up. Fed up with our big family, our small house, and all the frustration with my little brother, who I’ll call Bradley. I’d decided right then to run away from home. The blanket was just an afterthought. As I stomped down the steps, Bradley caught up to me. “Where are you going?” he asked. “I’m running away!” I shouted. “Wait for me! I’ll come with you!” He turned back to the house (to grab his own blanket, maybe) before I could tell him I wanted to run away from him, not with him. Just then I heard Mama yell, “Lunch time!” I sighed, turning back to the house. Today was not the day to run away. In time, I learned more about myself: I get recharged by alone time. Then I’m energized to interact with others. Instead of running away from home that morning Bradley bugged me, I just needed some time by myself. Jesus never ran away from people the way I attempted at age nine. But He did recognize the need to withdraw from the crowds alone so He could be refreshed in prayer and fellowship with the Father. Christ’s ministry required much from Him, and He understood the importance of stepping away from the busyness for focused moments of intimacy with His Father. Once we begin a relationship with God by trusting in the work of Christ—dying for our forgiveness and then arising to give us new life—we can enjoy fellowship with the Father too. Our lives may demand much from us, and many of these commitments may even be good. But God calls us to remember that the most important thing is to enjoy our close connection with Him. Besides, we can only love others well when we are receiving God’s abundant love for us—and then letting that love overflow to others (John 15:5; 1 John 4:19). We—like Jesus—must set aside time to receive God’s renewal by spending personal time with Him. • Allison Wilson Lee • As humans, we all need time alone. Even more, we need time alone with God in His Word. Thankfully, once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, God is always with us. So we can turn our attention to His presence any time. When you think about spending time with God, how does that feel? Intimidating, confusing, burdensome? Consider taking a moment to honestly tell God about how you feel and ask Him to give you a glimpse of how good time alone with Him can be. One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. Luke 6:12 (NIV)

READ: PSALM 100:3; ISAIAH 43:1; ROMANS 8:14-17; 12:15 Recently, I participated in a day of service in my college community. There were many service projects to choose from, and I blindly signed up, not knowing where I’d be placed. “Our group will be serving at a homeless shelter today,” the leader said. “We’re going to split into two groups. Half of us will work in the donation closet, and half of us will sit down with the folks at the shelter and have conversations with them. I knew immediately that I wanted to be in the donations closet because I was nervous to have a conversation. Then I met a girl who was about my age. She’d only been at the shelter for a few days. My leader paired us up, and I sat down beside her, worried about what to say next. She told me her name, then with a smile on her face she said, “My name means ‘belonging to God.’” Something shifted inside me—the nervousness was pushed to the side, unimportant because it didn’t come from God. I felt like the Holy Spirit was prompting me to ask her, “What’s your story?” She began telling me about her journey. I asked questions and sat and listened. We laughed together, and we both cried. It was awkward. But it reminded me that the Lord cares about the stories of His children. And He invites us to step into the life He offers—a life where we get to say, “I belong to God.” The Holy Spirit went before me and prepared the way in this conversation. It reminded me that we don’t have to be afraid to step out in faithful obedience, because we belong to God. • Daevis McMurphy • God loves us so much that, in Jesus, He died and rose again to make the way for us to become part of His family. As Christians, we can know that we belong to God! Jesus has promised to always love us, always be with us. He tells us again and again, “You are forgiven. You are mine.” And He invites us to serve others out of the overflow of love and belonging we receive from Him. Where have you seen and felt God’s love and belonging in your life? If nothing comes to mind, consider asking God to help you notice and/or remember these moments. • What might it look like for you to love and serve others out of the overflow of love and belonging God has given you? Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:3 (NIV)

READ: GENESIS 3:1-13; EXODUS 32:19-24; 1 JOHN 1:8–2:1 During a holiday meal, five-year-old me carelessly set down a glass of milk, tipping it over. Immediately, I pointed to my great-grandpa sitting next to me and said, “Frank did it.” I may be older now, but sometimes that urge to play the Blame Game is still there. It’s nothing new. The Blame Game has been played from the beginning of time. In Genesis, Adam and Eve sinned against God and ruined the perfect, peaceful world He had created. When God began to question them about their choices, Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent. Later on, in the book of Exodus, Aaron made an idol for the Israelites to worship. When his brother Moses found out, Aaron accused the golden calf of just appearing out of the fire. Whether it’s a mistake like spilling milk, or an outright sin, I don’t want to take the credit. It’s sort of a gut reaction to try to deflect the blame and protect myself, even though I know God has already seen what happened. Do I really think I can allow someone else to take the fall for me? Actually, somebody already did. Jesus—God in flesh—willingly took the blame for me when He carried my sins to the cross. He asks me to be honest and fess up to Him and to others when I mess up. And because my forgiveness was bought with His blood, I can know that I am forgiven. God has no condemnation or rejection waiting for me on the other side of my confession—only grace (Romans 8:1). Jesus frees me from the Blame Game. So instead of saying, “Frank did it,” I can say, “I did it. I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” Game over. • Marie Cleveland • Can you think of a time you were tempted to shift the blame off yourself? Once we know Jesus, we don’t have to be afraid to confess our wrongs because He has declared that we are forgiven—forever! And He will be with us, helping us through any consequences we might face after we confess our wrongs to other people. Consider taking some time to tell Jesus about any sins that come to mind. In addition to talking to Jesus, is there anyone else you need to admit your sins to? • For more about how Jesus took the blame for our sins, see our “Know Jesus” page. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9 (NIV)

READ: ISAIAH 44:6-24; 1 JOHN 5:20-21 In ninth grade, I struggled with algebra. As the “smart kid,” I placed a lot of importance on my grades—not just because I wanted to do my best, but because excellent grades gave me a ticket to self-worth. Without academic success, I couldn’t point to anything that made me feel valuable. One day, Mrs. Russell returned our recently graded tests. I sighed when I noticed the C on my paper. I looked up to see that the guy sitting in front of me, who I’ll call Derrick, had scored a high B. Derrick hadn’t been known for earning good grades. Stunned, I blurted, “How could I make a C, and Derrick gets a B?” I announced this loudly enough that Mrs. Russell heard, Derrick heard, my friend Audrey heard… the entire class probably heard. Immediately I blushed with embarrassment. But the damage was done. Mrs. Russell scolded me as the bell rang. We left, and Audrey confronted me for saying something so mean. Later, I apologized to Derrick, who forgave me. But what had led to my verbal explosion? I’d slipped into believing my life was found in academic accomplishments. Pursuing good grades can be worthwhile, but I’d made an idol out of them. Then, as I fumbled in algebra, I lashed out when that idol didn’t seem to work for me. And Derrick suffered because of it. Thankfully, idolatry and sin are no match for Jesus. He has forgiven us through His death and resurrection, and He’s also given us a source of life beyond any short-term achievements. Once we know Jesus, we become God’s much-loved children, who worship Him as the “only wise God” (Romans 16:27). Idols like grades, sports, or the approval of others have nothing to offer us except emptiness. But Christ is our life (Colossians 3:4). • Allison Wilson Lee • Where do you turn for a sense of fulfillment? If you’re not sure, pay attention to where your focus is. It could help to consider these questions: When you’re upset, where do you turn for reassurance? Which failures hurt the most? What achievements or talents are you proudest of? Noticing these things can help us identify our idols. It’s certainly not wrong to find satisfaction in the gifts God has given us, or to feel the pain of failure deeply, or to be proud of our abilities. But when we let these things rule our lives, instead of Christ, we’ve stumbled into idolatry. Thankfully, whenever we notice idols in our lives, Jesus invites us to bring them to Him. We can confess openly and rest in His sure forgiveness. He loves us, and the life He offers is so much better than anything an idol could give. He is eager to help us walk free of idolatry. Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. 1 John 5:21 (NLT)

READ: NEHEMIAH 8:1-12; PSALMS 1:1-6; 119:34; LUKE 24:13-35 Sometimes we rush through reading the Bible. We’re too distracted, or we don’t really listen, or we don’t stick with it long enough to understand. In Nehemiah 8, we see how the people of God responded to hearing His words. God’s law had been lost after their forebears abandoned God—pursuing wickedness, injustice, and idols instead. Eventually, God had allowed the destruction of their beloved city, Jerusalem. But now, at last, the people of God gathered in Jerusalem once again. Their walls were rebuilt. The words of God were uttered aloud. Ezra the priest stood on a podium and read the precious text. The people stood all day long, eagerly eating up each word, as if devouring food after suffering a long period of hunger. It took all day. The crowd was so numerous that the Levite priests would pass the words back and explain to the next group, too far away to hear. At last, the Israelites heard for themselves God’s laws, His thoughts, and His heart. And they grieved. Verse 9 says, “All the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.” That their ancestors had wandered so very far from God’s goodness was overwhelming. Their guilt weighed heavily on them. Enter Nehemiah, the brand-new governor who had just led the rebuilding of the city wall. He said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (verse 10). And they did! They celebrated “with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them” (verse 12). The people understood the words, and the words confirmed they belonged to God. The long period of destruction was over. It was time for a new life, one where they would walk with God. And this pointed to the new life that would come through Jesus—how He would rescue us from the destruction of sin, dying on the cross and rising again so we could belong to God. When Jesus returns, we too will celebrate with a great feast, and our joy will be complete (John 15:11; Revelation 19:6-9)! In the meantime, as we walk with Jesus, His joy gives us the strength to go on. • Kristen Merrill • Did you know that God’s plan for our lives includes great joy? He wants to fill us with joy as we meditate on His Word and delight in His love. While it’s easy to fall into gulping down our time in the Bible, how could you take some time today to linger over the truths in Scripture, and find understanding? (If you want to dig deeper, read Psalms 16:11; 37:4; Luke 2:10; 10:39-42.) Nehemiah said, “. . .Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10 (NIV)

READ: EXODUS 20:8-11; LUKE 5:16; 10:38-42; HEBREWS 4:1-11 “I’m so stressed! I have volleyball practice for two hours after school, homework in every class, and I have to study for my test tomorrow. I won’t get to bed until after midnight!” We live in a fast-paced world, and we’re asked to make a lot of decisions in the few short years of our teen lives. We’re suddenly expected to be mature and adult-like, even if we aren’t ready, and it seems like every choice has a ripple effect into the future. We have to juggle school, extracurriculars, friends, family—how could we have time to rest? We need to build a resume! To succeed! While those things are important, Jesus has a different message. He faced a similarly busy world, but when the chaos and to-do lists closed in around Him, He “often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer” (Luke 5:16). Sometimes He left early in the morning or went out alone to a mountainside (Mark 1:35; Luke 6:12-13). This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Remember that, after God created the universe, He rested, later giving instructions to His people to set apart a day every week to rest and take a break from our work. If God takes a day of rest, this shows how important it is for us to rest as well! No matter how busy our lives might be or how long our to-do lists are, we can take time to rest. This might look like reading a Bible passage, taking a few minutes to pray, being still for a while outside, or doing any number of things that are restful or fun. It’s also important to set aside a day to completely take a break and connect with God and our church family. We might feel less productive, but this rest Jesus calls us to is actually the key to finding renewed energy to face the rest of the day or week. And the reason we can rest is because Jesus has already done everything that was needed to save us—we are held securely in His love no matter what we do or don’t accomplish. • Abby Ciona • Can you think of a time you felt overwhelmed by your schedule, your to-do list, or an endless pursuit of perfection? According to Ephesians 2:8-10, why can we rest regardless of circumstances? • In Luke 10:38-42, what does Jesus say to Martha about priorities and worries? What might it look like to find rest in Jesus amidst the busyness of life? What’s one thing you could try this week? Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NLT)

READ: EXODUS 16:11-31; JOHN 6:25-40, 58 Have you ever seen worms wriggling around in old food—maybe in a trash can or compost pile? It’s pretty gross! The book of Exodus tells us about a time when people disobeyed God and food grew worms overnight. Back when the people of Israel were wandering in the wilderness for forty years, they needed food. They had no opportunity to settle down, raise a crop, and live off the fat of the land. So God, ever the loving Provider, sent them food from heaven, which appeared on the ground each morning like dew. It came for forty years, day in, day out. The people called it manna, which means “What is it?” But God’s directions were clear: Only collect enough manna for each day. Some disobeyed God’s command. Maybe they worried the food might not show up tomorrow. And their extra, hoarded manna? Ruined and filled with worms the next morning. There was one exception: God told the people they should collect extra manna the day before the weekly Sabbath. That manna could be set aside for the next day so they could rest, as God had commanded. And that food did not grow worms. God thinks of everything. The manna provided a wonderful picture of God’s faithfulness! The people in the desert learned that they could depend on Him to give them what they needed. He saw them, cared, and provided. And they learned that His commands and promises are true and trustworthy! Centuries later, in the New Testament, Jesus compared Himself to manna. He called Himself “the bread that came down from heaven,” a picture the people could understand (John 6:41). He came to bring life. He loves us so much that He died and rose again to make the way for everyone who puts their trust in Him to receive that life. Jesus is the sustenance, the daily bread, the life we need each day. • Kristen Merrill • Can you think of a time God sustained you through a difficult season? What was that like? Consider taking a moment to thank Him for this. • In Exodus 16, why do you think God gave the people just what they needed each day instead of a large store of food that would last for months? “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.” John 6:35 (CSB)

READ: PSALM 139:1-10; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:14-21 Out of habit, her eyes swept the crowded cafeteria, but not one familiar face registered from the blur of morning classes. Starting over was always this way. Two girls, hovered in a private conversation, ignored Nora as she approached their table. She dropped her backpack and sighed. She hated moving, but that was military life. She nibbled on a granola bar, not to make it last but because there was nothing else to do. Groups clumped together, and the room buzzed. Nora shuddered—as if a spotlight had singled her out, the only person in the room sitting alone—and swallowed her last bite. She crumpled the wrapper, thankful for something to do, and walked to the trash can. Chin up. Change is hard. There’s more ahead. New friends. She blinked back tears. Her positive self-talk couldn’t crack the loneliness. She breathed a prayer—Lord, help me. She tossed the wrapper and turned back to the table where now only one girl remained with her head bent, shoulders hunched. The girl looked up, her eyes brimmed with water. “You okay?” Nora slid next to her. A tear escaped before the girl’s face hardened. “Yeah. I’m fine.” “Sorry. Not trying to be nosy.” Nora pulled a tissue from her backpack. “Your mascara. “Thanks.” The girl dabbed under her eyes. “I haven’t seen you before.” “Yeah. It’s my first day. I’m Nora.” “I’m Teagan.” A buzzer blared, lunch ended, and the girls stood. “Hope things go better.” Nora picked up her backpack. Teagan’s eyes filled, and she nodded and left. As Nora joined the crush of students filing out of the cafeteria, she straightened her shoulders and stepped into the hallway. She wasn’t alone. The hall was jammed with people, each with their own stories and their own struggles. She breathed another prayer: Jesus, please bless Teagan and help her today. Thank You for giving me an opportunity to show Your love to her—and maybe to others too. And thank You for being with me. • Gretchen Carlson • Can you think of a time you felt alone or out of place? How might it be helpful to remember that, in Jesus, we are never alone—and He calls us to be part of His good work wherever we are? Even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139:10 (NIV)

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 6:19-20; 2 CORINTHIANS 2:12-17 I never liked my name. The meaning of Sourabhi is sweet fragrance. There were innumerable reasons for not liking my name, but the major ones were: (1) No one could ever pronounce it properly. Every time it was called out, I wished I could disappear. And (2) I constantly ran out of space when writing it on forms, especially at school. My nickname is Mini, and I loved it because it was short, crisp, and didn’t need much explanation. In college, almost everyone knew me as Mini. My dislike for my name continued through my teenage years and into adulthood. It’s just that, as an adult, I learned to cope with it. Whenever someone asked my name, I would pause, wondering if the person wouldn’t be able to catch it the first time and if I’d have to repeat it. I’m an introvert, so any attention made me uncomfortable, especially when it was about my name. I recently started blogging, and when I had to write my introduction, I didn’t expect God to meet me there. As I typed out Sourabhi, the Holy Spirit highlighted something I had never truly noticed before, the meaning of my name. It touched me deeply. I sensed that—more than the pronunciation or the struggle to make people understand—what truly stood out was its meaning. Fragrance. A word I’d read and heard countless times in Scripture. And that’s when my love for my name began. In 2 Corinthians 2:14, Paul says that God uses us, His people, to spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ. So just ponder this: the parts of you that feel awkward or unwanted are also carrying His presence. Would you accept this truth, or would you still dislike those parts of yourself? • Sourabhi Sircar • Have you ever wished something about you was different—maybe your name or a part of your personality, appearance, or background? What has made it hard for you to accept that part? • Jesus loves every part of us, and He invites us to share His love, His truth, and His hope with all that we are! What might it look like for you to trust Him with the things about yourself that you usually try to hide? How might He use those areas to reveal His presence to others? Consider taking a moment to talk to Jesus about this, asking Him to help you see yourself as He sees you. Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and reveals through us the sweet aroma of his knowledge in every place. 2 Corinthians 2:14 (WEB)

READ: PSALM 139:7-12; JEREMIAH 29:8-14; ROMANS 8:18-39 Even in the darkest nights When the sun is nowhere to be seen Even in the hardest fights When hope feels like a distant dream When I’m struggling to smile Because all I want is to scream O Lord, You are there And You will comfort me. Even if my friends and family And church leaders turn away And even if I cannot bear To face another day Even if my body Seems to give up on me too O Lord, You are there And I will trust in You. For You know the plans You have for me I will trust that they are good And that in the end I will see Your promises have withstood Dark times are no walk in the park. You might even laugh at that and add, “Yeah, and they’re no walk either! More like an army marathon that you didn’t train for at all.” I get it. Everyone experiences times when hope seems to be the furthest thing from them. Maybe it’s a scary health issue. Perhaps your family is struggling with their relationships. Sometimes you just feel lost, lonely, and sad. But take heart! You are not alone. God loves us so much that He came to live among us—He was born, lived, died, and rose again, taking our sins on His shoulders so we could live life with Him. We can know that He is always with us. He offers us comfort in the hard times, letting us know He is grieving with us. And He will provide hope, reminding us that no matter what this world throws our way, He is coming back to make all things new—getting rid of sin, death, brokenness, and pain forever. And that promise will never be broken. So, take heart! • Anna Tuckfield • What kinds of difficulties have you been going through lately? Consider taking some time to talk to Jesus about your pain, receiving His compassionate comfort and asking Him to show you how He is with you in the midst of your circumstances. [Jesus said,] “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NLT)

READ: ISAIAH 64:8; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-7; 4:5-18; 12:9-10 Another crack! I peered at the inside of my arm, horrified. It began years ago, these fissures that looked like my skin split and was leaking gold. Most of the time, it didn’t hurt, but I was ashamed of how I looked. I tugged my long kimono sleeve down to hide the new imperfection, glancing around to make sure no one had seen. There’s a pattern I’m noticing: When I do something wrong, a crack appears on my skin. When someone wrongs me, another one appears! If something tragic happens, another…and the scars remain. The first time was when my best friend in this great world passed away. A jagged lightning bolt tore across my heart. Fitting, for that’s how I felt—like my heart was being torn in two. The second time, I took a few coins from my guardians’ shop when no one was looking. As I wrapped my fingers around the coins, I watched the skin on my hand split. Yet another time, one who was supposed to love and protect me struck me across the face. As I apply my makeup each morning, I remind myself not to cry and make the ugly visible. As I walked slowly down the path of flat stones leading to the tea garden, contemplating, a bush beside me shuddered. I leapt to the side, my hands positioned for defense. A man who looked like a Wise One emerged from the bush. “My apologies for startling you; just trimming the bushes.” His dark eyes radiated a kindness I had not felt for a long time. “What is your name?” His shears stilled as he regarded me. I dipped my head, allowing a dark curtain of hair to fall in my face. “Kowareta.” “Ah, meaning broken—curious given your beauty.” “You wouldn’t say that if you knew,” I responded bitterly. “Try me.” Something about him made me want to show the scars, and I rolled back my sleeve. He barely reacted to the fissure. “There are more,” I blurted, “and they don’t go away. “But the broken can be beautiful,” he spoke softly. “Would you like to know how?” “Please! I would give anything to have these scars erased!” “My dear child, you misunderstand. There is One who makes your broken beautiful. There is One who sees every scar and uses it; the greater the cracks, the more the Light shines.” Fear and desperation made me clench my fists. “I know the One you speak of. Years ago, I became His. But how could the Light shine through me when I am like this? I am ashamed; there is much I need to change.” “He wants you just as you are. Look, even now the gold is a sign of His love. Trust Him.” I felt it deep in my bones, like a fire running through every crack on my skin: Yes! How did I not see it before? The gold shows that I belong to Him. The scars remained, but I felt peace—a comforting Presence. A still, small voice whispered: Child, I will use them; all these scars. I have removed the shame from them. Because of my forgiveness and my healing, you and those around you will see the beauty I create with them. Your name is not Kowareta. It is Kintsugi, my daughter. • Savannah Coleman • Today’s allegorical story is inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi (golden joinery), in which broken pottery is repaired with lacquer, and gold dust is sprinkled onto t...

