Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: JOHN 1:1-15; 8:12-18; 2 CORINTHIANS 4:6 Vacation time for my family when I was a kid usually involved tents and sleeping bags. We enjoyed the outdoors, and camping helped us stay close to nature—while also saving on hotel costs. As a little kid, I took notice of signs where we camped warning us of bears in the area. Although my parents reassured me that we’d be safe inside our tent, I asked...

READ: PSALM 23; JOHN 10:1-30 Did you know that sheep can be easily distracted? If a shepherd is leading a flock, and a stranger gets in the way, the sheep can lose their focus on the shepherd and scatter. And when sheep scatter, they can get into trouble. They might get stuck in dangerous places, or they could be attacked by a hungry predator. Away from the protection and care of the shepherd, she...

READ: PROVERBS 30:5; ACTS 17:1-15 I absolutely love reading about the Berean Jews in the Bible. They show up in Acts 17:11, and in truth, I think this is the only place that mentions them by name. But this one verse is packed with helpful insight on how to live life well. Paul and Silas were going from town to town preaching the good news of Jesus’s death and resurrection, and they made a quick st...

READ: DEUTERONOMY 7:7-8; PSALM 34; ROMANS 8 I twirled the marble beads on my bracelet, cool against my skin. Grey, grey, bright blue. The turquoise color had intricate swirls of sky blue, the result making the bead look like an ever-moving sky. These bracelets reminded us of the love of Ahavah, the love He daily shows us. Quickening my pace, I hurried to the meeting of the Loved Ones. Every week w...

READ: PSALM 23; PHILIPPIANS 4:11-13; HEBREWS 13:5 Growing up, I participated in a program at my church where I learned Bible stories and memorized Scripture. I remember memorizing Psalm 23 when I was in second grade. However, the words of this psalm didn’t mean nearly as much to me as a seven-year-old as they do now. Psalm 23 is an incredibly popular psalm. Verse 1 in particular is frequently quot...

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 13:9-13; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-7 Have you gone through something really hard lately? Maybe there’s been sickness or a death in your family. Maybe your parents are separating, or your best friend moved away, or your family is struggling financially. Even if you haven’t personally experienced suffering like this yet, chances are you know someone who has. As we go through life in a wo...

READ: LAMENTATIONS 3:22-26; EPHESIANS 3:14-21; 1 JOHN 4:16 Ten or fifteen years ago, when I was a teenager and struggling through that often awkward and difficult phase of life, I wish I had known just how much God loved me. I knew of God’s love. I felt it in my life. But I didn’t realize just how great it is. As the years have gone by, I’ve learned to rely on God more and more. The more I rely on...

READ: GENESIS 32:24-32; HOSEA 12:3-5; EPHESIANS 4:22-24 When I was an RA (resident assistant) in college, I had this resident who used to tell me she and God had been “wrestling” about something. She would spend entire days with the Lord, crying and repenting, and wrestling with Him about different behaviors and attitudes in her life. Now, I had been a Christian for a while at that point, but I di...

READ: PROVERBS 25:15; 1 CORINTHIANS 3:5-8; 1 PETER 3:15-16 Have you ever heard of ginseng? It’s a valuable plant used in a lot of health foods. And those who grow ginseng need to have a lot of patience. While many seeds will sprout within a week or two, when you plant ginseng seeds, they can take over a year to sprout! That’s a long time to wait for a plant, especially when you can’t see any activ...

READ: ACTS 2:40-47; GALATIANS 6:9-10; EPHESIANS 4:1-16 Have you ever heard Christians talk about “doing life together”? It can be hard to understand exactly what this looks like. But I got to experience it in a variety of ways this week. I have some friends in my church who, like me, are married with young kids: Sam and Kristi, Kongcheng and Haju, and Evan and Nicole. We were all struggling in var...

READ: EXODUS 14:14; 33:22; ISAIAH 42:13; ZEPHANIAH 3:17 “Go to the boulder!” He did not yell over the noise of the battle, but Rhyn heard, and without even having to look for the rock he had sent her to, she knew exactly where to go. So Rhyn ran to it. It wasn’t a very big rock, but if she crouched down, it would cover her on one side from the battle that was raging. Rhyn’s weapons and hope were l...

READ: PSALM 46 I never thought I would have to let go and say, “It is well with my soul,” like the old hymn. I never thought I would have to learn to be okay with the storms in my life. I prayed for God to take them. I begged Him to change things and make my life better. Then I learned to accept the struggles. I realized that even in them, God was still good. Even if this life got difficult—and it...

