Devotions for Teenagers and Youth

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Proverbs 11:25

Posted on September 17, 2024

A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. – Proverbs 11:25 (NIV)

Many times we don’t think a lot about being generous. We are often thinking about how we can save enough money to buy the car, shoes or the phone we want. Lots of energy goes into making sure we have the latest and greatest. And while there’s nothing wrong with wanting nice things, we’ve got to keep it in the proper perspective.

Acquiring things can trap us in an endless cycle. You get something, but it doesn’t really satisfy you, so you try to obtain the next thing, and that doesn’t really make you happy, so you reach for something new. If you’re not careful, your whole life can turn into the pursuit of stuff.

True happiness comes when you put pursuing things to the side and begin living a life of generosity. And the great thing about generosity is that you don’t have to have tons of money to do it. It can start by buying a friend a Pepsi who is having a bad day. Or helping your neighbor carry in their trash cans. It could be baking a friend some cookies after they had surgery.

Being generous doesn’t have to take a lot of money, it’s just about getting out of yourself and the pursuit of stuff and into being a blessing to other people around us. So today ask God for ways that you can begin to be generous.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Isaiah 28:23

Posted on September 16, 2024

Give ear and hear my voice; listen and hear my speech. – Isaiah 28:23 (MEV)

What are we being told in this verse? We are told to listen and hear God’s voice. How do we do that?

First of all, begin by reminding yourself that’s it is a privilege to hear from God. God wants to talk to us, He wants to give us help with life all of those things. And it’s something special that we should never take for granted. God wants to talk to us. He wants us to know His voice and listen to it.

He doesn’t want to talk to us to control us or to make life more difficult. Instead, He loves us. He wants His best for us and wants us to live life in a way that is the best for us. He wants to speak to us and give us wisdom on all matters of life. From where to find the best deals on new shoes, to which math teacher to pick for next semester. God wants to help out by giving you wisdom in every area of your life.

So begin by listening. Realize that God wants to speak to you and then begin to listen for His voice. The way God most reliably speaks to us is through His written word, the Bible. So be confident that as you read the Bible, He will speak to you. What He speaks will line up with what is written in the Bible.

So have confidence that God wants to speak to you, and that He is speaking to you every time you begin to read the Bible. Take some time today to open up your Bible. Start with today’s verse and ask God to show you ways that you can begin to give ear to His voice and listen to what He says. Then do what you feel like He’s telling you to do. As you do, you’ll find that you’ll hear more and more from God’s word.

Today’s Truth: God is speaking, take some time to listen to God’s word today to hear Him.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Proverbs 30:5

Posted on September 13, 2024

“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. – Proverbs 30:5 (NIV)

This week we’re going to be talking about God’s word. That might seem like a pretty boring topic. The idea of reading your Bible might make you want to fall asleep. But hang with us. Even though sometimes the Bible seems dull and boring, in reality it’s an amazing book.

The Bible itself tells us that every word of God is flawless. That means the Bible is perfect. The stories in it are to help us, guide us, and direct us in life. Every word that is written has power and the Bible is truth.

What does that mean for your life? It means that when you feel upset because someone bullied you, you can look to God’s word. In His word, you find that you have worth and value.

If you’re struggling with making a big decision, God’s word has advice and help with that too. The truth is that no matter what you face, God’s word is truth and it has your answer.

So if you’ve struggled reading the Bible, look into some of the great options available. Consider an app that reads the Bible to you. Watch some YouTube videos about scripture you like. Make it fun and get creative. Find a way to get the truth found in God’s word in your life!

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Colossians 3:23

Posted on September 12, 2024

Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, – Colossians 3:23 (HSCB)

It’s hard to stay motivated when things are tough. Maybe you tried really hard on a project for school and didn’t get the grade you wanted. Or perhaps you tried out for the basketball team only to find out that you didn’t make the cut. When you try hard but don’t get the results you want it can be really disappointing.

Today’s Bible verse talks about doing all things enthusiastically as if you’re doing them for the Lord. A good way to think about it is in everything you do, treat it as worship to God. So even when you try something and don’t get the results you want, if you’ve done our best, then you can take comfort in the fact that God sees what you’re doing. And God rewards those who are faithful.

