Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

I love mosaicspictures made of tiny pieces of random materials, arranged together on some type of canvas. It could be a literal canvas made of cloth stretched over a wood frame, or a cement paving stone, or even a wall or ceiling. I think what I love most about mosaics is that you can make them out of anything. You just need a canvas and lots of tiny items in the colors you want. When all those ra...

Genesis 1:26-27 says God created humans in His own image, in His likeness. This tells us God places the same value on all people, because each of us is created in His image. . Sometimes, we tend to think that we are of less value than others. We might compare ourselves with those who seem better than us because of their appearance or beauty, or because they come from rich families who can give the...

Throughout the Bible, God calls His people to tell one another about all He has done. As we wait for Jesus to return bodily to earth and fully restore His creation, we go through a lot of hard things. But God is at work restoring this broken world, and when we experience Him bringing wholeness and goodness into our lives, we can look at how this fits into His bigger story. Because of His great lov...

When I was eleven years old, the public school teachers in my district went on strike to call for much-needed improved wages. The students missed a few weeks of school as a result. To make up some of the missed days, the school board instituted something I’d never heard of before: Saturday school. For one month, a modified version of school would take place for a half-day on Saturdays. I attended...

I struggled to lift my head up to peer into the distance. I was sure it was close, but I wasn’t sure if I could make it. My battle with the dragon had left me deeply wounded; I had barely survived the attack. My only hope was to get to the King’s strong tower for healing and protection. . But I still couldn’t see it. The dark gloom of the day and the smoke from the battle were clouding my view, ma...

I’ll never forget something God reminded me of in a hospital room. We were visiting a dear friend who had just had a baby. A few minutes into our visit, her newborn son woke up from his slumber and began to cry. I’ll never forget the words of comfort she spoke to her wailing son as she scooped him into her arms: Tell Mama about it. . As she rocked him, held him close, and found out his needs, her...

I struggle with anxiety. There are times when my anxiety gets to me and keeps me from being at peace. I can pray in those times and feel like it’s not helping at all. . As Christians, sometimes we are made to feel bad for having anxiety. Aren’t we supposed to trust that God will take care of everything and just feel at peace? Well, for some of us, that is not always possible. Mental health issues...

Do you ever hear the phrase God knows the number of hairs on your head and think to yourself, “Really? Why would God need to know that about me? Or why would He even care?” . Psalm 139 talks about the intimate way God knows us. We are His creation, and He knits us together before we’re born. God cares about the small details in your life, and throughout His Word He has shown His love in the small...

You win a contEsther The rain holds out long enough for you to go outside with your friends. You have a loving family. You get a good grade on a school assignment All those things could signal to others that you are blessed. Our world often associates blessing with being rich, comfortable, talented, successful, and happy. But is this really what it means to be blessed? . In Matthew 5:1-12, Jesus t...

When Jesus was born, He didn’t even have a crib. He was born where the animals were kept and laid in a manger. . When Jesus was growing up, He was a carpenter’s son. He wasn’t rich. He didn’t live in a castle or have nice, expensive things. He had a humble life. . When Jesus became an adult and started preaching, sometimes He spoke in the synagogues or in the temple courts, but He also taught peop...

The universe is so large, the stars so far away in the night sky, and yet the same God who made the stars also made us. . When we start to doubt our worth or worry that there isn’t a reason for our lives, we can consider the stars in the night sky and the flowers in the field. In Matthew 6:26-33, Jesus says the flowers do nothing to become beautiful, and yet they are. God made them that way. They...

I have a confession. I used to hate the people who disagreed with me politically. It’s understandable to feel strongly about how we practice politics. Voting and activism have the potential to bring about much good in our communities. Politics can also be incredibly scary because we’re often dealing with life-and-death issues that affect us and our neighbors. . Here’s the good news: Jesus understa...

