Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: PSALM 133:1; EPHESIANS 4:1-6; 1 JOHN 4:19 I got the part; now I needed the costume. At age eleven, I tried out for the role of mascot for my school. The judges picked me, and I prepared to entertain the crowd at football games alongside the cheerleaders. The school didn’t provide a uniform, so my mom sewed me an outfit for my role as The Panther. At games, I would twirl my black cat tail and encourage the audience to roar for the football players. I would jump around, turn cartwheels, and cheer. I also got made fun of—a lot. Football players snickered, made meowing noises, and some guys called me “rat.” Only these weren’t members of the opposing team or students from the rival school. The ones laughing at me were kids from my own school. I expected teasing or trash talk from the competition, but to hear this from my own team surprised me. Honestly, it brought me to tears. I had thought we were all in this together. Sadly, Christians often treat each other this way too. When we enter a relationship with God by trusting in Jesus for forgiveness and new life, we join His family—one family of God, one body of Christ with one Father and one Lord. As believers in Jesus, we are to be unified in Him. When we live with love for one another, people can see that we belong to God (John 13:35). But when we hurl insults at each other, attacking each other hatefully instead of disagreeing with love and respect, it’s like we’re shooting down our own teammates. Apart from God, we aren’t capable of loving each other. But once we belong to God, His Holy Spirit transforms us to become more and more like Jesus, our loving Savior. In His power, we can make every effort to keep loving each other as brothers and sisters. • Allison Wilson Lee • Have you been mistreated by peers or others? Who is a trusted adult you can tell right away? • How can Christians disagree with each other and still show unity, even when it comes to divisive topics, such as politics? Have you seen any Christians model this well? • We are all guilty of acting in unloving ways toward our fellow human beings. God sees our sin, and He calls us to repent—to confess our sin, turn away from it, and turn toward Him. Consider taking a moment to repent of any sins that come to mind, thanking God for His sure forgiveness through Jesus. You can also ask Him to help you move forward in love, maybe by apologizing to the people you’ve wronged. Because He loves you, you can love others (1 John 4:19). Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Hebrews 13:1 (NIV)

READ: DEUTERONOMY 11:10-25; 31:8 What kinds of changes have happened in your life so far? Maybe they’ve been small changes, like transitioning to a different school building when you reached a certain grade. Maybe you’ve gone through large changes, like your family moving or someone close to you getting a divorce. In the Bible, the people of Israel went through a lot of changes. They moved to Egypt because of a famine, and later a ruthless Pharoah made them slaves. After generations of slavery in Egypt, God delivered His people and led them to the Promised Land. This was a wonderful thing, but it was also a big change for the Israelites. In Deuteronomy 11, Moses told them that this land was going to be nothing like they knew. The terrain would be very different from Egypt’s, and their farming methods would have to change. Similarly, there are often lots of unknowns in our own lives. Even though some of the changes we experience are smaller, and we still have familiar things around us, many of the things we once knew have to change, kind of like the Israelites’ farming methods. This can be hard sometimes, but look at what Moses says next: “It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end” (Deuteronomy 11:12). That’s awesome! God had already been taking care of this land for His people, and He would continue to be there with them. When changes happen in our lives, God already knows what they are, and He has been preparing for us. And no matter what kind of change it is—no matter how small or how big—God will continue to be with us. In every change you face, you can rest knowing that God loves you and He will never leave you. • Kimberly Brokish • What kinds of changes have happened in your life? Can you think of a time God cared for your needs (physical, emotional, relational, or spiritual) in the midst of a change? Consider taking a moment to thank Him for this. • In times of change, do you have any favorite Bible verses that remind you of God’s love? For example, take a look at Deuteronomy 31:8. If you want to dig deeper, check out how Jesus is “God with us” (Matthew 1:23) and has promised never to leave us (Matthew 28:20). “It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.” Deuteronomy 11:12 (NIV)

READ: MATTHEW 23:1-12; LUKE 22:25-26; JOHN 13:1-17, 34-35 Wyran, kitchen servant in the palace of Ardh, studied the king’s table, ensuring that not a single grape was out of place. King Terrian had insisted that everything be perfect for his guest. For months, the territory had echoed with praises for the ruler of the distant kingdom of Beulah and his seemingly supernatural abilities. King Elam. “A formidable foe in war and a valuable ally in peace,” King Terrian had called him. Still, Wyran was sure the stories were mostly fictitious—after all, a king who could control the weather and raise the dead? Just part of some intimidation plot, no doubt. Wyran expected to be run ragged during the foreign king’s entire visit, fetching and retrieving anything this royal desired. In Wyran’s experience, the more powerful a leader was, the more pitiful he made those beneath him feel. When King Terrian and his guest swept into the hall moments later, servants flew into action, pulling out chairs, adjusting robes, and producing glimmering basins to wash the feet of both kings. But to Wyran’s shock, the visiting king waved the servants away with a gentle sweep of his hand and, instead, carried one of the basins to Wyran. He gestured to his own seat at the king’s table, indicating that Wyran should take his place. Wyran stood paralyzed. Surely the famous King Elam was not going to clean a servant’s feet! To even sit in a royal’s chair could mean execution. Unless this visitor was using Wyran to show off his supernatural abilities—if he truly could restore life, who knew what limits his terrible power had. But in the following moments, there were no supernatural tricks or transformations—only the gentle swishing of water as the king cleansed Wyran’s feet and wiped them dry with his own robe. King Terrian, who had been watching in shocked silence, finally spluttered, “Stop! I cannot have it known that the great King Elam washed my servant’s feet!” King Elam, still kneeling, smiled gently and replied, “Better had it been known you had done so yourself.” • Valerie Principe “The greatest among you will be your servant.” Matthew 23:11 (CSB) • Today’s allegorical story is based on John 13:1-17 when Jesus, the King of the universe, washed His disciples’ feet. Most earthly leaders see ruling as a right to be served, but Jesus ruled by serving others. When people saw Jesus commanding nature and raising people from the dead, they were amazed by His power and authority. And when they saw how Jesus interacted with those who were considered the least of society, some were amazed by His love and humility—and some were offended. Consider taking a moment to reread John 13:1-17, and then imagine Jesus washing your feet. What do you notice? How do you feel? • Washing His disciples’ feet wasn’t the only way Jesus served His people. When Jesus died on the cross, carrying the shame of our sins, He was performing the greatest act of service the world would ever know. Though all people are wicked and sinful, deserving of death, the King of the entire universe loves us so much, He willingly suffered the punishment of a criminal so that we could become members of His royal family forever. He conquered death and sin when He rose from the grave, and now He invites us to put our trust in Him. King Jesus waits with outstretched arms for anyone who will receive His gift and believe in Him. If you have questions about what it means to put your trust in Jesus and become part of His royal family, who are trusted Christians you could talk to? (You can also find out more on our “Know Jesus” page.) • When are you tempted to try to impress those around you? In these times, we can look to Jesus. We can remember the ways He serves us in humility. As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit in us, transforming us to become more and more like Jesus. As we rest in His love for us, we ca...

READ: PSALM 139:7-12; ISAIAH 41:9-13 When we’re little, all kinds of things scare us. Maybe we’re afraid of the dark and we need the comfort of a nightlight. Maybe we don’t want to get on the rides at the fair without a parent or older sibling beside us. When we’re young and afraid, we gladly accept help to get through the scary times. But when we get to be a bit older, we start thinking we have to go through things alone. We start believing that if the darkness scares us, we just need to put up with it. But that’s not true. We always have someone beside us, no matter what age we are. Jesus is Immanuel, which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Because of His life, death, and resurrection, we don’t ever have to be alone. Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can know that we are in fellowship with God. So whenever we’re afraid, we can turn to God for help, comfort, and courage. Maybe the same things don’t scare us now that did when we were young, but whatever we’re afraid of now, we can ask God to help us with it. God is always there for us, even when we feel alone. Throughout our lives, we’ll face many scary and uncertain moments, but He will be there through them all. We can trust Him and feel secure with Him by our side, like a child feels when their parent or another loved one sits with them and helps them through life’s scary moments. • Bethany Acker • What scared you when you were little? Now that you’re older, are you afraid of similar things, different things, or maybe some of both? • Throughout the book of Psalms, we read poems and songs by David, a shepherd who became the king of Israel and a great warrior. David often felt afraid, and he freely acknowledged this to God and to the people listening to his psalms (Psalm 56:3). Yet, as David turned to God, he was delivered from his fears again and again (Psalm 34:4). David was comforted and strengthened, not by theological knowledge alone, but by God’s presence with him (Psalm 23:4). Consider taking a moment to tell God about your fears and ask Him to help you know His presence with you more and more. He has compassion on you, and He delights in answering these prayers. “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” Isaiah 41:13 (NIV)

READ: PSALM 148; LUKE 19:36-40 The towering oaks, And every blade of grass, Have all spoken. The clouds in the sky, And the birds in the trees, All reply— “Great is He!” Great is the One who made us, Great is the God of gods, Great is the One who loves, And has determined the path we’ve trod. The fox’s tail swishes, Sunset’s colors change, Water teems with splashing fishes. The breeze in the trees, The flowers on the ground— How great is He! Make a joyful sound! • Josefine Engle • What is your favorite part of God’s creation? Have you ever thought about this part of creation praising God? • When we praise Jesus, we join with creation! How do you like to praise Him? Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars. Psalm 148:3 (CSB)

READ: PSALM 119:9-16, 97-105; MATTHEW 11:28-12:8 Have you ever been in such a rush that you gulped down a meal too quickly to really enjoy it? We live in a fast-paced world that doesn’t prioritize taking time to care for ourselves and others. As Christians, sometimes this problem shows up when we spend time reading the Bible. All sixty-six books of the Bible make up a rich, multi-genre love letter from God to His people. It tells us the story of Jesus and unfolds what the good news of His death and resurrection means for us. But, in our busyness, we often feel like we need to rush through reading Scripture. The good news is—even when we feel pressured to get the maximum productivity out of every moment—Jesus gives us rest from all that hurry. What’s one of the ways we can remember the rest He gives us? By taking time to really chew on the passages we read in the Bible. Moving more slowly through our Bible reading helps us in several ways. First, it allows us to remember that God is not in a hurry. We are secure in Him and His love. Second, it lets us meditate (a word that means “to chew”) on what God has said as we go about our days. This allows us to understand all the more fully how central Jesus is to our lives. Third, it gives us time to figure out what questions we have about the passages we’re reading, which in turn allows us to reach out to trusted Christian people and resources to help us better understand the context of what we read. Next time you read the Bible, remember that you have time to chew on it. You don’t need to rush. God’s love for you holds steady, and in the Bible, we find the true story of how Jesus embodies this love through His death and resurrection. That’s a story worth meditating on. • A. W. Smith • Reading Scripture is one of the ways God invites us to interact with Him. Everyone’s life circumstances, gifts, and learning styles are different. When are good times of the day or week for you to take time to chew on the Bible? Do you prefer to read it silently, read it aloud, or have it read to you? • Who are trusted Christians you could reach out to when you have questions about the Bible—such as pastors, counselors, parents, teachers, etc.? If no one comes to mind, you can ask God to help you find some people who can walk with you through your questions, including helping you find reputable and scholarly Christian resources for studying the Bible well. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. Psalm 119:15 (NIV)