READ: PSALMS 68:5; 145:8-9; LUKE 18:1-8 Have you ever felt like you have lost the heart to pray? It could be for any number of reasons. Jesus knows there are times we may be discouraged from praying, and so He tells a parable in Luke 18 meant to encourage His people to not give up praying. The first character in this story is a judge. Right away, we learn this is not a God-fearing or people-respecting judge, meaning he’s probably not going to settle your case fairly. Chances are, to get a favorable ruling, you’d probably need to grease this judge’s palm. Next, we meet the second character in the story: an impoverished widow seeking justice from the unjust judge. This widow doesn’t have the influence, power, or money necessary to sway his opinion. So, what does the widow do? She perseveres. Eventually the judge gives the widow a just ruling because he becomes so sick and tired of her “pestering” him (verse 5)! Now, we may read this parable and think the judge is supposed to be God. If that were true, then God would be a grumpy, unfair judge who only listens to us if we bug Him enough. But this view of God couldn’t be further from the truth! Notice how Jesus explains the parable in verses 6 and 7: if even the unjust judge in this story answered the widow’s request because of her perseverance, how much more will a perfectly just and loving God answer our requests? With this truth in mind, we can be encouraged to persevere in our prayers, knowing that God hears us with tenderness and compassion. • Jonathon Fuller • Can you think of a time you lost the heart to pray? Jesus understands. He sees everything you’re going through, and He has so much empathy for you. • When we’re hurting, it’s easy to imagine that God is coldhearted toward us. But He loves us so ardently that He was willing to die for us! Whenever you pray, you can rest assured that you belong to the God who has chosen you, receives your cry, and promises to work on your behalf. Do you have any favorite Bible passages that remind you what God is really like? How could being reminded of God’s characteristics—like His love, His justice, and His profound care for us—help us come to Him with our needs and longings? Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 (CSB)

READ: COLOSSIANS 1:13-14, 21-22; 2:2-8, 16-23; 3:5-17; 4:2-6 We’re all faced with the temptation to try to look godly to those around us. We might go to church, volunteer to pray, pray before every meal, refuse to use certain words, and the list could go on. But does a list of actions truly reflect how close we are to God? Fairly early on in Christianity, a trend toward something called asceticism arose. Asceticism is the belief that the strict discipline of bodily pleasures is key to growing closer to God: the more you resist earthly comforts or pleasures, the more holy you are considered to be. During the 400s AD, an ascetic monk by the name of Simeon Stylites believed in asceticism so strongly that he climbed on top of an old pillar and chose to live on its square surface, which would’ve been about a meter wide, for almost forty years. People flocked to ask for his advice or just to see the spectacle. Simeon Stylites kept moving to pillars that were taller and taller, and by the end of his life, the pillar he was living on was fifty feet high! Simeon believed the further he removed himself from the physical comforts of this earth, the closer he would be to God. According to the book of Colossians, Paul actually teaches the opposite. When referring to ascetic practices, Paul says they “have an appearance of wisdom” but are in fact worthless (Colossians 2:23). Following God isn’t about making ourselves look godly on the outside—it’s about relying on Jesus. He is the only one who can save us and help us grow in relationship with God. As we rest in Jesus and His work on the cross, we remember that we belong to Him and nothing can take us out of His hands (John 10:27-30). That living on top of a pillar won’t make God love us any more or any less (Matthew 11:28; Ephesians 2:8-10). And that Jesus has already done everything needed to bring us close to God (Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22). • Jonathon Fuller • Can you think of anything you might do because you believe it will make Jesus love you more? • Read Romans 8:38-39. In Christ, can anything separate you from God’s love or thwart His promises to save you? (For more about the good news of Jesus, see our "Know Jesus" page.) Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. Colossians 2:23 (NIV)

READ: ROMANS 12:9-21; 1 PETER 4:7-11 After a long week of boring classes and demanding homework assignments, I was very excited when the weekend arrived. I was free to enjoy myself, at least for a few hours. I didn’t have any big plans—one of my new college friends was coming over, and we were going to watch an episode of a TV show together. When we finished the episode, my new friend invited me and my roommate over to her dorm room. This gesture of kindness might seem small, but it meant a lot to me. She made popcorn for us to share, talked with us about life, and even offered to make us hot tea in her microwave. My friend’s hospitality was simple yet incredibly thoughtful. Everything from the freshly-popped popcorn to her words of encouragement made our evening special. Her example serves as a reminder that hospitality doesn’t need to be complicated or extravagant. In fact, it can be quite simple, as long as it comes from the heart. Throughout the course of Jesus’s ministry, many people demonstrated hospitality. For example, Martha invited Jesus into her home (Luke 10:38), and an unnamed man hosted Passover in his home for Jesus and His disciples (Mark 14:12-16). Even thousands of years later, we can have an incredible impact on others by showing hospitality to believers and nonbelievers alike. Our acts of hospitality don’t require four-course meals, countless hours of cleaning, or elaborate decor. Hospitality simply requires a servant’s heart—a heart transformed by Jesus and filled with His hospitable love. • Grace McCready • What comes to mind when you hear the word hospitality? Do you automatically think of something elaborate, like a fancy dinner party? Hospitality is often much simpler (Luke 10:38-42; John 21:1-14). Can you think of a time someone showed you simple hospitality, perhaps by inviting you into their space, offering you food, or even just making you feel welcome and included? • Remember, we can show hospitality to others because Jesus has shown the greatest hospitality to us— welcoming us into His family by dying on the cross and rising from the grave for us. Jesus even said that He was going to the Father to prepare a place for us (John 14:1-3). What is one thing you could do to show hospitality to somebody this week? Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 1 Peter 4:8-9 (NIV)

READ: GENESIS 1:1-19; PSALM 19:1; COLOSSIANS 1:15-22 Have you ever put together an aquarium? If not, you may be surprised how many requirements have to be met to create an ideal habitat for fish. Some species require fresh water, others salt. Some thrive with companions; others prefer to live alone. Temperature must be adjusted, a bubbler installed, and the right kind of food provided. If your fish are going to survive, you need to plan your aquarium very carefully. God paid even more attention to detail when He created the earth. When we examine all the provisions He made for us to thrive on our beautiful planet, we find He created Earth specifically, with a very intentional design in mind. When God created, it wasn’t out of haphazard loneliness or boredom, but out of love! Consider just these few details that make it possible for plants, animals, and humans to live: • God created oceans full of water to sustain us, as well as the weather patterns required to cycle it in various forms across the entire earth. • God created a way to recycle oxygen through photosynthesis so we’d never run out of breathable air. • God covered the earth in a protective atmosphere. • God set the earth in motion with precision. If our globe rotated slower, the longer days and nights would result in extreme temperatures and lock our water supply in a solid or gaseous state. • When God tilted the earth on an axis, He extended the growing season far into the north and south. Isn’t God amazing? None of the other planets in our solar system can claim even one of these life-sustaining qualities, yet ours has them all! When we study God’s handiwork, we can see how wise, purposeful, and creative He truly is—and how much He truly loves us. • Michelle Isenhoff • Sometimes our world feels chaotic. That’s why it can be helpful to slow down, examine creation, and notice God’s great care in all the intentional details He designed. Though our world has been broken by sin, we can still see God’s goodness in it, and we have the assurance that Jesus will return one day to make all creation whole, free from the effects of sin. How can beholding creation and studying it through science help us remember that God cares for us? For the LORD is God, and he created the heavens and earth and put everything in place. He made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos. “I am the LORD,” he says, “and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:18 (NLT)

READ: JOSHUA 23:3; PSALM 61:2-4; ISAIAH 54:17 I clutched the blankets over my face to muffle my sobs. I didn’t want my family to hear me crying. We had a good day together, and right now everyone was healthy in our family. But when the lights were out and I lay in bed, my heart was aching, burdened. So I let the tears flow until my body trembled with each breath. Flashes of the past few years played in my mind. Scenes of hospital rooms, moments of utter fear, and the long road we had traveled in the recovery, only for the whole process to repeat itself all over again. In the course of the last four years, my dad had battled Covid, pneumonia, blood clots, cancer, four strokes, and more. The revolving door of “He’s getting better” and “We might lose him” had taken a toll. I thought I’d already broken and wept over these things. Yet here in the darkness, after a good day when all was well, I lay here, my heart crumbling all over again. The devil wanted to use the pain in my past to make me anxious and fearful. But the more I thought about it, I realized those painful moments were not memories of defeat. In each terrifying time throughout my dad’s long health battle, God had carried us through. He had performed miracles. He had brought healing and answers. He had never left us. He had been our Rock, our Comfort, our Strength. In that moment, the tightness in my heart loosened, and a feeling of peace came over me—my crippling anxiety lost its grip. The very memories that the devil wanted to use as a weapon against me were now reminders of God’s faithfulness. I don’t have to live in this fear. I have a refuge in the Living God who will never leave me, never forsake me. • Madison Mae • As humans, we often struggle with fears about the future, especially when we remember painful experiences we’ve had in the past. How can remembering God’s faithfulness help us feel less afraid? • Can you think of a time you experienced God’s love and help in your life? Consider taking a moment to thank Him for this! • Jesus is Immanuel, which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23), and He has promised never to leave us. He died and rose again so that He could always be with us! And while He lived among us on earth, He experienced all the brokenness of human life, so He can truly empathize with whatever we’re going through. When thoughts of the past feel overwhelming, we can ask Jesus to help us see how He has faithfully been with us through the hard things we’ve experienced. Consider taking some time to talk to Jesus about any fears or painful memories that come to mind, and imagine Him sitting beside you and weeping over the things that have hurt you. • Sometimes we need help bringing our fears and painful memories to God, and this is perfectly normal. Who are trusted Christians in your life you could share your thoughts and feelings with—people who will listen with compassion, pray with you, and show you God’s love? • Sometimes our bodies learn patterns of fear and anxiety, especially when we go through seasons of grief and turmoil. It can be a long process for our bodies to relearn healthy patterns of rest, but Jesus is ever gentle and patient with us. He stays with us on the journey and never lets us go, even in moments when anxiety seems overwhelming. And He wants to help us feel better in lots of ways, not just through prayer and Scripture, but also through the care and expertise of other people. When you’re struggling, who is a trusted adult you could talk to?...

READ: ECCLESIASTES 3:1-15 I love winter. There’s something about the chill in the air, the freshness I feel when I step outside, and the way everything feels still for a moment. But right now, we’re just starting to enter fall and honestly this past summer felt like it would never end. It was long, hot, and it just kept going. And I think we can all agree that’s how life feels sometimes too. There are seasons that stretch longer than we expected. The kind where you start to wonder if things will ever shift again. The waiting seasons. The heavy seasons. The “I thought I’d be out of this by now” moments. But Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us that there’s a time and purpose for everything under heaven. God’s loving, intentional timing is woven into every rise and fall, every loss and gain, every quiet and every storm. The God who commands the earth to change from one season to another is the same God who loves you and is guiding the seasons of your life. Just like the weather eventually changes, so will your season—nothing in this world is eternal except for God Himself. What feels endless today will one day be something you look back on, and you might even be able to see the ways God was at work. You may be in a time of breaking or a time of building. A time of silence or a time of speaking, but none of it is forever. Seasons are meant to move. Even when it feels like summer will never end, fall is already forming. God doesn’t waste time; He transforms it. So I encourage you to embrace the work God is doing in your current season. Embrace the discoveries, the quiet moments with God, and the hidden growth. Embrace the cold or hot mornings. Because whether you feel it or not, God is with you in every moment, and His glory is still shining through. And one day, when the air shifts and your season changes, you may be able to see the ways He was faithful through it all. Every season has a purpose, even the ones that feel too long. God is in them all. • Maddison Willett • Where do you see God at work in your current season? Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NLT)

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 10:13; HEBREWS 4:14-16; JAMES 1:12-18 Do you ever just feel overwhelmed by temptation? Our world is packed with opportunities to sin. Temptation seems to be around every corner. Each day, when we look at our phones or go to school or even just spend time alone with our thoughts, we can be faced with jealousy, greed, lust, and so many other enticements to sin—to doubt God’s goodness and go our own way instead. James 1:12-18 talks about the struggle we all have with temptation and trusting God. James says there are two possible responses to temptation in our lives. First, we can respond by blaming God (verse 13). It’s easy to become frustrated when we’re tempted because sin lies to our hearts and seems so good. Even if we know that a particular sin is not right, it’s easy to doubt God’s goodness in those moments. That’s why James points out a second, better way to respond: rather than doubting God’s goodness and blaming Him for the temptations we face, we can respond by trusting in the character of God. James says, “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters” (verse 16). In other words, don’t let your sinful desires lie to you. Instead, James points out two important truths about God’s goodness: (A) all the good things in our lives are really gifts from God (verse 17) and (B) God is never the cause of our temptation (verses 13-14). God is good, and His character is unchanging. We have a God who cares for us and made a way for us to know Him through Jesus. A God who loves us so much that He is always working for our good, even through the messiest of situations (Romans 8:28-39; James 1:2-4, 16-18). A God who knows how difficult temptation is, who empathizes with us, and who resisted every temptation on our behalf so He could die in our place and rise again, making the way for us to be forgiven. Whenever we face temptation, James reminds us not to give in and blame God. Because no matter the temptations or trials we face, God is good, and we can always turn to Him for hope and “receive mercy and find grace to help us” (Hebrews 4:16). • Phil Cox • When we’re tempted to sin, how could it be helpful to remember that God loves us, He is good to us, and He has already provided forgiveness and made us new through Jesus? • We’re not meant to struggle alone. Jesus invites us to come to Him with everything we’re facing, and He also calls us to share our struggles with each other. Who are trusted Christians you can be honest with about temptations and sins in your life? 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)

READ: PSALM 46; EPHESIANS 5:19 Music is one of the best parts of life. People have been making music since all the way back in Genesis, and every culture since then has created new rhythms and melodies. We memorize our favorite lyrics, get songs stuck in our heads, and sometimes even make playlists to be the soundtracks of our lives. The book of Psalms is actually a collection of songs, and it’s also the longest book in the Bible. But, even though it’s long, it’s a great book to start reading because it’s already broken up into small individual pieces. It consists of 150 psalms (or songs), and you might recognize some of the words because lots of worship songs in churches today take lyrics right out of the psalms. Some psalms are structured more like hymns. Some are written more like wise sayings, such as Psalm 1. Some read like a prayer journal, crying out to God for comfort, rescue, or forgiveness. You can find psalms that praise God for who He is (Psalm 145), look in wonder at His works and creation (Psalm 19), pour out heart-cries to Him in unfiltered lament (Psalm 13), and thank Him for victories and blessings (Psalm 46). The psalms cover every aspect of life—the good and the bad—pointing to God as our hope in all of it. One amazing thing about the psalms is that they were written hundreds of years before Jesus came and lived among us, but they foreshadow Jesus (Psalm 22, for example). So, consider opening up your Bible and flipping to the psalms. Read one, and fill yourself with the lyrics. You could even try making up a melody and singing a verse or two. Who knows? It might just become the soundtrack of your day. • Abby Ciona • What is your favorite type of music? Do you have any songs stuck in your head right now? • Music was God’s idea! Why do you think God included songs in the Bible? How can music help us understand His heart, fill ourselves with His Word, and express our honest emotions to Him? • Consider taking some time to read one of the psalms mentioned above and consider: What is the psalmist saying about God? How might this psalm point to the hope we have in Jesus, who is God? You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7 (NIV)

READ: MATTHEW 6:6-13, 25-34; ROMANS 8:18-39 I have recently experienced the joy of having prayer after prayer answered with a “yes.” It feels wonderful to know God is listening as I cry out to Him—and He cares enough to give me the things I ask for. But what about those times when we pray and pray and never get the response we’re hoping for? When I see God’s “yes” to my prayers, I feel so close to Him. I smile as I look toward the sky, imagining Him looking down at me. But when I pray and things don’t work out the way I want them to, it’s easy for me to feel alone. Sometimes I feel like I have to figure things out by myself, like no one is going to help me. It can be hard to remember God is with me always—in the good times and the not-so-good times. So, I turn to His Word. God knows that we need reminders of His love, and He tells us over and over again that He will never leave us. Just because He doesn’t seem to be intervening in the ways we want Him to, that doesn’t mean He’s ignoring us or He doesn’t care. The truth is, He loves us so much that He laid down His life to save us, and He is always working for our good—even when we don’t see it (John 5:17; Romans 8:28). It can be hard to pray and then have things work out differently than we wanted them to, but Jesus is eager to remind us that He is still with us, and He is still working. • Emily Acker • Can you think of a time you saw God answer a prayer with a “yes”? What happened? Consider taking a moment to thank Him for this! • Sometimes God’s answer to a prayer is “no” or “wait,” and we may never know why. But we do know He loves us and cares about us so much that He came to rescue us from sin and death, even though it cost Him His own life. When Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave, He demonstrated the fullness of God’s unfailing love, and He made the way for all our hurts to be healed and all our needs to be fulfilled. When Jesus returns, all God’s people and all of creation will be made new and whole, finally free from sin and its effects! Until that day, we can see glimpses of this wholeness as we pray for God’s kingdom to come and His will to be done “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Consider taking some time to pray about whatever is on your heart today. God invites us to be totally honest with Him about what we want Him to do, and He promises to act for our good, in His perfect timing. Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:39 (NIV)

