Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: 1 SAMUEL 30:1-31; 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-27 God has given each of us a unique role to play in His kingdom. As Christians, we all have different spiritual gifts and different roles, and no one person is greater than any other. We’re all called to love one another and participate in the kingdom of God together. We find an interesting illustration of this in 1 Samuel 30. An Amalekite raiding party...

READ: PSALMS 28:7; 33:1-3; 40:3; COLOSSIANS 3:16 While I was in high school, I wrote the first version of today’s poem as a song for my personal worship time. Although I can’t read or write music, I can strum a few chords on the guitar and still enjoy singing this song in my devotional time with God. Music is God’s gift to everyone, no matter how “musically inclined” we are (or not!). Through musi...

READ: JOHN 15:1-17; GALATIANS 5:22-23 When I was growing up, my family always had a garden. I would help plant the tiny seeds, water them, and tear out the weeds that grew around them. I became so used to watching the little plants pop out of the ground year after year, and then grow until they were large enough to produce all kinds of delicious vegetables, that I became almost numb to it. What wa...

READ: PSALM 32; ROMANS 3:23-26; EPHESIANS 5:8-14 How do you fix a typo? Will ignoring it fix the problem? Of course not! Then they’d never get corrected. But when we take the necessary steps, they are quickly fixed. That’s kind of like confessing our sins. Ignoring sin, like ignoring typos, doesn’t fix the problem. Only Jesus can fix the problem. Sin is a much bigger deal than typos, but through H...

READ: PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7; 2 THESSALONIANS 3:16 Life can be hard. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Life can be very hard. We may find it pretty easy to love and worship God when things are going well and life is good. But what about when a loved one passes away? What about when you’re so stressed with work and school that it feels like you don’t have energy for anything else? What about when a friend...

READ: PSALM 73; EPHESIANS 2 "I know God is good, but why do they always seem to get the blessings and not me?” I asked as I sat with my Chinese takeout and tried valiantly not to dissolve into a teary mess. I was the one actually trying to do things God’s way and please Him, but in that moment, although I didn’t say it, the biggest thing I was feeling was bitter disappointment. Ever been there? As...

READ: PSALM 28:7; MATTHEW 14:13-21; JOHN 11:38-44 Do you still believe in miracles? I know the Bible mentions that Jesus fed over 5,000 people with only a handful of bread and fish (Matthew 14:13-21). Jesus also raised up Lazarus from the dead after he had been in the grave four days (John 11:38-44). Several years ago, my mom was very sick. I remember visiting her in the hospital one day. There we...

READ: MARK 15:37-38; HEBREWS 6:19-20; 10:19-22 "Quick! This way!” Rhys yelled, motioning with his arm for the large group of people to turn down yet another oak-paneled corridor. Everyone followed, all suddenly getting a hopeful feeling that their endless wandering through this wooden labyrinth was finally coming to an end. So, with a new light in their eyes and energy in their step, the group rou...

Hey, this is Dylan here from Unlocked. And as you probably noticed, we have some new theme music, so I hope you like it. We might still change exactly what the theme music is, this might just be temporary, it might be a long-term piece of music. But the reason we had to change it is actually because of complicated legal agreement type things. We were using an old production music service and then...

READ: EPHESIANS 5:1-2; COLOSSIANS 3:1-4, 22-24 Over the years, I’ve done a variety of tasks to earn money. One job I found online was trying beauty products at home and then writing reviews about them. The first (and only) item I tested was a hair growth solution. I dutifully sprayed it on my scalp a couple times a day, realizing it would require weeks of use to see any difference. The instruction...

READ: LEVITICUS 23:40; 1 CHRONICLES 16:33; PSALM 96:11-13 Leaves are tumbling, twisting, turning…   Limbs are blowing, bending, bowing…   Trees are bursting, billowing, blooming…   As the woods commence their praising, joyously parading… Bright yellows, Deep reds, Burnt oranges—   I praise Him for this taste of Joy whenever Fall comes singing. I’ve always found fall to be joyous, but when I discov...

READ: DANIEL 1:8-15; 1 CORINTHIANS 10:13; 2 CORINTHIANS 4:6-10 Have you ever used a pressure canner? It looks like a large pot with a lid that clamps on securely. When you can food at home, you put the beans or corn or whatever you’re trying to preserve into glass jars, then place the jars in the pressure canner along with some water. As the canner is heated up, the heat causes pressure to build u...

READ: PSALM 23; JOHN 10:11-18; 14:1-21 I bent down to snatch a wildflower from beside the path and then hurried on. I rushed to catch up once again with my beloved family member—I’ll call him Nash here—who had agreed to let me accompany him on a walk in the woods. I rejoiced to spend rare one-on-one time with Nash. However, after realizing my little legs couldn’t keep pace with his adult stride, I...

