Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: MATTHEW 6:11; JOHN 6:25-69 The other night as I sat down to another meal, I got to wondering. As I ate with my family, I wondered even more: What’s with all this eating? Why do we require so much food? Why do we have to eat every day—several times a day? Wouldn’t it have been more efficient if the good Lord had made our bodies in such a way that we could store our caloric needs just a little...

READ: ACTS 2:42-47; 1 THESSALONIANS 5:9-11; HEBREWS 10:23-25 What do you picture when you hear the word church? Perhaps you feel a rush of excitement as you imagine worshipping alongside hundreds of other believers. Or maybe you’re envisioning a quiet sanctuary where a pastor is teaching from God’s Word. Many churches today look very different now than churches did in the book of Acts. Back then,...

READ: GENESIS 15; ACTS 3:25; HEBREWS 13:20-21 Have you ever worried about losing your relationship with God? I used to worry God would give up on me if I wasn’t good enough—and, of course, I was never “good enough.” Then I learned about covenant. A covenant is a binding, sacred agreement, and it’s one way God relates to humankind. In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, the rainbow provides a bea...

READ: PSALM 7:1; PROVERBS 18:10; HEBREWS 13:6 Oh Lord, are Your ears stone? From times of old I have cried out for aid, but no answer have I received. To the left, fear plots for my life; affliction laughs at my right hand. Trouble is near me. But You, O God, O Lord of might and justice, You alone are my hope. Even when all hope seems lost, You keep me secure. Tears washed my bed, and a troubled s...

READ: PSALM 27:10; ROMANS 8:28-29, 38-39; HEBREWS 13:5 I don’t remember how my parents told me the news. I don’t remember what words they used or even where I was standing when they told me. But I remember what happened next. My world was torn apart when my parents announced their divorce. It was like all my dreams of a happy, close family were shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. I felt betraye...

READ: JEREMIAH 29:12-13; JAMES 5:13-16 As a teen, I learned about the practice of prayer: simply communicating with God—both talking to Him and listening to Him. One warm afternoon, I decided to embrace the privilege of prayer. I walked down our family’s dirt driveway and ducked into a cluster of trees and vines. Away from my large, bustling family, I’d found a quiet spot to fellowship with Jesus....

READ: ACTS 20:22-24; 1 CORINTHIANS 9:24-27; HEBREWS 12:1-3 Tau entered his coordinates into the dashboard computer, and his location popped up on the screen. He did some calculations and plotted the last leg of his flight. Only 1,312,569 more miles and he’d be home. He could see Earth in the distance, a miniature cobalt crescent. He yawned and rubbed his tired eyes, then programmed in a new series...

READ: PSALM 118:9, PROVERBS 29:2; 1 TIMOTHY 2:1-4 Where I live in the United States, the 4th of July tends to be a holiday dominated by fireworks, parades, patriotic renditions of songs like “God Bless America,” and family picnics. It’s a time to commemorate our nation’s independence. However, it can also be a time when the divisiveness of politics is on display, splitting families and friendships...

READ: GENESIS 37:17-28; 50:15-21; PSALM 23:4-6 Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery. They sold him! I have younger siblings. And I admit there have been times I’ve thought this sounded like a good idea. But these guys actually did it! Can you imagine the betrayal Joseph must have felt? The outrage? The terror? Overnight, Joseph became a slave. Sometimes our lives take a turn for the worse too—d...

READ: JOHN 3:16-17; ROMANS 15:1-7; 1 PETER 2:22-24 Our need for love and appreciation is written deeply into our nature. We want to be seen and accepted by those around us. But, in this broken world, humans are selfish, and human attention is fickle. Popularity can tease those who don’t find it...and wreck those who do. Jesus knows about popularity. He understands people. Humans were created throu...

READ: JOHN 3:16-17; ROMANS 15:1-7; 1 PETER 2:22-24 Our need for love and appreciation is written deeply into our nature. We want to be seen and accepted by those around us. But, in this broken world, humans are selfish, and human attention is fickle. Popularity can tease those who don’t find it...and wreck those who do. Jesus knows about popularity. He understands people. Humans were created throu...

READ: JOHN 14:1-6; PHILIPPIANS 3:20-21; REVELATION 21:1-5 Too often, Christians have a vague understanding of heaven as a cloudy, indistinct place where we’ll wear white bathrobes and strum on harps. No wonder so many people don’t want to go there! If we take a good look at what the Bible actually says about heaven, we’ll find that it sounds pretty good. Heaven will ultimately be on earth (Revelat...

READ: PSALM 103:12; ROMANS 3:21-26; 2 CORINTHIANS 7:10; EPHESIANS 2:8-10 Regret: everyone experiences it at some point. I recently sold my truck, before I really needed to, at a price that was too low. And, afterward, I was full of regret. I had no plan for what I was going to buy to replace it, which led me to spiral into fearful desperation. I knew I had just made one bad decision. How could I m...

