Daily Bible Verse

My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words – Proverbs 4:20 (NLT)

Have you ever been guilty of not paying attention? Maybe your mom was talking to you, but you tuned her out and were thinking about how after dinner you got to go play Fortnite. And even though you didn’t really mean to, you missed most of what she was saying because you mind was focused on something else.

It’s really easy to do the same thing to God. Perhaps you have heard the Bible verse being preached at church hundreds of times and so you sort of zone out. Or maybe you know what the Bible says to do, but you don’t really want to do it because it’s hard so you try not to think about it.

Paying attention to God’s word takes work. It takes a focused effort on your behalf, especially because there are so many things calling for your attention. Focusing on God’s word is really worth it. Many of the answers you need can be found in prayer and study of the Bible. If you need wisdom on how to deal with a difficult person, the Bible has your answer. So instead of turning out those old verses that you’ve heard millions of times, try instead asking God to make it fresh and new to you. Ask Him to show you something new that you haven’t seen in the verse. Or ask Him for wisdom on how to apply what you’re reading to your life.

If you pay attention to God’s word, you’ll see good results in your life. So put in the effort that it takes to spend time in the Bible.

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. – 1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

God wants you to live a life free from worry. But that’s a lot harder to do than you might think. It’s really easy to want to take the concerns of life on yourself. Maybe you’re stressed about getting into the right college. Or you’re worried that your mom might get mad at you if you tell her how you did on your math final.

It’s so easy to take the worries and cares of life on yourself. When you do that, you make yourself unhappy and stressed out. You weren’t built to handle the stress of life on your own. It’s something that you weren’t made to carry.

So take those things that concern you to God every day. Let Him help you carry your concerns and worries. Put those things on Him and let Him deal with them. You aren’t built to carry them and you don’t need to. So put your trust in God and know that He is fighting for you. Do your best and trust God to do the rest!

Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.- Romans 12:11 (NLT)

Don’t you wish you could just get good at something? Take playing an instrument for example. Don’t you wish you could just pick up some drumsticks and automatically be good enough to play for an awesome band? The frustrating thing about most things in life is that you’ve got to work at them.

If you want to be good at something, you’ve got to cultivate it.

The same is true with your purpose. If you’re going to really be good at something or achieve something you’ve got to cultivate it.

Today’s Takeaway: Purpose Can Be Cultivated

If you want to get better at something you’ve got to cultivate it. It might be reading books about your interests or watching tons of YouTube videos. It might be going and taking lessons.

The key is that to get good at something it just doesn’t happen automatically. You’ve got to work it.

Today’s Challenge: How Will You Cultivate Your Purpose?

What are you going to do today to cultivate your purpose? What are some practical ways you can get better at the dream God has put into your heart? Don’t be afraid to ask for help!

 Want help discovering purpose? Check out the 10-day purpose planner. It’s full of devotions to help you discover your God-given purpose.

He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. – Psalm 103:12 (NLT)

When Jesus was on the cross, he was removing our sins. The Bible says in today’s verse that He removed them as far as the east is from the west. That means your sin is no longer able to be found. Jesus removed our sins totally and completely. We are now able to go to the father as though our sin never existed.

That is good news. No longer does sin hold us back. We don’t have to feel bad or condemned. Rather, we can walk in the freedom Jesus has provided for us, knowing that we have been made right with God.

So today, you can easily feel like things aren’t going the way you’d like them to. You might feel that life hasn’t been fair or easy. But also, realize that Jesus has provided you with everything that you need. He has taken your sins away. So far away that they can’t be found anymore. So don’t get discouraged. Yes, life isn’t perfect, but the good news is that Jesus has done the thing that really matters. He’s taken our sin away.

We can enjoy fellowship with God now. So regardless of how difficult things seem right now, you have something to be thankful for. You’re forgiven and your sins have been removed. Take time to thank God for that today!

And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. – Hebrews 11:9 (NLT)

Can you imagine what would have happened if Abraham in the Bible had never left his country? What would the story Israel look like if heroes like Abraham hadn’t stepped out in faith and put action to what God was telling them to do?