READ: JOHN 3:16-17; ROMANS 8:1-17, 32-39; HEBREWS 4:14-16 I attend a Bible study with women who are older (and wiser) than I am. Sometimes their stories surprise me. One of these women, who I’ll call Larissa, recently shared a memory from years ago. While at university, she needed a white dress to wear for a ceremony. Since she didn’t have one, she decided to sew one herself, borrowing a sewing machine from a friend who lived in her dorm. But the finished product turned out badly. Larissa took the dress home on her next visit to recruit help from her mom. After taking apart the dress and remaking it entirely, Larissa’s mom begged her not to try sewing ever again. Although we laughed at the story, Larissa told our group she’d never improved her sewing skills because her mother didn’t give her a second chance. In fact, Larissa had never even attempted to sew another project. I began to wonder, What if God responded the way Larissa’s mother had when we make mistakes? What if He didn’t provide mercy and extend another opportunity when we fail? What if God never gave second chances—or third or fourth or…? The good news is, God has provided mercy through Jesus Christ. Once we’ve put our trust in Christ to forgive our sins, we no longer face condemnation—ever. We receive the righteousness of Jesus in exchange for our unrighteousness. As Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” We have been delivered from the death sentence our sin deserved. And now, as God’s forgiven children, we get to enjoy freedom! Since Christ gave Himself as the “sin offering” (Romans 8:3), we don’t have to be afraid that we will exhaust opportunities to join God in His work. We can step out in faith, knowing that if we fall flat, God will pick us up and help us try again— because we can never wear out God’s grace! He helps us grow in our walk with Jesus by giving second (and more) chances to His children. • Allison Wilson Lee • Have you ever felt like you messed up so badly that God wouldn’t give you any more chances? God knows that we aren’t perfect and that growing in Christ is a lifelong process—one that will only be completed when Jesus returns (Philippians 1:6). How could remembering that there is “no condemnation for those who are in Christ” help us accept ourselves where we are today? • How does keeping our eyes on Jesus, instead of our shortcomings, make it possible for us to keep running the race He has marked out for us? (Hebrews 12:1-3) • Consider taking a moment to ask God to help you notice where He is giving you another chance. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 (NIV)

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 13:1-8; PHILIPPIANS 1:9-11 After months of training, I was ready to run my first 5K. I invited someone I’ll call Flora to race too. She liked to run and agreed to join me. I looked forward to challenging myself and spending time with Flora. Back then, I mentored young women in their faith in Christ. Flora had joined my Bible study, and I wanted to get to know her better. This could be a good opportunity for that. Before the race, Flora mentioned a comment that her boyfriend, who I’ll call Eric, had made about her. She tried to laugh it off, but it sounded hurtful. In fact, Eric seemed to make discouraging comments to Flora often. I wondered if their relationship was unhealthy. “Flora, do you feel secure in your relationship?” I asked on our way to the race. “Hmm…I’ll have to think about that,” she answered. We didn’t discuss this again for a while. But later she surprised me. “Remember you asked if I felt secure in my relationship?” Flora said. “I thought about that and realized I didn’t. I broke up with Eric.” I hadn’t aimed to break them up. I just wanted the best for Flora. And now, I felt relieved to see her more at peace and more content. Flora had put her trust in Jesus to forgive her sins and give her a new life with God. I wanted the best for her as she grew in her faith, but—even more—God wanted His best for Flora too. When we enter a relationship with God, He becomes our Father. He desires the best for His children, and that extends to our relationships with others. Sometimes God brings good into our lives by giving us joyful, loving relationships. Other times, He grants us wisdom through His Spirit to leave relationships that cause harm. Through it all, we can trust His unfailing love for us. • Allison Wilson Lee • Which relationships in your life build you up? Consider taking a moment to thank God for these. • Can you think of any relationships that tear you down? What steps might God be inviting you to take to love with “knowledge and all discernment” (Philippians 1:9)? Do you need to have some honest conversations to address the problems? Is there someone you need to take a step away from, at least for a time? Consider taking a moment to ask God for guidance; He wants to lead you. Additionally, who are trusted Christians in your life you can share your concerns with—people who’ll listen with compassion and help you discern God’s direction? This I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment. Philippians 1:9 (WEB)

READ: EPHESIANS 5 Did you know that God-honoring romantic relationships can be a great place to learn more about God’s love? In my own life, God has used my relationship with my fiancé to teach me more about my relationship with Him. First, when I consider how much my fiancé and I love each other, I’m reminded of how much more God loves both of us. As we love and serve each other, we are reminded of the ways Jesus loves and serves us—even sacrificing His own life for ours (Ephesians 5:2; 1 John 4:19). Second, I’ve learned how well God knows me. Sometimes, when we’re on a date, my fiancé will ask if I want to split mozzarella sticks, and I’ll debate and then refuse. He’ll go ahead and order them for himself and, lo and behold, guess who actually wants mozzarella sticks? This simple way my fiancé knows me so well pales in comparison to how deeply God knows me (Psalm 139; John 10:14). Third, my relationship with my fiancé has been a reminder that God made people to be in community (Genesis 1–2). This doesn’t always mean romantic relationships, but sometimes it can. Some Christians are called to marriage, and we’re all called to singleness for at least part of our lives, so romantic relationships are one way—but not the only way—Christians can experience community (1 Corinthians 7). Ultimately, marriage points to Jesus because the church is the bride of Christ. A faithful, loving marriage between a husband and wife offers a picture of the kind of love Jesus has for us (Ephesians 5:25-33). He died for our sins and rose again so we could be with Him forever, enjoying His presence, working alongside Him in His kingdom, and resting in His unconditional love. As Christians—whether we are single, married, or dating—we are intimately loved by the one who knows us better than we know ourselves. • Naomi Zylstra • What does the gospel have to do with our approach to romance? What does a relationship centered on Jesus look like? (If you want to dig deeper, read Matthew 19:4-6; 1 Corinthians 6:11-20; 7:39; 13:4-7; 2 Corinthians 6:14-15; Hebrews 13:4.) • What questions do you have about dating and marriage? Who is a trusted Christian adult in your life— such as a pastor, counselor, or parent—you feel comfortable talking to about these things? (If no one comes to mind, you can ask God to help you identify someone in the future.) Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Ephesians 5:2 (NLT)

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 7:7-9, 25-40 Some of you need to hear this. It’s okay to be single. No really. You do not need to be dating or married to be whole. Wholeness is found in Christ Jesus alone—not through a romantic partner. Our relationship with God is where we find fullness of life and meaning (John 10:10). Yet, in our broken world, many people have a fear of being single. I was single for almost twenty-one years, and it did not, in fact, kill me. Actually, sometimes I miss certain things I took for granted while I was single. A God-honoring romantic relationship—from dating to engagement to marriage—takes a time commitment. And that’s especially true for married couples, because the husband and wife have made vows before God and His people to care for each other. There isn’t the same kind of abundant free time to spend with friends. There’s also a learning curve as you both figure out what it looks like to serve Jesus and keep His kingdom central in the ways you serve one another (Matthew 6:33). Paul talks about being single in the book of 1 Corinthians. He says remaining single is a good thing, especially because it allows a person to devote more attention toward serving the Lord. How? Singleness can offer greater flexibility in pursuing opportunities and friendships with other people, which in turn can deepen our understanding of God and our relationship with Him. Remember, serving is just as much about God pouring peace, love, and joy into our lives as what we’re able to share with others. God wants to fill our lives with the joy of community! At the same time, it’s important to remember that Jesus is the only one who loves us perfectly. People will let us down, but Jesus will never fail us. He always cares for us, never acts selfishly, and always knows exactly what we need. He is the faithful bridegroom, and we—His church—are His bride. He loves us so much that He gave up His own life for ours on the cross, because He wants to live in love and community with us every day, every moment. You might be thinking, “This is all fine and dandy, but I still want to date and get married someday.” And that’s okay. But while you’re single, take time to invest in the relationships you already have. Enjoy community with Jesus and with the people He has placed in your life! • Naomi Zylstra • How might God be inviting you to invest in the relationships you currently have? How could you serve right now, just as you are? What are some ways you can share God’s love and joy with others—both those who know Jesus and those who don’t? I [Paul] am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible. 1 Corinthians 7:35 (NLT)

READ: JEREMIAH 29:8-14; JOHN 21:20-22; 2 CORINTHIANS 10:12; GALATIANS 6:4 Ever been online scrolling, watching your friends and other people you follow as they share their vacations, adventures, accomplishments, funny stories…and you just ended up feeling like your own life was on hold? Let me tell you something: you’re not alone! Comparison steals your joy, and it can even make you forget about anything good that might be happening in your life. It can make your life seem like a sob story. One night, I remember sitting alone in a local park, feeling left behind. When I looked at my friends’ socials, it was just stories of which colleges they were set to attend. Meanwhile, I had yet to start the application process, let alone decide which colleges to apply to. I felt low and ungrateful. Nevertheless, I decided to think of three things I was thankful to God for. I thought of my dog, the recent earth-nourishing rains, and a wonderful phone conversation with my parents. Though spending that time in thankfulness to God didn’t change my situation, it redirected my focus from feeling small to feeling gratitude for the good things God was doing in my life. Isn’t it good news that God doesn’t compare us to each other? And He calls us not to compare ourselves with others either. Rest assured, God loves you and He has good plans for you. He made you unique, and He will lead you on your journey according to His timing and purpose. You will never get left behind— Jesus is with you every step of the way. So instead of fixing your eyes on someone else’s life journey or achievements, pay attention to what God is doing in yours. As you fix your eyes on Jesus— resting in His faithful love and following where He leads—you just might discover that true freedom is found, not in a life of comparison, but one of gratefulness (Hebrews 12:1-2). • Sammy Mwatha • What are three things you’re thankful to God for today, no matter how small? • We live during a time in history when the internet, smartphones, social media, etc. are still relatively new, and we’re constantly learning how to steward these resources well—and limit the potential negative impacts they can have on our brains. This week, consider turning off all your devices (anything with a screen) for at least one hour per day, and focus on things in your life that you’re thankful for—and do them with Jesus! You might spend the time relaxing outside, playing with your pet, eating a meal with your family, or engaging with something you enjoy (like art, music, sports, etc.) either alone or with friends. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD, “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

READ: ROMANS 10:11-17; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:7 I was born legally blind. Usually I can see enough to get by, but if I have to find a classroom where the room number is posted above the door, I can’t see it. When the church puts the words to the chorus on the big screen up front, I can’t see it. If I’m in a restaurant where the menu is hanging behind the counter, I can’t see it. To compensate for not being able to see such things, I have to ask for help: “Do they have cheese curds here?” When the people around me are kind enough to answer my questions, I have to take them at their word. I can’t verify if cheese curds are on the menu until I place my order and say, “I’d like cheese curds with that.” Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Most define faith as “belief” or “trust.” But take it from this legally blind guy: it’s a little deeper than that. I’m looking for information to act on—information I can’t see. Faith relies on someone who has more power and knowledge than I do. My bad sight forces me to depend on others and take them at their word. “For we live by faith, not by sight,” 2 Corinthians 5:7 says. I know full well what this means. I regularly put my life into the hands of others who can see what they’re doing. Similarly, God knows more than we do. He has more power, more insight, and is never wrong. We are wrong frequently. Faith acknowledges our weaknesses, but also God’s strength—and through the Holy Spirit, God leads us to rely on that strength (Romans 5:6; 8:26; 2 Corinthians 12:9; 1 John 4:16). Faith in Jesus is more than mental agreement with some statements; it’s living in light of sure information (1 John 5:20). As Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” • Jeff Weddle • Can you think of a time you had to depend on others? What was that like? • Faith in Jesus means relying on Him to save us, and depending on Him in every area of our lives. Of course, none of us will have perfect faith—at least, not until Jesus returns. But as we draw near to God, the Holy Spirit will help us grow in faith, reminding us that we can rest in a secure relationship with God because Jesus has made the way for us to become His dearly loved children (1 John 3:1). How could it be helpful to think of faith, not just as belief and trust, but also as reliance and dependence? For we live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)

READ: MATTHEW 13:44-46; JOHN 10:10; PHILIPPIANS 3:7-9, 19-21 Kellen crossed his arms and shook his head as smoke engulfed his one-man transport. He turned away and stepped off the tracks that connected the two largest cities in the world. This delay would cost him. Negotiators were expecting him in the northern city within the hour. The railway cut through a thick forest. Kellen marveled at some of the trees before he reached for his phone. As he slipped his hand into his pocket to call for a new transport, something caught his eye. A sliver of blue glistened through an opening in the trees. He pulled back some branches and stepped into the forest. Kellen gasped as he found himself standing in a new world. The brilliant blue was coming from a rushing waterfall. Beyond the cascade was an endless golden field. A gust of wind swept over the meadow and stirred up a flock of colorful birds that piloted over the waterfall and down to a cluster of luscious green branches. Kellen breathed deeply. His soul had never felt like this before—completely refreshed, utterly satisfied. He thought about his immense riches, and the steel utopia he had built for himself, but neither of them compared to the peace that he felt now. For the first time, Kellen knew he was home. “It can all be yours,” said a voice. Kellen turned to see an old man holding a staff twice his height. “It is of more value than anything you can ever achieve,” said the man. Kellen nodded and looked over the paradise one more time. As he turned and stepped back through the tree line, he repositioned some branches to hide his newly discovered treasure. - - It didn’t take long for Kellen to sell everything he had. The following morning, he returned to the field. He stepped off the transport and pulled back the branches like he had the day before. Then He stepped through the brush and into the paradise. The man greeted him, “Welcome home.” • Rafe Bellers • Today’s allegorical story echoes Matthew 13:44, which is one of many parables Jesus told about the kingdom of heaven, also called the kingdom of God. Why is this kingdom far more valuable than anything we could ever possess or achieve? Why is it worth giving up everything for? • The only way into the kingdom of God is through Jesus. He gave up everything for us when He died and rose again to rescue us from the dominion of darkness and bring us into His kingdom of light (Colossians 1:12-14). Jesus promises that everyone who has put their trust in Him is a part of that kingdom forever! Why is it so important that nothing we do—or don’t do—can earn our place in His kingdom? (Hint: read Ephesians 2:8-9.) For more about this good news, see our "Know Jesus" page. • We live in a time when the kingdom of God has already come and is still coming. When Jesus came and lived among us, He announced that the kingdom has come near (Matthew 4:17), and He promised that when He returns, we will experience the kingdom in all its fullness! As we wait for that glorious day, we can see glimpses of the kingdom wherever we see Jesus’s rule and reign bringing “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). Can you think of a time you glimpsed the kingdom in your own life? What was that like? • If you want to dig deeper, you can read ab...

READ: JOHN 10:27-30; 14:16-17, 26; 15:4-10; 1 CORINTHIANS 6:17 Have you ever wanted to go skydiving? The thrill! The exhilaration! The absolute terror?! If you’re not quite daring enough to jump from a plane with nothing but a parachute, you could try tandem skydiving instead. This much safer option means you’re connected to a harness, which is attached to a highly experienced tandem instructor. The instructor guides you through each and every step prior to, during, and after the jump. You’re secured to this expert skydiver the whole time. From exiting the plane to landing safely on the ground, they’re responsible for and in control of everything that’s happening. Your part is to rest in their control and enjoy! The tandem’s connection means placing all your trust in the instructor’s abilities and knowledge. For all practical purposes, you’re placing your life in their hands. It wouldn’t be good to fight against their movements or try to go in a different direction from where they’re leading. No matter what happens on the journey, you can trust the safety of the harness and the person you’re attached to. What if we thought about our Christian journey as being on a tandem flight with the Lord? When we come to faith in Jesus, we aren’t just attached to Him, we are united with Him. We are inseparable—connected together forever. The Holy Spirit is our highly qualified instructor, there from the beginning. As our traveling partner, the Spirit of Christ guides us along our journey till we safely reach our final destination of eternity with Jesus (Ephesians 4:30). So, as Christians, we never have to be afraid of freefalling alone. We can rest and abide in the one who holds us securely, now and forever. • Deborah del Villar • Can you think of a time your life felt like a freefall? Maybe you felt disoriented or just unable to handle the things you were going through. Consider taking a moment to imagine Jesus right there with you—you could even picture Him strapped to your back like a tandem skydiving instructor. How does this image make you feel? Is there anything you want to say to Jesus? I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

READ: JOHN 11:1-44; 14:16-18; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-5 Do you know the shortest verse in the Bible? It’s John 11:35, “Jesus wept.” It has only two words, and yet it’s so profound. A few years ago, my brother died suddenly. It was a big blow to me and my family. I asked God many questions. Why did He not save my brother? Why did He allow it to happen? Does He care? When I was reading the book of John, God spoke to me through the story of Lazarus. Lazarus, Martha, and Mary were siblings, and they were close friends of Jesus. When Lazarus died, Martha and Mary were very sad. They were grieving over his death and wished Jesus had come earlier to save their brother. Both sisters said the same thing to Jesus: “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died” (John 11:21, 32). What they said echoed the words that I had bottled up in my heart. Jesus understands the pain of losing our loved ones. He grieves with us. In John 11:35, it was written that “Jesus wept.” Even though Jesus is God, He is human as well. He felt the pain of losing his close friend. When Jesus wept, the Jews who had gathered to mourn said, “See how he loved him!” (verse 36). Jesus was there when Martha and Mary were grieving the loss of their brother. He showed compassion and comforted them. These two words, “Jesus wept,” meant so much to me. They made me realize that even though I could not see Jesus, He was there with me when my brother died. The Holy Spirit was with me. God cares! And Jesus Himself assures us that He will comfort us. In Matthew 5:4, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” We are not alone. God gives us family, friends, and His very own presence to comfort us in our loss. In the story of Lazarus, Jesus performed a miracle and raised Lazarus from the dead. And Jesus assures us that our loved ones who are believers will be resurrected one day, and we will live together in renewed creation—forever. Yet He also feels our sadness as we wait for that day. So whenever we feel the pain of losing our loved ones, we can remember that Jesus is weeping with us too. • Kelly Choy • When we experience loss, how could it be comforting to remember Jesus wept with Martha and Mary, and He also weeps with us, holding us close in our grief? Jesus wept. John 11:35 (NIV)

READ: PSALM 103:12; EPHESIANS 2:8-10; 1 JOHN 1:8–2:1; 3:1-2 Sometimes I hate myself. I look at the people around me and wonder how they look so put together, so beautiful, so confident. My jeans don’t fit right, and my jacket is warm instead of trendy. I feel unremarkable and worthless. I want to disappear into the wall. But sometimes I love myself. My hair looks great today, and that shirt I found at the thrift shop works perfectly with this outfit. I even made a grumpy person smile. I feel awesome. Sometimes I hate myself. Once again, I sinned in the same way that always comes back to tempt me. I should be able to resist it by now, and yet, when the temptation came knocking in the same sweet way I know so well, I gave in. I feel like a total failure. But sometimes I love myself. My friend says, “You are so good at using your spiritual gifts! We love your ministry at church.” Pride fills me up like a tall glass of lemonade, and pride is what splashes out when I move. I feel fantastic. Then I stop. Is it true that I am a wonderful child of God, created in His image and indwelt by His Holy Spirit? Yes. Is it also true that I am full of sin and failure? Yes! I puzzle for a while: How am I supposed to think of myself? Am I good or bad? Wonderful or disgusting? I remember. There is someone far more beautiful, completely without sin, who loves me more than words can say. He is eternal, omnipotent, infinitely creative, and never gives up. In His love for me, He died on the cross for my sins, and He is making me like Him—free from sin. No matter what I do or how I feel, my identity and worth are found in Jesus. • Amy Glendinning • Humans seesaw so quickly between pride and shame. But Jesus reveals who we truly are. We were created in God’s image, and we were created good. Yet ever since the first humans sinned, we’re all born sinful, so we all sin daily. In the words of Paul, “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 7:24-25). Though we were sinners, God still loved us! And through Jesus, He made the way for us to be forgiven, made new, and adopted into His family. Today, if we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we live in the “already-and-not-yet” of His transforming work. We’ll struggle with sin until Jesus returns and finishes the work He started (Philippians 1:6), yet we’re already blameless in God’s sight. How can this affect the way we think about ourselves? We are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. 1 John 3:2 (NLT)

