Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

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)