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 10:13; 2 THESSALONIANS 3:3; 2 TIMOTHY 1:7; TITUS 2:12-14 During my senior year, my best friend invited me to her birthday party. Our entire circle of friends showed up, and the day seemed innocent enough. A few hours later, things took an unexpected turn. Out of nowhere, my high school best friend pulled out her parents’ bottle of vodka and asked if anyone wanted to take shots...

READ: JOHN 14:26; 20:31; 2 TIMOTHY 3:14-17; HEBREWS 4:12 How well do you know the streets around your home? As you drive by, you probably know by heart that there’s a gas station on the right and, up ahead, there’s an old blue van that’s been parked in the same spot since the beginning of time. But have you ever noticed something new on that familiar route? Maybe a neighbor painted their shutters...

READ: PSALM 145:19; PHILIPPIANS 4:4-13; 1 JOHN 3:1; 5:14 My sister calls me every day around three o’clock. Sometimes a little earlier, sometimes a little later. Sometimes a lot later. Could she be shopping? By four o’clock I start to worry. Perhaps she was in a car accident. Maybe she got hurt. I like to know she’s okay—especially since she lives alone. But there are also times when I’m busy and...

READ: PSALM 139; ROMANS 8:26-39; HEBREWS 11:1 I know what to do. I know how to act, how to look, how to speak. I can recite His words from memory. I know how to find Bible verses in thirty seconds flat. I go to church every week, and I take sermon notes. I can show everyone that I follow Him. I know what to do. I know what I should do. I know I should read the Bible every day. I can talk to Him wh...

READ: PROVERBS 24:29; ROMANS 8:28-39; 12:9-21 My family prioritized attending college after high school. So as my sister, who I’ll call Monique, prepared for college, she entered a scholarship competition. During the finale, I watched as other participants received cash awards to help pay for college. But Monique left with none. Later, Monique confided in me that one of the winners had cheated. Mo...

READ: EPHESIANS 4:20-32; 5:25-27; JAMES 1:16-27 Have you ever gotten a severe cut? I remember falling off my bike going down a steep hill too quickly. I got a deep gash in my knee, with blood soaking through the hole in my jeans. Right away, I hobbled on home to get it cleaned up and bandaged. Over the next few days, we washed rocks and debris out again and again. It was a slow, painful process, b...

READ: LUKE 15:11-32; ROMANS 3:10-18, 23-26; EPHESIANS 2:1-10 Jarrod clung to his steed, spurring it faster. Dust thrown by thundering hooves swarmed behind him. His pursuers closed in. Hair on the back of Jarrod’s neck stood on end. He breathed frantic gasps, gagged on raw fear. “Bravo!” Jarrod said, pulling off the virtual reality headset and then carefully removing the fiber-optic gloves. “It’s...

READ: JOHN 1:1-3; COLOSSIANS 1:15-20; HEBREWS 1:1-4 Every generation has catchphrases. There was a popular saying in the early church that went something like this, “There was a time when He was not.” In fact, it was so popular that people would go around chanting it in the streets! What did the phrase mean? A pastor at the time by the name of Arius had started to circulate some unique ideas about...

READ: PSALM 68:5-6; MATTHEW 7:9-11; LUKE 15:11-32; JOHN 10:27-30 What is a good father like? One who loves his children—not for what they do (or don’t do) but simply because they’re his. Who takes the time to simply be there to listen to his children, share in their dreams, and build them up with words of encouragement. Who is a safe place and a shelter from harm. But in this broken world, not all...

READ: EPHESIANS 1:3-14; HEBREWS 13:5; 1 PETER 1:3-9; 5:7 Whoa…I want to live in a house like that. Whoa…I want a life like that. I want a family like that. I want to look like that. I want… Do you ever find yourself comparing your life to someone else’s? I know I spend a lot of time on social media, just dreaming of what life would be like if I could switch places with one person I follow. She see...

READ: MARK 3:13-19; LUKE 6:12-16; JOHN 6:66-71 Have you ever considered the twelve disciples? No, not the pale, scholarly figures from the picture books, but the real people described in the Bible. Some of them were fishermen—sunburned and wind-leathered—with loud laughter and rough manners. Peter (also called Simon and Cephas) was one of these, ever the one to stand tall and speak up (Matthew 14:...

READ: PSALM 73; ROMANS 8:35-39 Throughout our lives, we all go through times when we feel depressed and discouraged. When we’re in pain, we may forget that we can talk with God, even if it’s just to be angry. Remember: nearly half of the psalms are complaints—also known as laments. Psalm 73 is my favorite gripe. Asaph is angry and deeply discouraged. He concludes that following God is a waste of t...