READ: ESTHER 2:5–4:17 If she did not act, they would all perish. You are uninvited. The threat tormented her, stealing her breath—and her confidence with it. To go before the king uninvited is a death sentence. Esther reached the ornate doors of the throne room and stopped. One more step would bring her before her husband, the king of Persia, and if he did not welcome her in with a wave of his scepter, she would die. “Why me?” she breathed. She was a young Jewish woman, not a queen. Yet the sparkling crown on her head declared otherwise. Why did he choose me? The words of her cousin, Mordecai, the man who had raised her from childhood, now rang in her mind: Perhaps it is for such a time as this that you have been chosen. Such a time as this. A time when the king was deceived by his secon-in-command, Haman, who hated the Jews. The deceived king had sealed a proclamation to eradicate every Jew in Persia on the charge of treason. Did the king know he had just sentenced his own queen to death? Esther stared at the closed doors. Someone must unveil the lies that had borne an impending massacre. You will die if you go, her mind taunted. Esther tilted her chin in defiance. I will die if I stay. Even now, the king’s men waited to be unleashed upon the kingdom and not one living Jew would be left in their wake. The young queen straightened her shoulders and nodded to the guards. The massive doors swung open. Lord, give me courage, she pleaded. Her eyes met the king’s across the royal throne room. If I perish, I perish. • Anita Seavey • Today’s story is how one author imagines Esther 2:5–4:17. Consider taking some time to read what happens next in Esther 7–8. How did God intervene in Esther’s situation? • Esther’s courage, risking her life to save her people from genocide, foreshadows Jesus’s courage to face death on a cross to save us from sin. And once we know Jesus, His Spirit fills us with that same courage, so we can do whatever He calls us to do. Are there any ways you feel God may be calling you to take a risk—perhaps by telling others about Jesus, showing kindness to your enemies, or helping someone who’s in trouble? Who are trusted Christians in your life you can talk to about this—people who can help you discern God’s guidance and next steps? [Mordecai said to Esther,] “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” Esther 4:14 (NIV)

READ: EPHESIANS 4:20-32 We deal with anger for a number of different reasons. We get angry at ourselves when we fail. We get angry when we see others being treated in an unjust way. We get angry when the people in our lives hurt us. The Bible doesn’t call the feeling of anger a sin, but it does say we shouldn’t sin because of our anger (Ephesians 4:26). It’s okay to feel angry at times. After all, God gets angry, and we’re made in His image (Genesis 1:26-27; Exodus 34:6; Psalm 30:5). It’s actually good for us to be angry at what makes God angry— things like lies, injustice, and death. Unfortunately, because our world has been broken by sin, we don’t feel anger perfectly. Sometimes we get angry because of something silly or selfish. Sometimes anger causes deep, hurtful divisions in families, friendships, and the church. So what does God want us to do with our anger? How do we know when we should just punch a pillow, and when we need to get out there and do something about the anger we’re feeling? We look to Jesus. He invites us to come to Him with all our feelings, including anger. He understands how we’re feeling because He experienced the pain and brokenness of this world firsthand, and He wants to help us (Hebrews 4:14-16). Here are some helpful questions to talk to Him about: • Have I been hurt by someone, or am I upset that things aren’t working out my way? • Did someone intentionally harm me, or did an accident cause me pain? • Can I take the anger I’m feeling over an injustice and use it to go out and help those who are being wronged? Am I ready to do that well, or do I need to wait and calm down? • Is my anger causing me to do things that are wrong? • Am I hurting others because of my anger? We’re all going to feel angry at times, but it’s how we respond to our anger that really matters. Thankfully, Jesus knows how we feel, and He’s there to help us figure it out. • Emily Acker • What kinds of things make you angry? One day, Jesus will return to put an end to sin and heal all the brokenness sin has caused, so anger will be gone because there will be nothing left to be angry about. How could these truths help us process our anger in healthy ways? • Who is a trusted Christian in your life who can help you prayerfully process your anger? No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 (NLT)

READ: GENESIS 1:26–2:15; 3:17-19; EPHESIANS 2:10; 4:28 In a certain season of my life, I felt bored. I had mundane chores to perform each day. But simply being “busy” didn’t feel satisfying. I wanted something significant. I shared my longings with my mom; then she shared her idea. Over the years, our family had saved up multiple boxes of photographs from all kinds of events. Mama asked if I wanted to organize them and place them in photo albums. It seemed like a daunting task. It also seemed like one that would give meaning to otherwise empty moments. As I secured photos in albums, I saved a few for my siblings. I wrote up memories to accompany the pictures. Then I gave those to my brothers and sister. This project provided purpose for me and for my family. Though I didn’t realize it, I had craved work. We often complain about work, but God Himself works (John 5:17), and He established work as His good design for us. When God created Adam and Eve, they shared perfect connection with Him, and their work flowed from that relationship. Then they sinned. Ever since then, humanity’s relationship with God has been corrupted by sin, which is why Jesus came. If we’ve put our trust in Jesus, believing that His death and resurrection paid for our sins, that means we have received forgiveness—and we have been reunited with God! Even before Adam and Eve disrupted their relationship with God, He gave them work in caring for the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15). After they sinned, Adam and Eve faced “painful toil” in their work (3:17), but God didn’t form work as punishment. Sometimes we grumble about schoolwork, part-time jobs, chores, or yard work. Yet God lovingly ordained work for His people. And He often chooses to accomplish His work through us! We get to work together with the King of the Universe. So, whether we’re doing work that enables us to earn money, share with those in need, or enjoy satisfaction in creative pursuits, we can experience God’s presence and purpose as we engage faithfully in work. • Allison Wilson Lee • God delighted in His work when He created the world. What work do you delight in doing? • How might viewing work as something ordained by God, something He wants to do with us, affect the way we feel about it? The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Genesis 2:15 (NIV)

READ: PSALM 139 Have you ever wondered why your life has taken the twists and turns it has? Sometimes our circumstances and disappointments leave us feeling frustrated, and it can feel like the people around us don’t really get what we’re going through. Feeling misunderstood, lost, and alone are all terrible parts of living in a broken world—but, as Christians, we are not without hope! Even though we may feel isolated in our struggles, we have an incredibly caring God who knows every detail of our lives, and He understands how we feel. In Psalm 139, David describes God’s intimate knowledge of our lives—and His tender care for us. This passage goes into great detail about how we can never escape God’s loving presence (verses 7-12). It tells us God knows our thoughts before we have them and our words before we speak them (verses 2, 4). That’s both comforting and convicting. Convicting because we can’t lie to God or trick Him when we sin, but comforting because God understands us completely and loves us fully. How powerful to know God understands our weaknesses and our struggles! More than that, Paul tells us in Romans 8:26-27 that God searches our hearts and His Holy Spirit prays for us when we don’t know what to pray for ourselves. And in Hebrews 4:14-16, we find that Jesus doesn’t just understand us, He even empathizes with us in our weaknesses because He is God in flesh, and He knows firsthand what it’s like to suffer as a human in a broken world. What’s more, it’s because Jesus suffered for us that we can have hope in any circumstance. Through His death and resurrection, He made the way for our sins to be forgiven so we could be with God—forever! So whenever we feel alone, misunderstood, or anxious about what’s happening in our lives, we can look to Jesus, our Lord who knows us completely and loves us fully. • Phil Cox • Can you think of a time you felt misunderstood? Jesus sees your pain, and He cares. Consider taking a moment to talk to Him about whatever hard things you’ve been going through and receive His tender compassion. • Consider reading Psalm 139 slowly, one verse at a time, savoring the words. What catches your attention? If you were to choose one verse to memorize from this psalm, which one would it be? You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. Psalm 139:1 (NIV)

READ: EPHESIANS 1:3-14 We see the word blessed thrown around on the internet and t-shirts, but what does it really mean to be blessed? By definition, bless is a verb. It’s an action someone takes to give something to someone else. I could just brag about my awesome family, my best friends, or my new shoes, but saying I’m “blessed” implies that someone, somehow, has given me these things. So what do I expect to be true if I’m “blessed” by God? He has all the power in the universe, and He’s the true Owner of everything. As His kid, I know that He cares for me. Does that mean I’ll have wealth? Health? Loads of amazing friends? Success in my grades and test scores? Early acceptance into my dream school? Not necessarily. In Ephesians 1, Paul tells us that everyone who knows Jesus has been blessed beyond measure! But Paul also describes that these blessings are spiritual— and as it turns out, these are the best kinds of blessings (verse 3). Our heavenly Father loves us so much that He has made it possible for us to be united with Him through Jesus’s death on the cross; it gave Him great pleasure to purchase our freedom and adopt us into His family, pouring out His grace, kindness, wisdom, and understanding on us in abundance (verse 5-7). And God has promised that—no matter what we face in life and no matter what happens in this world—a time will come when “he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ” (verse 10). And even now, He has blessed us with the Holy Spirit—His very own presence living inside us and guaranteeing His promise: that we will be resurrected, just like Jesus was, and we will live with Him forever in renewed creation (verses 13-14). In the meantime, because I’m surrounded by ads and influencers, each promising me their own version of the American dream, it’s hard to see that what I already have in Jesus surpasses it all. But Jesus is eager to remind me of His goodness and turn my attention to the blessings I already have in Him— especially the greatest blessing, Himself. • Mandy Desilets • Can you think of a time you felt like other people were more blessed than you? It’s easy to begin comparing our blessings to other people’s. Consider taking a moment to bring these feelings to Jesus, asking Him to remind you of the blessings He has given you. All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Ephesians 1:3 (NLT)

READ: MATTHEW 5:43-48; LUKE 6:27-28; ROMANS 12:9-21 Ordinary students—like me—kept to themselves in order to avoid fists or knives. Paralyzed by fear, teachers ignored bullying because it was dangerous to interfere. Only blood and severe violence forced school administrators to act. Why was I singled out? I didn’t know. For some reason, the gang leader hated me, and her minions made my life miserable. At first, I ignored the elbow in the ribs in the hallway or a basketball slammed against the back of my head in the gym. The badgering escalated because silence conveyed weakness. My parents had their own problems. I couldn’t share mine. I wasn’t a fighter, and neither were my friends. I had no backup. At church, the youth pastor challenged us to read the Bible and trust God. Unconvinced that God was more than a distant-energy-cosmic-thing, I didn’t think much of Him. However, I started to read Matthew, and when I read Jesus’s words to love your enemies, I laughed. Love your enemies? Pray for those who persecute you? But I couldn’t shake off the idea, so I decided to try it. I bought a glittery card with a poem about friendship. My stomach churned so hard I thought I’d vomit when I handed the card to the gang leader and ran away. She never said one word to me. In fact, I barely saw her the rest of the semester, but the threats stopped. I was no longer pushed, shoved, or spit on. She called off the gang. It was the first time I saw God working in my life, the first time I saw the power of His Word. It was a miracle. • Gretchen Carlson • Today’s devotion is a true story of God doing a miracle in the author’s life. But every bullying situation is different, so if you’re being bullied or seeing bullying happen, don’t go it alone. In addition to talking to God, tell a trusted adult so they can help you figure out what steps to take. • Jesus loved us even while we were still His enemies (Romans 5:6-11). If you know Him, He lives in you and empowers you to love others with that same love. How can Jesus’s love affect the way we view people who hurt us? After talking with a trusted adult about your situation and discerning next steps, consider talking about ways you can love your enemies in your situation. [Jesus said,] “But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” Matthew 5:44 (NLT)

READ: PSALM 32:8; PROVERBS 3:5-6; ISAIAH 30:21 Life is full of choices—big and small. Sometimes we feel confident about what to do, but other times we’re unsure which path to take. Thankfully, God invites us to trust Him for guidance. All throughout the Bible, we find His invitations. Let’s take a look at a few examples. Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us not to lean on our own understanding. Our perspective is limited, but God sees the bigger picture. When we submit our ways to Him, He promises to make our paths straight. That doesn’t mean life will be easy, but it does mean He will lead us in the right direction. Psalm 32:8 gives us another assurance: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” God’s guidance is not cold or distant—it comes from His love and care for us. The truth is, God loves us so much that He came and lived among us in Jesus. Through His death and resurrection, He made the way for us to be in closest relationship with Him. And one of the blessings of that relationship is His guidance. Isaiah 30:21 says we will hear a voice behind us saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” God’s Spirit gently directs us when we listen. His guidance may come through prayer, Scripture, wise counsel, or circumstances—but it always points us closer to Him. I remember facing a decision that felt overwhelming. I prayed, searched Scripture, and asked God to show me the way. Over time, He gave me peace about the choice I needed to make. Looking back, I can see how His guidance protected me and opened doors I never expected. When we lean in to God’s guidance, we discover that He is faithful. Jesus doesn’t just show us the path—He walks with us every step of the way. • Martha Karas • Can you think of any ways God has guided you in the past? Consider taking a moment to thank Him for this. • What decisions or situations are weighing on you today? Consider bringing these to Jesus in prayer, asking Him to help you notice how He is leading you. • Who are trusted Christians in your life who can help you grow in discerning God’s guidance? Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

READ: JONAH 1–4 When you think of the prophet Jonah, what comes to mind? Getting swallowed by a huge fish? Running from God? A certain movie with talking vegetables? What you might not know is how the story of Jonah points us toward the gospel. Although Jonah is known for his reluctance to preach to the people in Nineveh, his story still shows God’s mercy and foreshadows the Messiah—the promised rescuer who was to come. And we now know that Messiah is Jesus. First, both Jesus and Jonah sacrificed themselves to save others. Jonah chose to be thrown off a ship in the midst of a storm to save the other sailors— because he knew that his sin had caused the storm. Jesus chose to sacrifice Himself on the cross—because He knew that He was without sin, so He could save us sinners (Romans 5:8; Hebrews 4:15). Second, both Jonah and Jesus also found themselves in the depths for three days. For Jonah, this meant being in the belly of a big fish. Jesus spent three days in the tomb after His death on the cross. Then, both returned from the depths after three days. Jonah was vomited by the fish on to shore, and he went on to (reluctantly) share God’s message of repentance with the people of Ninevah, which ultimately led to Gentiles repenting and being saved. Jesus rose from the grave, defeating sin and death forever and saving all who put their trust in Him—both Jews and Gentiles! These similarities and connections are no accident, and they’re just the beginning of the ways the book of Jonah points to the gospel. The whole book intentionally points toward Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. God the Father sent both Jonah and Jesus out of His great love for us. But Jesus is better than Jonah (Matthew 12:41). Jonah was only human, but Jesus is both fully human and fully God. While Jonah was a reluctant prophet who did not have much love for the people he preached to, God the Son willingly came and dwelled among us, sacrificing His own life on the cross so that we could be saved from sin and live with Him forever. • Naomi Zylstra • Did anything about today’s devotion surprise you? If so, what? • While reading the book of Jonah, did you notice any other connections between the story of Jonah and the story of Jesus? • For more about the gospel, the good news of Jesus, see our "Know Jesus" page. [Jesus said,] “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Matthew 12:40 (NIV)

READ: MARK 4:35-41; PHILIPPIANS 4:4-13 Life can feel like a storm—friendships changing, family struggles, church drama, schoolwork piling up, or just general uncertainty about the future can all send us reeling. Anxiety often sneaks in when we don’t know what’s coming next. But Jesus offers us something the world can’t: peace that goes beyond understanding. In Philippians 4, Paul reminds us that we can bring our worries to God in prayer. When we do, we find His peace guards our hearts. And Jesus Himself, on the night before He went to the cross, told His disciples, “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27). The peace of Jesus is like an anchor holding steady in rough waters. This doesn’t mean storms disappear. It means we don’t face them alone. Jesus’s presence steadies us, reminding us that He is in control. He died on the cross and rose from the grave to save us and secure our eternal future with Him. That means, once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can rest—even when life feels uncertain. I’ve experienced moments when life felt overwhelming, like waves crashing over me. But when I turned to God in prayer, I found His peace calming my heart. He didn’t erase the situation, but He reminded me that He was with me, holding me steady. Hebrews 6:18-19 says, “We who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.” Jesus’s peace is not fragile—it’s strong enough to carry us through the hardest days. When we anchor ourselves in Him, we discover a security that no storm can shake. • Martha Karas • In Philippians 4:7, what do you think it means that Jesus’s peace transcends or surpasses understanding? • How can spending time in prayer and Scripture help us anchor our hearts in Jesus’s peace? (Hint: read Matthew 6:25-34.) • Consider taking some time to talk to Jesus, following Philippians 4:6 as a guide—thanking Him for ways you’ve seen His goodness and asking for His help with whatever is weighing on you. • God designed the church to comfort and encourage each other in difficult times. Who can you talk to about the storms in your life—maybe a parent, pastor, youth leader, friend, or counselor? Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 (NLT)

READ: JOHN 19 If you search “famous last words,” you’ll read the final thoughts of a variety of people throughout history— thoughts that range from sad to crass to funny to hopeful. Jesus has seven recorded statements from the cross, but His final statement summarizes His saving work: with His last breath, Jesus announces, “It is finished” (John 19:30). It’s a startling end to the life of the greatest person who ever trod the planet. And yet, on the surface, the three-word sentence seems rather basic. But picture Leonardo DaVinci painting the Mona Lisa. He has spent many years perfecting his painting. There’s the blend of colors, the smile, the eyes, the shading. Finally, after completing his masterpiece, I imagine DaVinci puts down his brush, sits back in his chair, and announces, “It is finished.” That’s the sense of Jesus’s words. He had come down from heaven, become a human, lived a perfect life to fulfill the requirements of the law. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He declared that there was nothing more for Him to do to make sinful people righteous before a holy Father. As Christians, we are His masterpiece—the work is already done (Ephesians 2:8-10). The implications of this are huge. There is nothing left to do, nothing left undone. Jesus completed the task—dying on the cross and then rising from the grave—so there is nothing left for us to earn. Jesus’s righteousness covers those who put their faith in Him (Romans 4:5; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Virtually every other religion offers salvation through works, but Christianity relies on Christ’s work to provide our salvation from sin and death. Jesus removed all doubt with His final words on the cross: “It is finished.” • Mike Hurley • When Jesus died and rose again, what work did He finish? • Why is Jesus the only one who can finish the work of salvation in us? (Philippians 1:6) • Because Jesus rose from the dead, His words on the cross weren’t really His last. And this is good news! Find out more on our "Know Jesus" page. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then bowing his head, he gave up his spirit. John 19:30 (CSB)

READ: PSALM 103:8-12; MICAH 7:18-19; ROMANS 8:1-4 When I was a freshman in high school, I messed up. I lied and misused my parents’ trust—and I got caught. The broken relationship with my parents (as well as losing my privileges) hurt, and I beat myself up about it for a long time. I had sleepless nights and bouts of sobbing because I couldn’t believe how stupid I’d been and how bad I was. I couldn’t forgive myself. Even though Jesus had forgiven my guilt, I still felt so guilty. It was a constant, unbearable weight. Satan wanted my shame to make me doubt Jesus’s forgiveness and lose my way. In time, though, I realized something incredible: I didn’t have to carry that burden. Because of God’s faithfulness, goodness, and mercy, I could give my shame to Jesus, over and over again, as many times as it took before I could let go. I kept taking it back and telling myself I still deserved the feelings of guilt even after Jesus forgave me. But, through the struggle, Jesus was patient with me, and I eventually gave my shame over this incident to Him for good. You may be struggling with guilt and shame too. But God’s Word tells us that all people are guilty of sin, yet He loves us even in our failures (Romans 3:23-24). It was because He loves us that Jesus died on the cross, taking the punishment for all our sins—past, present, and future. Since Jesus rose from the grave, everyone who has put their trust in Him has already been declared innocent, permanently. So, when we sin, may the feelings of guilt drive us to Jesus, who understands our struggles and offers us boundless grace every time we fall. He picks us up, smothers us in His mercy and love, and bears our burdens so we don’t have to. If you know Jesus, everything you’ve ever done or ever will do has already been forgiven. So, instead of living in the past and beating yourself up, you can come to Jesus with all your guilt—He is eager to help you throw off the shackles of shame and bask in His love and forgiveness. • Martalisa Fischer • Can you think of a time you felt stuck in a cycle of guilt, but then God helped you get out of it? Consider taking a moment to thank Him for this! (2 Corinthians 7:10) • Are you feeling burdened by guilt today? Consider taking some time to talk to Jesus about any sins that come to mind and thank Him for His sure forgiveness. (Hebrews 4:14-16) • Why is it sometimes difficult to forgive ourselves even when we know God has forgiven us? Who is a mature Christian in your life you can be honest with when that happens? Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 (NIV)