READ: JOHN 13:1-17; EPHESIANS 5:1-2 Have you ever seen a child imitating an adult? It can be so cute to watch a small child try to mix pretend food in empty pots, imitate a parent’s expression, or repeat a phrase they haven’t fully mastered yet. That’s how kids learn. They imitate the people they see. The Bible says something similar in Ephesians 5:1: “Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do,...

READ: EXODUS 20:8-11; MARK 1:21-22, 32-38; EPHESIANS 2:4-10 Imagine this: Cars zoom by as you sit on the side of the road. You hope no one you know sees you stranded, your car out of gas. You can’t believe you forgot to fill up the tank! Your brother even reminded you this morning. In humility, you wait for him to come to your rescue. And now you’ll be late for soccer practice. With school, sports...

READ: PSALM 103:1-5; REVELATION 21:1-6 When was the last time you had a cold? Maybe you have one right now. They can be so annoying, but the process of healing from a cold can point us to an amazing truth about Jesus. Even though sickness invaded God’s good world when humans chose sin, God created us in a wonderful way so that when our bodies get hurt or sick, we’re usually able to heal and fight...

READ: MATTHEW 1:23; 28:20; MARK 6:45-54; EPHESIANS 4:2 As I stood at the lake’s edge, I was observing a genuine SOS moment. A young family member—I’ll call him Ford—had just received a kayak for his tenth birthday. He loved to be on the water, so a kayak seemed a fitting gift for him. Since our party took place near a small lake, the family gathered to watch Ford test out his new watercraft. As we...

READ: PSALM 116; LUKE 17:11-19; REVELATION 4:6-11 Have you ever considered how much difference the words “thank you” can make? The Samaritan healed of leprosy in Luke 17 seemed to know the power of these words. While on the way to Jerusalem, Jesus met a group of ten men who were social outcasts because of the leprosy that had deformed their bodies. Jesus told the diseased men to show themselves to...

READ: LUKE 5:27-32; 18:9-17; ROMANS 5:6-11; 1 JOHN 2:1 The small chapel was an inconspicuous building tucked along a side street off of Main. The leaders on the mission trip hadn’t mentioned the little church, but they had told the students it was okay to explore the area in the evening after dinner as long as they stayed in pairs and didn’t go too far. The chapel itself had worn pews with only a...

READ: PSALM 139; PROVERBS 3:1-6 When you feel like you don’t have a place in this world because you don’t think you’re as talented as others or you aren’t sure what to do with your life, remember that God made you. God doesn’t make mistakes. When He created you, He knew what He was doing. He knew just who you would be. You don’t have to worry about whether or not you have a place in this world whe...

READ: JOHN 14:12-21; 15:1-17 Let me understand when it’s You, God Telling me to go Speak loudly to me, God So that I can know Let me feel You with me, God As I simply live Knowing You are right beside me, God Help me to give Let them understand when it’s You, God Helping me to stand Show them You’re supporting me, God And I’m following Your command Let them know You move in me, God You’re a part o...

READ: PSALM 37:1-9; 1 PETER 2:19-25; 3:8-18 Have you ever seen someone do something wrong and, instead of getting in trouble, they end up reaping a reward for it? You may have heard the saying, “Crime doesn’t pay.” But unfortunately, in this broken world we regularly encounter people who seem to benefit from being dishonest or breaking promises. It can be hard to watch someone gain wealth with eas...

READ: PROVERBS 3:5-6; 2 CORINTHIANS 3:5; EPHESIANS 2:8; 1 PETER 5:6-7 “UPDATE FAILED. VIRUS DETECTED.” Siren stared at the vile green letters on her monitor. There was one last thing she could try. She drew the small drive out of her pocket. The Willpower Program (or WPP) was rumored to be strong enough to revive any device that had been affected by The Virus. And Siren’s computer had been infecte...

READ: 1 PETER 5:6-11 Each small worry can quickly become a big worry. It expands from the place inside of me where a little thought pops up. I start to think about it more and more. I consider all the scenarios and things that could happen. I start to worry about how I’m going to stop things from getting worse. I wonder how tomorrow will be. I worry about other things too, as the fears really begi...

READ: PSALM 4:8; JOHN 14:25-29; 16:33 As a younger teenager, I was so interested in reading fiction. It provided entertainment, romance, adventure, comedy, and interesting plots. Not to mention, it also provided an escape from the real world, thrusting me into an author’s made-up fantasy. During stressful or anxious times in my life, I strolled through the young adult shelves at my local library s...

READ: JOHN 3:16; 14:1-3; REVELATION 21:1-6 Time passes so quickly. We go from being children to adults. We see ourselves in the mirror and notice changes happening right before our eyes. Technology advances, new political leaders take control. Life moves at a fast pace, and sometimes we long for it to slow down…But what will eternity feel like? As we grow up, we learn that things in this life don’...