READ: HEBREWS 4:14-16 Anger. Sadness. Fear. These and other emotions can be tough to regulate, and it can make us wonder: are emotions even good? God made us with emotions, and they are good. They help us process hard things we face in our world that’s been broken by sin. And emotions can even help motivate us to find ways to take care of ourselves and others. But, like with all good things in our broken world, there are unsafe and safe ways to express emotions—ways that can hurt us or others, and ways that can help us feel and grow and learn. Through it all, Jesus is always a safe person to talk to about our emotions— remember, He knows firsthand what it’s like to have big feelings. Especially in the Gospels, we see Jesus experiencing lots of emotions. He empathizes with us, and He can also direct us to other safe people—such as parents, therapists, teachers, friends, etc.—and He can guide us in safe ways to work through those feelings. What helps people process emotions differs from person to person. The good news is, our loving God provides a wide variety of healthy ways for us to process our emotions. Some people like to go for a brisk walk or go to an open space and throw a ball as hard as they can. Others like to journal or make art. Others like to work with dough. Still others like to sing or play a musical instrument. Because of these differences, it’s valuable to take time to pray, think, and talk with our safe people about various ways to process the good emotions Jesus made us with. So, when we experience big or intense feelings, we don’t have to be afraid. God can handle them, and so can the other safe people in our lives. Jesus Himself has experienced the full range of human emotion, so we can come to Him with anything we’re feeling—no matter what. • Aurora Scriver • What might be examples of unsafe and safe ways to process emotions? • Who are safe people in your life you can process emotions with—such as therapists, parents, friends, pastors, etc.? [Jesus] understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4:15-16 (NLT)

READ: JOHN 14:18; REVELATION 21:1-5 Have you ever been really homesick? When we’re traveling someplace far away from loved ones—even if we’re traveling for good reasons—it’s totally understandable that we miss our friends and family. God created us with a need for community with Him and other people. That’s why Jesus said the two most important things He wants us to do are to love Him and other people (Matthew 22:36-40). But in our broken world, sometimes loving others means we feel the pain of being apart from them. In a way, all Christians are homesick…because our home is with Jesus. Even though He is always with us—and He is present in our lives here and now through His Spirit, His Word (the Bible), and His people (the church)—we can’t see Him face-to-face. But one day we will, either when we die or when He returns and restores all of creation. On that day, everyone who knows Jesus will get to live with Him together, and we will never be homesick again. As we continue to live in our world that’s broken by sin, we long to be with God—and His people—the way He intended, without all the effects of our sin wreaking havoc. Separation is one of the effects of sin. Even if we don’t have to physically travel away from the people we love, we will eventually be separated from them, either when we die or when they do. Death is the ultimate effect of sin, but Jesus defeated death when He let Himself be put to death on the cross… and then rose from the grave. Without Jesus, we are all separated from God. But if we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we’ve been brought near to God and become part of His family. Whenever we experience hard things like homesickness and death, Jesus comforts us. He knows firsthand what it’s like to be separated from the people you love. And He reminds us that we get to look forward to the day we will finally be home with Him and God’s whole family forever. That’s real hope we can cling to even in our most homesick moments. • A. W. Smith • Have you ever felt homesick for Jesus? As Christians, it’s hard to understand the mystery of how we can be with Jesus here and now, and yet still long for the day we’ll see Him face-to-face. Can you think of a time you felt Jesus’s nearness and love? If you’ve never experienced this, you can ask God to reveal His nearness and love to you anytime—He delights in answering these prayers. • What are you most looking forward to about Jesus coming back? What questions do you have? I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people!” Revelation 21:3a (NLT)

READ: EPHESIANS 2:8-10; 4:17-24; 5:2 Two thousand degrees Fahrenheit. That’s how hot glass has to be heated in order for it to be molded. When professional glassblowers have a glob of this molten material on the end of a tool called a blowpipe, they blow into it to create the shape they want. These artists can form glass into masterpieces. But they only have a limited time to do this. After the glass cools down, it can’t be molded or shaped anymore unless it’s reheated. As Christians, we are kind of like works of blown glass. Before we knew Jesus, our hearts were cold and hard (Ezekiel 36:26). We were dead in sin and immovable in our selfish ways. But when we trusted in Jesus, He made our hearts warm so the Holy Spirit could mold us to become more and more like Him—more kind, more loving, more patient, more courageous… the list goes on (Galatians 5:22-23). Like a glassblower fills their work of art with the breath of their lungs and shapes it for its intended purpose, our Lord fills our hearts with love and shapes our lives so we can glorify Him and show others who He is. We are His masterpieces, beautiful vessels pointing others to Jesus’s love. Today, let’s thank Him for breathing life into us and trust Him to mold us into the people He wants us to be—people who are, together, being shaped by His love. • A. W. Smith • As Christians, we are Jesus’s masterpiece-in-progress. If you know Jesus, how has the Holy Spirit already shaped you to become more like Jesus? (Galatians 5:22-23) • Growing in Christ can be a challenging process, just like the art of glassblowing. Why is it important to remember that we are fully loved by Jesus no matter how well this process seems to be going, and that He will never give up on us? (Ephesians 3:14-21; Philippians 1:6) 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: LAMENTATIONS 3:19-26; JOHN 5:24; ROMANS 7:14–8:1 A vivid sunset reached over the aqua waters of my home on Zakynthos Island. I slid my hand down my pteranodon’s sleek, yet powerful neck as he lifted his wings, carrying me higher into the color-splashed sky. Apostolos had been my constant companion since the night he landed next to me on the beach when I was a child. I was curled up next to the giant rock that resembled a resting brachiosaurus. Sweet Apostolos had seen me weeping, laid his crested head on my lap, and stayed with me until my tears subsided. Reminiscing ceased as Apostolos landed lightly on the shores of the white-sand beach. The limestone caves glinted gold in the light of the setting sun. I settled on the sand with a sigh as Apostolos stretched his magnificent wings beside me. Even in this beautiful place, my mind wandered to memories of my failures. “I keep messing up, Olo. I know what I should do because I have the Book of Life, but I don’t always follow it. Again, I find myself wishing I could turn back time and make the right choice.” Apostolos blinked sympathetically. I tried to understand why I kept doing wrong. Once, I was headed for death and destruction, but I had encountered the Eternal One who changed my soul and brought me from darkness into the light. I loved Him and sought to put His Book of Life into practice daily, but I still fell short. “Why do I have so much guilt?” I said aloud. Apostolos glanced up at the sky. “Don’t roll your eyes at me.” I chuckled. “You’re right, I am forgetting the truth. The Eternal One says I belong to Him forever and I’m no longer condemned. He has already taken all my guilt on Himself, freeing me from shame through His own dying and rising. It’s good to remember. Because I’ve put my trust in Him, I’ll never be put to shame.” I whispered a prayer: “Here I am again, broken and in need. I don’t always do what I should do, what I want to do. You know the wrong that I have done and how I wish I could undo it. I need Your help to resist next time I am tempted, and to heal the hurts I’ve already caused. I know You forgive me, and I must release this to You. Remind me, Eternal One, that Your mercies are new every morning.” Opening my hands, palms raised to the sky, I released the guilt and shame, accepting the Eternal One’s immeasurable forgiveness and unfailing love. • Savannah Coleman The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. Lamentations 3:22-23 (NLT) • Have you ever felt like the character in today’s sci-fi/fantasy story? Frustrated with yourself for doing wrong even though you know what’s right? In Romans 7, the apostle Paul wrestled with his propensity to sin, even though he belonged to Christ. If we’re honest, we’ve all echoed Paul’s words: “I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway” (verse 19). Thankfully, there is hope and rescue through Jesus Christ (verses 24-25). If you’ve put your trust in Jesus, you’ve already been brought from death to life (John 5:24). Because Jesus died on the cross for you and rose from the grave, you are no longer condemned (Romans 8:1). The Bible says anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame (Romans 10:9-11). Now that’s good news! If you have questions about what it means to put your trust in Jesus, check out our “Know Jesus” page. • As followers of Christ, we have the Holy Spirit in us to remind us of Jesus’s words (John 14:26). When God’s Spirit in us reveals a sin or prompts us to change, this is a beautiful sign that we belong to Jesus and He is working in us to make us more like Him (Philippians 1:6). God knows we will continue to struggle with sin until Jesus returns and makes all things new. When God corrects us, He is specific and gives us hope. Con...

READ: PSALM 37:5; PROVERBS 3:5; ISAIAH 26:3-4; 1 PETER 5:6-7 “I don’t think I can go any higher.” I glanced down at my friends, saw how far away the floor was, and gripped the handholds more tightly. I was regretting my decision to go rock climbing. “Okay,” my friend Natalie called, “then just push off.” Push off? I doublechecked the clip on my harness and glanced at the ceiling. Could I really count on the automatic belay to hold me when I launched off the rock wall? Natalie had promised that I could trust it. But I wasn’t so sure. Slowly, carefully, I began climbing back down. It was tedious, but surely it was better than letting go of the wall. That was my mind’s one security. As I inched my way down the course, my face flushed with embarrassment. I knew it was foolish to try to climb down. My friends were waiting on me. The best thing to do would be to trust the rope and push off the wall. I hesitated, clinging to the handholds. I knew I could trust the rope, but I didn’t feel secure away from the wall. Finally, with a little shriek, I grabbed the rope and launched off, heart leaping to my throat. And, just like Natalie had said, the automatic belay gently lowered me to the ground. There had been nothing to fear. Sometimes in life, I find myself in situations where I need to let go of my fears and trust God’s promises. Although I know that God is trustworthy, there are times when I lean on my own understanding to handle life’s uncertainties. In these times, God gently reminds me that He is with me, and He gives me the faith to fall. I may not always feel secure, but I can always trust the One who is holding me. • Siera Weber • How is it different to take someone’s word for it that something is trustworthy, and to actually experience for ourselves that we can trust it? • Have you ever had an experience that helped you know/feel that God is trustworthy? • Sometimes, we might feel ashamed when it’s difficult to trust God. But God doesn’t condemn us, He has compassion on us and helps us. What are some of God’s promises that we can lean on through life’s difficulties? (Hint: Matthew 28:20; Romans 10:9-11;Ephesians 2:4-10; Hebrews 13:5; Revelation 21:1-5) How can we gently remind each other of God’s trustworthiness? Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 (NLT)

READ: ISAIAH 64:6; ROMANS 3:23-24; GALATIANS 2:15-21 Even though I couldn’t understand the words erupting around me, I sensed we were going to be thrown off the tram. I had arrived in Romania to serve for a year in ministry. Earlier that evening, my teammates and I had purchased tickets and boarded a tram to travel from our neighborhood to the city center. I knew just a few words in this language and had much to learn about my new community (and its transportation system). That soon became abundantly clear. As we stepped aboard and the tram began rumbling along its tracks, I slid my thin paper ticket into the ticket puncher on a pole in the middle of the tram. My three teammates did the same. Glancing at my ticket, I realized I hadn’t aligned it exactly correctly in the puncher. I decided to punch it a second time to be sure I canceled out the right spaces on the ticket. We passed a few stops; then a ticket monitor boarded the tram. He asked to check the passengers’ tickets. One at a time, we handed ours over. Then he noticed mine had been punched twice, making it appear as if I had attempted to reuse a ticket without paying for my ride. Fierce arguing followed. My Romanian teammate tried to explain my innocent mistake. No matter. The ticket monitor ordered us off at the next stop. My efforts to fix a problem of my own making resulted in a bigger, messier conflict. While this incident was just a misunderstanding, it reminded me of something we try to do spiritually. We all miss the mark of following God’s good ways—we all sin. When we try to fix it, it doesn’t work. We can’t undo our sin. No amount of good things we do could ever cancel out the bad. Thankfully, our loving God is not like a harsh ticket monitor. Jesus, God in flesh, came so we could be redeemed. When we trust in Jesus—the One who never sinned but took the punishment for our sin by dying on the cross and rising from the grave—we receive forgiveness. He exchanges our sinfulness for His righteousness. In God’s sight, it’s as if we never missed the mark. And, through the Holy Spirit, God empowers Christians to be able to live according to His good ways. But even when we mess up, we can rest knowing that our forgiveness is complete. Though none of us can undo the wrong things we’ve done, when we put our trust in Jesus, we begin a new life in Him, and He lives in us. No ticket necessary. • Allison Wilson Lee • In light of the good news of Jesus, how could it be freeing to know we can never undo our sin? “I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” Galatians 2:21 (NIV)

