Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

• In Defense of Video Games

  READ: GENESIS 1:26-31; COLOSSIANS 3:17; 1 THESSALONIANS 5:11 I grew up around gamers. I remember spending hours of my childhood curled up on the couch watching my older brothers, Tony and AJ, play Legend of Zelda. I admired their skill and problem-solving abilities, and I often wished I could play as well as they did. Many people look down on video games, considering them a waste of time at best and a corrupting influence at worst. But is that always true? It’s true that we can sometimes spend too much time and money on video games, and it’s true that some games contain questionable content. But did you know video games are also one place we can reflect God’s image? We are created to create because we are created in the Creator’s image (say that five times fast). This allows us to make incredible works of art using all kinds of different mediums. Since the beginning of time, we have been painting, sculpting, writing, singing, and directing plays. And now that artistic expression can be found in developing video games. Video games can actually tap into our good, God-given desires and abilities to be creative and to solve problems. Many games require strategic planning skills— including resource management, cooperation, and persistence—and all of these skills are vital to the kingdom of God. And many games are played alongside other people, creating a wonderful opportunity for community and connection. I’m not saying everyone should play video games. I’m just saying that God can be glorified in all our hobbies, including video games. Even though our world is broken by sin, Christ died and rose again to save us from sin and death. He redeems our creativity. So, if we’ve put our trust in Him, we are free to serve and glorify Him in our daily endeavors. As the Creator, God loves beautiful art, and He loves a problem well-solved. And He loves it when we have fun! So, as Christians, we can think carefully about any art form we create or consume, including video games. And as we enjoy the creativity, strategy, and cooperation found in video games, we can give praise to the Originator of all creativity, strategy, and cooperation, who loves us more than we could ever imagine. • Taylor Eising • Where do you see God’s creativity in video games or other things you enjoy doing? Consider taking a moment to thank Him for this! So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NLT) 

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• Jesus Prayed for You

  READ: JOHN 17; ROMANS 8:34; HEBREWS 7:25; 1 JOHN 2:1 All of John 17 is a prayer that Jesus prayed to the Father on the night before He was arrested. He prayed for several things, but the most prominent theme was His concern for His followers. In these 26 verses, Jesus uses the pronouns they, them, and those 47 times. Jesus was praying for the disciples. But the shocker comes in verse 20, when Jesus says, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message…” Do you believe the old, old story of the good news of Jesus Christ? Then this verse is talking about you. Jesus prayed for you on that awful night, just before He was led away to die on the cross for your sins. All the things Jesus prayed for His followers are also for you: • To be protected (verse 11, 15) • To be unified (verse 11, 21-23) • To have the full measure of His joy within us (verse 13) • To be holy, or sanctified (verse 17, 19) • To be with Jesus and see His glory (verse 24) • To be filled with God’s love (verse 26) Two thousand years ago Jesus prayed for you. And did you know that Jesus is also praying for you today? This wonderful truth is found in Romans 8—that Jesus rose from the grave, ascended into heaven, and is now at the Father’s right hand praying for you. Paul writes in verse 34, “Christ Jesus who died— more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Jesus prayed for you then. Jesus is praying for you now. How great is that? • Daniel Dore • Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus prayed for you on the night before He died on the cross? How does this make you feel? • Read Romans 8:31-39. What do you think Jesus is praying for you today? [Jesus said,] “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.” John 17:20 (NIV) 

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• Into the Unknown

  READ: GENESIS 12:1-9; HEBREWS 12:1-3 I grunted as I gazed through the viewport. Black space. Tiny white dots in the distance. Nothing new here. I side-eyed my dad. This was his fault. He acted like he knew where we were going. As he looked up from the blinking lights of the console, the silver commander’s tattoo on his bald scalp gleamed in the near darkness. “Still not speaking to me, Tai?” I fingered one of my braids. He’d named me Tai—Swahili for eagle. I was born to fly, he always said. Born to explore the unknown. Though I wanted to continue my silence, I caved. “I’m concentrating. You gave me the helm after all.” It was what I’d aced in flight class. “How do you expect me to calculate the entry trajectory if I don’t know where to go?” Dad laughed like I’d said something hilarious. “I gave you the vector to the jump point. We’ll make planetfall then. Just follow the coordinates.” He acted like this was no big deal. But we were in the middle of nowhere space. I wasn’t sure our tiny ship could make it to the planet he claimed was in Rho Quadrant. I’d left everything behind in Gamma Quadrant. All because Dad claimed there was a planet that might have water—a precious commodity back home. Now there was no chance of me applying to advanced flight school when I turned eighteen—and maybe little chance of us surviving at all. I broke the silence again. “There are too many unknown variables. What if we overshoot wherever we’re going?” “Do you trust me?” I took in a breath. I knew what he meant. I tensed my grip on the controls, then slowly let out my held breath. He’d always been there for me. He’d never let me down before. “Jump point ahead,” I said. It was now or never. “Throttle up.” The ship shook as it made the jump. Seconds later, there it was in front of us: a small, blue planet. That meant water. Maybe this would be a good place after all. • Linda Washington • Today’s allegorical story echoes Genesis 12:1-9, when Abram—who was later called Abraham—heard from God, “Go…to the land that I will show you” (verse 1). God invited Abram to trust Him—to believe that God was good and loving and that He would provide like an attentive father. Why do you think Abram followed God? • Later in the Bible, we see God’s goodness, love, and provision on full display when Jesus gave up His life for us on the cross. Because of Jesus, we can become God’s dear children. There may be times when our Father calls us to follow Him without knowing where we’re going, like He called Abram. Have you ever experienced something like this? What happened? • Why can we trust our heavenly Father no matter what? (Hint: read Matthew 7:9-11; Romans 8:32-39; Philippians 4:12-13) • As Christians, we know we will one day be raised from the dead to live with Jesus forever. What kind of life do we have to look forward to in eternity? And how can our confident hope for the future affect the way we follow Jesus now? (If you want to dig deeper, read Philippians 1:19-25; Hebrews 11:8-16; Revelation 21:1-7) But I trust in your unfailing love. Psalm 13:5 (NLT)