READ: 1 SAMUEL 16:1-13; MATTHEW 7:1-5; COLOSSIANS 3:12 I was recently talking with my son about a person I didn’t know very well, so my son pulled up the person’s Instagram. I instantly had a thought I’m not proud of. Their clothes were a little messy. They looked a little wild and like they didn’t care. I was looking at their hair color and their family, and I’m not proud of some of my thoughts. Then it hit me—I was judging a version of myself. As a teen, I didn’t come from the best home. People made assumptions about me based on how I looked, how I dressed, who my family was, and what I didn’t have. I felt insecure, misunderstood, and like I didn’t belong. So why—years later—was I doing the same thing to someone else? In that moment, God reminded me of me. Who was I to judge anyone? Matthew 7:1 reminds us: “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” That reminder isn’t just a command. In this verse, Jesus is calling us back to compassion and grace. The truth is, we never fully know someone’s story. That classmate who dresses differently might be expressing themselves the only way they can afford. That kid who smells like smoke might live in a house where no one opens a window. That “angry” person might be heartbroken. “People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). God sees the real us. And He calls us to see others with that same grace. This is possible because, once we know Jesus, His love begins to transform us from the inside out. When we remember that all our sins and vulnerabilities are covered by His mercy, we can be free to love others—and ourselves. As it says in Colossians 3:12, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Next time you’re tempted to judge, pause and ask yourself: “Am I seeing people through God’s eyes, or through my own ego? What if that was me?” Because maybe, just maybe, it was. • LaVerne Vest • When are you tempted to make assumptions and judgements about other people? • How can resting in Jesus’s love and understanding for us help us view others as He does? “The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

READ: PSALMS 23:1-6; 119:103-105 Looking back I see the good Every move There You stood Lessons learned Step by step Every day In Your love, I’m kept As I move Through life’s highs and lows You are there Tell me where to go I trust in You To lead me on You’ll do it well Until the very end • Bethany Acker • As you look back on your life, can you see any ways God has taken care of you? Consider taking a moment to thank Him for these glimpses of His goodness. • Reflecting on God’s faithfulness to us in the past often makes it easier for us to trust Him to lead us in the future, and to provide for us every step of the way. It can also be helpful to remember that Jesus has promised to be our Good Shepherd (John 10:10-18, 27-30). We can trust Him to lead us well because He loves us so much that He died and rose again to save us and bring us into His flock. He is always with us, through all the highs and lows, keeping us in His love and covering our faults with His mercy. In what areas of your life do you need to be reminded of Jesus’s presence today? Consider taking a moment to talk to Him about whatever comes to mind. The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need. Psalm 23:1 (NLT)

READ: JUDGES 17:1-6; PROVERBS 3:5-6; ISAIAH 5:13-21; 2 CORINTHIANS 7:5-13 Growing up in the country, I spent lots of time running around barefoot. So when we needed to rush one day to get to a soccer game for my family member, Eli, I jumped barefoot into our minivan. Once we arrived at the park where Eli played, I followed my family across several fields carrying my sandals. The lush grass of the fields, damp from morning dew, felt soothing on my feet. At first. Then I noticed a tingling sensation on the bottoms of my feet. As I watched the soccer match, the soles of my feet began burning and turning red. Too late, I realized I had walked through ant poison that had been sprinkled on the grass. For the rest of the day—after Eli’s game was over, after I put on shoes—all the skin that had encountered the grass (and, therefore, the poison) itched, ached, and swelled. What had appeared harmless, even inviting, at the start of the day had caused pain lasting most of the weekend. I couldn’t see the danger—didn’t consider any risk—and unknowingly ran right into it. In the Old Testament, we read about God’s people who ran right into spiritual danger, assuming that what appeared good to them—including idol worship— would bring satisfaction. “All the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes” (Judges 17:6), and that did not turn out well. But God desires something better for us. Jesus came to die for our sins and rise again so we could be in relationship with God. Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we no longer need to depend on our own ideas of what’s good. We’re not on our own—we have a Father who possesses all wisdom and generously wants to share it with us (James 1:5). He knows the dangers in what seems good, even when we can’t see it. He will lead us well. • Allison Wilson Lee • Can you think of something that seemed good at first, but turned out to be harmful in the end? Some bad decisions are sinful, and some are just unwise. Thankfully God is always merciful and eager to help and guide us—both in making good decisions, and in the aftermath of bad ones. • Sometimes following Jesus doesn’t feel comfortable. It can be hard! Yet, if we know Jesus, the same Spirit who raised Him from the dead is now living in us, giving us power to walk in His good ways (Romans 8:11; 2 Timothy 1:7). And even when we do sin, Jesus still loves us, and He wants to forgive us and help us move forward in following Him. Where do you need wisdom or strength? Who are trusted Christians in your life who could pray and dig into the Bible with you? Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 (NLT)

READ: ROMANS 14; 1 CORINTHIANS 8:9-13; 13:4-7; GALATIANS 5:13 We live in a world that often says, “Do whatever makes you happy.” But in Romans 14:21, Paul says something else. He’s writing to Christians in Rome who were arguing about food, drink, and other personal choices. Some felt free to eat anything; others believed certain foods were wrong. Instead of saying, “Do what you want,” Paul instructs the believers to think about how their choices affect the people around them. If what we’re doing—even if it’s not wrong in itself—makes it harder for someone else to follow Jesus, then it’s worth giving up. Sometimes God calls us to lay down our freedom out of love. This isn’t just about food. As believers, it’s natural and good to desire freedom—to make our own choices, speak our minds, and live fully in the freedom we have in Christ. But that freedom isn’t about doing whatever we want—it’s about using our freedom to reflect Jesus and love others well (Galatians 5:13). It’s freedom with love. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). And He didn’t just say it—He lived it. As God the Son, He gave up His rights, His comfort, and ultimately His life, to put our needs first and fulfill the will of the Father. That’s the kind of love Jesus has for us. And that’s the kind of love we’re called to walk in. Scripture reminds us that our actions affect others. You might be fine listening to certain music, joking a certain way, or watching specific content—but it’s worth asking ourselves: is this helping or hurting someone else’s walk with Jesus? And that’s where 1 Corinthians 13 comes in. Love isn’t about getting our way—“Love is patient, love is kind… It is not self-seeking” (verses 4-5). Sometimes love means we don’t do something—not because it’s sinful, but because it might cause someone else to stumble. Remember, we’re able to love others in this way when we rest in Jesus, who laid down His rights, His desires, and His very life out of love for us. • Stephanie Mathews • Sometimes, it can be hard to know if something we’re doing is making it difficult for those around us to follow Jesus. Thankfully, whenever we have questions about this, Jesus invites us to bring them to Him in prayer. In addition to talking to Jesus, who are trusted Christians you can ask? • Who in your life might be impacted—positively or negatively—by your example? Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Romans 14:19 (NIV)

READ: EPHESIANS 2:1-10; 3:19 Around me the scuff of thousands of feet scrapes over asphalt. A mob of the dead overtaking another city. Our leader is our hunger. Our need to make everything we encounter just like us. In my path is a dandelion that had been growing through a crack in the concrete. It lies flat and trampled by the hundreds who walk ahead of me. The flower is squished, the color is faded, and the whole thing is covered in dust. It’s as good as dead. I step on it and twist my foot anyway, crushing it even more. And it feels good. Once across the massive parking lot, the mob reaches the city limits. We break apart and go different ways. Some heading for businesses, some for homes, some for churches. A swarm of gray flowing into the streets. I follow the flow down Mainstreet. My body is numb, my limbs feel heavy, and my stomach commands more, more, more. Something touches my arm, and I halt. It’s warm. I’ve never felt warm before. I jerk my head around to see a man, clothed in the most vibrant colors I have ever seen. I look down at where he’s grasping my arm. His hand glows with the color of life. It’s a stark contrast to the lifeless gray of my arm—his strong healthy complexion against my papery, peeling skin. But wait, how am I feeling him? I’ve never felt anything before. At least, not like this. The warmth from his hand spreads throughout my arm, until it fills my whole body. The skin on my arm swells and colors until it looks just like his. Full of life. My eyes grow sharper, and his color becomes even more dazzling. I’m alive. I’ve never been alive before. Suddenly every craving I had a moment ago has shifted. I don’t want to destroy, I want to be with this man. His brown eyes are filled with more kindness than I can comprehend, even now that my mind feels sharper and more discerning. A laugh bubbles from within me, and I flinch. I’ve never made that sound before. The man is smiling now. Following behind him is a small crowd of people. They’re alive, just like me. When they see what the man has done for me, a cheer rings out among them, and they all run toward me with joy. • Emily Tenter • Today’s allegorical story is inspired by various Scriptures that show how desperately we need Jesus. Without Him, we are dead in our sins, ruled by our hunger for things that are not good. But even in our depravity, God loved us with an everlasting love, and He came to dwell with us in Jesus. Fully God and fully human, Jesus took our sins upon Himself when He died on the cross. But death could not master Him—He rose again, declaring that everyone who puts their trust in Him has new life! Have you ever thought about what it means that, before we knew Jesus, all of us were dead in our sins? Why is it so important that Jesus is alive—and He is the only one who can make us alive? (If you want to dig deeper, read Ezekiel 11:19-20; 37:1-14; Luke 15:1-7, 24; John 10:10-11; Romans 6:13; 2 Corinthians 5:17.) • Once we know Jesus, our desires start to be transformed. As we grow in our relationship with God, learning to rest in His love and forgiveness and kindness for us, our inclinations will be directed more and more toward love, forgiveness, and kindness for others. Can you think of a time you noticed God’s transforming work in your life? Consider taking a moment to thank Him for this! (2 Corinthians 3:18; Galatians 5:13-23; Philippians 1:6; 2:13) • When Jesus...

READ: 1 CHRONICLES 16:31-33; PSALM 59:16; ISAIAH 49:13 Today may be a day you woke up and looked out at the world around you and wanted no more of it. Life could feel crushing, unfair, as though it’s falling apart. You may think you’re completely alone. But take heart, you’re not alone. People may have failed you, or they may not know how to give you what you need, but God has given you a song. He has given all of His creation a song of hope, even the trees, the hills, and the mountains. In fact, the Bible uses the word sing over four hundred times—and God commands us to sing. Why? Because once you’re in Christ, then even in your darkest moments…deep, deep inside of you a song waits for you to give it life. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a good voice or if you don’t know what to sing. You can go to God’s Word and find truths to sing—the deep truths of the good news of Jesus. Run to Him, the one who is true, who gives freedom and restoration from sin and death. If your faith is in Him, He has given you a song of salvation that He sang over you first…and sings over you even now. So, like a crumbling dam, let the words break you open, fall from your mouth like a river, spill the emotions in a rush. Cry. Scream. But sing. As you do, you will find that joy goes hand-in-hand with the song of salvation. In Psalm 59:16, God is called a stronghold. Singing your song to God, you are surrounded with comfort, peace, and joy. He is your fortress (Psalm 91:2). Song reminds your soul that you belong to God—that you are loved, special, chosen (Psalms 42:5, 11; 103:1-2, 22). The only one who knows your heart better than you do, is God. He knows your pain, your fears, your hopelessness. He wants to carry it all for you. So raise your voice in song, child of God! He will give you the words to sing as He completes the work of restoration He has already begun in you (Philippians 1:6). • Sara DeBord • If God has given the trees, hills, and mountains a song, how much more will He provide us—His children—with a song to sing! Why is the song of God’s people (and of creation) rooted in salvation through Jesus? • If you want to dig deeper, read Psalms 65:13; 96:12; 98:7-8; 118:14; 147:1; Isaiah 55:12; Zephaniah 3:17; John 14:6; Acts 4:11-12; Romans 1:16; 8:18-30; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; 1 John 4:19. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and they will trust in the LORD. Psalm 40:3 (CSB)

READ: EXODUS 12:17; 1 CORINTHIANS 11:23-26; REVELATION 19:6-9 Communion (also called the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist) is deeply meaningful for Christians. This simple act of eating bread and drinking wine or juice reminds us of how God loves us so much that He has worked over and over again to bring us to Himself. And in Communion, we anticipate how that work will ultimately be fulfilled when Jesus returns. Communion points us back to Passover (Exodus 12). During the first Passover thousands of years ago, God freed His people from slavery in Egypt, leading them out to the desert where they could worship Him. Through His miracles, He brought them to Himself, and He established Passover to be a yearly reminder of their freedom. Then, in the Gospels, the disciples were celebrating that freedom with Jesus during Passover when He established the first Communion on the night before He went to the cross (Matthew 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:1-20). Much like Passover, Communion reminds us of the freedom we have in Jesus. It points us back to the day Jesus took our sins upon Himself, was crucified on the cross to take the Father’s just wrath against sin, and rose from the dead, securing our resurrection when He returns. He did all of this because God wanted to remove the barrier between us and Him—our sin. Communion reminds us that we are no longer defined by our sins—we are defined by Jesus, our Savior who has forgiven us. And because we are in Jesus, we get to dwell with God forever. As believers, we can know Jesus is with us, right now, through the Holy Spirit. At the same time, Jesus reigns on the throne in heaven, but His kingdom is not yet here in all its fullness. When we take Communion, we look forward to the day He will return to resurrect us from the dead. On that day, we will sit around the table with Him, feasting at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, fully enjoying the presence of God and all His forgiven people for all eternity. And that, my friends, is true communion. • Taylor Eising • Why do we need regular reminders about who Jesus is and what He has done for us? What happens when we forget these truths? And how does God show us mercy when we do forget? • Different churches practice Communion in different ways, and that’s okay! What questions do you have about how your church practices Communion and why? Who is a trusted Christian in your life you can talk to about these questions? They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity. Acts 2:46 (NLT)

READ: PSALM 119:97-104; JOHN 1:1-5; 20:31; 1 PETER 2:2-3 I love milk. A tall, cold glass of milk when I’m thirsty…a bowl of cereal…ice cream, cheese, yogurt. I’m in love with all of it. So I thought I understood 1 Peter 2:2: “Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation.” I wanted to love God’s Word as much as I love milk. But recently I had a baby, and I realized I didn’t understand anything about loving milk. This girl longs for pure milk. It’s the only thing she consumes. It provides all the nutrients she needs, and she desires it very strongly. She drinks milk about six times a day, and when she starts to get hungry, everyone knows. Her cute little face scrunches up and she screams until she’s bright red. When she’s really hungry, there’s almost no way to stop her crying other than to give her milk. She needs it to live, and when she feels the pain of hunger, she knows she must have it! Once she starts drinking her milk, all of her focus is on that task. If I interrupt her for any reason, including to make dinner, she instantly cries out again. When she’s done drinking, she leans back, closes her eyes, and rests. She’s totally satisfied. God’s Word (a term used for the Bible and for Jesus Himself) gives us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Through the Bible we learn the story of Jesus! I know His Word is valuable, but watching my daughter I wonder, “Do I really desire God’s Word like a newborn baby? May we be as hungry for God’s Word as my daughter is for milk. And when we get it, may we find ourselves satisfied. • Amy Glendinning • What do you love about God’s Word? • Newborn babies are designed to cry out insistently for what they need from their parents. As God’s children, we are designed to cry out to Him for all our needs. He is always attentive to our cries, and He wants to give us satisfaction in His life-giving presence. How could remembering that God is a loving Father help us cry out to Him? What do you need today? (Matthew 7:9-11) Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation. 1 Peter 2:2 (CSB)

READ: MATTHEW 6:9-13; 28:19-20; ROMANS 12:2; 1 JOHN 2:17 Rat race. Hamster wheel. Grind. Eat, sleep, work, Repeat. This is on my mind. Lost in the mundane. Stuck in the chaos. A purpose will I find? Empty. Hollow. In frustration, I sigh. Your light. Your leading. Into the daily, it shines. Your will, Your way, My life, forever entwined. It’s easy to get caught up in the relentlessness of the grind. In everyday life, all the stress and minutia can make us lose sight of a more eternal purpose. “Soccer practice! Homework! Mom’s yelling! Should I go to college?! Why are my friends acting weird?!” In the midst of all this, Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). As God the Son, He came into our broken world—experiencing the same difficult, mundane, painful things we do—so we could “have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). Jesus empathizes with our struggles, and He died and rose again so we could be in relationship with the God of the universe, which is what we were made for! Once we know Jesus, God our Father invites us to be part of His good kingdom work (Proverbs 3:5-6; Ephesians 1:9; 2:10; Philippians 2:13). As we walk with Him through the everyday, we can rest in His love and hold on to His eternal purpose, continuing to pray in the words of our Savior, “Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10; 26:39). • Dominique E. Miller • In what ways has your life felt hollow? How does Jesus free us from chasing after the things the world prioritizes? What are we free to pursue instead? (Matthew 6:25-34; 11:28-30) [Jesus said,] “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:29 (NIV)

READ: JOHN 5:1-11; ACTS 5:29 “Stop. You can’t do that.” “Don’t do that, you’re embarrassing yourself.” “Come on, it’ll be fine.” We’ve all heard messages like these at some point. The people around us often have an idea of how they think we should be living. So who should we listen to? In John 5, Jesus takes the time to heal a man who was unable to walk. After giving the man the ability to get up, Jesus tells him to take his mat and go. The man stands up with his mat but is immediately met by those who accuse him of doing wrong. They tell him that he shouldn’t be carrying his mat on the Sabbath. What does the man do? Does he drop his mat and apologize? The man responds to his accusers by letting them know that he is going to listen to the one who healed him, rather than to them. God has done so much for us. Will we listen to Him or those around us? Will we listen to the one who healed us, who died for us, who has promised us eternal life? Or will we listen to those who tell us we need to act a certain way, do what the crowd is doing, or live a life free of embarrassment? May we all live like the man with the mat, listening first and foremost to the one who can heal, the one who has saved us. • Emily Acker • When someone tells you that you should be living a certain way—whether it’s a person you know, a speaker, an author, or someone online—how does it make you feel? • When we’re feeling pressured to do things we know aren’t good—whether that pressure is coming from Christians or non-Christians—Jesus invites us to come to Him for help. How might remembering that He loves us, more than anyone else ever could, help us follow Him? • Jesus calls us to listen to Him first and foremost, and yet one of the ways He often guides us and helps us grow is through advice from trustworthy people. In addition to talking to Jesus, who are trusted Christian friends and mentors you could talk to—people who can listen with compassion, offer wisdom and encouragement and prayer, and potentially help you get out of tricky situations? • If you want to dig deeper, read Proverbs 1:5; 9:9; 12:15; 15:31; Matthew 11:25–12:28; 17:1-9; Acts 3–5; James 1:19-27; 3:13-18. But he replied, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” John 5:11 (NIV)