Fireheart’s eyes sharpened as she beheld an opalescent creature on the highest peak of the cliffs, glinting like a thousand diamonds in the sun’s waning light. As she flew nearer, she noted with surprise that it was a dragon. Fireheart hovered above, waiting for a warning signal of flames or the flash of claws, but neither came. . Softly, she landed next to the dragon. In his eyes, she saw her who...

Legends passed down from generation to generation told of a treasure so pure and valuable that it rivaled all others. Fireheart made it her mission to obtain this treasure. When she was still the tiniest of dragons, tucked under her mother’s massive wing, she was told stories of the dragons who made it their life’s quest to seek the treasure. Where they had failed, Fireheart was determined to succ...

I once watched a video that asked an unusual question: What year of life tends to be the best? Pretty deep, right? Not surprisingly, the video didn’t come to a definite conclusion. Depending on what you think the answer is, you might either feel hopeless that the best of life is done, or disappointed when the future doesn’t end up how you hoped. . When I began wondering about whether the past, pre...

Something I realized about the world recently is how seriously broken it is. I knew this before, but I didn’t have any profound personal experiences to help me understand what that truly meant. I can recall times of sadness and hopelessness during difficult circumstances in my life, but those feelings passed fairly quickly. Now, I see that brokenness amplified; it seems to be everywhere I look. St...

Some people might describe me as a goal-oriented list maker. And they would be right. So, it’s no surprise that I start a new year (sometimes the new calendar year in January, sometimes the new school year in the fall) with journal and pen in hand, writing out goals I want to accomplish. One New Year’s Eve, I sat thinking about hopes and dreams for the upcoming new year. But I had one thought I ju...

In high school, I had a plan for my life, and I didn’t want anything to get in the way. I loved Jesus, but I didn’t want to surrender my goals to Him. . My junior year, I had the chance to go on a trip with my church to Honduras. We had a week of medical clinics, building homes, and soccer games. But my favorite part was the relationships we built with our Honduran coworkers and neighbors. The las...

Changing situations and changing circumstances often come with changing moods, like unease, irritability, or even irrational behavior. These changes may be due to the loss of employment, a loved one, or something else we once held so dear. We might lose something that used to occupy our time, or something that’s just always been there. When a part of our lives that has felt normal since childhood...

There are times when we feel like no one really loves us or cares about us. We might have a family member hurt us or cut us out of their life. We might go through a breakup or deal with teasing from people who we thought were our friends. There are times when we get lonely and feel sad, but God is there for us in those times. . In John 15, Jesus talks about us being His friends. He talks about the...

We have a friend saying goodbye and meeting a new friend on today’s Unlocked Connection episode! Andrew has decided to step away from hosting Unlocked (listen to find out why), and Natalie introduces us to George Moss, a new friend taking over from Andrew. He’s going to be an awesome host and we hope you can embrace him too. His first Unlocked episode will be in just a few days, kicking off the ne...

Gazing up at the ever-darkening sky, people in the kingdom of Worne waited. How long had they looked for salvation? Where was the promise of rescue and freedom? All at once, there was a crack in the heavens, a blaze of light that burned stark against the night. Some shielded their faces in fear while others raised open palms toward the skies, waiting for a miracle. Then it came, falling soft as a...

I grew up thinking I needed to hold it together. My teenage problems seemed minuscule next to extreme poverty and world hunger. But I did have problems. And they felt big to me. . In John 16:33, Jesus says, In this world you will have trouble. He doesn’t say if; He says will. You will have trouble. Jesus’s statement has stood the test of time. Our brothers and sisters in Christ have experienced pa...

He will never leave you But will be by your side Staying with you forever He promises to stay the whole ride . He will never forsake you No matter how big a mess you make You can confess your sins to Him His patience will not break . He will never forget you You are His child God is there for you forever Even when things get wild He will always love you . He sent His Son To live and die for you On...

The air was full of excitement. It was Christmas day, and everyone was preparing to go to church. I also prepared myself to go and worship among others at the small village church that had become the center of attraction on this day. . Every Christmas, the church would be filled with worshippers. Everyone would be waiting to hear the story told again. In one way or another, everyone participated i...