Life Devotionals

God created you with unique gifts to use for His kingdom. No one else in the world has your set of talents and abilities. Likewise we all struggle with different stuff too.

Think about the areas below that regularly distract you from your walk with God:

Boyfriend/girlfriend

Friendships

TV

Computer

Songs

Drugs

Movies

Bad attitude

Desire to be liked/ included

Low self esteem

Alcohol

temper

Laziness

Fear

Jam packed schedule

Sex

Hebrews 4:15-16 (The Message) says

We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

Jesus fully understands the temptations and the struggles we face everyday. He knows what it’s like to feel the pull of distraction, and he’s ready to help us.

Read Matthew 4:1-2

What had Jesus been doing for 40 days prior to being tempted?

Temptation usually comes after a spiritual high. Why does the enemy love to tempt us after we are deeply connected to God?

Read Matt. 4:3-11

How does it comfort you to know Jesus was tempted?

Jesus was tempted physically, spiritually, and intellectually/ emotionally.

What weapon did Jesus use to fight temptation?

Jesus didn’t call his friends for advice. He didn’t try to think of a clever reply on the spot. Jesus used scripture as His only weapon.

Read Mark 1:35

How did Jesus make time to learn the Bible?

Why is it important to follow His example and connect with God individually?

How do you try to handle temptation in your life?

How is God’s word more powerful than asking friends for advice or trying to stay strong on your own?

The specific verses Jesus quoted were actually written thousands of years before he was born. Jesus proves that God’s word is living and active, never old or irrelevant to our situations.

How can you study God’s word and use it against the enemy?

How can you use God’s word to help your friends when they ask for advice?

In Christ we have the power to overcome temptation. Christ in you is strong enough to conquer all your struggles.

Ask God to give you 1-2 verses this week to help you fight temptation. Watch for His word to come alive in your quiet times and life. When you hear the verse that specifically speaks to you, write it down.

What was the last sporting event you attended?

All sports have one thing in common: They all have crazy fans. Whether it’s football, basketball, volleyball, or baseball, there’s usually an obnoxious group of people screaming at the top of their lungs, making a scene. They’re pretty fun to watch actually.

The Bible is full of people who love shaking things up.

Read Matthew 20:29-30

Scripture says a large crowd followed Jesus when two unlikely characters started making a scene.  These men happened to be blind. That meant they were total and complete outcasts – the bottom of the social ladder.

What did they yell? (end of vs. 30)

It’s no coincidence the men called Jesus “The son of David.” This meant they were acknowledging him as the messiah, the son of God. Their physical blindness didn’t stop them from having 20/20 spiritual vision.

How did the crowd respond to them? (vs. 31)

Quiet, rule-following Jews didn’t like having their peace interrupted by loud, obnoxious, unruly people—especially those with no social standing.

How is this true at your school?

These men were just the kind of people Jesus was looking for.

How did Jesus respond to their cries? (read vs. 32-34)

Do you think the blind men would have been healed if they kept quiet and let the crowd discourage them?

Jesus is looking for those who are unafraid to stand out in a crowd. He wants to ask you the same question he asked the blind men: “What do you want me to do for you?”

What do you want Jesus to do for you this week?

Ask God to help you love Him so passionately that you don’t mind “making a scene” with your life.

His name is Evan Baxter. Once upon a time, he was a congressman, and his life was pretty sweet until God (Morgan Freeman) commands him to build an ark. All of a sudden, freaky animals follow him around in twos and a mountain-man beard keeps sprouting on his face. When he finally agrees to build the boat, the whole country watches and laughs. Imagine a gigantic ark in the middle of Virginia in 2007. If you got to see Evan Almighty, you know how hilarious it is.

Even though this movie is fictional, it makes you think what the real Noah must have gone through.

Read Genesis 6: 9-14; 17-22

What was Noah’s reaction to this assignment (vs. 22)?

Describe the last time God asked you to do something that didn’t make sense at first?

Did you listen to Him? How did your friends react?

Noah’s country had never seen rain. He had no scientific reason to predict a flood. Most of the time trusting God means doing things that seem crazy at the time. But his Word is always trustworthy. As Christ-followers we live under the protection of God because we live under his authority.

Who’s authority are you most tempted to follow?

