Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: PROVERBS 28:13; ROMANS 7:21–8:2; 1 JOHN 1:5–2:2 My friend and I share a community garden plot at our church. But in the middle of the summer, there was a week when neither of us was able to take care of it, so the garden ended up being a bit neglected. And the weeds were absolutely thrilled. So, I got to work. The first weeds I saw were in between the rows of tomatoes and kale. I pulled them up easily, and I thought I was mostly done. Then, I saw more weeds lurking in the dirt, cloaked by tomato leaves right at the base of the plants. If I’d just pulled the obvious weeds and moved on, the garden would’ve looked well-tended and fruitful…for a while. But those hidden weeds would’ve stolen nutrients from the tomato plants, hindering their growth and resulting in fewer tomatoes. So I reached under the tomato leaves and pulled up the weeds. This whole process reminded me of dealing with sin in our lives. The obvious sins, like the weeds in between the rows of veggies in my garden, are quickly spotted and dealt with—if we’re paying attention. We can usually notice them right away and bring them straight to Jesus, receiving His forgiveness and restoration. But there are other sins—hidden, sneaky sins—that try to attack the most fruitful parts of our lives. Like the weeds that lurk in the shadows, they hinder our growth and steal our fruit. We might be doing things that look very good, like volunteering at church, helping our neighbors, and working hard at school. But those fruitful places can be where Satan would most like to attack, sowing seeds of pride, arrogance, and self-righteousness. We can easily be tempted to put our identity in our good works rather than in Christ. But praise the Lord, He is so good at helping us root out these hidden sins. Jesus died and rose again to forgive us, save us from sin, and bring us near to Himself. If we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we are new creations, so those weeds have no place in our lives (2 Corinthians 5:17). He loves us so much, and He will faithfully tend to our hearts and show us where sins need to be pulled out. He is eager to help us be rid of them so we can flourish and thrive, resting in Him and doing the good works He has prepared for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). • Taylor Eising • Have you noticed any sin hiding under good works in your life? Consider spending some time talking with Jesus, asking Him to reveal any hidden sins and confessing whatever sins come to mind. Then, thank Him for His forgiveness and walk forward in His mercy and grace. For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! Ephesians 5:8 (NLT) 

READ: PSALM 33:12-20; 1 TIMOTHY 2:1-6; 1 PETER 2:9-17 Do you pray for your country? No matter where you live, your nation needs prayer. We don’t need to pray for our country to be the best in the world, but we can pray that God will guide and bless our leaders so they can make wise, God-honoring decisions. The Bible teaches that nations do not rise or fall because of their own strength. It says safety comes from the Lord. So, even as we acknowledge and appreciate the ways God has blessed our country, we can also recognize that it’s full of sin and problems, just like every other nation in this broken world. Regardless of where we are from, God calls us to pray that both our leaders and our fellow citizens will put their trust in Jesus. Only Jesus can bring hope to our sin-stained world. Only He can save us from sin. He let Himself be put to death at the hands of an unjust empire, and then rose again so we could become part of His holy nation. And one day He’ll return to rule the whole world! On that day He will put an end to sin, and He will heal all the brokenness sin has caused. Nations rise and fall, but Jesus reigns forever. The only way any of us can truly have peace is by trusting in Him. Once we do, we are part of His nation—citizens of His kingdom who will spend eternity with Him. So let’s pray that people in our country—and in every nation of the world—will turn to Jesus and trust Him as their Savior. • A. W. Smith • How can knowing that every nation is temporary affect the way we view our home countries? • Where do you see God’s blessings in your nation? What sin and brokenness do you see? • Consider spending some time praying for your country. Pray that the leaders of your nation will turn to Jesus and seek His guidance in making decisions. Pray that the people in your country will trust in Jesus and follow His leading in their lives. Pray that God’s children of every tribe and nation will shine His light so the whole world can see it. And ask God to help you see how He is bringing healing to broken places in your nation, and how He might be inviting you to be part of His restoring work. • If you want to dig deeper, read Psalms 46:1-11; 127:1; 146:1-10; Matthew 5:43-45; Acts 17:26; Philippians 3:20; Revelation 3:12; 7:9; 11:15; 21:1-5. We put our hope in the Lord. He is our help and our shield. Psalm 33:20 (NLT) 

READ: PSALM 139   I was tiny When You created me But already then You made great plans that would come to be   You saw me when I was dust Loved me already then Called me Your child Know where I have ever been   I was so small No one else knew I existed But You had a book My days, You had written   From the tiny, small babe Whom You looked on and smiled To who I am today I have always been Your precious child • Bethany Acker   • Isn’t it amazing to know that God created you? Before you were born, before your mom even knew she was pregnant, God saw you. And He had good plans for your life. Consider taking a moment just to think about that. How does it make you feel? • Not only did God create you, but His love for you compelled Him to make the way for you to be in close relationship with Him through Jesus’s death and resurrection. If you want to know more about this good news, see our "Know Jesus" page. For you formed my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. My soul knows that very well. My frame wasn’t hidden from you, when I was made in secret, woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my body. In your book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there were none of them. Psalm 139:13-16 (WEB) 

READ: JOHN 3:1-8; 13:33-35; 1 PETER 1:3, 23 Have you ever had one of those moments when you realized you look a lot like your family? We’ve all inherited traits from our parents, like hair color, freckles, or height. And whether we were adopted or born into a family, we may also have other family traits, like facial expressions, mannerisms, or the way we carry ourselves. Sometimes people share so many inherited traits and look so much alike that it’s obvious they’re related. And as Christians, we’re part of another family too—God’s family. When we put our trust in Jesus, the Bible says we were “born again” (John 3:1-8; 1 Peter 1:3, 23). We became God’s children. He freed us from sin, and through the Holy Spirit He put the characteristics that He Himself possesses into our hearts—traits like love, faithfulness, and patience, to name a few. When our lives reflect the character of Jesus, when what we say and what we do is motivated by His love, others can see that we’re God’s children. Of course, none of us will reflect Jesus’s character and love perfectly, at least until He returns. But we become more and more like Jesus as we grow in our faith. And as we develop the characteristics He’s given us and display them in our lives, it’s plain to see that we belong to Him. Isn’t it so amazing that we get to share a family resemblance with God? Jesus is the almighty, holy, transcendent King of the Universe. Yet He humbled Himself to die on a cross for us, and then be raised to life so we could become part of His family. He invites us to share His resemblance and carry His name. What an incredible gift. Once we belong to God’s family, His love overflows from us to the world around us. As we get to know Him better, He’ll help us grow to become more like Him. Our lives and the way we treat others can be a reflection of Jesus. Through us, people can see our heavenly Father’s love for them. And we can pray that they’ll want to become part of His family too. • A. W. Smith • Have you noticed any Christians in your life who bear a striking family resemblance to Jesus? What is it like to be around them? How do they live? • As we spend intentional time with God, we often find ourselves becoming more like Him. What are some ways you could spend intentional time with God this week through praying, reading or listening to His Word, and gathering with other believers? Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1-2 (NIV)