In everything you do, do your best. Remember that you’re doing things for God, not for others. So even if doing the right thing is hard, it’s always worth it in the long run. So choose to do things enthusiastically and for God.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Esther 2:15

Posted on September 6, 2024

When the turn came for Esther (the young woman Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail) to go to the king, she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her – Esther 2:15 (NIV)

Esther amazes me sometimes. She was a woman who didn’t exactly have life fall into place the way she probably wanted it to. Her parents had died. That could have left her angry and bitter. Instead, we see her being a woman who was humble and willing to take advice.

She listened to those in charge of her, and took their advice. She didn’t think that she knew better than those over her, instead she listened to what they had to say and acted on it.

I feel like if we were honest, most of us would not respond the way Esther did. If our parents died, we’d be sad, angry and bitter. Also, imagine being taken from your home, and then being forced to marry someone you might not really care about.

All of these things could have made Esther bitter and unhappy. But instead of feeling that way, she chooses to listen to those in charge of her, and ends up being the one the king chose for his wife. She must have really trusted God to still have such a good attitude in the midst of so many things that weren’t really going the way she probably wanted them to.

How about you? Do you face times when you want to get bitter and angry? When things don’t turn out how you’d like them to do you get upset or do you go to God? Do you tell Him the things that trouble you, and trust Him to bring you through?

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Psalm 139:14

Posted on September 5, 2024

“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – how well I know it.” – Psalm 139:14 (NLT)

Most of my teenage years were spent feeling bad about myself. I struggled with a low self-esteem. I battled depression and struggled with wanting to harm myself. This verse was the catalyst to overcoming my low self esteem.

One of the best things you can do when you battle a low self-esteem is to spend sometime thinking about how God sees you. When you begin to see your value to God, it will change the way you view yourself. It will take you from depressed to happy, from hating yourself to seeing your true value.

My life radically changed when I began to see myself the way God saw me. Once I believed that God loved me and wanted the best for me, I was able to begin to love myself. You can win the battle with low self-esteem, and it starts by realizing how much God loves you.

Today’s Truth: When begin to see your value to God, it will change how you view yourself.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Psalm 119:114

Posted on September 4, 2024

You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope. – Psalm 119:114

Sometimes when life gets tough, we just need someone to have our back. When you have those moments when you feel like you can’t keep going or that life is just too hard, it’s important to remember what today’s Bible verse says.

This verse tells us first that God is our refuge and shield. That means when things get tough, we can go to Him and He will keep us safe and be a place of refuge. When life gets hard and you have difficulty trying to keep going, you can remember that you can always go to God and He will be your place to get recharged and feeling better about life.

Today’s Truth: No matter how crazy life gets, we can find hope in God’s word!

We also see in this verse that God’s word can be our source of hope. No matter how crazy life gets, we can always have hope. We see in the Bible that we can make it through. God’s word is so important because it gives us hope. We see in it that we can do all things through Christ and that God will never leave us or forsake us. So even though life sometimes is hard, you can be encouraged to know that God will always take care of us!

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – 2 Timothy 3:16

Posted on September 3, 2024

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. – 2 Timothy 3:16

We can learn from our mistakes but often those mistakes knock us down and hurt us. However, a better way to learn and grow is to have God show us where we need to change and grow through the Bible. This is a less painful and more effective way and in the end, it helps us trust God more.

When we take the time to read God’s word (the Bible) and let it correct us and show us the best way to live, feel and view things, we are being instructed the way He intended for us. We are able to avoid pitfalls and circumstances that He knows would hurt us. Just like a loving Father, God wants us to live a good life. He knows what’s best for us and that is why He has given us His Word.

Today, take time to not only read the Bible but let it speak to you. If something stands out and shows you that your current path isn’t the best, decide to follow the Bible over your feelings. This is what trusting God is all about; not leaning to your own understanding but His.

Daily Devotion and Bible Verse – Ephesians 1:4

Posted on August 30, 2024

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. – Ephesians 1:4 (NLT)

This Bible verse clearly shows us how much God loves us. God didn’t just love us, but He chose us too. If you’ve ever been chosen last for a sports team or for a school project you know how good it feels when someone chooses you.

God didn’t just choose you because He felt bad for you. This verse says that He chose you before He made the world. That means He chose you first! He thinks you are important.

The other great thing about what this verse tells us is that we are without fault in His eyes. When God looks at us he doesn’t see our failures and faults, He sees us in Christ and Holy. So when you begin to feel down about yourself, remember that God chose you first and He sees you without fault.

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