Friends, boyfriend/girlfriend, parents, Media, teachers, God’s

What is God asking you to do right now that might not make sense to everyone else?

Read Gen. 7: 11-12

The rain eventually fell for Noah (and Evan). Even if you can’t see “rain” in your life right now, God will prove himself trustworthy. Take a minute, and acknowledge God as the main authority in your life.

Big parties are awesome. I would love to go to the Super bowl someday or Times Square on New Year’s Eve. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to be surrounded by thousands of people with tons of confetti everywhere.

If you could go to any party, what would it be?

If you didn’t already know, our God is all about celebrating. The world’s parties are a cheap imitation of what it means to really celebrate. In fact, God invented the party. In Leviticus, God commanded the Israelites to participate in several celebrations. The very first miracle Jesus performed was at a wedding party.  Luke 15:17 says there is rejoicing in heaven when someone comes to God.

Read Nehemiah 8:9-10

Basically, the prophet Ezra reads parts of the Bible to the Israelites, and they feel guilty for disobeying God.

According to verse 9, what did the people do because they felt guilty?

Read Nehemiah 8:10-12

What did Nehemiah command the people to do?

He basically told them to stop crying and to throw a big party in honor of coming back to God. What has God freed you from this week?

As you go home today, know that God celebrates over you. If you got to know God more, and gave up sin, you have every right to celebrate too! Get ready for God to do something exciting in your life. He loves you so much. Even though you are sleep-deprived, smelly, and ready for real food, take a minute to pray these Psalms. Praise God for an amazing week!

(Taken from the Message)

Psalm 18:20-24

God made my life complete

when I placed all the pieces before him.

When I got my act together,

he gave me a fresh start.

Now I’m alert to God’s ways;

I don’t take God for granted…..

I feel put back together,

and I’m watching my step.

God rewrote the text of my life

when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.

Psalm 40

A David Psalm

1-3 I waited and waited and waited for God. At last he looked; finally he listened.

He lifted me out of the ditch,

pulled me from deep mud.

He stood me up on a solid rock

to make sure I wouldn’t slip.

He taught me how to sing the latest God-song,

a praise-song to our God.

More and more people are seeing this:

they enter the mystery,

abandoning themselves to God.

4-5 Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God,

turn your backs on the world’s “sure thing,”

ignore what the world worships;

The world’s a huge stockpile

of God-wonders and God-thoughts.

Nothing and no one

comes close to you!

I start talking about you, telling what I know,

and quickly run out of words.

Neither numbers nor words

account for you.

6 Doing something for you, bringing something to you—

that’s not what you’re after.

Being religious, acting pious—

that’s not what you’re asking for.

You’ve opened my ears

so I can listen.

7-8 So I answered, “I’m coming.

I read in your letter what you wrote about me,

And I’m coming to the party

you’re throwing for me.”

That’s when God’s Word entered my life,

became part of my very being.

Psalm 145:1-7

1 I lift you high in praise, my God, O my King! and I’ll bless your name into eternity.

2 I’ll bless you every day,

and keep it up from now to eternity.

3 GOD is magnificent; he can never be praised enough.

There are no boundaries to his greatness.

4 Generation after generation stands in awe of your work;

each one tells stories of your mighty acts.

5 Your beauty and splendor have everyone talking;

I compose songs on your wonders.

6 Your marvelous doings are headline news;

I could write a book full of the details of your greatness.

7 The fame of your goodness spreads across the country;

your righteousness is on everyone’s lips.

Google the word “love” and you’ll get over 930 million hits. That’s a lot of people with a lot of opinions on love. Our trusty friends at Wikipedia define love as “emotions and experiences related to a sense of affection.” Renowned poet Robert Frost says “Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.”

What about you? How do you define love?

As usual, God likes to give us a completely fresh perspective.

Check out Hosea 1:2-3 (Near the end of the OT)

What crazy command did God give Hosea?

Guess what Gomer did after Hosea married her? That’s right. She went right back into prostitution. I doubt any of you defined love as “marrying a prostitute and spending the rest of your life trying to get her to love you.”

Look at Hosea’s response in 3:1-2

What did Hosea do when his wife ran away from him? (verse 2)

As you might already see, this is more than a story about a preacher and a prostitute. This entire book illustrates God’s love for Israel and us as his children. We might not like to think of ourselves as prostitutes, but that’s what sin does to our relationship with God. Even though we constantly run away, God always pursues us and “buys” us back through Christ. This is the ultimate picture of love.

