Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: PSALM 119:9-16; ROMANS 12:1-2; PHILIPPIANS 4:8 As we go about our everyday lives, we will inevitably see and hear things that bother us—from things people talk about and jokes they make, to stuff we come across online. Sometimes we know these things are wrong, but they seem unavoidable. It all ends up filling our heads, and even when we don’t want to think about that junk, it can still give...

READ: PSALM 13; REVELATION 6:9-11; 21:1-7 Working in a fast-paced environment can be stressful, especially when you’re new. I used to work at a very busy coffeeshop, and I was so nervous and stressed for my first several weeks. Then, suddenly, I wasn’t the new person anymore—I was helping the new people. I remember one new barista who handled the pressure very well. She caught on quick, but she wa...

READ: PROVERBS 10:20; LUKE 6:43-45; JAMES 3:1-12 Have you ever had trouble with saying the wrong thing at the wrong time? I have, more often than I’d like to admit. At times I have my tongue under control, then someone will irritate me and boom! Out comes something that shouldn’t have come out. As much as we would like to ignore our troublesome mouths, we can’t. Jesus said, “the mouth speaks what...

READ: PSALM 29:2; MATTHEW 2:1-12; JOHN 4:23-24 Today, many Christians celebrate Epiphany by remembering how the magi followed a star and traveled to Bethlehem to see Jesus. In many ways, the magi are a unique part of the Christmas story. First, they were probably the richest people to visit Jesus. Second, they likely saw Jesus when He was around two years old instead of a newborn. Third, they were...

READ: JOHN 3:16-17; 14:1-10; REVELATION 1:5-8; 21:1-5 Do you like having something to look forward to? I do! I think having something to look forward to keeps me in a positive mindset. Whether it’s a certain dessert or dinner that’s planned, a fun theme for Wednesday night church club, or just a nice day when I get to be outside a little more than normal. Have you ever felt like there’s nothing to...

READ: PROVERBS 16:24; 1 CORINTHIANS 13:1-7; EPHESIANS 4:29-32 Have you ever tasted unsweetened chocolate? By itself, chocolate is very bitter! When a dessert recipe calls for unsweetened cocoa powder or baking chocolate, it will also call for a sweetener, usually sugar, to take away some of the bitterness. Like chocolate, things we say can be bitter too. Have you ever been kind and polite while ta...

READ: PSALM 56:8; ISAIAH 53:3-5; HEBREWS 4:14-16 She was sick and had been for a long time. Her siblings were at school and her parents were at work. All she had to keep her company was the rain tapping at her window. No one understands what it’s like to be sick all the time, she thought. Everyone else is living their lives while I just lay here alone. She squeezed her eyes shut so she wouldn’t cr...

READ: GALATIANS 6:9-10; COLOSSIANS 2:6-7 A wise friend of mine once said, “I never realized how much of my adult life would be choosing between good things.” He’s lived longer than I have, so I paid attention to his words. And the more I reflected on them, the more I realized how true they were. Growing up in church, I was taught how to reject bad things and choose good things. So, I expected most...

READ: ROMANS 12:1-21; 14:7-9   I purchased a new calendar, Am I silly for wanting one for the wall? I look at the days that await me, I want you to be Lord of them all. There is so much life coming, There are so many new days, The year will be filled with opportunities, And chances to give you praise.   I look at each little box, each square, I think about how they belong to you. I don’t want to m...

READ: LUKE 22:24-27; PHILIPPIANS 2:1-18 “Pastor, could you follow me to make sure I get home okay?” Mrs. Nelson asked this question. The pastor was my dad. It was New Year’s Eve, and it was very late. In fact, it was technically New Year’s Day. Our church always had a potluck, games, and a service on New Year’s Eve. This year it started snowing while we were at church, and the roads were bad. Mrs....

READ: 1 CHRONICLES 16:8-14; ECCLESIASTES 3:1-8; ROMANS 8:28-29; 35-39 A lot can happen in a year. A year can seem like both a long time and a short time all at once. Already, this year is nearly over. Isn’t it crazy? A new year is right around the corner. What was this year like for you? Was it filled with joy? Grief? Trials? Growth? Change? So many things can happen in the course of a year, yet i...

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 13:1-7; 1 JOHN 4:7-21 The simple note written on a card and given to me by a family member echoed in my mind. It read, “Love you! Proud of you!” I couldn’t stop thinking about those words. I felt a nudge, as if the Holy Spirit wanted me to pay attention. And then I remembered why—my question. “How can I be a better sister?” The question had been on my mind and in my prayers. I...

READ: ROMANS 5:5; 8:1-2, 8-11; EPHESIANS 1:13 Imagine you saw a pair of shoes walking down the street without anyone wearing them. You’d probably think it was some uncanny new technology or an elaborate prank, right? Obviously, shoes need to have a wearer to move around. They can’t move by themselves. It’s only when someone puts their feet in those shoes that they can move and run and dance. That’...