READ: EZEKIEL 11:15-21; 39:21-29 “Where is God when there are wars and sicknesses? Where is God when my friends are hurting?” If you’ve asked these questions, you’re not alone. People have been wondering for thousands of years. One person who responded to these questions was Ezekiel, a messenger to God’s people, the Israelites. Ezekiel preached truths about God and the world, messages of warning and of hope that are written in the book of Ezekiel in the Bible. This book opens with a dramatic vision of God’s holiness. He is the Perfect Creator and Ruler of the universe, far greater than our understanding. And since God is perfect, He cannot ignore sin and evil. Sin goes against God’s good ways and separates us from His goodness. Ezekiel reminds the people that God warned them of the danger of sin. Still, they refused to listen. So, as a consequence, God punished them and let the people go into exile far from home. But there was hope. When everything was going wrong—in the midst of hurt, wars, and exile—God promised to be with His people, and one day, to bring them back home. And He promised a new Spirit that would help them live in His ways (Ezekiel 11:19). Those are a lot of big promises, but they were fulfilled over five hundred years later in Jesus, who is God in flesh. He is called Immanuel, which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). When everything goes wrong and we wonder where God is, He is right there with us. Jesus lived a perfect life and died to forgive our sins. Then He rose again from death to rescue us so we can be with our loving God forever. Finally, after Jesus ascended, God sent His Holy Spirit to be in us. The Holy Spirit gives us comfort and hope, guiding us and helping us live in God’s good ways as we wait for Jesus to return and make all things new (John 14:26). The end of Ezekiel has a beautiful picture of God’s people returning to the land He promised to give them, where He will dwell with them forever. And we have hope of the renewed creation, when we will live with Jesus forever in God’s perfect kingdom! • Abby Ciona • Do you ever feel like God is far away? We all have these feelings, and we can tell God about them anytime. To remind us of God’s constant presence, we can read verses like John 14:25-31 and Matthew 28:20. Who is a trusted Christian in your life who you could talk with about these things? If nobody comes to mind, you can ask God to help you identify someone in the future. “I will put my Spirit in you and you will live.” Ezekiel 37:14a (NIV)

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 12:20-27; EPHESIANS 2:10 Have you ever seen a patchwork quilt project? When leftover fabric is too small to make something on its own, it can be combined with other leftover fabrics in a patchwork design to create something unique, beautiful…and eco-friendly! Patchwork projects are incredibly versatile—you can make quilts, bags, clothes, and so much more. And each project is so incredibly unique because it’s made of a stunning hodgepodge of colorful and diverse fabrics. And you know what? God is working on a patchwork project too. He is fabricating His family: the church. It’s made up of Christians—people who have put their trust in Jesus to save them from sin and death—who are all different from each other. In God’s patchwork church, some are young and some are old, some are rich and some are poor, some can sing…and some can’t! We all have different abilities and come from different walks of life, but God sews us together as “the body of Christ”—His church (1 Corinthians 12:27). It’s so important for us to remember that we need each other. As we live in community with our siblings in Christ, learning about Jesus together and working alongside each other, He is making us into a beautiful work of art. As Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” So, as Christians, when our broken world makes us feel like small, insignificant scraps, we can remember that we are each an important part of God’s beautiful patchwork family. • A. W. Smith • What are some of the unique ways you have seen God sew you and other Christians together? • What are your favorite things about some of your siblings in Christ? What things make you similar and different from each other? Consider taking a moment to thank Jesus for these people and for the ways He is working at weaving all our beautiful differences together. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 1 Corinthians 12:27 (NIV)

READ: LUKE 15:11-32; JOHN 3:16-17 In the Old Testament, the coming of the Messiah was foretold by several prophets. Many Israelites thought the Messiah—the One who would save God’s people—would be a political leader who would restore their freedom and save them from their oppressor, Rome. But when Jesus came as the Messiah, He came to demonstrate God’s unconditional love for sinners, not to give His people political power. Some of the teachers of the Jewish law, called Pharisees, were hostile toward sinners. Rather than extending unconditional love, they were unfriendly to sinners and saw themselves as saints—even when they lived hypocritically. When Jesus talked to the Pharisees, He often used parables to explain key truths. One time He used a parable about a prodigal son to explain the extent of God’s unconditional love. In this parable, there were two sons who had a very influential father. The younger son asked his father for his inheritance early. His father agreed, and after getting it, the younger son went to a distant land where he squandered everything. Then a famine hit. In desperation he began to beg, and he longed to eat scraps given to the pigs. After giving it some thought, he returned back home to his father, ready to beg for forgiveness and ask his father if he could stay with him as a servant. But his father warmly accepted him back as his son, not his servant, then threw an extravagant party to celebrate his son’s return. The older son, however, was bitter and angry about the younger brother’s return and felt that his father was being unfair by extending unconditional love to the rebellious younger son. Jesus told this parable so the Pharisees would understand the level of God’s unconditional love toward all of us who have strayed. God is ready to forgive and welcome anyone who puts their trust in Jesus—any time, any day. No one is outside of Jesus’s reach. When someone who we see as unworthy comes to Jesus, instead of being bitter and angry like the older brother in the parable, we can rejoice that a sinner turned to Christ. We can continue to pray for people within our reach, and outside our reach, to come to know the unconditional love of Jesus. And we can praise God for extending His unconditional love to sinners like us. • Shadrach Goni • Take a moment to read Luke 15:11-32. Do you feel more like the older son or the younger son in this parable? Why do both of these brothers need the unconditional love of Jesus? “For the Son of Man [Jesus] has come to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10 (CSB)

READ: PSALM 121; ISAIAH 41:10 Have you ever gotten discouraged about living the Christian life? If so, you’re not alone. In our broken world, we face many discouraging things, like temptation, loss, broken relationships, disaster, and tragedies of all kinds. Sometimes we as Christians can get a little weary on the journey of faith. There are times when we need encouragement and help to move us along in our walk with God. When we need help and encouragement, we can always turn to Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30). He has promised to be with us—always. He may use a Bible passage or work through another Christian to encourage us. Whenever we’re feeling down, we can trust Him to be with us and give us the help we need in that moment. Put another way, walking with Jesus is not a solo activity. God is present with us, and He also brings other Christians alongside us to help us when we struggle against the currents of temptation and difficult circumstances. Together, we can run to Jesus Himself, the ultimate source of help. He saved us, and we are learning to depend on Him in every circumstance. Whatever we are facing, He’s always there to encourage and strengthen us. • A. W. Smith • Can you think of a time you felt discouraged in your walk with Jesus? Was there anything that helped encourage you during this time? • Are there any Bible passages that have encouraged you in difficult times? Which one(s)? Do you know anyone who might be encouraged by this too? • Who are trusted people in your life—such as friends, pastors, parents, counselors, etc.—who you could talk with when you’re feeling discouraged? So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

READ: MATTHEW 23:11-36; ROMANS 15:7; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:1-21 Jesus Christ had a lot to say about hypocrisy. In Matthew 23, He confronted a group of religious leaders, repeating the phrase, “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites!” not once, but six times. Jesus called out their self-righteousness. When we think of hypocrites we imagine people trying to appear better than they are. They make a show of being spiritual. Jesus said these religious leaders were like white-washed tombs filled with bones of the dead (verse 27). They look good outwardly, but inside they are full of death and yuck. We fall into the same trap. We cover our sin and guilt with showy goodness. Our good deeds and Bible studies make it on social media, while the sin in our lives goes unshared. The word “hypocrite” comes from the Greek word for actor, one who is playing a part. It’s someone pretending to be what they’re not. But I think it’s also possible to be a “reverse hypocrite.” Let me give an example. I was with my friends once, and they were bragging about the times they got in trouble. One guy took his parents’ car for a drive. One guy got drunk. Then there’s me. I got nothing. I took some cookies from the cookie jar once when my mom said not to. So, I made up some stuff. I tried to sound edgy. I’m not edgy. I like to go home and read books. Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever exaggerated something about yourself to sound cool? Have you attempted to make yourself seem like more of a rebel than you actually are? Ever been a reverse hypocrite? Lots of us have done this. Why? Usually because we want to be accepted by other people—and this is a good desire, but when we try to find acceptance by being dishonest, that’s not good. Yet Jesus offers us, hypocrites that we are, full acceptance in His family, no matter if our sins are obvious to others or hidden in the shadows. He loves us, and He invites us to come to Him and be made new, be forgiven, and be our authentic selves. Who you are before the Lord is the most important thing, and He sees right through all forms of hypocrisy. You can’t fool Him, and you don’t need to (2 Corinthians 5:10, 21). When you find yourself fearing people, you can come to Jesus. Through His Holy Spirit, He will remind you of His unconditional love and help you live in truth before the Lord. • Jeff Weddle • What kinds of hypocrisy are you tempted toward? We’re all guilty of hypocrisy. Yet Jesus sees us as we truly are and loves us. How can resting in Jesus’s acceptance help us accept ourselves and others? Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you… Romans 15:7 (NIV)

READ: 1 CHRONICLES 16:8-27 I will write a letter to You, Lord A letter to say I thank You, for the people You provided me, for the opportunities You allowed me, I thank You, Lord. I will write You a letter, Lord A letter to say I praise You, when life is calm, when life is crazy, I praise You, Lord. I will write a letter to You, Lord A letter to say I need You, for the days my body is hurting, for the days my mind is stressed, I need You, Lord. I will write a letter to You, Lord A letter to say I thank You, for your death on the cross, for taking my sins with you, I thank you, Lord. • Kimberly Brokish • Some people like to pray by writing down their words to God. Have you ever tried writing your prayers in the form of a letter? Are there other ways you like to pray? • If you wrote a letter to the Lord, what would it say? Consider taking a moment now to talk, or write, to God about whatever is on your mind. Give thanks to the LORD; call on his name; proclaim his deeds among the peoples. 1 Chronicles 16:8 (CSB)

READ: ISAIAH 62:5; HOSEA 2:19; JOHN 3:28-31; EPHESIANS 5:25-29 As someone who is married, I think the image of Jesus as a Bridegroom to the church is a beautiful comparison. The love, companionship, and union of marriage is designed to mirror the relationship of Jesus and His church. That’s why one name for Jesus in the Bible is the Bridegroom, and we—the church—are His bride. Jesus deeply loves us, He laid down His life for us, and He continues to take care of us. We see this in His Word, the Bible. Jesus, God the Son, took on human flesh to live among us on earth, and He died and rose again to save us. Then He ascended to heaven, promising to return. Yet He is still with us through His Holy Spirit living in us, and even now, He is taking care of us—providing for our spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical needs. His self-sacrificial love and service to the church is mind-blowing. In a marriage, there is also supposed to be self-sacrificing love and service to each other. On most days, this kind of love shows up on a smaller scale. For example, a spouse might give up some of their time to spend on something their spouse is excited about, or help their spouse manage tasks when they are overwhelmed. But sometimes it can mean bigger acts of love, like choosing to raise children, or caring for a spouse who is terminally ill. The deep love and connection that comes in marriage serves as a reminder of the love Jesus has for us. I think about how much I love my husband and how much he loves me, and then I marvel at the fact that Jesus loves me even more. • Naomi Zylstra • If you’ve put your trust in Jesus, you are part of the church, the bride of Christ. Have you ever thought of yourself in this way? What do you like or dislike about this comparison? • Whenever you see a husband and wife live out self-sacrificial love in marriage, you can be reminded of the self-sacrificial love Jesus has for you. Have you seen this kind of love in any married couples you know? As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. Isaiah 62:5b (NIV)