What is one way you noticed God pursuing you the past few weeks?

How do you want to improve your relationship with God this week?

Read Hosea 14:1 and 4

Write a short prayer asking God to show you a new kind of love this week.

Today we’re going to read about an ordinary woman that God used in an extraordinary way.

A little Background:

King Xerxes ruled over the conquered Jewish people. One day, he needed to find a wife, so he sent his scouts to find the best looking babe.

Read Esther 2:7b

This girl, who was also known as Esther, was lovely in form and features, and Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.

So the king marries Esther (a Jew) and takes her into the palace.

Not long after, one of the king’s assistants gave him the bright idea to kill all the Jews because they worshipped God. The king agreed, not knowing that Esther was a Jew (one of God’s chosen people).

Mordecai (Esther’s uncle) begged Esther to use her position to help the Jews.

Read her reaction:

Esther 4:15-16 (The Message)

Esther sent back her answer to Mordecai: “Go and get all the Jews living in Susa together. Fast for me. Don’t eat or drink for three days, either day or night. I and my maids will fast with you. If you will do this, I’ll go to the king, even though it’s forbidden. If I die, I die.”

Esther 5:1-3 (The Message)

Three days later Esther dressed in her royal robes and took up a position in the inner court of the palace in front of the king’s throne room. The king was on his throne facing the entrance. When he noticed Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased to see her; the king extended the gold scepter in his hand. Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. The king asked, “And what’s your desire, Queen Esther? What do you want? Ask and it’s yours—even if it’s half my kingdom!”

To make a long story short, the King honored Esther’s request and spared the Jews.

Esther’s story shows us that everything matters to God. He uses every single thing about you to accomplish his purpose in your life.

Think about it:

-How did Esther’s physical qualities allow God to use her?

-Some would feel sorry for Esther because her parents died when she was young. How did God use that tragedy for His plan?

-What about Esther’s past: How did her Jewish background help God save his people?

-How did God use Esther’s personality to save the Jews? (She was brave, she had great courage, etc.)

Just like Esther, God wants to use every single detail of YOUR life? He gave you your looks, talents, intelligence, and skills to bring Him glory.

Think of the 3 things you like most about yourself right now.

Are you using those qualities to spread the fame of God?

Think of 1 painful experience you’ve faced in your life.

How can God use that situation as part of his plan for you?

Name one position of leadership you currently hold: (You could be a member of a team, a big brother/sister, a friend to someone younger, or an upperclassman. All these things qualify you as a leader.)

Everything Matters to God. Nothing about you is an accident. He loves you and wants to use every part of you for his glory.

How does this change how you see yourself?

Write a one-sentence prayer dedicating your entire self to God:

It’s time to plug your ears. If you’ve ever watched American Idol, you know that the funniest part of the show is the beginning. Week after week, thousands of people wait to audition – hoping to become famous. Guess what? Most of them can’t carry a TUNE. It’s hilarious to watch, but not so funny for the losers when Simon shoots them down.  Not only does Simon bash their singing, he criticizes their hair, clothes, weight, shoes, and personality. Instead of a simple “No thanks,” Simon’s rejection makes the toughest guy (or girl) break out in tears.

Think of a time you tried out for something and didn’t make it.

Sadly, a lot of Christians think God is like Simon sitting behind a desk, waiting to judge us. We think He loves to pick out all our flaws. We see Him as this Cosmic Critic who constantly reminds us, “You can’t do this right! You messed up again! You’ll never be good enough!”

Actually, this is NOTHING like God.

Read Romans 8:38-39

“38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

If you are a Christ-follower, what sin will cause God to reject you? (Nothing)

Name a time you felt like God didn’t love you because of what you did:

How can sin still cause you to feel far away from God?

NOW that we know God loves us unconditionally, we can get rid of the sin that keeps us from him. Unlike Simon, God doesn’t point out our flaws to get higher TV ratings. God wants to destroy every sin in our lives because he loves us – really he’s crazy about us. Understand that everything in your life matters to God because he loves you and will never let you settle for a mediocre walk with him.

