Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Romans 5:11

Posted on April 15, 2025

So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God—all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends of God. – Romans 5:11 (NLT)

One of the great things about what Jesus did for us is that He gave us the ability to have a relationship with God. If God just wanted someone to worship Him, He already had that with the angels in heaven. Instead, He chooses to have a relationship with imperfect humans.

What an amazing thing to think about. God choose you out of all beings to be in a relationship with Him. That should show you your value to God. You’re not worthless or a nobody. God did everything in His power to deal with sin because He wanted to know you.

Today’s Truth: God did everything in His power to deal with sin because He wanted to know you.

So on those days when you feel like you’ve messed up too bad. When you feel like you’re not worth anything. Realize that to God, you’re priceless. He chooses you and desires to know you.

God paid the ultimate price to know you. He sent Jesus to destroy the power of sin in your life. There is now nothing that is stopping you from knowing God. So today be encouraged. God loves you. He sees value in a relationship with you. To Him, you’re worth everything!

 

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Proverbs 1:5

Posted on April 14, 2025

let the wise listen and add to their learning,
    and let the discerning get guidance – Proverbs 1:5 (NIV)

I remember when I was in middle school. I didn’t really care about what I was learning. To me, it didn’t really make much difference. I just wanted to get out of school and do other things. I wasn’t really thinking about what I was learning, but more focused on friends and what was happening socially.

However, learning is an important part of your life, whether you realize it or not. In this first chapter of Proverbs learning is discussed a lot. Today’s verse talks about how the wise person adds to their learning. It’s wise to realize that you don’t know everything. It’s also wise to realize that you never stop learning. There’s no point in your life when you’ll suddenly know it all. There is a lot of learning that takes place over the course of your life.

Secondly, it talks about being discerning. It’s one thing to know a lot of facts. You can know dates of wars, all the interesting details about wars and history, but if you don’t really know to use those facts, then they don’t really benefit you. Being discerning is using good judgement in life.

Using good judgement is developed best from a relationship with God. When you know God and His word, you can have discernment and wisdom that go well beyond your natural age. Knowing God is the source of all wisdom. So as you begin to reach out and know Him, you’ll find that you can learn not only facts, but also grow in wisdom and discernment to be wise beyond your years.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Ephesians 4:32

Posted on April 11, 2025

Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

One of the hardest things to do in life is to forgive. When people don’t treat you the right way, when they make fun of you, bully you, or give you a hard time for what you believe it can be really hard to forgive and be kind like this verse challenges us to do.

The good news is that God is a just God. He wouldn’t ask us to do something we couldn’t do. It wouldn’t be fair for God to expect us to do something that was beyond our ability.

Thankfully, that’s not what God did. God gave us the love we need to love others. He tells us that His love has been placed in our hearts (Romans 5:5). So God has given us what we need to love others. We can be kind, tenderhearted, and forgive others because God has given us what we need to do it.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Matthew 12:30

Posted on April 10, 2025

When you take a stand and decide to live your life for Jesus, it can be easy to wonder if it’s really worth it. You might ask yourself if you should just give in and compromise. Standing up for what’s right is hard, and you can begin to think that it’s not worth it.

I know I’ve questioned it a lot. I’ve wondered if I’d have more friends and be happier if I’d just compromise my beliefs and live a little more like the world. It can be easy to feel that way, and it’s normal to question whether living for Jesus is worth it.

However, before you decide to compromise, think about today’s Bible verse, found in Matthew 12:30.

“Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me. – Matthew 12:30 (NLT)

This verse shows us that to God, there isn’t really room for compromise. You’re either living for God or you’re working against Him. So even if you feel like compromising, think about this verse. Spend some time letting it’s message sink in.

Then ask yourself if some short-term compromise is worth it. If you compromised, would you regret it 5 or 10 years from now? It’s easy to feel like if you give in now, it would make things easier, but long-term will you regret your compromise?

Compromise usually isn’t worth it in the long run. If you stand for Christ, it might be hard today, but later in life, you won’t have regrets and wish you’d handled things differently. So choose today to stand up for truth. Stand up for what’s right and know that God will see you through.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – 2 Thessalonians 2:15

Posted on April 9, 2025

With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teaching we passed on to you both in person and by letter. – 2 Thessalonians 2:15 (NLT)

Peer pressure is real. It’s hard to deal with some days. I remember one time standing up for a girl on my bus when everyone was making fun of her. No one else was stopping the bully. I decided to invite the girl to sit by me on the bus. Standing up for what’s right when everyone else is silent is never easy. You feel silly and alone.

If you’re facing peer pressure, I want to encourage you with today’s verse because. It talks about standing firm, and often that’s what you have to do when you’re facing peer pressure. You have to have the guts to stand firm and not be shaken by others.

The people that do big things for God, stand firm in their faith. They don’t allow popular opinion or fear of others keep them from doing what God has called them to do. And that’s what you can do too. You can choose to stand firm in the midst of a world that mocks God.