READ: LUKE 11:1-13; ROMANS 8:15-17, 26-30 God loves being in close relationship with us. That’s why He invites us to be in communication with Him and enjoy the closeness and unity we have with Him. The Trinity is the perfect example of unity. God is one, and God is also three persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit (Deuteronomy 6:4; 2 Corinthians 13:14). The Trinity is characterized by love, and from that love God created the whole universe—especially making humans in God’s own image to be in relationship with Him. While Jesus was living among us on earth, He often spoke with the Father. He would take time to be alone and pray, continuing to lean into His relationship with the Father. Praying isn’t something that comes naturally to everyone, but the Holy Spirit helps us and Jesus gives us instructions on how to pray, showing us that prayer is relational. When Jesus begins His prayers with the word “Father,” this is a reminder of the close connection they have. As Christians, we also get to address God as Father when we pray because we have been adopted into God’s family by putting our trust in Jesus. We are set to inherit God’s kingdom as His children. God even wants us to call Him “Abba Father” which is a less formal address that shows the closeness of our relationship with Him (Romans 8:15). This close relationship makes sense when we think about the love God has poured out for us. When Jesus sacrificed His life on the cross, that was an outpouring of love. And that kind of love is a sign of a deep relational connection. God wants a relationship with us and has already made the way for this relationship to be possible through Jesus’s death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. God invites us to know Him, interact with Him, and continue to grow in our relationship with Him throughout our lives. • Naomi Zylstra • Have you ever thought about prayer being relational? We don’t have to be “good” at it, whatever that means. Prayer is simply drawing near to God, sometimes without even using words. When do you feel close to God? If you’ve never felt close to God, that’s okay. God invites us to ask Him for this, and He delights in answering these prayers. …you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15 (NLT)

READ: PSALM 37:1-7; PROVERBS 16:1-9; 19:20-22 As a young child, I dreamed of many variations of my future: a ballerina (which I was told I could never accomplish), or a nurse who flies in helicopters to help with medical emergencies, or an environmentalist who protects God’s creation. I also fantasized about opening a shop that sold used books, bouquets of flowers, and had a café. I had a vivid imagination. None of these aspirations have come true. As time went by, I changed my mind about what I would pursue for my future. I studied environmental biology, but I never established a career in that field. I also dreamed of being a missionary—something God did give me opportunities to do. I served for twenty-two years in a mission organization, sharing the gospel as I lived on three different continents. Something I didn’t imagine doing with my life though? Becoming a writer. Now, my writing has been published in a number of different magazines. When we follow Jesus, our lives often—or, honestly, almost always—turn out differently than we expect. When we give our hearts to Jesus, trusting in His death and resurrection to pay for our sins and provide eternal life, we begin a relationship with God our Father. We also start a journey on His path, running the race God has marked out for us (Hebrews 12:1-3). As we live in Christ, His Spirit lives in us, teaching us and leading us in God’s ways. So, as we continue to dream and set goals, we can trust those hopes and desires to our wise Lord who has mighty plans for us, whose good purposes will prevail. • Allison Wilson Lee • What are some of your hopes, dreams, or plans for the future? Do you feel like you can trust God with these important things? Why or why not? • Have you ever had your dreams put down by other people? This is a painful thing, and Jesus feels these hurts with us. He is kind and trustworthy, and He invites us to open our hearts to receive His healing. Consider taking a moment to bring Him any hurts that come to mind. • Have you ever felt like you needed to know exactly what you wanted your adult life to be like? That’s a pressure a lot of us have felt, but God doesn’t expect us to be able to plan out our future. Instead, He promises to be with us through everything, and He invites us to rely on Him as we face one decision at a time. How might this be a freer way to live life? Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21 (NIV)

READ: EXODUS 34:5-6; MATTHEW 22:35-40; EPHESIANS 4:31-5:2 Do you ever feel like you’re failing in your relationships? I do. I often find myself asking God to help me be a better friend, daughter, wife, mother, church member, coworker, and so on. And while these prayers have good intentions, I would often spend more time berating myself for my failures and thinking about human solutions than asking God to change my heart. Because the root of the problem isn’t my behavior—it’s my heart. My actions and words flow from my heart, so simply modifying those actions and words doesn’t fix the problem (Luke 6:45). My heart is still inclined toward selfishness, grumpiness, and impatience. To fix the problem, I need Jesus to change my heart. So, I’ve recently started changing the way I pray in these situations. First, I process my feelings with God. I bring Him my feelings of anger, frustration, grumpiness, and irritation. He cares about these feelings, and He wants to bring healing. Relationships are complicated, and sometimes I need to acknowledge the ways someone has failed to love me, as well as the ways I’ve failed to love that person. Then, instead of praying, “Lord, help me be a better friend,” I say, “Lord, incline my heart toward _____.” Because if my heart is inclined toward that person, my words and actions will flow from that posture of love. And sometimes, this prayer applies to my relationship with God too—I’ve often prayed that God will incline my heart toward Him and His good ways. And this is only possible because God’s heart is inclined toward me—toward us (1 John 4:19). Jesus proved this through His death and resurrection. He longs to be with us, to make us whole. And His love is unshakeable. His heart will never be inclined toward selfishness, grumpiness, or impatience. He is always seeking our good and the good of His Kingdom. And when I rest in this truth, I find myself much more inclined to love my neighbor as myself. • Taylor Eising • What do you do when you feel like you’re failing in a relationship? How could remembering Jesus’s unshakeable love for us bring us encouragement during these times? • If you’re ready, you can take some time right now to pray, asking God to incline your heart toward Himself and/or specific people in your life. 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)

READ: LUKE 15; JOHN 15:13; ROMANS 5:5-11 Elle’s dragon, Thon, had run away many times. But never before had he been missing for more than one rotation of the two moons. Elle had hand fed him from his hatching, taught him to fly, nursed him through dragon pox. Loved him. Elle sat up on her bed. The annual dragon market was today at the junkyard for old time machines. Perhaps Thon would be there. She must hurry. At the auction, she saw him almost at once. Shoulders slumped. A tear in one eye. Her telepathic device was only fourth generation, but it sensed Thon’s despair. “Thon!” she called. He turned his mighty head. If only she could explain her circumstances to the auctioneer before he started the bidding! But she was too late. She was only halfway up the aisle when the first bid rang out. More than she could possibly earn in a lifetime. She shouted out a higher number anyway. Outbid again. Still, she went higher. “450,000 drachs!” An astronomical sum. The other bidder stayed silent. “Sold!” The auctioneer pointed toward Elle. She made her way to the platform, then whispered, “I don’t have the money, but I had to stop the bidding. That’s my dragon. I raised him from his hatching. Ask him.” The auctioneer sneered. “This is an auction, not a reunion site. Soldiers, take her away.” Thon bellowed. An agonizing sound. Elle shouted, “Auction me then. I am worth 450,000 drachs.” The auctioneer bent down. “Why would you do that? Nobody has ever given themselves for the purchase of another. Not in the history of the world.” “Maybe not in the history of this age,” Elle said softly. “But I have read about another time when a being—the God man—gave His life so others might live. He is called Messiah.” “Do you love this dragon so much then?” the auctioneer asked. Elle nodded, and something in his countenance changed. “It is not the custom to withdraw dragons once they are entered in the auction. But I believe he must be yours.” He banged his gavel. “Go in peace.” • Carol Raj • Today’s allegorical story gives us a glimpse of God’s sacrificial love for us. We all run away from God, but He paid the highest price to restore us to Himself. The Messiah, Jesus, willingly went to the cross to die because it was the only way to save us. And then He rose from the grave, defeating sin and death forever. How can these truths give us hope? “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13 (NLT)

READ: ROMANS 12:1-2; PHILIPPIANS 2:13; COLOSSIANS 3:12-17 What do you think of when you hear the word “worship”? For me, I tend to think of worship music, my personal devotional time, or maybe a worship service at church. However, worship as the Bible describes it is much bigger than a song or something we participate in a few moments each week. As Paul writes to the church in Rome, as we consider the mercies of God, offering our bodies and our lives as a living sacrifice, that is our true worship (Romans 12:1). Then Paul says that God calls us not to conform to the world around us, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. What does it look like to have our minds renewed? We get some clues in the following verses, where Paul describes the kind of life God calls us to live, urging us to love others—even our enemies. In another letter Paul wrote, this time to the Colossians, he highlights some more specific characteristics and qualities that would describe someone who is living a sacrificial lifestyle of true worship: “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another,” and above all loving one another (Colossians 3:12-14). All of those things are characteristics of Jesus, and of someone who is living a lifestyle of worship, holy and pleasing to God. Paul ends this portion of his letter to the Colossians with an incredible challenge: “Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (verse 17). Throughout our lives, God calls us to grow in these characteristics, relying on His presence within us through the Holy Spirit to give us the help we need. God is a faithful God—faithful to forgive, faithful to redeem, and faithful to restore. The best part is He WANTS to help us grow in Him! Through Jesus, God has already provided forgiveness, and through the Holy Spirit, He is already transforming Christians (2 Corinthians 3:18). He loves it when we worship Him, and His help is always available to us. • Hunter Taylor • Consider spending some time today asking God to reveal some ways you can grow in your lifestyle of worship and ask for His help in making those changes. In addition to talking to God, who are trusted Christians in your life you can talk to? • What are some ways we can remember God’s mercy? How might this help us live a lifestyle of worship? Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. Romans 12:1 (CSB)

READ: JOHN 13:34-35; GALATIANS 5:22-23; EPHESIANS 4:24-32 On the night before Jesus went to the cross, He told His followers, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35). Have you ever had the opportunity to share your faith because people noticed Jesus’s love shining through you? Sometimes, before we say anything about how we belong to God’s family, people can see there’s something different about us. Why? Think about it this way: when you’re part of an earthly family, you take on family traits. If you were born into your family, you may have the same build or hair color as your relatives. And whether you were adopted or born into a family, you may also have other family traits—like facial expressions, mannerisms, sense of humor, work ethic, a knack for helping others, etc. When we’re part of an earthly family, it’s often easy to see we belong to our family because we share these traits. Being part of God’s family is like that too. The Holy Spirit develops traits in us that reflect Jesus—like love, patience, and kindness. That’s often how people can tell we’re Christians. But sometimes we don’t act like Christians. Treating others badly can make it more difficult for people to see we belong to God’s family. When our actions keep us from looking like Jesus, He calls us to confess our sin to Him and trust Him to help us grow in His love for others. Even when we struggle, we can have hope because the Holy Spirit is continuing to work in our lives to give us traits like kindness, patience, and self-control as we are transformed to become more like Jesus. And we also have hope that God is continuing to work in people’s hearts to draw them to Himself, even when we mess up. Through it all, we can rest assured that we are secure in the love of God, who is always kind and patient with us. • A. W. Smith • Earthly families are made up of imperfect people, so family traits aren’t always positive. Even when our earthly family struggles, we can rest knowing that we belong to Jesus and the Holy Spirit is working in our hearts to bring out the traits of God’s family. What are some of the negative and positive traits in your family? What godly traits do you see the Holy Spirit bringing out in you? (Galatians 5:22-23) • As the Holy Spirit works in you and helps you notice the negative and positive traits you see in yourself and your family, who are trusted people you can talk with—such as counselors, therapists, pastors, parents, etc.? “By this everyone will know that you are my [Jesus’s] disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35 (NIV)

READ: EPHESIANS 4:1-16; PHILIPPIANS 1:3-6, 9-11 Imagine for a moment you were caring for a newborn baby, and then, the day after their birth, you just expected them to be able to walk. That would be ridiculous, right? Babies can’t do everything right away when they’re born. They grow up gradually, learning a little at a time. It’s the same way with Christians. The Holy Spirit helps us grow in our faith throughout our whole lives. As we go to church, read the Bible, pray, and spend time with other Christians, we learn more about Jesus and how to live the way He calls us to. And one of the ways Jesus calls us to follow Him is by being patient with others, not giving up on people but encouraging them. Sometimes, we as the body of Christ are less than kind to baby Christians— siblings in Christ who have only recently put their trust in Jesus and been “born again” into God’s family (John 3:1-17). If we’ve grown up in the church and trusted Jesus since we were little, we sometimes expect new Christians to immediately act as though they’ve been walking with the Lord for many years. And, when we see them struggling with sin, sometimes we slightly-older siblings fall for a certain temptation: criticizing our younger siblings rather than encouraging them and praying with and for them. So today, if we feel we should point out to someone that they’re not acting in a way that fits with who they are in Jesus, let’s do it in a loving way. After all, none of us are perfect! We all struggle with sin, and we all need the grace of Jesus. As we remember the love Jesus has shown both to us and to our siblings, we can build each other up as He helps all of us grow. • A. W. Smith • Who are some people that have helped you grow in your walk with Jesus? What were some of the things they said or did—or didn’t say or do—that were especially valuable to you? • As Christians, we and our fellow siblings in Christ all struggle with sin, and we are all beloved by God, no matter how long we’ve been Christians. How can resting in this truth help us treat each other with kindness? Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. 1 Thessalonians 5:14b (NLT)