(Adapted from Romans 8:4-6 The Message)

“When Christ died, he took that entire rule-dominated way of life down with him and left it in the tomb… For as long as we lived that old way of life, doing whatever we felt we could get away with, sin was calling most of the shots, and this made us all the more rebellious. But now that we’re no longer shackled to sin, we’re free to live a new life in the freedom of God.”

God loves you too much to let even one sin control your life.

What area of your life needs to be transformed by God?

Do you believe He can do it?

Jeremiah 13:15 (The Message)

“Listen carefully: Don’t stay stuck in your ways!

It’s God’s Message we’re dealing with here.

Let your lives glow bright before God.”

What sin has been “stuck” in your life for a long time?

Because EVERYTHING MATTERS, are you willing to let it (sin) go?

Write a one sentence prayer praising God for how much he loves you.

Sometimes “serving” means sitting at Jesus’ feet

Think about everything that demands part of your time each week:

Sports

School

Job

Church

Clubs

Applying for college

Band

Homework

Friends

Family

MaxImpact

Small group

Myspace

With all the weekly activities that have to be done, it’s easy to get stressed out. How would you describe your usual stress meter:

Pretty relaxed? Sometimes tense? Off-the-charts stressful?

The Bible gives us a great example of serving in a busy world. Read Luke 10:38. Who was the “servant” person who opened the door to invite Jesus in?

Read verses 39-40. Immediately we see a difference in these sisters. In your own words, describe the differences between Mary and Martha.

Martha is a hard worker, a servant personality who loves to pour her life into helping others, especially Jesus. This time, however, Jesus brags on Mary and seems to put Martha in her place. Read verses 41-42.

Why do you think Jesus responds this way?

Was Martha wrong for serving?

As we serve our world, it is crucial that we spend time in God’s presence. There is nothing wrong with being busy, but our strength must come from Christ. Like Martha, we are to be servants, pouring our lives into helping the lonely, less-popular, hurting people all around us. But like Mary, we have to sit at Jesus’ feet in order for our service to have spiritual power. Without Christ, our schedule is a meaningless, going-through-the-motions. In Him, however, he will give purpose to everything we do.

How can you begin to spend time alone with God on a consistent basis?

If you already spend time with God, how can you take these times to the next level?

What is the biggest thing you have learned about serving this week?

Spend a few minutes asking God to help you serve the people around you.

I know it’s hard to believe, but David (your student minster) was once your age. Decades ago, when he was a junior, our student ministry went to Florida for a conference. (He was the ONLY high schooler on a trip full of middle school girls). While on the plane ride down, my (Jennifer’s) little sister, Natalie started feeling nauseated.  Sure enough, about halfway into the flight, she started blowing chunks all over the seat. Everyone, including her friends, jumped up and ran away — everyone, except David (how sweet). For the rest of the flight, he held her hair back as she continually threw up in an airline barf bag. Whether he just wanted to take care of his girlfriend’s sister, or whether he was really a great guy, we’ll never know. The fact is, sometimes being a servant is tough. It always means you put other people’s needs before your own.

Think of a time someone served you, even though everyone else walked away.

Read Mark 9:33- 34

What were the disciples arguing about?

The world tells you that it’s okay to step on other people to get ahead. They say If it gets you through a test, if other people laugh, if it will get the girl/guy to like you, go ahead and do it. Christ teaches us the opposite.

Read Mark 9:35-36

What  did Jesus mean when he said we must be servants to become first?

What does it mean to be a servant at your school?  In your family?

Jesus pointed to a child to represent someone society overlooks. Who are the overlooked people at your school?

Read Matthew 20:26-28

What was Jesus’ ultimate act of service?

Write a one-sentence prayer asking God to help you serve the hurting people around you when you go home.

Read Deuteronomy 6:4-7…

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

In this passage, we see another purpose God has for marriage is childbearing and the training of children. This is not a task that a husband and wife should take lightly. Just as it is important to be in a good relationship with each other, the two need to be serious about raising their children. Also, there are some things that can be more easily taught by females and some things that can be taught better by males. So when there is a partnership to provide both of these elements, childrearing is enhanced for the child. It is the way God designed for families to equip their children with everything they need.

Think about some of the things you have learned over the years, who taught you? What happened that made you really understand the information being presented to you? What would you have missed if no one ever taught you that information to you? What kinds of things do you want to teach your future children?