READ: PSALM 119:11-16, 28, 103-105; JOHN 14:23-27 I love God’s Word, the Bible, and all that He put in it for us. I think it’s so important to commit Bible verses and passages to memory so that we are never without it. Some of the reasons I like to have God’s Word memorized is for comfort in the middle of the night, for peace when I am feeling anxious, or for a reminder that I am not alone. I like...

READ: EXODUS 3:1–4:17; EPHESIANS 2:8-10; HEBREWS 11:23-29 Do you ever feel unqualified for something God has called you to do? Moses felt unqualified too. In the book of Exodus, God appears to Moses in a burning bush. He calls Moses to lead His people, the Israelites, out of slavery in Egypt. But Moses says, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11...

READ: NUMBERS 21:8-9; JOHN 3:1-17; 11:25-27 Do you ever wonder if you’re really saved? Maybe you prayed to ask Jesus to save you, but you keep wondering, “How do I know I really meant it when I asked Jesus to forgive and save me? Maybe I should ask Him again, just to make sure.” These doubts are normal—lots of Christians experience them. But it can be helpful to remember that saying a prayer isn’t...

READ: PSALM 119:105; JOHN 1:4; 2 CORINTHIANS 4:6 Darkness. That was it. No matter which way Aurelia turned, the overwhelming wall of darkness pressed in on her, so thick it seemed smothering. She gasped for air, finding it harder and harder to breathe as she ran madly. She ran as fast as she could, going somewhere, anywhere, away from wherever here was. But, hard as she tried to escape it, the dar...

READ: MATTHEW 18:12-14; 25:34-40 Have you ever known a really good pastor? Someone who takes the time to get to know the people of their church, teach them, counsel them, and lend a hand when things go wrong. Someone who goes above and beyond with their wisdom and loving service. Someone who, while they still have their flaws, really makes a difference in other people’s lives. I’ve always wondered...

READ: MATTHEW 9:9-12; LUKE 5:27-32 Have you ever wished you were invited to an exclusive event? A movie premier, a party, or a concert with front row VIP seats? Years ago, I watched interviews with celebrities who talked about the exciting invitations they’d been offered. If only I could be like them, I thought. And I wasted time being jealous and despondent, thinking about how fortunate those sta...

READ: PHILIPPIANS 4:4-9; JAMES 1:21-27 Picture this: You’re walking through a beautiful garden, admiring the carefully planted flowers and foliage and appreciating their beauty. Then, you look closer and notice some things that the gardener definitely didn’t plant: weeds! They seem to crop up everywhere, even when we didn’t plant them. In a way, our minds are a little like a garden, and our though...

READ: ISAIAH 54:7-14; JOHN 16:33; ROMANS 8:31-39 Eight centuries before Christ’s birth, a Hebrew girl clung to her mother’s leg. Rumors of war loomed over Judah like an ominous raincloud. The ruthless Assyrians pressed against the northern border. Could Judah’s towns withstand an attack? Northern tribes had already fallen. The little girl’s future looked uncertain; at any moment her life might cru...

READ: PSALMS 31:20; 62:6-8; JUDE 1:1, 20-21; 2 TIMOTHY 4:18 It’s hard to feel safe. Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, many of us have grown up with an awareness of terrorism and the need for precautions like metal detectors at airports and large events. Just in case. Maybe you’ve grown up knowing you could get bullied, jumped, or shot at in school, and that it’s best to always be aware of y...

READ: PSALM 13; ISAIAH 41:9-13; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-11 Stuck in this grief I feel like You can’t see But You lift me up You comfort me, once more   Eyes fill with tears Start to think of all my fears But You stop those thoughts You give me peace, once more   Feeling all alone Wondering where to go But You give direction You hold my hand, once more   Pain is too great Feel like I might break But You...

READ: ROMANS 12:4-8; 1 CORINTHIANS 12:4-27 Mehul balanced the mud-colored bowl in his palms as he stared out at the shore from his small workshop. Down at the ocean’s edge, his friend Sadira was training the young sea dragons, preparing them for the sea riders. Her brother, Taizeen, sat in the sand nearby practicing his harp. The soft plucks intermingled with the lapping of water, threatening calm...

READ: MATTHEW 25:34-40; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-7 Have you ever visited a friend or family member in the hospital? Maybe you brought some of their favorite games or books or movies. While they might have been happy to see you, maybe they weren’t up for games or movies. It can be discouraging, especially if you visit again and again and they aren’t getting better. You might reach a point where you just d...