READ: PSALM 108:1-5; JOHN 3:16-17 Your love is so great I can’t stop talking about it I want to sing it loud I want to share the news I want others to see what You have done Your love has touched the world I want those living everywhere to hear about it I want everyone to know they can receive it I want to share it with all You made the heavens and Your love goes higher than them It is bigger than the world It is greater than the sea It is more amazing than anything You made You sit over all May you be praised May you be lifted high May we see Your love and worship You • Emily Acker • God revealed His enormous love for us when He came to live among us. Jesus is fully God and fully human, and He gave His life for ours, dying on the cross. Then He rose from the dead so we could be saved from sin and death. God loves us so much that He made the way for us to live with Him forever. And He loved us while we were still sinners (Romans 5:6-10). When we think about the gospel—the good news of Jesus—why is God’s love central to this good news? If you want to know more about the gospel and how you can know God, check out our “Know Jesus” page. • When we experience God’s love for ourselves, we naturally want to share it (1 John 4:19). Can you remember a time you felt loved by God? If not, you can ask God to reveal His love to you anytime. He delights in answering these prayers. For your loving kindness is great above the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Psalm 108:4 (WEB)

READ: MATTHEW 22:34-40; ACTS 9:1-20 When I worked in Japan as a young international schoolteacher, I often spent weekends exploring Tokyo’s neighborhoods or other parts of Japan. Sometimes, I’d get lost and have to ask strangers the way in my simple Japanese: “Migi? Hidari? Massugu?” (Right? Left? Straight?) Their rapid, fluent answers often left me confused. Do you ever get lost or confused when trying to follow Jesus? He called Himself “the way” (John 14:6), and early Christians were called people “who belonged to the Way” (Acts 9:2). Yet, for thousands of years, people have wondered: How can I discover God’s will for my life? After three years of teaching in Japan, I prayerfully tried to discern if I should move back to the United States. I was feeling confused and unsure, but this verse comforted me: in Acts 9:11, the risen Jesus literally gives Ananias a street address: “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street”! Then the Lord continued, “and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.” Ananias had plenty of reasons to be scared of going there to meet Saul, a man who had been persecuting and imprisoning followers of Jesus, but at least he had clear directions! I didn’t expect Jesus to be that specific for me, but as I read this verse I asked God to help me trust Him with my future. I had already learned that Jesus loved me and was with me. Now I learned to trust that He could lead me. And if I didn’t hear clear directions like Ananias? No matter where I chose to live, I could continue to follow His directions from Matthew 22:37-39: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…[and] love your neighbor as yourself.” • Sonja Anderson • Have you ever asked God for guidance? What happened? • What does it mean when it seems like God is silent? Sometimes, we start to worry that He can’t hear us or doesn’t care, but that’s not true. God guides us in all sorts of ways, not only through visions and dreams but also through circumstances and advice from mature Christians. And God’s guidance always: agrees with His Word (the Bible), glorifies God the Father and God the Son (John 16:12-15), brings the fruit of the Spirit and hope (Galatians 5:22-23; John 10:10), and does not come with condemnation or fear (John 3:17; Romans 8:1; 1 John 4:18). Who are trusted Christian mentors in your life you could talk to about these things? The Lord told him [Ananias], “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying.” Acts 9:11 (NIV)

READ: PSALM 13; 1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18; HEBREWS 10:36-39 There are times when I get on my knees to pray, and I don’t feel like praying. There are times when I talk to God, and it doesn’t feel like He’s listening. There are times when I’m in a tough spot, and I feel like screaming, “God! Don’t You even care?” One thing I love about God is that He can handle my feelings, no matter how unruly they may be. Especially when we feel overwhelmed and alone, it’s easy to withdraw into ourselves and avoid talking to God, but that’s not what God wants. He invites us to be totally honest with Him about what we’re experiencing. Lots of psalms show us how to do this—for example, Psalm 13 begins with the words, “How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever?” (verse 1). Don’t hesitate to express your frustration to God…but don’t stop there! As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit living inside us, so we can choose to turn our hearts, our minds, and our actions toward the Lord no matter what we’re going through. He invites us to come to Him, to experience the freedom of worshipping Him and entrusting all our worries to His care. Here are some practices that can be helpful as we press into relationship with God: Choose to trust. Psalm 13 begins with frustration, but later the author says, “I trust in your unfailing love” (verse 5). When life gets tough, we can rely on God’s love and remember His promises to us: He promised to send a Messiah to save us, and He did! Jesus Christ died and rose again so that everyone who puts their trust in Him can be with God forever. And Jesus promises to return one day and make all things new, free from sorrow and pain (Revelation 21:1-5). These promises are still true, regardless of our circumstances. We may go through times when we feel forgotten by God, but we can cling to the truth that Jesus is with us—always (Matthew 1:23; 28:20). Choose to praise. Psalm 13 says, “I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me” (verse 6). Praise is a choice that’s hard to make in frustrating times. But this action expresses, “My God is worthy of praise, no matter what.” And as we continue to acknowledge God’s goodness, we often find relief from our frustration. Choose to give thanks. Even when we can’t think of anything to be thankful for, we can echo the words of Psalm 13: “my heart rejoices in your salvation” (verse 5). Christ’s sacrifice for us hasn’t been nullified when we don’t feel God’s presence. We can always thank Him for saving us. And we can also be thankful that He is still working in the midst of our frustrations, even when we can’t see it (John 5:17; Romans 8:28). Choose to pray, even when you don’t see the point. In the middle of Psalm 13 is a desperate prayer, “Look on me and answer, LORD my God… ” (verse 3). The action of asking God for help communicates, “Even though I don’t understand, I know You listen to me and care about me.” And prayer is more than that. When we pray, we are communicating with the living God. We can come into God’s presence, because God has come into our presence…Jesus came to bring heaven to earth! As we come to God in prayer, He opens our eyes to the reality of how much He loves us. When we bring our sorrows to God, we can reap a harvest of joy (Psalm 126:5-6)! When we choose to follow God in the midst of our frustrations, our perspective shifts from “God, where are You?” to “God, I trust You.” By choosing to interact with God, we experience an even stronger faith in Him, knowing that His love can’t be shaken, even in the hardest struggles. • Lily Walsh But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me. Psalm 13:5-6 (NIV) • Have you ever tried to express your frustrations to God? What was it like? • How could it be freeing to know that God can handle our feelings, and He wants us t...

READ: GENESIS 18:25; JOHN 3:16-18; ROMANS 8:1-11; 14:11-12 Do you know anyone who has been on a jury in the United States of America? In the USA, a person accused of a crime has the right to a trial by jury. That means other American citizens are randomly selected to hear the evidence and decide whether or not the person accused of a crime is guilty. Their final decision is to be based solely on the evidence given in court. For that reason, jury members are not allowed to talk about the case with anyone outside of the jury. Since people who are not jurors haven’t heard all the evidence, they might offer information they think is true, but this information may not be correct or relevant to the case. Then someone else’s opinion might sway a jury member’s thinking, and their decision could be based on wrong information. While everyone on the jury may want to be fair and make the right decision, it can often take quite a while before all the jurors are able to agree on the issues in a case. And sometimes, even with the best intentions, juries make the wrong call. As a result, people can be wrongly convicted of crimes they didn’t commit—or deemed innocent when they are actually guilty. This sober reality can make us appreciate God in a deeper way. No matter how fair we try to be, we’re still human, and we’re all broken by sin. Only God is all-wise and completely fair, and He is the Judge of all the earth. Each of us will have to stand before Him someday, and we’re all guilty of sin and deserve to face its consequence: death without hope of resurrection. But God, our just Judge, is merciful, and He has intervened on our behalf. Because He loves us, He became human and took all our sin upon Himself when He went to the cross. Jesus faced an unjust trial, and though He was not guilty of any wrongdoing, He let Himself be put to death. He laid down His life for us, and then He rose from the grave to defeat sin and death. Now, whoever puts their trust in Jesus receives God’s mercy and is declared not guilty! As God’s forgiven people, we can learn to walk with God in His ways of justice and mercy (Micah 6:8). The Holy Spirit empowers us to love God and neighbor as we wait for Jesus to return and finally right every wrong. • A. W. Smith • Think about court cases you’ve read about or seen in the news. What aspects of the world’s justice systems seem to align with God’s justice? What aspects don’t seem to align? • As Christians, when we encounter situations that don’t align with God’s justice, how should we respond? “Won’t the Judge of the whole earth do what is just?” Genesis 18:25 (CSB)

READ: MATTHEW 12:1-14 How do you deal with conflict? I may have an unpopular approach, but I tend to address conflict head on, right away. I don’t like using the silent treatment or leaving passive aggressive notes. But I think my approach can be a little intense sometimes, so I’m learning to give others time to process disagreement and conflict. When I’m practicing better conflict management, I try to remember how Jesus dealt with conflict. He stepped into conflict, but His purpose was to bring shalom. “Shalom” is a Hebrew word that can sometimes be translated as “peace,” but a more comprehensive translation would be closer to reconciliation, making all things as they should be, or making broken things whole. Jesus is a maker of this kind of peace—not just the absence of conflict, but the presence of wholeness without fear or anxiety. And when Jesus returns, He will bring all things into shalom, making everything whole so all things work together the way they were designed to. To make things whole again, sometimes we do need to step into conflict. Jesus often did this with the Pharisees (a group of Jewish religious leaders), rebuking them for their hypocrisy and for caring more about rules than about people. For example, one time Jesus’s disciples were hungry on the Sabbath (a Jewish day of rest) so they picked a few heads of grain from a field. This went against a Pharisaic law that stated a person shouldn’t pick heads of grain on the Sabbath. When the Pharisees confronted Jesus about this, He rebuked them. He told them He is Lord over the Sabbath, and it wasn’t right for them to condemn people for breaking human-made rules. Those rules brought division and self-righteousness, not shalom. They blinded the Pharisees to the bigger picture—that Jesus was God in human flesh, and He had come in love to bring about shalom. Soon after this, when the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus into breaking the Sabbath, Jesus healed a man’s hand—He restored what was broken and made his hand whole. In this way, Jesus stepped into conflict to reconcile what was wrong and bring about shalom. So when we see division and brokenness, we can look to Jesus, the One who brought wholeness to our broken relationship with God, and seek to follow in His footsteps. We can step into conflict with Jesus right beside us, aiming to bring wholeness to broken places. • Naomi Zylstra • How do you tend to deal with conflict? Learning when and how to step into conflict is difficult. Consider spending some time talking to God about this, asking for His guidance and direction. “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” Matthew 5:9 (WEB)