READ: PROVERBS 18:24; JOHN 15:9-17 Sometimes, when we walk through dark valleys, we can more fully grasp just how faithful a friend the Son of God is to frail humanity. Joseph Scriven left his mark on the church after tragedy had left its mark on his life. Born in Ireland in 1819, Joseph loved the Lord and was full of aspiration. He was engaged to a young lady he’d grown up with, and soon their long-awaited wedding ceremony was only a day away. But their dreams together were suddenly dashed when his fiancée was thrown from her horse and drowned in the River Bann. Overcome with sorrow, Joseph became a wanderer, eventually making his home in Canada. He quickly became a well-respected tutor and unexpectedly fell in love again around age twenty-five. But tragedy struck again, and pneumonia stole his fiancée from him shortly before their wedding. Utterly broken-hearted, Joseph sold everything and dedicated his life to helping the financially destitute and physically disabled. Later in life, a friend visited Joseph during a short illness and discovered a poem lying on the nightstand. Joseph admitted to being the author, having written the poem for his lonely mother in the hope of providing her some spiritual comfort. This poem has since become the well-beloved hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” It goes like this: “What a friend we have in Jesus / all our sins and griefs to bear! / What a privilege to carry / everything to God in prayer! / O what peace we often forfeit, / O what needless pain we bear, / all because we do not carry / everything to God in prayer!” The many tragic sorrows Joseph Scriven experienced in his life seemed to drive him closer to his dearest friend, the Lord Jesus. May we too draw nearer to our friend Jesus during our trials and temptations, seeking His peace during our pain. • Jaela Deming • Jesus cares about our pain, and He faced the deep pain of the cross to make the way for us to be with Him forever. Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can know He is always so very near to us. And He promises that when He returns, all our pain will be over. Can you think of a time you experienced the closeness, comfort, and peace of Jesus in the midst of a painful situation? • Consider taking a moment to look up all the lyrics to “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” or find a recording of the song. Which lines stick out to you today? One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 (NIV)

READ: PSALM 94:16-19; MATTHEW 11:28-30; ROMANS 8:38-39; 1 PETER 5:7 What makes you worry? Some people fear being in crowds—afraid that something bad will happen to them when they’re in a large group of people. It’s understandable. A lot of horrible things happen in our broken world. But is there a peace we can find even when we’re in situations that make us nervous? Other people have faced health scares in their families. They’ve seen how bad things can get, so now they worry about every little sickness. It’s understandable for them to be nervous about health stuff because they’ve dealt with such serious issues in their lives before. What peace can we rest in— no matter what happens health-wise? This world is a scary place because it’s been broken by sin and its effects. In our lives, so many things can cause our hearts to beat fast. So what hope can we cling to? Because Jesus has come to save us, we can know that God is right here with us. When we’re worried, God invites us to tell Him our concerns. When we’re on edge, God stands with us. No matter what happens—good or bad—we have Jesus with us. We are never alone. • Emily Acker • We all feel worried or anxious from time to time, but God has so much compassion on us, and He wants to help us. Consider taking a moment to talk to God about any worries on your mind. • How could it be comforting to know that—because Jesus died and rose again for us—we can rely on His promises: to one day get rid of everything that is worrisome, and to be with us every day until then? (Matthew 28:20; Revelation 21:1-5) • Sometimes we experience thoughts and feelings that are too much for us to handle on our own, even by praying and reading the Bible. Thankfully, one of the ways God wants to help us is through other people, such as friends, parents, pastors, and medical and mental health professionals. If you find yourself feeling afraid, stressed, or worried a lot of the time, or if you’re finding it difficult to rest, who is a trusted adult you could talk to? • If you need someone to talk to, you can request a free conversation with Focus on the Family’s Counseling Department by calling 1-855-771-HELP (4357) weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Mountain Time). Please be prepared to leave your contact information for a counselor to return a call to you as soon as possible. In Canada, book your appointment by calling 1-800-661-9800 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (Pacific Time) and ask to speak with the care associate. [Jesus said,] “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27 (NIV)

READ: GALATIANS 6:1-10; EPHESIANS 4:1-16; HEBREWS 10:23-25 When I was just starting high school, it was tough. I wasn’t getting the grades I wanted to get, there was so much more work than in middle school, and I didn’t fit in very quickly. It was such a hard transition, and I was just so confused. Why is this so much harder? I wondered. And then I started to compare myself to others. Why isn’t it this hard for everyone else? My sister is doing so much better than me, and she seems fine with the workload. So why am I struggling so much? It’s the same way in our walk with Jesus. When we struggle with sin, doubt, or hard passages of the Bible, we sometimes start to compare ourselves to other Christians. We can even start to believe everyone else’s faith is, well, perfect! But that’s not true. We all struggle with following Jesus, and different aspects of our walk with Him may be easier or harder at different times in our lives. The good news is, God calls us to community with other Christians—not comparison. Remember, we all need Jesus. He loves us so much that He died and rose again to save us, and we all need to be reminded of that gospel truth every day. Growing in Him is a process, and it’s a process we do in community as we preach the gospel to ourselves and to each other. Our struggles are easier when we share them with people close to us— whether that be our friends, our parents, our siblings, a pastor, a Bible study group, or someone else. When we share our struggles with other believers, we find that everyone is struggling with something. That honesty allows us to encourage each other as we all grow in the Lord! • Kaelyn Hartman • What’s one area of your faith you’ve been struggling with lately? Who are trusted Christians in your life you can talk to about your struggles—people who will listen with empathy and remind you of Jesus’s love, compassion, forgiveness, and help? (If no one comes to mind, you can ask God to help you identify someone in the future.) • Why is community such an important part of following Jesus? (Hint: reread today’s Bible passages.) But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ. From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part. Ephesians 4:15-16 (CSB)

READ: PSALM 119:103-105; LUKE 1:1-4; 2 PETER 1:16-21 Have you ever heard someone say that the Bible is full of errors? Biblical teachings can be tough, which is one reason a lot of people believe the Bible isn’t true. While some biblical claims are genuinely difficult to understand, other supposed errors are easily explained. Many of these kinds of objections fall into the pattern I call “The Corroboration Problem.” These arguments often go something like this: “The Bible refers to people/places/events that didn’t exist. If they existed, we’d have some record of it.” But lack of corroborating sources isn’t evidence of an error. Outside of the Bible, we may not find other sources showing that something did exist, but we also can’t say it didn’t. It’s just that biblical texts are the only historical record we have of some people, places, and events. Two points are worth noting here. First, the Bible itself is a record. There are plenty of other things we only know about the ancient world because they’re mentioned in a single, non-biblical text. So, if we’re willing to believe other ancient histories and stories, why not the Bible? Second, it’s possible that other records do exist, but we just haven’t found them yet. For example, some people used to say the Hittites never existed, but then we found their royal archive. Similarly, the book of Luke was criticized for using the title tetrarch, but then other writings were found confirming Luke’s accuracy. Another variation of “The Corroboration Problem” goes, “The Bible refers to a person/place/event by a name that wasn’t used until many years later.” But consider a similar scenario: If I said, “The Chippewa people historically lived around Lake Superior,” we wouldn’t say I made an error just because the lake wasn’t called Lake Superior yet. Similarly, the authors of the Bible used the common names their readers understood, even when telling old stories. The takeaway? Let’s not be too quick to believe accusations of biblical errors. It’s a stunningly accurate book, which God gave us because He loves us and wants us to know Him through Jesus. • Christiana Albrecht • God loves us so much that, over thousands of years and through dozens of authors, He gave us the Bible so we could know Him. It shows how the Father sent the Son, Jesus, to die and rise again to save us from sin and death. What questions do you have about the Bible? Who are trusted Christians you could talk to about these questions, such as pastors, parents, or youth leaders? So that you may know the certainty of the things about which you have been instructed. Luke 1:4 (CSB)

READ: EPHESIANS 1:4-14; 2:4-10; 1 PETER 2:4-10 “You have NO idea how much pressure that is,” Maura said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. Along with over forty other students, we’d just gathered for a state scholarship competition. Maura (not her real name) had explained how a previous national winner attended her school. She was expected to uphold that legacy, and she seemed up for the challenge. I looked from Maura to the other participants. She acted so confident, so assured of success. I measured myself against her and found myself lacking. The other students—with stellar scores on college entrance exams—also ranked higher than me in ability and potential; at least, in my opinion. The judging hadn’t even begun, yet I’d already concluded that I’d failed. I didn’t think I could compare to the others, and although I’d earned my spot, I believed I didn’t belong. I just wasn’t good enough. That week of the competition, I lacked confidence and believed lies about my worth. I compared myself to others and assumed I wasn’t valuable just for being me. Later, I started asking, Where do I get my self-esteem? Achievements, awards, approval? I couldn’t depend on things that didn’t last for a lasting sense of self-worth. So, what’s my source of self-acceptance? Jesus told us how much we’re worth when He went to the cross for us. God’s love for us is so great that He paid the ultimate price—Jesus, God the Son, died and rose again to provide us with forgiveness of sins and new life. Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can rest knowing that we’ve been adopted into God’s family, and we are forever free from sin’s punishment. We are the Father’s much-loved children—the ones He sent His own Son to save. The question of our value has been settled. No successes or failures of ours can alter God’s welcome for His children. I didn’t advance past that round of the competition, and Maura certainly outperformed me. Years later, though, I’m learning to see myself through a different lens: the one my loving Father sees me through. • Allison Wilson Lee • What are some of the ways the world tends to measure our worthiness? Can you think of a few things you’ve done because you felt you had to earn love or acceptance? • What hinders you from believing you’re valuable to God? Consider taking a moment to talk to Him about whatever comes to mind. See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1 (NIV)

READ: PSALM 91; JOHN 1:35-39, 43-46; 4:28-30 Would you give the key to your home to just anyone? Probably not! Usually we guard those spare keys, securing them in hiding places to avoid detection. My spare house key is so cleverly disguised, I’d challenge you to find it. Yet, there are a few people on this planet who know the secret. I can trust them with the key to a place that holds everything I own in the world. One of these trusted people is my dog-sitter. I let her in on my clever secret because I got to know her. I interviewed her, checked out her references, and watched her interacting with my dog. Over time, I’ve come to know her better and better, each encounter deepening my trust in her ability to be true to her word, to take care of my puppy, and to do what she says. In fact, my interactions with her only deepen my conviction that we’re super blessed to have her in our lives! In Psalm 91, the psalmist declares they will trust God. What a great way to live! It’s like they’re giving God the keys to their home. But how do we get to a place where we can say, like Psalm 91:2, the Lord is “my God, in whom I trust”? How can we be ready to give Him access to everything we own in the world? How can we have the assurance that He really is trustworthy? We learn to trust God the same way we learn to trust anybody. We get to know Him. Kind of like how I spent time intentionally getting to know my dog-sitter. By spending time with God in prayer, in Scripture, and with other believers, we get to know Him better and better. The Bible is the best way to know Him, since He wrote it. It’s all about Him, His love for us, and His extraordinary plan to bring us into relationship with Himself through the death and resurrection of Jesus. We often find that, over time, we discover more and more about His trustworthiness as we read the Bible. And our trust has opportunities to build naturally with every encounter with God. We see that He is always true to His word and that He genuinely cares for us. Eventually, we may even give Him the keys to our home. • Kristen Merrill • Building trust takes time, and God is so patient with us. Can you think of a way you’ve seen God’s trustworthiness, either in Scripture, in your own life, or in the life of someone else? • Even after we’ve put our trust in Jesus for salvation, trusting Him with the day-to-day details of our lives is often a process. What is one area of your life God might be inviting you to trust Him with today? I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:2 (NIV)

READ: MATTHEW 16:24-26; 28:16-20; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-11; PHILIPPIANS 1:12-26 Somewhere along the way, I got the idea that Christians should always run toward danger and never be concerned with their own safety. But is that really what the Bible says? I read Matthew 2 recently, and I was struck by how God called Joseph to respond to a very dangerous situation, not by facing it head-on, but by running away. God appeared to Joseph in a dream, warning him of Herod’s plot to kill the young Jesus and telling Joseph to escape to Egypt with the child and His mother Mary. So Joseph got up, and under cover of night the three of them snuck away (verses 13-15). Through Joseph’s obedience, Jesus was protected—and an Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah was fulfilled (Hosea 11:1). After Jesus grew up and began His ministry, there were plenty of times when people wanted to kill Him. So what did Jesus do? Once, when an angry mob tried to throw Him off a cliff, Jesus “walked right through the crowd and went on his way” (Luke 4:28-30). Another time, when some Jewish leaders were plotting to take his life, Jesus delayed going to the festival where He knew they would be looking for him. And when He did go, He went in secret (John 7:1-10). Jesus knew that He was eventually going to die a sacrificial death at the hands of these same leaders, but He was waiting for the Father’s appointed time. When Jesus did let Himself be put to death on the cross, He rose from the grave three days later, just as He said He would! After Jesus ascended into heaven, His followers often faced great danger. Many times, God provided ways of escape, yet many Christians also lost their lives for Jesus’s sake. But even in their suffering, they were comforted by Jesus’s constant presence with them and by the hope of eternal life (Romans 8:35-39). What does all this mean for us? It means that God works in lots of ways—sometimes by calling us to run away from danger, and other times by inviting us to trust Him as we step toward a potentially dangerous situation. Whenever we face danger, we can look to Jesus for direction, relying on His love and trusting that no matter what happens, He will be with us. • Hannah Howe • What questions do you have about facing danger? Who are trusted Christians you can ask? • For examples of times when God provided escape for His people and times when He called them into dangerous situations, read Acts 9:20-25; 12:1-19; 21:10-27; 27:1–28:31; 2 Corinthians 11:32-33. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me. Psalm 23:4 (NIV)

READ: PSALMS 9:10; 56:3; ACTS 16:22-36; PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7, 12-13 Jesus, help me, Rowan cried inwardly as he heard the clang of a heavy door close behind him. Arrested for distributing Christian books and Scriptures, my Australian co-worker Rowan was now locked in a Tunisian prison cell in North Africa. He had not been allowed any phone calls, and no one knew where he was. During the next few days, Rowan tried to share Jesus with his Arab and African cellmates—wanting them to know God’s great love for them. He kept trying until some of them surrounded him, intent on forcing the foreigner to become Muslim. He was gripped with fear and uncertainty. What were they going to do to him? “Looking into the eyes of those men, I did not see love,” he remembered. “I did not see God. I had never felt so alone.” By the third evening, he had sunken into depression. He didn’t feel like singing—as Paul and Silas did in their prison in Acts 16—nor did he experience an earthquake or an angel miraculously setting him free. As his eyes idly scanned the graffiti covering the dirty wall beside him, however, his attention was suddenly riveted. Some words had been roughly scrawled in English: Trust in the Lord Jesus and He will surely do it for you. It was as if the words were a message for him alone. Rowan’s heart lifted with joy as he realized that God was with him—and working on his behalf. The next day, the police escorted Rowan to a ship in a nearby port, ordering him to leave the country. “I learned something through all this,” Rowan later reflected. “God is there in our darkest times, even when we don’t feel Him. He is able to bring us through any situation.” • Deborah Meroff • Jesus loves you, and He died and rose again to make the way for you to be with Him forever. Once you’ve put your trust in Jesus, you can know that He is always with you, even in your darkest moments (Psalm 23:4; 139:7-12). Have you ever seen God’s work in surprising ways when you were in a dark time? What happened? Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:10 (NIV)

READ: PSALMS 19:1-6, 14; 103:12 I feel it in the warmth of the sun on my face, A gentle reminder of Your love and Your grace. I hear it in the whipping wind, Your removal and forgiveness of my sin. The air around me that is fresh and new, It reminds me I can be washed clean of my wrongs too. The chirping birds, the buzzing bee, Remind me You always take care of me. The grass that is bright and green, Reminds me I am always seen. The majestic eagle, the strong deer, Show me Your power and remind me that You are here. Keep me thinking about You each day, Remind me of all You have to say. Let my eyes be open to all that points to You, And let me honor You with all that I do. • Emily Acker • Today’s poem is written in the style of a psalm. Can you think of a time nature drew your thoughts to God? Perhaps a beautiful sunset reminded you of His power, or a fluttering bird reminded you that He takes care of you. Consider taking a moment to thank Him for this. • Where are you right now? If you’re inside, can you see out a window, or look closely at an indoor plant, or take a few minutes to step outside? What can you see around you that reminds you of our Creator and how good He is? • All things were created through Jesus. He is fully God, and He came and lived among us, fully human, to die and rise again to save us from sin and restore His creation from sin’s effects (John 1:1-14; Colossians 1:15-22; Revelation 21:1-5). Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can know that He is always with us. And reminders of His goodness are everywhere! This week, consider writing down times when you notice something in nature that reminds you of God. As you do, praise and thank Him for these reminders of His goodness! Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. Isaiah 40:26 (NIV)

READ: ROMANS 8:18-25, 38-39; REVELATION 1:13-16 Yuna spent her lonely days peering through her lens, gazing upon the planet that was no longer her home. The shuttle that she now considered home orbited the planet ceaselessly. Since she was stationed there, she’d been capturing images of the planet’s surface through the tele lens. With each orbit, she dutifully documented the horrors below. Green once blanketed the equator, but now the land was stripped bare and plundered for resources. Yuna often compared the shrinking ice sheets to older images and noted how little of the tundra remained. Wildfires were even more terrifying to spot. Massive plumes of orange and gray moved across the land leaving nothing in their wake, as if giants had marched through with torches. Yuna imagined the planet living and breathing, only to suffocate on its own polluted air. As deeply as she cared for the planet and the animals and plants that inhabited it, she recalled a phrase she’d been taught. Imago Dei. She thought now of the people her God created. She thought of them as the shuttle crossed over lands that made her mourn. She knew the region well. Old images showcased vibrant roofs and fields during the day. At night, the cities lit up and resembled webs of neurons. But the region looked like this no more. Yuna braced herself for what she might see and choked back a sob when she focused the camera. Everything was gray. Buildings were flattened, streets were bare, and as the sun fell behind the planet, Yuna realized that the city was as dark as the endless space surrounding her. Yuna turned and wept. Tears blurred her sight completely, but then she looked out the window and saw something, someone, clearly. A constellation of stars flew into a new place, creating the shape of a person. He had white hair and eyes that burned like twin suns, making her tremble. Bronze feet stood steadfast in the bedrock of the galaxy way below. But in His right hand, He held the planet—and all those in it—like one might swaddle a child. He reached out a hand and placed it gently upon her. • Zoe Sherman • Today’s allegorical story echoes the old children’s song, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” Because of sin, God’s good creation has been permeated by a brokenness that is beyond natural repair, and humanity’s very own relationship with God has been fractured. How have you experienced brokenness, pain, or sorrow in this world? Consider taking a moment to tell God about this. He longs to listen to you and wrap you in His tender compassion. • This brokenness was not God’s design, and it’s not the end. God still loves us, and He still wants to be with us. Throughout the Old Testament prophecies, God promised that He would send a Savior who would restore our relationship with Him and bring peace to this broken world. That Savior is Jesus. Fully God and fully human, Jesus took all our sin upon Himself when He died on the cross, and when He rose from the grave, He defeated death! Jesus’s promise for today is that He will be with us always, and His promise for the future is that He will make all things new. How can these promises give us hope? • In Revelation 1, the author John depicts Jesus, in all His glory, holding seven stars in His hand. In John’s vision, each star represents one of the seven churches that receive letters, and the number seven symbolizes completion in the Bible. Therefore, this is also an image of God holding all of His church in His hands. Everyone who has put their trust in Jesus is part of the church, together with all believers everywhere and throughout history. For more about the good news of Jesus, and what it means to belong to Him, see our "K...