As you choose to make the Bible and your relationship with God more real than the pull of peer pressure, you won’t be as swayed by the opinions of others. You also become more aware of your relationship with God. The more aware you are of that relationship, the more it means to you. As you spend time in the presence of God, God will become more important and more real than the pull of your friends and those around you who aren’t choosing to serve God.

So today, challenge yourself to stand firm. Determine not to be swayed by peer pressure or anything else. Instead, let your relationship with God become more real to you and everything else will lose its importance.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Psalm 23:4

Posted on April 8, 2025

Psalm 23:4

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me – Psalm 23:4 (NIV)

I used to work in a restaurant. My boss was unkind to me a lot of the time. He’d try to make me drop food on the ground or trip me. I wasn’t learning the job quickly and the computer system at work might have been written in a foreign language because it was so confusing to me. Many of my co-workers were trying to get me to quit because I was so bad at my job. I was stressed out and didn’t know if I could go on or whether things would ever get any better.

In the middle of times like these, it can be easy to slip into fear. I found myself worried that I would be fired. I was upset that I wasn’t keeping up and making many of my co-workers mad. As I focused on these things, fear grew in my heart.

Today’s Truth: Focus on God in the middle of uncertainty, He will bring you peace.

However, in today’s Bible verse, we see that even in the middle of really tough circumstances, God is with us. He’s there to comfort us and help us. So if you’re faced with a difficulty, choose to focus on God. Focus on His love for you. Don’t let fear take root in your heart. Instead, choose to walk in the comfort and peace that God provides.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – 2 Corinthians 5:17

Posted on April 4, 2025

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! – 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)

When you become a Christian, you are made new. The old sin nature is gone. Instead of being guilty and sinful, your nature is changed and you are made righteous.

The good news is that you can never get more righteous. You’ve been made righteous. That is who you are. Your spirit is right with God. The sin that once kept you from being able to know God has been dealt with and now you have free access to know God.

Today’s Truth: You Have Been Made New In Christ

That means you can go before God without any inferiority. God wants to hear from you. He wants to help you and guide you. So go to Him. Realize that because you’ve been made new in Christ, you can experience all of God’s goodness and blessing in your life today!

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Isaiah 53:3

Posted on April 3, 2025

It can be tough to stand up for Jesus. There are probably times when you feel that you’re the only one who is standing up for Jesus in your friend group or at your school. When you’re the only one standing up for God that can make you feel lonely.

I’m sure Jesus felt that way too. When He was on the earth, He had times when no one understood what He was doing. He had times when he literally was the only one doing God’s will. That couldn’t have been easy for Him.

He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. – Isaiah 53:3 (NLT)

Jesus understands what it’s like to be rejected for doing what’s right. Many of His followers left Him during His time of ministry on the earth. Yet even when people didn’t stand with Him for truth, Jesus still stood firm. He knew that He was here to do His father’s will and that was the most important thing.

Standing up to peer pressure isn’t easy, but it’s the right thing to do. So in those moments when you’re discouraged, you can take comfort in the fact that Jesus understands what you’re going through. He went through similar things too. He understands and cares for you.

So if you need encouragement, go to Jesus. Get into God’s word and find encouragement. Realize that you’re not alone, and Jesus understands what you’re going through!

Read: Help! My Friend Is Doing Bad Stuff

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – 1 John 3:18

Posted on March 31, 2025

Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. – 1 John 3:18 (NLT)

This is a really challenging verse. It’s often easy to know the right thing to do. It’s easy to say the right things, and know what the right answers are to the questions they ask in your small group or Bible study. However, when it comes down to it, there is usually a disconnect between the thing we know to do and what we actually do.

That’s what today’s Bible verse is talking about. It’s saying that we shouldn’t just say that we love others. We shouldn’t just give the right answer at youth group or Sunday school, but rather we should let our lives live out the answer. Our lives should be reflecting the love of God towards others.

Today’s Truth: Our lives should be a reflection of God’s love to others.

So challenge yourself today. Don’t just say the right things at church and youth group, but rather live out God’s love in a big way. It might be talking to the girl who sits alone at lunch. Maybe you can buy your friend that is having a rough day a candy bar. Whatever it is, let yourself be used by God today to demonstrate love to those around you. Be bold, be strong, and be a light for Jesus in your world today.

Daily Devotion and Bible Verse – Proverbs 22:1

Posted on March 29, 2025

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold. – Prov 22:1 (NIV)

This wisdom from the Bible just works. It worked thousands of years ago and it works today. People are remembered for what kind of person they are. If you treated people fairly or poorly, it will get around. Each decision to be honest with your money and honest with people adds up to eventually make a name for yourself.

Having a good name goes along way. That’s why it really is more desirable than riches. A great name comes from a great reputation of how you treated things and people. Your reputation either opens or closes doors for you. Why? Because people people use it to know if they can trust you or not. Your reputation over time speaks volumes about you that resounds for years and years to come.

When people are watching and when they are not, take the high road. Choose to be honest with your money. Treat others the way you’d like to be treated. Little by little, these good decisions will create a positive name for yourself. People will trust you and want to participate with you in opportunities that might not come to you otherwise.