If you want to do something big for God, it’s going to require you to take action.

You can daydream amazing things. You can get excited about things that you’d like the future to hold for you. In fact, you can even pray about God’s play for your life, but if you don’t take action on those things, you won’t end up doing anything for God.

Today’s Take Away: Purpose Requires Action

All the heroes in the Bible that did great things for God had to do something about the things that were in their heart. They had to give action to the dreams and desires that God gave them.

Noah had to build an ark, Abraham had to move to a new country. Rahab had to put a red cord in her window. All these amazing men and women of God and they all had to do something.

So what about you? What has God put on your heart? What dreams do you want to see accomplished in your life? Think about those things and then determine to do something about them. Choose to take small steps toward them happening in your life. Determine to put action toward finding your purpose.

If you’re not sure where to start, ask God for help. He can show you what to do and where to go. Know that God desires to see you find your purpose!

 If you enjoyed today’s devotion and want to follow along with a PDF version, you can download our 10-day purpose planner. It’s full of devotions to help you discover your God-given purpose.

Other Devotions About Purpose

1. Day 1 – Your Identity Isn’t Your Purpose.
   Making decisions about your future can seem really scary sometimes. Make them easier by realizing that your purpose is not your identity. Your identity can only be found in Jesus.
2. Day 2 – Finding Purpose Takes Patience
   God leads us and tells us that our steps are ordered by Him. He doesn’t tell us that He will reveal to us the whole journey.
3. Day 3 – Finding Purpose Takes Faith
   The key is on the journey to discovering your purpose is to not lose faith. It takes faith to follow God’s plan and His leading.
4. Day 4 – Purpose Requires Action
   You can daydream amazing things. You can get excited about things that you’d like the future to hold for you. In fact, you can even pray about God’s plan for your life, but if you don’t take action on those things, you won’t end up doing anything for God.
5. Day 5 – God’s Purpose For You Is Good
   God wants good things for you. He has good things in store for your future

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. – Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

Sometimes, people aren’t nice to us. They do mean things, let us down, and just don’t get us. Sometimes, after we’ve been let down by people so much, we start to think that God is the same way.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that maybe God doesn’t really love us. Or perhaps, we wonder if He really does have a purpose for our lives. The truth is, God does love you. He does have good things in store for your life.

To God, you matter. It’s completely up to you whether you choose to believe that. You can believe that God will let you down as everyone else in your life has, or you can choose to believe that God is good. He has good things in store for you.

Today’s Take Away – God’s Purpose For You Is Good

God wants good things for you. He has good things in store for your future. You have got to choose to believe that. You’ve got to determine that nothing can or will change God’s love for you.

[Tweet “Nothing can or will change God’s love for you – @studentdevos”]

When you start to believe that, then you believe that God has a good plan and a good purpose for your life. You begin to realize that God has called you to something. As you walk daily in your relationship with God, He will begin to reveal purpose to you.

So today, choose to believe that God loves you and that His purpose for your life is good!

 If you enjoyed today’s devotion and want to follow along with a PDF version, you can download our 10-day purpose planner. It’s full of devotions to help you discover your God-given purpose.

Other Devotions About Purpose

1. Day 1 – Your Identity Isn’t Your Purpose.
   Making decisions about your future can seem really scary sometimes. Make them easier by realizing that your purpose is not your identity. Your identity can only be found in Jesus.
2. Day 2 – Finding Purpose Takes Patience
   God leads us and tells us that our steps are ordered by Him. He doesn’t tell us that He will reveal to us the whole journey.
3. Day 3 – Finding Purpose Takes Faith
   The key is on the journey to discovering your purpose is to not lose faith. It takes faith to follow God’s plan and His leading.
4. Day 4 – Purpose Requires Action
   You can daydream amazing things. You can get excited about things that you’d like the future to hold for you. In fact, you can even pray about God’s plan for your life, but if you don’t take action on those things, you won’t end up doing anything for God.
5. Day 5 – God’s Purpose For You Is Good
   God wants good things for you. He has good things in store for your future