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• Whiter Than Snow

  READ: ISAIAH 1:18; ACTS 3:19; 1 CORINTHIANS 6:11; EPHESIANS 3:18-21 It’s almost impossible to describe snow to someone who’s never experienced it. When I was asked to explain snow once, I was at a loss for words. The nearest I came was confectioners’ sugar. But that’s not even close! Snowflakes don’t have any taste, they’re cold, they fall from the sky, they’re not sweet, and they can’t be bought in a box at the grocery store. And imagine a fort made of confectioners’ sugar. Not possible! If I were to try again, I might say each snowflake is unique, and it has six perfect points. And in large quantities, snow is fun! I could talk about sledding, skiing, snowboarding, making snow angels, building snow forts, designing snowmen, having snowball fights. If the snow is deep enough, it can cover up anything left outside: rusty rakes, dog poop, the dead stems of autumn flowers, little red wagons, last fall’s unraked leaves. Before the snowplow comes, before the dogs go outside, before someone tramps to the mailbox, the ground is an amazing expanse of white. A beautiful blanket reaching as far as you can see. Unblemished. Pristine. It’s almost impossible to describe snow to someone who has never experienced it. It’s almost impossible to describe the love of Jesus to someone who believes He was only a good man. A good teacher. But not Lord of all. In God’s eyes, our sins are more unsightly than dog poop and rotting leaves. But Jesus’s death on the cross covers them more perfectly than the snow covers the ground (Psalm 32:1; Ephesians 5:27). The snow will eventually melt and reveal the mess beneath. But once we’ve put our trust in Jesus—whose death on the cross and resurrection from the grave provided payment for our sins—we will always be, in God’s eyes, unblemished and pristine. And, most of all, beloved. If you really want to experience snow, you have to step in it, play in it, revel in it. If you really want to experience the love of God, you have to receive Jesus as your Savior—through faith in Him and Him only—and step into His wonderful love. • Carol Raj • Why is hearing about Jesus’s love different from experiencing it? • If you want to know more about Jesus and what it means to put your trust in Him, see our "Know Jesus" page. Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Psalm 51:7 (NLT) 

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• Right Here, Right Now

  READ: JEREMIAH 29:1-14 Jeremiah 29:1-14 is one of my favorite passages in the Bible, and, if I’m being honest, one that I struggle with a lot. In this passage, most of Israel had just been taken captive by the Babylonians, who were pagans and had been enemies of Israel for a very long time. After the Israelites were taken captive, some prophets started saying God would come to their rescue quickly, defeating Babylon and restoring the Israelites’ freedom very soon. But God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah to say these predictions were lies, and the people touting them were false prophets. Instead, God told His people to get comfy because they were going to be in captivity for a while. Yet He promised to be with them, even in Babylon, and He had good work for them to do there. He said, “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren” (verse 5-6). Even more surprising, He told them to pray for Babylon and “work for the peace and prosperity of the city” of their enemies (verse 7)! Sometimes I feel like the Israelites—stuck in a situation I hate, just looking for a way out. I spend so much time looking for future rescue that I don’t see what Jesus is doing right here, right now, in the middle of my “exile.” I forget He is here with me. Instead of asking Jesus what He wants me to do, I look for ways to take control and even to withdraw into myself—trying to isolate myself from God and others. When we find ourselves in situations we hate, as Christians, we can take comfort knowing Jesus is right there with us. If we rely on Him to help us resist the temptation to rush through the present, He will show us all the richness He has for us right here, right now. • Taylor Eising • How might knowing that Jesus is with us in our times of “exile” bring us comfort and purpose? • When we’re hurting, God doesn’t tell us to ignore our pain, stuff it down, and just get to work. Instead, He invites us to bring our pain to Him with raw honesty while we continue to serve Him and trust Him in the present. How could you practice this in your own life? • How can looking to Jesus make it possible for us to serve wherever God has placed us, even when we consider the people around us to be our enemies? (Hint: read Romans 5:1-11) “And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.” Jeremiah 29:7 (NLT) 

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