READ: ROMANS 12:4-10; 1 CORINTHIANS 12:1-27; 1 PETER 4:8-11 Not all Christians are potatoes. Let me explain. Let’s say you have a vegetable garden filled with carrots, potatoes, beans…and then you combine all those colorful and delicious veggies into a great vegetable soup. But what if the scenario changed? What if all you had in your garden were potatoes? In this new scenario, you couldn’t make that flavorful, colorful, nutritious meal. We can think of the church (all Christians everywhere) like this: as a vibrant, diverse vegetable soup. But as Christians, sometimes we forget we’re not all meant to be potatoes. Just as God gives each vegetable a different taste, He gives each of His children different spiritual gifts to build up the church. Another way to think about this is to remember that God calls us the body of Christ and says we are each a different part, but we all belong to the same body. In the family of God, we are all different, but we are united through faith in Jesus. So, instead of comparing ourselves to others and wondering if we should be more like them—or if they should be more like us—we have the opportunity to use the gifts God has given us to share His love with others and build up His church. Today, we can ask God to show us the spiritual gifts He has given us, and we can ask Him to guide us in how we can use these gifts in our church and our community. We can enjoy our beautiful differences, and together we can more fully reflect the goodness of God and put His glory on display. Because no matter what gifts we have, we are each an important part of God’s family, and we get to bring flavor and nourishment to the world—together. • A. W. Smith • What are some of your talents? Are you good at art, music, math, mechanics, athletics, teaching, caring for people who are sick or in crisis…? • If you know Jesus, you’ve been given spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit. Do you have an idea what some of your spiritual gifts might be? (Today’s Bible passages include a couple of the Bible’s lists on this topic.) Consider taking some time to pray about this, asking God for wisdom about how you might use your gifts to share His love with the people you come in contact with. • Who are trusted Christians in your life you could talk with about your talents and spiritual gifts and how you might use them? We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. Romans 12:6a (NIV)

READ: JEREMIAH 29:11-13, 33:2-3; ROMANS 8:26-27 I have always prayed before bed; it’s something my parents started doing with me when I was little, and it stuck. But there’s one problem with this: I’ve lost count of the number of times when, by the time I go to bed, my brain is so scrambled that all the words I have left seem like utter nonsense. I feel guilty for this sometimes because I want to be able to talk to God, to coherently thank Him for my day and ask for His advice and His help. But I have to remind myself there’s no need to feel guilty, because even when I speak utter nonsense, God knows exactly what I mean. He wants to hear from me—and from all His people—no matter what we have to say or how coherently we are able to say it. In Jeremiah 33:2-3, God reminds His people that He is the One who made the earth. Right after that He says, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (verse 3). The Creator of the earth—of the entire universe—asks His people to call on Him. God doesn’t just tolerate our prayers; He desires them. And He promises to respond—though He may not respond how we expect Him to. Hebrews 4:14-16 reminds us that, because of Jesus’s death and resurrection, we can approach our loving God with confidence, knowing He hears our prayers. How amazing is that? No matter if the prayer—or call—we make to Him is utter nonsense; He wants to hear from us. And what may seem like utter nonsense to me and you makes perfect sense to Him. • Kimberly Brokish • Have you ever felt like you were praying utter nonsense? Bible passages like Psalm 139:1-4 and Romans 8:26-27 remind us that God knows what’s in our hearts and what we want to tell Him, and the Holy Spirit helps makes sense of our utter nonsense. • How does it make you feel to know that the Creator of the universe wants to hear from you? What would you like to tell Him right now? “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 (NIV)

READ: MATTHEW 1:23; JOHN 1:1-18; ROMANS 5:6-11 Over two thousand years ago, Jesus was born. God became human and lived on earth with other humans. Stop for a moment and think about that. Isn’t that amazing? The One who was present at the beginning of time—the One who created all things, including humans—came down to His creation and experienced it as a human…because He loves us. Jesus grew up with the people around Him. He went through puberty, had younger siblings, and even experienced betrayal. How amazing is that? Out of His great love for us, our God experienced a human life like us. But let’s not forget Jesus is also fully God, and He had a special purpose in His life, ministry, death, and resurrection here on earth. Jesus came to rescue the world from sin and death, because when the first humans rejected God and sinned against Him, we became separated from our loving Creator. But God wants us to be with Him again. Though sin is like a chasm between us and God, Jesus became the bridge between humankind and God so that there would be no separation between the two. And Jesus is the only One who could close that gap because He is both fully God and fully human. Jesus never sinned, and He didn’t deserve any of the punishment for sin, but He took it all upon Himself…because He loves us. When Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, He made the atoning sacrifice for our sin so that He could restore us to relationship with Himself. Now, everyone who puts their trust in Jesus is brought near to God. As Christians, we can know that God is with us here and now, and we also get to look forward to the day Jesus will return bodily to earth. Then sin and death will be no more, and we will live with God in restored creation! One of Jesus’s names is Immanuel, which means “God with us,” and that’s exactly who Jesus is. He is God, and He is also human like us. And because Jesus came to be with us, now everyone who puts their trust in Jesus gets to be with God— forever. • Naomi Zylstra • When you think about Jesus being both fully human and fully God, which one is harder for you to wrap your mind around? Consider taking a moment to talk to Him about this. While there are some things we may never fully understand, God invites us to question and wrestle with Him. • When you have questions about who Jesus is or about being brought near to God, who are trusted Christians in your life you can talk to? (You can also find out more on our “Know Jesus” page.) “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).” Matthew 1:23 (NIV)

A scorching sun beats down from a red sky, hot sand making my throat and nose raw. I cough wheezily, my chest tight and vision blurry. Hours have passed since I got separated from the caravan, and I am all but spent. My vision spins and I fall to my knees, panting. Slowly, I regain my balance only to stare in surprise at what’s in front of me. A man in a white robe and sandals stands there, smiling gently as he holds out a hand for me to take. With shaking fingers I grasp his hand, standing. “Who are you?” I ask in surprise. The man merely smiles. “I AM,” he replies, and I blink. “What? That—” I stutter, completely confused. “Come,” says the man, and I follow with wobbly legs. After a few minutes there’s a gust of wind, blowing up a wave of sand, and he disappears from my sight. “Wait!” I cry, my voice cracking. “Don’t leave!” Just as panic begins to overtake me, the sand settles, and the man reappears. “I’m right here,” he says kindly. “I’m not leaving.” I watch him nervously, not entirely sure he’s being truthful. He beckons me forward, hand reaching out. “Come.” We begin walking again and make it a ways before I fall to my knees, exhausted. The man stops, watching me with compassion etched on his face. My vision blurs so I shake my head to clear it, only to nearly fall over sideways because my body is so weak. “Help,” I rasp to the man, “I can’t go any farther.” No sooner do I say it than a pair of arms wrap around me, picking me up. “Rest,” he says with a kindly smile, “I will carry you.” My eyes droop tiredly and I yawn. “Who are you?” I murmur. “I AM.” Oh…I get it. Peace washes over me as my eyes close, and I smile. I AM. Jesus. • Caelin Allred • What stuck out to you in this allegorical story? In Exodus 3:14, God says His name is “I AM,” which is translated Yahweh or LORD. Jesus revealed that He is I AM, God in human flesh, the promised Messiah-Rescuer (John 4:26). He saves us from sin and death, and He helps us in our weakness. • Can you think of a time you felt lost? Do you feel lost now? How could it give us hope to know there is always someone out there searching for us? (Luke 15:1-7; John 10:11-18) “I myself will search for my sheep and look after them…I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness.” Ezekiel 34:11-12 (NIV)

READ: PROVERBS 1:1-7; 1 CORINTHIANS 1:30; JAMES 1:5-8; 3:13-18 The ball was out, right? It all happened so fast that I couldn’t tell. Did it touch the line? I tried to replay it in my head, but the decision wasn’t becoming any clearer. This was the biggest tennis game of the season. If we won, we would advance, but if we lost, the season would be over. Worse yet, I was playing doubles—which meant I had a teammate. My partner was staring at me. I looked back down at the line, wanting so badly to call it “out,” which would mean the other team wouldn’t get the winning point. I could feel the pressure from my partner, the anticipation from our opponents, and the sweat streaming down my temples. During one of our early season practices our coach had told us, “If it’s too close to call, then it’s in.” She said this was “proper tennis etiquette.” At that moment I despised her words. Why couldn’t it have been clear! I didn’t even care if the ball was in or out at this point! I just wanted it to be clear, but it wasn’t. Only a couple seconds had passed while I processed all this. I clenched my racket with my right hand, and with my left, I pointed toward the ground, calling it “in.” The other team erupted with joy, and my partner extended a low five. Our season was over. Sometimes in our spiritual walk, we find ourselves in situations where there is no clear answer. Following Jesus is full of right and wrong decisions, sure, but what do we do when we are unsure about the best course of action in a particular situation? Scripture can help us in these uncertain moments. James 1:5 instructs us to ask God for wisdom and He will give it. Likewise, the book of Proverbs is full of short phrases that provide some guidelines for us to live by. And if we spend time reflecting on the Bible’s proverbs, we might find their wisdom is more relatable and applicable than we expect! But sometimes, following Proverbs doesn’t always work out the way we want it to—just look at the book of Job. Job lived a righteous life, and he still lost everything. Yet even then, we can trust Jesus, who is God’s perfect wisdom made flesh, to walk with us through the ambiguity, sustaining us with His love and covering our faults with His mercy. • Dathan Tenter • Have you ever been in a high-pressure situation where you weren’t sure what the right answer was? • Who are wise people in your life? How could they help you learn to walk in God’s wisdom? If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. James 1:5 (NLT)

READ: GALATIANS 5:16-26 SMASH! TWANG! I picked up my tennis racket off the sidewalk and moped toward the bus. Surprisingly, throwing my racket to the ground hadn’t broken it. I had lost another match. My mind raced. “How could I miss that backhand? It should’ve been so easy!” I reviewed every mistake over and over, thinking about how much better I should be by this point in the season. Coach came and sat beside me and said, “You played well today!” I screamed in my head, paused, then muttered, “How could you say that? I made so many mistakes.” “But look at how far you’ve come,” said Coach. “You only started playing a month ago!” “But I just keep making mistakes!” I fired back. Looking at me intently, Coach said, “You can’t expect to be perfect right away—or ever. Getting better at tennis requires hard work over time.” My frustration began to subside as Coach’s words sunk in. The next thing I had to do was apologize to the team. This experience reminds me of sanctification. Sanctification is the process of becoming more and more like Jesus—being set apart from sin for God’s purposes. Once we put our trust in Jesus, believing in His death and resurrection, we are sinless in God’s eyes and adopted into His family, but we still have to learn how to follow Him. In the same way, when I was starting out in tennis, I was immediately part of the team. I was equipped with a racket, and I started receiving lots of help from the coach and my team. But I still had to practice what I was learning. When we put our trust in Jesus, we are immediately adopted into God’s family (Romans 8:16) and we are given “everything we need for living a godly life” (2 Peter 1:3). This includes receiving the Holy Spirit and other believers to help us (Acts 2:38, Galatians 6:2). However, we still need to practice obedience to what we learn through God’s Word. We will make mistakes along the way, but we don’t need to be discouraged. We can bring our sins and failures to Jesus, trusting in our loving Savior to forgive us and continue walking with us. • Dathan Tenter • Take a look at Galatians 5:22-23. Can you think of some ways Jesus displayed these characteristics or fruits? Which one of these would you like to see more of in your own life? • Consider spending some time in prayer, asking God to guide you and help you learn to listen to the Holy Spirit’s leading as you seek to obey Him. (Philippians 2:13) Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Galatians 5:25 (NLT)