READ: LUKE 15:1-32; JOHN 13:34   I said, “Give me my portion of the goods,” And in my youthful heart I knew he would. I took, and turned, and quickly walked away And relished in the freedom of that day. For pleasures I had dreamed about I’d roam, Not once regretting ever leaving home. I traveled far until one fateful day I found I lost my treasure on the way. There was no food to eat—no bread, no...

READ: PSALM 107:8-9; MATTHEW 13:44-46; JOHN 4:1-30 During Christmas, our hearts are full of expectations. Things like, who we will see, what we will eat, and what we will receive. Then, once all the gifts are opened, the food is gone, and the guests are saying goodbye, we may experience an instant breath of fulfillment. Unfortunately, we often find this fulfillment lasts only till December 26th. O...

READ: ISAIAH 53:2; LUKE 2:4-7; JOHN 3:16-17; 10:10-11 What matters more, the fancy wrapping on a gift or what’s inside? Once the paper and bows are off the present, we rarely think about them again. All we care about is what we’ve just unwrapped. Jesus proved that all the fancy “wrapping” didn’t matter when He was born where the animals were kept. Jesus is God’s Son. He could have been born anywhe...

READ: ISAIAH 43:1; LUKE 2:8-20; JOHN 3:16 When Jesus came into the world, God could’ve invited anyone to welcome Him. God could’ve told the angels to invite priests, soldiers, or kings to visit the newborn King. Instead, He sent the angels to proclaim the news of Jesus’s birth to ordinary, everyday shepherds. It may seem like a strange thing to do. Why not choose some more powerful, rich, importan...

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 12:4-13 Do you ever wish you had someone else’s talent? Maybe you have a friend or family member who’s really good at math or basketball or singing. Sometimes, when we look at what others can do, it’s easy to feel like we don’t measure up. In times like these, it can be helpful to think about Christmas presents. While it can be fun to get everyone the same gift—like handing out...

READ: ACTS 2:42-47; 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-27; PHILIPPIANS 4:10-20 One year, our family faced long months of unemployment. Jobs were scarce. So was money. I did everything I could think of to make ends meet, but a Christmas feast would be out of the question this year. It wasn’t the end of the world. It was only food, after all. Then, a few days before Christmas, a woman at our church called and aske...

READ: DEUTERONOMY 15:7-11; PROVERBS 14:20-21; MATTHEW 25:31-46 Seni tossed the ragged orange ball and watched it sail through the hoop at the end of the gym, moving a bit more sluggishly than usual. The gravity controls must be on the fritz again, he thought. This court had been built generations ago, when the first settlers came to the newly terraformed planet. Mars was the only home Seni had eve...

READ: PSALM 27; LUKE 2:6-20; REVELATION 21:1-5 I used to love Christmas—the lights, the songs, the joyful feeling in the air. But not this year. Rather than filling me with excitement and delight, everything seemed shallow and empty and selfish. How could we celebrate joy and peace when the world is in chaos and people are hurting? How do you suddenly ignore the fact that people are suffering arou...

READ: MATTHEW 1:18-25; LUKE 2:11; JOHN 3:16-17; 4:42 In my beautiful Colombia, and Latin America in general, calling your child Jesus is a sign of consecration to God or giving a respectable name to a child. Jesus, Jesus Maria, Maria de Jesus, Jesus Adrian, Jesus Alberto, Jesus Dario, among others, are common combinations that occur in our countries. However, I have noticed that most Anglo-Saxon p...

READ: JOHN 1:1-14; 2 CORINTHIANS 4:6-10; 1 JOHN 1:1-10 I wanted to go home. This walk was not such a good idea. Heavy grey skies, colorless bare trees, and even an angry crow glaring down at me quickened my pace. When would I finally see some light? The skies on that December twilight seemed especially dark—almost ominous. I grew weary of the darkness, and my eyes ached for light. Beauty. Color. F...

READ: DEUTERONOMY 31:8; PSALM 139:1-12; ROMANS 8:26-39   When I don’t understand My racing mind You know me   When I’m alone In the dark You see me   When my cries are silent And the words won’t come You hear me   When I’m lost And desperate You find me   When I stumble And fall apart again You love me   When I’m tired and weak And I feel like giving up You’re with me • Faith Lewis   • We have all...

READ: COLOSSIANS 3:1-17; HEBREWS 12:1-3; 1 JOHN 4:19 When you get ready for bed at night, do you put your pajamas on over your clothes? That would kind of defeat the purpose. First you take off your daytime clothes, and then put on your bedtime clothes. In Colossians 3, Paul gives a list of characteristics we are called to put on: “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience” and forg...