READ: PSALMS 16:11; 63:1-8; JEREMIAH 2:5-13; JOHN 10:10 Growing up, I admired my mom’s ability to sew everything from Christmas decorations to Easter dresses. I wanted to develop those skills too. One aspect of sewing I learned the hard way was that I needed to tie a knot at the end of my thread before I made the first stitch—and ensure the knot was large enough. I couldn’t begin my project unless the knot filled the needle hole and held my thread securely in place. If I pulled the needle through the fabric and the knot at the end of the thread slipped right through without stopping, I hadn’t created a big enough knot. Then I’d need to create a larger one. I could only continue stitching fabric together or sewing on a button if the knot was bigger than the puncture. The success of my entire project depended on the knot. When God formed humans in the Garden of Eden, humanity was whole and complete. Our lives (and relationships with God) hadn’t yet been broken by sin. But then sin entered the world. Now we each start life with shattered spirits and holes in our hearts. Blaise Pascal, a 17th century mathematician and philosopher, described this hole as an “infinite abyss [that] can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.” Like the needle leaving a hole in the fabric, our rebellion against God leaves us with a vacuum—an emptiness in our souls that only God can fill. Yet how often have I used created things to try to fill the void in my soul? Success, academics, music, others’ approval…I’ve sought out what might give me a sense of worth, significance, or acceptance. All those pursuits, though, turned out to be too-small knots, unable to fill the void. Never providing lasting wholeness. Only by knowing God through Jesus, who loves us and gave His life so we could be forgiven and experience a relationship with Him, can the God-shaped vacuum be filled. Only Jesus can make us whole. • Allison Wilson Lee • We all try to fill the void with created things instead of turning to the Creator (Romans 1:25). What have you turned to as a way of filling the void? How have those things let you down? • Only a relationship with God can provide lasting fulfillment. God longs for this relationship with us, and He made the way for us to be with Him through Jesus. Consider spending some time talking with Him in prayer, asking Him to help you notice His love and His invitations to more. You [God] satisfy me as with rich food; my mouth will praise you with joyful lips. Psalm 63:5 (CSB)

READ: PROVERBS 18:21; EPHESIANS 4:14-32; JAMES 3:1-18 I grew up wearing lots of hand-me-downs from my aunts, a few friends, and an older cousin. Once, I got a second-hand dress that I felt great wearing. The following Sunday, I showed up at church in it feeling polished and put together. Then came the comment—from someone I’ll call Bonnie. Bonnie complimented my dress, remarking that it looked pretty. I thanked her enthusiastically, pointing out how I liked its belt. Bonnie followed up with, “I mean, it’s not the latest style, but it looks nice.” I swallowed hard and thanked her once more— less exuberantly this time. My confidence wavered, and I questioned whether I actually felt attractive in my new-to-me dress. Bonnie’s words held power. First they uplifted me. Then they deflated me. I don’t know her reason for announcing that my hand-me-down clothing had gone out of style, but I wonder if she considered the impact of her speech before she spoke. In the New Testament book of James, the younger brother of Jesus writes to Christians encouraging them to “tame the tongue” (3:8). When we place our faith in Jesus for forgiveness of sins and a renewed relationship with God, we start a journey as followers of Jesus. His words are always full of truth and love, and He died so our sinful words could be forgiven. Following Jesus involves learning to honor Him in all parts of life, including how we speak to others. James warns his readers about the damage the tongue can do, reminding these believers we should not use our mouths to speak words of both praise and cursing. Controlling what we say presents many challenges, especially during disagreements or in the heat of anger. Yet, because we have the power of Jesus at work in us through His Holy Spirit, we can grow in keeping our tongues in check—using our words to bless instead of curse. • Allison Wilson Lee • What struggles do you have in controlling your words? Do conversations with certain people tend toward gossip, inappropriate talk, or harsh criticism of others? • Can you think of a time you were hurt by someone’s careless (or even cruel) words? Jesus grieves with us and offers comfort. How can it be helpful to remember what He says about us? • Can you think of a time you spoke carelessly and hurt someone else? Consider taking a moment to talk to Jesus about this. He invites us to confess any sin, rest in His sure forgiveness, and rely on Him to help us move forward in His love, kindness, and wisdom. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)

READ: GENESIS 27:41-45; 32:3-6; 33:1-11; ROMANS 5:6-11 The story of Jacob and Esau is a roller coaster. These twin brothers started fighting before they were even born (Genesis 25:21-23). Jacob’s name can be translated “trickster,” and he lived up to it. Jacob stole Esau’s birthright (the unique privileges Esau had as the firstborn) and later tricked their dying father into giving him Esau’s special blessing (Genesis 25:27-34; 27:1-45). No wonder Esau wanted to kill his brother! Jacob had stolen Esau’s inherited property, power, and prestige. Because of Jacob’s wrongdoing and Esau’s anger, their relationship was broken, and Jacob feared it would never be fixed. But, twenty years after Jacob stole Esau’s blessing, God did something amazing: He brought Jacob and Esau back together—and He reconciled them. Upon hearing Esau was on his way, Jacob was terrified to meet with his brother, thinking he might kill him. But on the night before the brothers met, God appeared to Jacob. Jacob wrestled with God all night. Later, Jacob said, “I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared” (Genesis 32:30). Then, when the brothers saw each other the next day, Esau ran to Jacob, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. They even wept together. Jacob told Esau, “To see your face is like seeing the face of God” (Genesis 33:10). This doesn’t mean Esau looked like God. It means Jacob recognized how deeply he had wronged his brother and how little he deserved Esau’s forgiveness. So, when Esau forgave Jacob, it was a reminder of God’s undeserved forgiveness. Our God is a reconciler. We, like Jacob, have committed wrongs against God that we can never hope to make right. But God loves us, and He wants to be with us. So, from the time Adam and Eve first sinned, God has been reconciling His people to Himself, first through the law, priests, and prophets—and ultimately through Jesus’s death and resurrection. And one day, Jesus will return, resurrecting us from the dead so we can enjoy being with Him for all eternity! Every time we reconcile with someone, we get a glimpse of that ultimate reconciliation. And if God reconciled Jacob and Esau, He can reconcile anyone. • Taylor Eising • Why does God care about our broken relationships with other people? • Reconciliation doesn’t always happen overnight. It took twenty years for Jacob and Esau! When we’re waiting on reconciliation, how can the hope we have in Jesus give us comfort? And through him [Jesus] to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Colossians 1:20 (NIV)

READ: PSALM 119:97-104 I used to read my Bible because I felt like it was something I was supposed to do. I thought I had to read a chapter a day, minimum, and that’s usually what I did. I read one chapter at the end of the day and left it at that. In recent years, though, I’ve completed a number of different Bible reading plans using an app on my phone. These plans always require multiple chapters each day. And somewhere along the way, I went from feeling like I have to read my Bible every day to wanting to read it. Now, I look forward to reading both at the start of my day and at the end of it—and sometimes in between too, if I have free time or I simply want to spend some extra time with God. What once would have made me tired—and maybe even bored—is something I now love! Sometimes we have to sort of force a habit in order to get used to doing something regularly. But, when we do, we often find we start to love what we’re doing. The Bible offers so much—it’s the amazing story of God’s relentless love for us, culminating in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus (John 20:31). And the more we read it and meditate on its truth, the more we come to love what’s inside its pages. The Holy Spirit uses the truth of Scripture to transform us from the inside out, helping us know God more deeply. In fact, we often find that the more time we spend in Scripture, the closer He feels. What a tremendous gift from God! • Emily Acker • Have you ever had a strong desire to read and understand the Bible? There is so much richness in God’s Word, and we have a whole lifetime to dig into it. It’s normal to go through seasons when we’re hungry for the Bible, as well as seasons when reading the Bible feels boring, difficult, or annoying. Thankfully, in every season Jesus is with us. He never gives up on us, and He always invites us to spend time with Him in His Word, both by ourselves and with other believers. This could look like reading long passages, or listening to just a few verses and meditating on them, etc. How could you spend time in the Word this week? I reach out for your commands, which I love, that I may meditate on your decrees. Psalm 119:48 (NIV)

READ: PROVERBS 3:1-8; MATTHEW 11:28-30; JAMES 1:5 When I try to figure my life out, that’s when it tends to feel the most overwhelming and confusing. When I entrust it to God, that’s when I have peace. When I try to think too far into the future, I feel uncertain. When I look to God to lead me step by step, I feel much better. God is a great planner. He is a great leader. In fact, He’s the best. And He invites us to seek Him and rely on Him through every situation and decision. We don’t have to be worried or afraid. When I have decisions to make in life, I like to carefully weigh my options. I like to take my time and consider every possible scenario. But even when I do all that, I can still be left feeling stressed. It’s easy to forget that I can trust God with the situation. I don’t have to be obsessed with it. Sure, I still need to make decisions and work toward things, but I can do this more peacefully when I remember that He loves me, He wants to guide me, and He will help with all the details. There’s no need to worry because Jesus is there with me through it all. God cares about us and where our lives are going. Whenever we’re overwhelmed or confused, He has compassion on us. He invites us to entrust all our worries to Him and seek His wisdom and guidance. He will make the next step clear to us in His good timing. • Bethany Acker • Can you think of a time God helped you feel peace about a future situation or decision? Or a time something turned out better than expected? Consider taking a moment to thank Him for this. • Especially when we’re overwhelmed, it’s easy to forget that God wants to help us! Who are trusted Christians in your life who can help you discern His guidance—people who love spending time in God’s Word and in prayer, and whose lives display the godly wisdom described in James 3:13-18? Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 (CSB)

READ: ISAIAH 55:9; ROMANS 8:28-39; 11:33-36 “I’m not going to make you take out any stinky potatoes this time.” My grandma laughed as my sisters and I entered her house to help with some chores. I smiled. I was okay with the smelly task we’d done before—and all the jokes that had come from it. Growing up, I would join my siblings in helping my grandparents care for their home. One time, that required me and my sister to take some potatoes that had gone bad out to the garbage. Those potatoes smelled, and my grandma was pretty embarrassed about it. The task wasn’t a fun one, but we got it done. For weeks afterward, my grandma would joke when we arrived— she knew nothing we did after that would be quite as disgusting. The potatoes might have been stinky, and they might have gone bad, but they gave me many good memories. The task of taking them out and cleaning up after them wasn’t fun, but some of my best memories of my grandma have to do with her laughing over them. As I was thinking about this the other day, I realized that sometimes God gives us gifts that don’t seem like gifts at first. Sometimes we face something difficult—or have to deal with something gross—and it isn’t until later that we see how God blessed us as He brought us through it. The potatoes might be a silly example, but I know that God works in ways we don’t always understand. Sometimes we end up on a funny path, and that’s how He shapes us. Remember, we never walk those paths alone. Jesus is always with us, even when we deal with difficult or gross things. And in the end, we might be surprised when we end up being blessed with good memories. • Emily Acker • Can you think of a time you went through something difficult or gross, and then in hindsight you saw how God brought blessing out of it—maybe even through community or humor? Consider taking a moment to thank Him for this! • What are some of the rotten potatoes in your life right now? Are there any ways you’ve seen God bring good out of these situations, or are you still waiting? (Remember, sometimes we won’t see the good until Jesus returns, but we can know that God is always at work.) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (NIV)

READ: PSALM 27:1; JOHN 1:1-5; 8:12; 16:33; COLOSSIANS 1:11-22 How do you detect a fake? The best way to spot counterfeits is to be intimately familiar with the real thing. Based on this idea, the United States government offers an online currency education program so the public can study the security features of various bills. The better acquainted a person is with the real currency, the less likely they will be deceived by fakes. Studying original currency allows us to detect counterfeits. In the same way, when we grow in our relationship with Jesus by studying the truth of the Bible, God’s Word, we learn to detect Satan’s lies. In a world rife with terror, oppression, deception, and injustice, it can be so easy to fall into believing lies—counterfeit truths that say darkness and evil have overcome. Yet, the opening verses of the book of John remind us that Jesus, the Word, was present at the beginning of the world, and He is with us still: “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:4-5). The better acquainted we are with Jesus, the Light, the more we understand His power over sin and evil. As we pray and read the Bible—both individually and with other believers—the Holy Spirit deepens our understanding of the good news of Jesus Christ. With this understanding, we are less likely to be deceived by the appearance of evil’s dominance. Jesus has already defeated sin, death, and the devil through His own death and resurrection! Whatever darkness we encounter, the Light of the world shines through. He will always overcome it. • Remi Oyedele • Have you ever spotted a counterfeit? The devil is the father of lies, and he uses counterfeits all the time (John 8:44). He tries to trick us into believing that darkness is winning because he wants us to fall into despair. And these lies can be so sneaky, often we don’t even realize we’re believing them. Thankfully, God has given us His Word, His Spirit, and His people to help us. Who are trusted Christians in your life who can remind you of the gospel (the good news of Jesus) and help you identify lies you might be believing? (For more about the gospel, see our "Know Jesus" page.) • The best way to guard ourselves against the enemy’s counterfeits isn’t by studying the lies—it’s by spending time with Jesus and resting in His love. How could you set aside time for this today? The light [Jesus] shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5 (NIV)

READ: PSALM 46; MATTHEW 11:28-30 Holding, grasping tightly, Hands clenched, Heart clenched, Tightly. Out of fear, mistrust. Must not lose what I worked to get. Earned? Or received? Too tight, can hardly breathe, I need to exhale, need to breathe. Need. Stuffed up, stopped up, Losing it all anyway. So, I pry my fingers away, One by one, loosening up. Opening up. Heart unclenched, Hands unclenched, Exhaling, breathing. Release, relief. Surrender. • Allison Wilson Lee • Can you think of a time you felt like today’s poem? What circumstances in life have been causing you to feel restless or anxious lately? Jesus knows what that feels like. He lived among us in this broken world, and He faced the terrible anxiety and anguish of the cross, all to make the way for us to be with Him forever. We can always turn to Him in our moments of restlessness and anxiety. He loves us, and He invites us to surrender our cares into His hands and find rest in His peaceful presence (Psalm 46:10; Isaiah 9:6). Consider taking some time to accept His invitation to be still and sit with Him in prayer, surrendering anything that comes to mind. • God wants to help us in lots of ways—through prayer and Scripture, and also through the care and expertise of other people. When you find yourself feeling worried or anxious, who is a trusted person you could talk to? If you need someone to talk to, you can request a free conversation with Focus on the Family’s Counseling Department by calling 1-855-771-HELP (4357) weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Mountain Time). Please be prepared to leave your contact information for a counselor to return a call to you as soon as possible. In Canada, book your appointment by calling 1-800-661-9800 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (Pacific Time). [Jesus said,] “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 (NIV)

READ: MATTHEW 28:18-20; LUKE 12:11-12; 1 PETER 3:15-18 Recently, I volunteered to help teach at my church’s weeklong Vacation Bible School (VBS). I was super excited to have an opportunity to tell these kids about Jesus, but I was also terrified I’d say the wrong thing. So I prayed as I practiced my lessons every day before I taught. Even though I was scared, God was at work. I enjoyed teaching the kids, and—most importantly—they seemed to be learning more about Jesus. By the last night, I was sad the week was over, but I was glad I had persevered and listened to God instead of my fears. While I didn’t get to see anyone profess faith in Jesus that week, I did get to glimpse a little girl’s awe as she heard for the first time how God made the whole world. I also got to witness a fifth grader’s face as she realized how much pain Jesus went through on the cross. God used VBS to show me that sharing the gospel whenever you have the opportunity is worth it, even if it’s scary (Ephesians 5:16). You never know how He will work through you to share the good news—that God loves us, and through Jesus’s death and resurrection, He offers rescue from sin and death to everyone who puts their trust in Jesus. • Rachel Nissing • Are there any fears that have held you back from sharing the gospel—the good news of Jesus? Consider taking a moment to talk to Jesus about whatever comes to mind. • What are some promises from God and truths about Jesus that could help us when we’re afraid? (Hint: reread today’s Scripture.) • How might God be inviting you to share the gospel in your own life? (For more about the gospel, and how to share it with others, see our "Know Jesus" page.) Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. 2 Timothy 4:2 (NIV)

READ: MATTHEW 5:14-16; PHILIPPIANS 2:15-16; 1 JOHN 1:5-7 Every night, after darkness falls, my sister and I don headlamps and head outside to close up our family’s chicken coop for the night. It’s a mundane daily task…but it turns out God loves speaking profound truth through our everyday routines. As we were going out one day, I pushed the button on my headlamp, and it didn’t work. I wasn’t shocked—batteries do die, after all—so I plugged it in. The next day, I put it back on my head, pressed the button, stepped outside, and suddenly…I could see. I saw things in vivid color, and things that were thirty feet away. I was shocked, because I hadn’t had a clue that my flashlight had grown dim—so dim as to be nearly useless. Why did the flashlight have to die for me to realize it had hardly been fulfilling its purpose? When I stepped back into the house and laid my headlamp in its place, it hit me—that light was exactly like we can be as Christians. We often start off bright—on fire for the Lord and feeling very close to Him. But, as time goes on, we may get distracted or discouraged. We may not notice His presence with us as much. Our light fades, and we don’t even notice the difference. It’s often not until I hit the very end of myself that I realize how weak my awareness of God has been. Why do we settle for dim lights when we could be walking in the fullness of what Jesus has for us? He is the light of the world, and He promises we don’t have to walk in darkness. Brothers and sisters, may we choose to pursue the abundant light of His loving presence rather than accepting a dim status quo. • Hannah Ruth Johnson • Jesus loves us so much that He came to give us light through His death and resurrection. Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can know that He is always with us—both in our dim moments and our brightly-lit moments. But our awareness of Him and our enthusiasm toward the gospel may wax and wane throughout our lives. Can you remember a dim season in your life? What was that like? What brought you out of it? • What could you do this week to intentionally pursue Jesus and the light of His presence, remembering that He is already pursuing you? Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12 (NLT)

READ: JOSHUA 1:9; ISAIAH 41:10; JOHN 14:16-20; ROMANS 8:35-39 “Bye!” I called to my parents. As they walked down the hall to leave, I ducked into the college dorm room where I would live for the next five days. At the end of seventh grade, I tried out for drum major of my middle school marching band. After our band director chose me for the position, I received a brochure in the mail. It advertised a weeklong summer band camp at a nearby university. I begged my parents for permission to go, and they agreed. Even though I would be the only student from my school at this camp, I didn’t feel nervous about being on my own. I knew I could count on having a roommate. But when I arrived, I discovered the roommate assigned to me hadn’t shown up. I’ll be alone all week! I thought. As I sat in the bare-walled room, I wondered, If the Lord made me brave enough to come to this camp by myself, would He really abandon me to get through it all alone? Later, I walked to the lobby, hoping to find another girl who needed a friend. Then I spotted somebody I knew—the drum major for the high school in my town. Laurie had coached me for my tryouts earlier that spring. She introduced me to some girls with her, and they became my band camp friends. I never ate one meal alone that week. God provided for me that summer. And this experience is one of the things that helped me learn that, if God loved me so much He would die and rise again so I could have life, I could trust Him to always meet my needs (Philippians 4:10-20). And if I hadn’t found those girls in the lobby that day? God still would have been with me. Because of Jesus, I am never alone (Matthew 28:20). •Allison Wilson Lee • Can you think of a time you felt alone, but then you realized God was providing for you? Did He bring you a friend—or did you simply rest in His presence? • Consider taking some time to reread today’s Scripture slowly. How could remembering that Jesus—God in human flesh—came to die in our place help us trust that He’ll meet all our needs? • Is there an area of your life where God might be inviting you to step out in courage, even if you don’t know how He is going to provide for you yet? Consider taking a moment to talk to Him about this. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” Hebrews 13:5 (NLT)