READ: JOHN 16:5-15; COLOSSIANS 1:3-14 The tennis team needed help. A lot of help. They desperately needed more players, and that’s why they asked me to join. I had never even held a tennis racquet before my first practice! Some of the rules of the game came pretty easy. Possessing what I would call an average amount of hand-eye coordination, I was able to pick up the general game play. I understood “hit the ball over the net” and “keep the ball within the lines.” But some things about tennis just didn’t make sense to me. The first day of practice my friend yelled from across the net, “Love, love!” Before I could say, “Love you too, bro,” he smacked the ball and it screamed past me! What just happened? He explained that “love” means zero, so “love, love” (zero, zero) was the score. That’s weird, I thought to myself as I nodded. He yelled, “Fifteen, love,” and fired another shot! Pretty confused, I asked how he had fifteen points already. Walking up to the net he said, “One point equals fifteen, two points equals thirty, three points equals forty, and four points equals game!” He continued, “Six games win a set, and two or three sets wins a match. Got it?” Still confused, I stuttered, “I think so?” As he rambled on with some other terms and concepts about the game I didn’t understand, my attention shifted to staring at my uneven shoelaces. This was going to be a little harder than I realized. Learning to play tennis reminds me of starting our journey with Jesus. Believing in the gospel and putting our trust in Jesus is filled with excitement and newfound hope! But sometimes discouragement can creep in when we encounter terms we don’t understand or new biblical truths that seem difficult to live out. But Jesus said in John 16:13, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.” Even better than a friend explaining the game of tennis, we have the Holy Spirit, who lives in us, guiding us and helping us understand God’s love and how to live in relationship with God and others (Ephesians 3:18-19). And God has also given us His people, the church, to walk alongside us. We are not alone on this journey. • Dathan Tenter • As we seek to understand the gospel and how it affects every part of our lives, God welcomes our questions. What questions do you have about the Bible, church, or following Jesus? • No matter how long we’ve been walking with Jesus, we will always have questions. And that’s a good thing! We can bring these questions to God in prayer anytime. In addition to talking to God, who is someone in your life who can help you with these questions? We ask God…to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Colossians 1:9 (NLT)

READ: PSALMS 34:15-19; 139:1-12; 1 PETER 5:6-7 God hears when I talk to Him His ears are always open No matter what I have to say He hears God hears me when it is late at night When I can’t sleep No matter what is on my mind He listens God hears me in the early hours When no one is awake No matter if I talk out loud or silent He hears God hears what is going on He always cares for me No matter what I need He listens and helps me • Bethany Acker • Do you ever wonder if God hears you when you pray? This is totally normal. Thankfully, God knows we need reminders that He is listening, and He provides many throughout His Word. Consider taking a moment to re-read today’s Bible verses, and maybe even choose a favorite. • The Bible often says God listens to “the righteous” (Psalm 34:15). The good news is, while none of us can be righteous on our own, God makes us righteous in His sight as soon as we put our trust in Jesus. God wants us to be in relationship with Him, and He invites us to talk to Him about anything and everything. What’s on your mind right now? Do you feel like you can talk to God about it? According to Hebrews 4:14-16, why are we free to talk to God? In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. Psalm 18:6 (NIV)

READ: ISAIAH 40:28-31; 41:9-14 We all want to be strong and able to get through the tough things in life without falling apart. You might be someone who prides yourself in your strength, or you might be someone who often feels weak. You might enjoy the challenge of doing hard things, or you might be afraid to face hard things because of how much it tires you out. No matter how strong or weak we are on our own, we serve a God who is able to make us strong. God is all-powerful (or omnipotent), and throughout the Bible, God “gives strength to his people” (Psalm 29:11). When we are not strong enough on our own, we only have to reach out to God, and He will come beside us and help us do whatever He is calling us to do. I can’t do everything on my own, and neither can you. We all need God’s strength. It’s usually easiest to see this when we go through difficult times. And in those times when we become aware of our own weaknesses and limitations, we don’t need to be ashamed. God knows we need Him, and He wants us to rely on Him. As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit living inside us, empowering us to follow Jesus in everything. When you’re in the midst of a struggle, you can reach out to God. Remember that God helps us by His “incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion” (Ephesians 1:18-21). As Christians, we belong to Jesus, the all-powerful Ruler of everything, and He invites us to rely on His help and His strength, knowing that He will give us what we need (Hebrews 4:14-16). Today, let’s thank Him for making us stronger than we could ever be on our own. • Emily Acker • In times when we feel strong and in times when we feel weak, God calls us to rely on His strength, not our own. In what ways do you need strength today? • According to Ephesians 3:14-21; 6:10-12 and 1 Peter 4:8-11, what does God strengthen us for? (If you want to dig even deeper, read 2 Corinthians 10:1-5; Philippians 4:12-13; Colossians 1:9-14; and 2 Timothy 2:1-10.) I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being… Ephesians 3:16 (NIV)

READ: PSALM 46; MATTHEW 14:22-33; HEBREWS 13:8 One of my family’s favorite summer activities is going boating. The water sport we do most often is wake surfing, which is like surfing on the ocean, only behind a boat. The smoother the water, the easier it is. On a trip we took to the lake one day, the water was extremely choppy, making it incredibly difficult to stay on my board behind the boat. It took all my concentration to hold my position and stay in that pocket (the part of the wave that pushes the surfer forward). I began to notice that when my focus was on the boat in front of me, the unfailing source that kept me moving, I was able to maintain my balance. But the moment I looked at the waves around me, I was distracted and lost my balance. I would start falling out of position, and I could only find the pocket again when I returned my focus to the steady boat ahead of me. Looking at the huge waves would alarm me, but if I just focused on the boat, which remained the same, I would relax and stay upright. In the same way, throughout our lives we are going to experience waves—trials that toss us up and down. Sometimes we panic because of the waves and easily lose our balance. We are unable to hold ourselves up. But when we turn our eyes to Jesus, the One who always remains the same, we can relax and stay above the waves, steadied by our hope in Him. In the Bible, when Jesus was miraculously walking on the water, He invited Peter to join Him, and Peter walked on water too! But then, Peter literally began to sink when he focused on the wind and the waves around him rather than on Jesus. But Jesus didn’t let Peter drown. “Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him” (Matthew 14:31). In our own lives, whenever we get overwhelmed by the chaos around us, Jesus reminds us to turn to Him. And even when we forget, He is still our unfailing Savior who reaches out to rescue us. • Ella Hoy • What hope do we have in Jesus? How can looking to Jesus and remembering His promises help steady us in a world that’s constantly shifting? (Matthew 28:20; Romans 10:9-11; Revelation 21:1-5) • As Christians, it’s normal for us to have doubts. Our loving God invites us to talk to Him about all these things, being totally honest about what we’re thinking and feeling. In addition to talking to God, who are trusted Christians in your life you can talk to when you’re experiencing doubts? Let the oceans roar and foam…The LORD of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress. Psalm 46:3, 7 (NLT)

READ: LUKE 22:19-20; ACTS 2:42-47; 1 CORINTHIANS 11:23-26 Jesus has a habit of taking something ordinary and making it incredible. Take bread and wine, for example. During Jesus’s life on earth, bread and wine were normal, everyday foods. They would be present at virtually every meal, and people of virtually any income level could afford them. And when Jesus was about to die, He took these ordinary things and did something amazing with them. He gave them to His disciples to communicate the sacrifice He was about to make. And we still practice this today. We take bread and wine (or juice), share it with the people of God, and together we remember Christ’s loving sacrifice. We call this communion or the Lord’s Supper. Isn’t it just like Jesus to use something so simple, so accessible, to communicate His love and presence? He doesn’t require us to seek out something rare or expensive. He meets us where we are, with whatever we have, and uses it to make something wonderful. Through something as ordinary as bread and wine or juice, He reminds us that the all-powerful, all-knowing, infinite God of the entire universe loves us and wants to be with us. He wants to be with us so badly that God the Son, Jesus, took on flesh to live among us, die, and rise from the dead for us. At my church, when we pass the bread from one person to the next, we say, “The body of Christ, given for you.” And when we pass the juice, we say, “The blood of Christ, shed for you.” For the early church, eating and drinking together and remembering Christ’s sacrifice was a daily practice. And while I know they probably didn’t say the same words that we say at my church, I have to wonder if bread and wine—these ordinary things—became constant, ever-present reminders of Jesus. Every time they were hungry and ate a bite of bread, did it remind them of Jesus’s body, given for them? Every time they were thirsty and took a sip of wine, did it remind them of Jesus’s blood, shed for them? Maybe that’s why Jesus used such ordinary things, to remind us He is present with us in every moment of our lives, including the incredibly ordinary ones. • Taylor Eising • How does your church practice communion? How can the Lord’s supper remind us of Jesus and what He has done for us? • Why do you think Jesus chose to use things that everyone could afford? 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: MARK 2:13-17; LUKE 19:1-10; ROMANS 3:9-26 “We’ve got churches of Christians. I’d like to see a church of all sinners!” my coworker joked. I stopped and looked at him. He and another coworker laughed. “But…but that’s what a church is,” I tried to say. “That’s…that’s the point.” Neither man is a church go-er. But they both grew up in church and stopped attending as they reached adulthood. Had they both missed this essential part of Christianity? That we are ALL sinners, including those in the church? Romans 3:23-24 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Every church is packed with sinners. None of us are perfect (Romans 3:10). The Bible isn’t full of perfect people. Rahab was a prostitute. David used his power as king to have sex with Bathsheba, then have her husband killed. Paul hunted down and killed Christians. And God welcomed them into the church. We are the church. Only Jesus’s death and resurrection can make us forgiven and new. Jesus came to save the lost and restore the sinners, and He does this for us every day, constantly healing us of our sin (Luke 19:10; Mark 2:17). It broke my heart to see people who’ve attended church and still don’t know the truth about Jesus. What are we doing wrong? Are we not sharing the gospel? Are we not telling the rough parts of our testimonies? Are we afraid of sin, afraid of sharing our lives honestly? Jesus isn’t afraid of our sin. He knows it all, and He loves us and rescues us. Because of Jesus, we are free to be real. Does this mean we embrace or glorify sin? No. Our desire is to become more like Christ by relying on the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:2). But let’s also be honest about the messy sin in our lives, the sin Jesus rescues us from. • Natty Maelle • Have you ever felt like you don’t belong in church? Why? It’s okay to be honest. Jesus doesn’t reject you; He cares deeply for you. You can talk to Him about these feelings and hurts anytime. •Who can you be honest with about your sin struggles—people who will listen, not condemning you but encouraging you in your walk with Christ? (You can ask God for relationships like this.) •If you go to church, do you think new Christians or hesitant attendees feel like outsiders there? Or do you think they feel welcomed, loved, and seen? (Romans 8:1; 15:7) For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24 (NIV)

READ: JUDGES 13:2-5, 16:26-30; LUKE 1:26-33; PHILIPPIANS 2:5-11 The story of Samson’s life is really fascinating, and it contains many parallels to the story of Jesus’s life. Let’s take a closer look. In Judges 13, we see God visiting Manoah’s wife through His angel to proclaim to her that she would have a child! The angel also told her what her child’s purpose would be. In this way, Samson’s birth was similar to that of Jesus; before His birth the angel Gabriel visited Mary to tell her she would have a child, and he told her what the child’s purpose would be. Manoah’s wife was barren, and Mary was a virgin, so the conception of both these babies was miraculous. Samson grew and was blessed by the Lord (Judges 13:24), similar to how Jesus grew in the Lord’s favor (Luke 2:52). Both Samson and Jesus were sent to deliver Israel from their enemy; Samson, through his sacrificial death, delivered Israel from the Philistines, and Jesus came to deliver Israel and the whole world from sin and death, also through sacrificing His own life. However, unlike Jesus, Samson allowed himself to be overshadowed by the power he thought he had, and that made him crumble. He gave in to temptation and misused the strength the Lord gave him. He also mistreated women, and all of this led to his downfall, when he died with his enemies. Jesus was also tempted by the devil, but He resisted every temptation (Luke 4:1-13). Instead of grasping at power, Jesus laid down His life. But when He died, He defeated death and resurrected back to life. Humans—even strong, talented humans—will fail us. We’ve all been broken by sin, and we all give in to temptation. But Jesus is worthy of our trust. Fully God and fully human, He is the One who has the power to save us from our own brokenness, and His love for us will never fail. Instead of relying on faulty human strength, we can rest in Him. • Shadrach Goni • When we are tempted to put our trust in powerful humans or in our own strength, how can remembering Jesus’s love for us help us turn back to Him? Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing. Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God. Psalm 146:3-5 (NIV)

READ: PSALM 42; ZEPHANIAH 3:17; HEBREWS 12:2; REVELATION 19:6-9 My twelfth-grade English teacher taught me to love Haiku, a form of poetry that originated in Japan. These short, three-line poems are traditionally drawn from nature, and they’re only seventeen syllables long. He described Haiku as transforming a visual image into a “word snapshot.” For example, after reading Psalm 42, I wrote this Haiku poem: “Beneath the fearsome waves I wait, breathless and still… then, Your light breaks through.” In Scripture, I think there are snapshot glimpses into God’s nature. For example, the writers of Psalm 42 feel forgotten and earnestly voice their complaint to God, yet they console themselves with images of God’s faithful love: “I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your…surging tides sweep over me. But each day the LORD pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs…” (verse 7-8). Other passages show us vibrant images of God’s love, like Zephaniah 3:17, where God declares He will “take delight in you with gladness…[and] rejoice over you with joyful songs.” And Isaiah describes God delighting in His people “as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride” (Isaiah 62:5)—anticipating the heavenly celebration of the wedding feast of the Lamb, when all God’s people will rejoice with Him at Jesus’s return (Revelation 19:6-9). Now those are images to treasure! God rejoicing—and all heaven celebrating— with such joy that Revelation says the sound will be like “the shout of a vast crowd…or the crash of loud thunder” (19:6) all because of our wonderful Lord Jesus, who cherishes us—His bride. Just as Haiku captures the sensation of a moment, these Scriptures capture the beauty of God delighting in those He loves! Are we worth all that? Jesus says “Yes!” He gave His life because of such delight, such love for us. As Hebrews 12:2 puts it, “Because of the joy awaiting him…[Jesus] endured the cross.” How amazing to know we are part of the joy Jesus anticipated, even as He gave His life, longing to greet us at the great wedding feast to come. • G. Kam Congleton • Which of today’s Scripture passages is your favorite? Consider taking a moment to read this passage again and ponder the fact that God is passionate about us—He truly delights in us! • Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can look forward with joy to the day we will be raised from the dead, as Jesus was, and see Him face to face! If you want to know more, see see our “Know Jesus” page. “He will take delight in you with gladness.” Zephaniah 3:17 (NLT)

READ: PSALMS 63:1-7; MATTHEW 6:19-34; GALATIANS 2:16-21; 2 TIMOTHY 3:10-17 Why are you reading this devotional? I remember being told that if I didn’t do my devotions I would have a bad day. “So, if you want a good day, do your devotions.” I gotta be honest; there were many days I didn’t do my devotions and that day was just fine. There were other days when I did my devotions and the day was terrible. Should we be taking time to interact with God’s Word every day? Absolutely. But if our motivation is to have a better day, we’re going to be disappointed. I’ve met Christians who do “Christian stuff” because they think that then God will do what they want. This way of thinking is sometimes called the Health and Wealth Gospel or the Prosperity Gospel. Here’s a very simple example of this kind of logic: “Obey God so your knee feels better and you get richer.” But this is not the true gospel. The word “gospel” means good news, and the idea that we could get God to do what we want when we do religious activities—and that He won’t help us if we don’t do those activities—would not be good news. After all, we could never do enough to earn His favor. The true gospel is all about God rescuing His people even though we don’t deserve it. God came to live among us—stubborn, rebellious people that we are—because He loves us. Jesus died on the cross for us and rose from the grave so that everyone who puts their trust in Him can be in relationship with God. And this relationship is what will truly satisfy us…no amount of health or wealth could ever do that. When we read or listen to the Bible, we have an opportunity to interact with the God of the universe who loves us more than we could ever understand. The reason God calls us to be in His Word is because He wants us to know Him. Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). We can be free to follow Jesus, instead of chasing after health and wealth, because we know that God cares about all our needs and He provides for His people. Jesus invites us to live a life of purpose with Him, but He doesn’t guarantee health or wealth. When we obey God’s Word, some things may go better for us and we might avoid certain kinds of troubles. But we might also experience trouble because we are obeying God—after all, many people in the Bible were imprisoned or killed for following Jesus. So if we’re trying to do devotions to get stuff, that’s not going to work out. Besides, all the stuff we could gather in this life can only last as long as we do! But trusting in Jesus—and having a new identity as His forgiven people—is better than anything, and our relationship with Him will last forever. • Jeff Weddle • Why do you think God invites us to spend time with Him through reading or listening to His Word, the Bible? • God wants us to ask Him for healing and for the material things we need or want. Sometimes His answer is “yes,” sometimes “no,” and sometimes “not yet,” but we can trust that He cares for us and He is always working for our good (Romans 8:28). Consider taking a moment to ask God for whatever you need or want today. • How is asking God for what we need or want different from trying to appease God so He will reward us with what we need or want? According to Hebrews 4:14-16, why can we “approach the throne of grace with boldness”? • Because of what Jesus has done, we get to look forward to the day Jesus will return and restore His creation—then everyone who has put their trust in Him will have new bodies that never get sick or injured, and we will have an abundance of everything we could ever desire! But until that day, we will all experience pain and lack. Yet God is with us, inviting us to r...

READ: ACTS 1:7-11; 2 PETER 3:1-13 So…where is He? It’s been 2,000 years since Jesus ascended into heaven, promising to return the same way He ascended and to set the world to rights. The church has grown since then, spreading all across the globe, but there has been no sign of Christ. Some say He isn’t coming back, that we misunderstood. “The kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom,” they say, “living inside our hearts. When we die, our souls will be with God, but He isn’t coming back into this world.” The early Christians struggled to believe that Christ would return and bring heaven to earth. The resurrection of the body was hard to accept, and the “spiritual kingdom” solution seemed like an easy way out. Today many feel the same way. But the truth can be found in the words of Peter. In his second epistle (or letter) to the church, he denounces those who scoff at the bodily return of Jesus. He points out that the God who created the world will certainly come again to make it new. Peter even tells us why Jesus is taking so long. He wants more people to turn to Him! After all, if He had returned sooner, how could we be part of His kingdom? So, as Christians we can wait with hope and anticipation, knowing that Christ will truly return bodily to earth. Then He will raise our dead bodies from the grave, and we will live with Him in the new heavens and new earth. And He will reign forever. • Kevin Zeller • Do you ever wonder why Christ has waited so long to come back? How does 2 Peter address this concern? • Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave just as He said He would, we can have confidence that He is going to return bodily to earth and restore His creation, and in the meantime He is present with us through His Spirit, His Word (the Bible), and His people (the church). What questions do you have about Jesus’s return? Who are trusted Christians in your life you could talk to about these questions? The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 (NIV)

READ: PSALM 119:25-40; EPHESIANS 1:18-23; HEBREWS 12:1-3 Hebrews 12:1-2 holds some of my favorite words in the Bible: “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” I’ve always loved this idea of fixing our eyes on Jesus. But in our everyday lives, we probably don’t think too much about where we direct our focus. Maybe we should start paying more attention. Because where we fix our eyes changes our entire perspective. When we go through our lives without thinking about where we’re setting our sights, we’ll spend most of our time looking at what’s right in front of us. We might orient ourselves around our work, our commitments, our adventures, our friends, our families…and those aren’t bad things—in fact, they’re good gifts from God. But they can’t ultimately give our lives purpose or fulfillment. All created things will eventually let us down. What changes when we fix our eyes intentionally on Jesus? Hebrews 12:2-3 goes on to say, “For the joy set before him he [Jesus] endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” When we fix our eyes on Jesus, we remember how He was willing to die on the cross for us. And when we remember the sacrifice He made and all He endured, we’ll be less likely to lose heart in our day-to-day lives. Because Jesus knew that His suffering, even His death, was not the end. He knew the joy that was coming. After three days in a tomb, Jesus rose from the grave, and now everyone who puts their trust in Him gets to live with Him forever! As we wait for Jesus to return and make all things new, we can persevere because of the life God has given us in Jesus—and because of the joy set before us as His children. So, let’s be intentional about where we look. Let’s watch how God is working. And when it gets hard to keep going, let us look to Jesus and say: “Our eyes are on you.” • Becca Wierwille • In your everyday life, what are your eyes naturally drawn to? • What do you think it means to fix our eyes on Jesus? How could this help us persevere? • Consider taking a moment to talk to Jesus now, thanking Him for enduring the cross for you and telling Him about the things in your life that matter to you, knowing they matter to Him too. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:1b-2a (NIV)

READ: PSALM 34:1-8; MATTHEW 6:25-34; JOHN 14:1-7; PHILIPPIANS 4:4-9 Why do we worry when we know that God loves us? Why do we let our hearts become troubled when we know that Jesus warns us against that very thing? I wish I could say I never have a troubled heart. I wish I could say I easily and naturally surrender my worries to God. But I do worry—many of us do. Why do we deal with worry, fear, and other struggles? Shouldn’t we be able to leave these behind when we follow Jesus? The reality is, we still live in a broken world. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). The good news is that Jesus is with us, even in the midst of struggles, and He wants to help us. I wonder what would happen if we got into the habit of seeking the Lord at the very first sign of a troubled heart. In Psalm 34:1, David writes, “I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.” Always. We can choose to praise God always, in the good times and the bad, in our moments of joy and in our moments of worry. We are designed to live and breathe in worship to our Creator. Worship is a safe place to go when we feel worried. A few verses later, David goes on to say, “I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4). It’s interesting that David doesn’t say he never had fears. But when he was experiencing worry, he sought the Lord, and he was delivered. Not delivered from the danger, necessarily—but delivered from the fear. Like David, we can rush to God as soon as we start to feel worried or afraid. We can go to our knees in prayer whenever our hearts feel troubled. We can praise God at all times. As we remember who He is and how much He loves us, we often find that our worries can’t cling as tightly. And we can rest in the sure hope that Jesus Christ died and rose again so that we might live fearlessly. He is going to return one day and fix our broken world, taking away things like worry and fear forever. And even now, Jesus is in the business of healing troubled hearts. • Becca Wierwille • When do you tend to feel worried or afraid? Why do you think God invites us to worship Him at all times, especially when our hearts are troubled? • If you find yourself struggling with worries or fears that won’t go away, you’re not alone. The Lord has compassion on you, and He wants to help you. Who are trusted people in your life you could talk to about what you’re experiencing, such as pastors, parents, or counselors? “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me [Jesus].” John 14:1 (NIV)

READ: 1 JOHN 4:7-12 Maybe you know someone who claimed to love God but hurt you or someone you care about. Maybe you watched in the news as a pastor got arrested for hurting someone or pulling off some big scheme. Maybe you know people who make Christians look really bad. Humans are fallen and sinful, and we don’t always represent God well. And when we see people who claim to know God acting in sinful ways, this can cause us to get some false ideas about what God is like. But one of the best ways to avoid getting a warped image of God from those who misrepresent Him is to really know who God is and what He is all about. When we learn from the Bible about how much God loves, we can see that those who are unloving are not following God’s way (1 John 4:7-8). When we learn how God is honest and good and righteous, we can spot those who are misrepresenting Him when we see their lies and greed and selfishness (Exodus 34:6). Scripture tells us how wonderful God is. While we can never fully understand everything about God, we see who God is in Jesus, God in flesh. God is most fully revealed in Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. To know the God we worship, we look to the cross. His self-sacrificial love is central to His character, and if someone isn’t displaying that love, they aren’t representing God well. We all fall short of representing who God is. But we don’t have to let that failure control how we think of God. No matter how deeply someone who claims to be a Christian has failed, God is different. God is holy and good and right. God loves you, and He is with you. And He will never change. • Emily Acker • What are some of the ways you’ve seen God misrepresented? Where can we find truth about who God really is? • While all of us fall short of representing God in one way or another, who are some people in your life who represent Him and His love very well? If you can’t think of anyone, you can ask God to help you identify someone in the future. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5 (NIV)