READ: PSALM 55:17; PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7; COLOSSIANS 4:2 Have you ever chosen not to pray about something because it felt too small, too unimportant to talk to the God of the universe about? You’re not alone. We all have. Yet, the Bible tells us to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). What does that look like? Well, think about it this way. If I spend a day with my kids, I guarantee they will ask me for things continually. “Can you add this to the grocery list?” “Do you know where my phone is?” “Can you help with my homework?” Likewise, I will ask them for things too. “Can you pick that up for me?” “Would you let the dog out?” “Can you turn that video down?” And in a perfect world, neither of us is going to be annoyed by these requests. It’s simply the rhythm of doing life together. Plus, if we’re together constantly, we won’t only be asking for things. We’ll be filling in the gaps with conversation—sharing details of our lives, laughing, thanking each other, or talking through hard situations. In a similar way, we can spend our days in constant communication with God because, once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can know that He is with us all the time. So we can ask Him for help—when we can’t find our keys, when we’re trying to remember what we studied, or when we’re having trouble falling asleep. We can also practice listening for the things He will ask of us—to help someone, to give, to pray, or to turn down the volume on opinions and entertainment that aren’t healthy for us. The more we practice these “small asks,” the easier it will become to talk to God about anything and everything else. It will open the door for us to discover His sense of humor, to thank Him for all the small blessings He pours out on us, and to simply unburden our hearts to Him when life is heavy. As we do, we find that He is always there for us, always ready to show us His incredible love, mercy, and kindness. • Abigail Aswegen • What kinds of things do you tend to talk to God about the most? • What kinds of things would you like to talk to God about more often? Consider taking a moment just to tell Him whatever is on your mind right now. Pray continually. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV)

READ: ROMANS 10:1-4; EPHESIANS 2:8-10; PHILIPPIANS 3:8-9; HEBREWS 9:14-15 Imagine you’re in a superstore full of what the Bible calls “good works”—all the things you’ve been told you need to be as a Christian. Kind…helpful…loving…always willing to bring potato salad to the church potluck. You’ve been hearing how you need to be these things all your life—from your parents, teachers, pastors—so you decide it’s time to get on it. You’ve got some shopping to do. First, the grocery section. The Christian life displays the fruit of the Spirit— patience, kindness, self-control, and all the rest. Easy peasy, they’re all right there—and since they’re always in season, they’re also on sale! You throw them in the cart. (Better toss some stuff to make potato salad in there too while you’re at it.) Next, home improvement. A welcoming attitude and encouraging words that build people up. A loving heart that’s not prone to anger but instead responds with a soft, gentle answer (even in conversations with that family member). Oh, and a cute wooden plaque with a verse on it to hang inside your front door. Score! Last stop—apparel. The Bible says to clothe ourselves with humility and compassion. And a pair of apostle-like strappy sandals adds a nice touch! Your cart is overflowing with goodness, so it’s time to hit the checkout lane. You scan your items, and the payment amount flashes across the screen. You swipe your card. Denied. You try your card again, but the payment won’t go through. You glance at the people in line behind you, then turn back to the screen. That’s when you see a sign in big red letters: Only payment cards registered to Jesus Christ accepted. You look down at your payment card, your face growing hot. It has your name on it. Not His. An attendant appears out of nowhere and whisks your items from their bags. You look longingly at all that goodness as it’s piled onto a restocking cart. Then you try to avoid the stares boring into you as you walk to the door empty-handed. • Courtney Lasater • Today’s story is an allegory. Can you think of a time you tried to be a “good Christian” all on your own? What kinds of things did you try to do? How long did that last? • In what situations do you tend to be more concerned about others seeing you as a Christian than about actually having a relationship with Jesus? We all fall into this trap from time to time, and Jesus knows it! Thankfully, He invites us to come to Him with all our messy sin and be reminded of His great love. It’s only because He died and rose again for us that we can be forgiven and brought near to God. Consider taking a moment to confess any sins that come to mind and rest in His grace. • We can try to do good in our own power, and sometimes we’ll succeed in looking good to ourselves and others. Yet the Bible tells us that even our best good works fall immeasurably short of His true goodness. In John 15:5, Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” The truth is, what Jesus wants most is relationship with us. And He knows that when we experience His love for us, that love overflows from us to others, and this brings Him joy! In your own life, what might it look like to pursue relationship with Jesus first and foremost? Who are trusted Christians you can talk to about this, maybe even asking them how this looks in their lives? • If you want to dig deeper, read Isaiah 64:6; John 15:1-17; Romans 3:12, 23-24; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 2:16.  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the g...

READ: JOHN 11:1-45 John 11:35 is famous for being the shortest verse in the Bible: “Jesus wept.” We can so easily overlook just how powerful those two words are! Throughout our lives, we all face times when we don’t understand. Times when sorrow crushes us, and injustice seems to reign. Times when we ask, “Why, God?” and maybe wonder if He’s even there. Mary and Martha were asking those same questions as they mourned the death of their brother Lazarus. They wept and wailed, and both sisters recognized that if Jesus had only been there, He could have saved their brother. But He hadn’t been there. Jesus knew the reason. He knew the end of the story too—He knew that Lazarus wouldn’t stay in that grave. In verse 11, as Jesus and His disciples set out for Bethany, He foretold that Lazarus would come back to life. And He knew that Lazarus’s resurrection was a foreshadowing of His own death and resurrection— and the resurrection of all His people when He returns. But still, even seeing the big picture, He felt Mary and Martha’s grief—and His own. He wept. We have a God who loves us. He is all-knowing and all-powerful, and even as He sees the good purposes He has for the pain in our lives, He has empathy for us. Even though Jesus knows that He will return to right every wrong and put an end to death, His heart breaks with our hearts. He works all things for our good, but He doesn’t merely look on as we mourn. Jesus didn’t chuckle to Himself knowing their grief was in vain. He came alongside them and wept. What a gift to know that our God feels our pain with us while offering hope and light in the darkness! • Hannah Ruth Johnson • Why do you think Jesus wept, even though He knew Lazarus would come back to life? • Can you think of a time you felt God’s presence and comfort in the midst of grief? What was that like? Consider taking a moment to bring Him any grief you’re feeling today, and imagine Jesus sitting next to you, weeping. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 (NIV)

READ: MATTHEW 5:17-19; LUKE 24:27, 44-45; JOHN 3:16-17; 5:39-47; 20:31 Have you ever heard that “everything in the Bible points to Jesus”? That seems kind of weird, doesn’t it? How can it be all about someone who isn’t even named until the last quarter of the book? True, the Old Testament is sprinkled with prophecies about the Messiah: it’s easy enough to link those to Jesus Christ. But there’s still a lot that seems irrelevant. Chapters and chapters are filled with the story of the nation of Israel. What does that have to do with Jesus? When we start into the New Testament, Matthew summarizes Jesus’s ancestry. Right off, we see several of the “big names” from the Old Testament—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ruth, Jesse, David, Solomon, Hezekiah, etc. And that’s our first link! But then, after the Christmas story recounts the events of Jesus’s birth, we get into the life of Christ, with His escape to Egypt, return to Israel, baptism, and temptation in the desert. It looks like we’ve left the Old Testament far behind. But wait! Where have we seen Egypt before? Way back in Genesis, the Israelites escaped to Egypt when there was a famine. Later, in Exodus, God led them out of Egypt through Moses. And then what? They spent forty years in the desert as their children grew up. But even as God sustained His people, they gave in to temptation, rejecting Him and worshiping other gods. And Jesus? After escaping to Egypt from the murderous King Herod, He returns, grows up, and spends forty days in the desert. Coincidence? Maybe not. When the devil tempts Him, every answer Jesus gives comes straight from the book of Deuteronomy. These two Egypt stories link with an Old Testament prophet’s words: “I called my son out of Egypt” (Hosea 11:1). Israel was chosen by God to be His representative on Earth, to bless all the people of the world (Genesis 12:1-3). Though Israel fell far short, God didn’t give up. At just the right time, Jesus came. Fully God and fully human, He is the only one who could be God’s flawless representative. Jesus succeeded where Israel had failed, and He gave up His own life so that all who trust in Him could be forgiven and become part of God’s eternal family. It’s one story, culminating in Christ’s resurrection, of God revealing His love to all the world! • Christiana Albrecht • The Bible was written by lots of different people, in lots of different times and places. How does looking through the lens of the gospel—the good news about Jesus—help us see how it all fits together? Can you think of any other times Jesus mirrored or fulfilled the Old Testament? [Jesus said,] “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!” John 5:39 (NLT)

READ: JOB 8:8-10; ROMANS 3:21-26; 15:4; 1 CORINTHIANS 10:6-12 When I visited Gettysburg for the first time, my imagination whirred to life. I wanted to know the people who fought there. I wanted to hear their stories, to comprehend their politics, to peek in at their way of life. Because the events that happened on that field directly impact the world I live in now. By understanding the past, I can better understand today. The same can be said of the many events recorded in the Bible. God’s Word isn’t a collection of disjointed stories. It’s composed around a framework of history. So, by looking at biblical chronology (what happened when in the Bible), we are able to place those stories in context, gain a logical understanding of sequence, and better see the full scope of God’s loving plan. Here are some broad historical markers and dates to help you begin lashing individual stories into a sequential history. Not just the narratives, but also the prophets, books of poetry, books of law, and epistles all hang within this outline: • Creation, the Flood, and earliest history: Genesis • Patriarchs of the Israelite people (2000–1550 BC): Genesis • Formation of the Israelite nation (1550–1380 BC): Exodus–Joshua • Leaders of Israel up to the Exile (1380–539 BC): Judges–2 Chronicles • Return from the Exile (539–474 BC): Ezra–Esther • 400 years of silence • Birth of Christ and the early church (AD 5–90): New Testament When we use this framework as a general guide, we’ll notice right away that the Israelite people figure prominently within the story He tells. That’s because He used that particular family line to reach the climax of the Bible (and of history)—the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Through Jesus, people from every tribe and language and nation can know God (Revelation 7:9)! The next time you read from a particular book of the Bible, consider finding out who wrote it and when. Then fit it into this rough history. You’ll soon find random stories fitting together in a comprehensive whole—one redemption story centered on Jesus, the one who came to save us from sin and death and who promises to make all things new. • Michelle Isenhoff • Why can we view Jesus as the focal point of history? (Find out more on our "Know Jesus" page.) “All the prophets testify about him [Jesus] that through his name everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins.” Acts 10:43 (CSB)

READ: PROVERBS 15:32; 27:17; EPHESIANS 4:1-6, 15-16 Imagine a confrontation between two guy friends from the perspective of the one being confronted. Josh comes up to me and says the dreaded words, “We need to talk.” My stomach turns sour. He tells me I’ve been letting bitterness get in the way of our friendship—and my faith. Guilt starts to seep in. He has a point. At first, I was just angry because he started dating a girl I liked—even though I told him I was fine with them dating. But after a while, my anger became resentment. I hated seeing them as a couple, so I cut them out. The problem is, Josh was the friend who took me to church on Sundays. Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve prayed too. Josh’s words are so gentle. He doesn’t seem angry. In fact, it still seems like he cares a lot about me. When he’s done talking, I take a deep breath and say, “I’m sorry. Forgive me?” It’s difficult to admit we’ve been wrong, especially when someone confronts us with the truth. The important thing to realize is that confrontation is often done from a place of love. True friends care about us and our spiritual wellbeing. When we’re tempted to get defensive about our sin, we can rely on the Holy Spirit to restore a posture of humility and repentance in us. Even if a friend doesn’t approach the topic as well as they should, we can remind ourselves that their intentions are probably good—and that we’re all broken people who need Jesus. When we remember that Jesus has made the way for us to be unified through His death and resurrection, we can have true peace—even during hard conversations (Philippians 4:1-9). • Naomi Zylstra • How would you want to react if a friend confronted you about a sin they noticed in your life? • Whenever we realize we’re struggling with a particular sin, Jesus wants us to come to Him. He is eager to remind us that He has already secured our forgiveness on the cross, and that He loves us with an unchanging love. And, through the Holy Spirit, He helps us repent of sin and grow in righteousness. Consider taking some time to talk to Him about any sins that come to mind. (Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 John 1:9–2:1) As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17 (NIV)

READ: MATTHEW 18:15-17; GALATIANS 5:13–6:2 So now that you’ve decided to confront your Christian friend about their sin, how do you do it well? According to the Bible, one important part of confrontation is gentleness. In Galatians 6:1, Paul uses the Greek word katartizō to talk about setting a person right, and that same word can also be used to describe setting a joint. This gentle process hurts, but ultimately it moves the person toward correction and healing. Therefore, when it’s time to confront someone, approach them with Spirit-filled gentleness motivated by love (Galatians 5:22-23). In Matthew 18:15-17, Jesus lays out steps for the confrontation. First, you should talk to your friend alone. This prevents shaming or embarrassing them in front of others. Plus, it can be easier to talk about tough topics with only two of you there. If the person doesn’t listen the first time, bring another friend. This can help show the person it’s not just you who thinks their behavior is an issue. If the problem persists after that, it’s time to call in church leadership. It’s okay to take things to a higher authority and admit something is too much for you to handle. Hopefully the person will come to their senses and repent, and you can pray for this all throughout the process. Remember, as believers, we belong to the family of God. Jesus Christ has freed us from the power of sin and death, so we no longer have to say yes to sin (Titus 2:11-14). Therefore, we have the privilege and joy of helping each other along in the journey of becoming more like Christ (Hebrews 10:19-25; James 5:16-20). • Naomi Zylstra • Can you think of a time someone showed you gentleness? What did they say or do, and how did they say or do it? • What would be difficult for you about confronting a brother or sister in Christ? • As Christians, why is it important for us to support each other on the journey of following Jesus? Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. Galatians 6:1 (NIV)

READ: MATTHEW 7:1-5; 1 CORINTHIANS 5:9-13 The lifelong question: When do I confront someone about a sin I’ve noticed in their life? As Christians, the gospel of Jesus should always carry our conversations when we confront others about sin, allowing us to extend the same grace and forgiveness we have been given. In light of this, here are some truths to keep in mind when weighing the situation. First, remember final judgment is God’s and God’s alone. Because of this, Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 5 that we have no business judging those outside the church. But we are called to confront our brothers and sisters in Christ when they are in unrepentant sin. Second, ask, “What is my relationship to this person?” If you feel you need to confront a believer about sin patterns in their life, consider your relationship with them. It’s often best to reserve confrontations for Christians you know well. Otherwise, you may be missing important information about what’s going on. Third, ask, “Is anyone in immediate danger?” Seeing your friend being disrespectful to their parents has a different urgency than hearing that same friend giving death threats to others. There’s a time for a heart-to-heart about sin, and there’s a time to call the police or other relevant authorities or agencies. Finally, think about your own motivations. In Matthew 7, Jesus is clear: As Christians, we should not confront people out of pride, assuming their sin is worse than ours. Instead, we remember God has extended His grace to us, forgiving our sins through Jesus. When confronting others about their sins, we keep this grace in mind, extending unmerited favor to others, as God has to us (Ephesians 4:32). • Naomi Zylstra • Have you ever confronted someone about a sinful behavior? How did it go? • Have you noticed a habitual sin in a friend’s life? Do you think you’re the right person to speak to them about it? If you’re struggling with whether or not to confront someone, who is a trusted Christian adult you could bring your questions and concerns to—such as a pastor, parent, youth leader, or counselor? [Jesus said,] “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back.” Matthew 18:15 (NLT)

READ: EXODUS 34:6; ECCLESIASTES 4:9-12; LUKE 15:1-7; EPHESIANS 4:2 I recently adopted a rescued cat from my local animal shelter. She had been at the shelter for a long time because most people looking for a pet choose one that is more outgoing than the scared, cowering cat I met. In fact, our first meeting left me bleeding from some scratches. But when I looked into her eyes, I saw that she was merely terrified, not mean. And so, I brought her home, named her Pumpkin, and began to love on her. Our first days together were interesting. She shivered and cowered in her homemade cardboard box bed. She refused to leave its safety. And when she met our other cat, she hissed and growled as if her life depended on scaring him away. But each time I would gently pet her soft fur, she purred louder than any cat I’d ever heard. With time, she learned to trust again, and it was a delight to watch her blossom and show her spunky personality. I don’t know what trauma she experienced to make her so scared of people and other animals. All I know is that she desperately needed consistent love and patience for her to recover. Anytime I’m around Pumpkin, I think about how we as humans often do the same thing. Sometimes we get hurt and we stop trusting. Sometimes we even find our own ways to “hiss” and “growl” at those around us for fear that letting them too close will only lead to more hurt. Whether we’ve experienced betrayal, gossip, abuse, broken promises, rejection, bullying, or something else, it can be so hard to seek new relationships with others. But just like Pumpkin, we can learn to trust again by building healthy relationships with safe people—especially fellow Christians. Healthy church families, filled with people being renewed by Jesus, are so important to healing. Jesus takes our trauma seriously—that’s why we can share our hurts with Him. By the power of His Holy Spirit, we can find healing. It might be scary, but I encourage you to reach out and find safe people who will love you, help you put a stop to anything currently hurting you, and patiently walk with you as you bring every hurt to Jesus so He can begin to heal you. Jesus, the Great Healer and the one who knows your every hurt, will be with you through it all (Matthew 28:20). • Rebecca Morgan • What kinds of hurts have you experienced in the past? Jesus cares about your every hurt, and He can truly empathize with you because He knows firsthand what it’s like to live in our broken world (Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 Peter 5:7). Consider taking some time to talk to Him about your hurts. Remember, you can be totally honest and tell Him, unfiltered, about what you’ve been through and how it has affected you. You can even tell Him about accusations that rise up in your heart against Him. He can take it. You can never exhaust His love for you. • We all need community. We are made to walk alongside other people, especially as Christians (Genesis 2:18; Galatians 6:1-10). As you process your hurts, who are trusted people in your life you can talk openly with? (If no one comes to mind, you can ask God to help you identify someone in the future.) • Do you know anyone who needs extra love and patience in this season as they work through their hurts? How can you love them like Jesus does? (Remember, sometimes loving well looks like setting up healthy boundaries. Who are trusted adults who can help you do this?) • If you or someone you know is suffering from abuse, and especially if the situation is potentially life-threatening, call 911 (or the emergency number for your area) or go to the local hospital emergency room right away. If you need help doing this, who are safe people you can reach out to—such as parents, counselors, yout...

READ: PSALM 19; MATTHEW 22:37-39; PHILIPPIANS 1:9 The author C. S. Lewis is considered one of the most influential Christian apologists of his time. He taught at Oxford and wrote several great books related to apologetics and Christianity, including Mere Christianity and The Chronicles of Narnia. Yet, like all of us, C. S. Lewis wasn’t always a Christian. He grew up in a Christian home. Sadly, his mother died of cancer when he was a boy. In his grief, Lewis understandably became angry that God had not healed her. He also fought in World War I and suffered from depression after seeing the horrors of trench warfare and losing friends in battle. His mother’s tragic death and his experiences of war were some of the reasons that eventually led Lewis to become an atheist. But God still loved Lewis, and He was still at work in his life. Through the help of the writings of authors like George MacDonald, as well as through friends like J. R. R. Tolkien, Lewis returned to Christianity and found that it was, in fact, logical. Lewis himself said that his conversion was not easy. In his memoir, Surprised by Joy, he even described himself as “kicking, struggling, resentful, and darting his eyes in every direction for a chance of escape.” But after putting his trust in Jesus, Lewis went on to write about the wonderful love of God, including through apologetics and refuting popular claims against Christianity. To this day, his words carry hope and meaning, especially because he experienced atheism personally. He was familiar with popular objections to Christianity because he’d had them himself. None of Lewis’s novels, apologetics, or life story would have been possible without Jesus. Not only does Lewis’s work argue for Christianity, but his own reluctance to accept the truth of the gospel is an argument in itself. Lewis was an intelligent scholar, and he would’ve remained an atheist if God hadn’t intervened in his life. And God is still using Lewis’s writings to bring others to the knowledge of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection today. • Naomi Zylstra • Have you ever felt like Christianity is illogical? What questions do you have about it? God invented our minds, and He calls us to use them. Who are trusted Christians in your life—such as pastors, parents, counselors, or youth leaders—who could help you explore your questions? • Can you think of a time you were angry at God? God invites us to bring our anger to Him, honestly telling Him about all the accusations that rise up in our hearts against Him. He is always better than we could hope, and He is eager to reveal His trustworthy love to us. Now the Berean Jews...received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Acts 17:11 (NIV)