My grandpa got a Google Home for his birthday. When he opened it, he had no idea what it was or what it can do. My cousins, aunts, and uncles immediately sprung into action and got it hooked up and ready to use. Then we all took turns showing my grandpa how to say, “hey Google…” and ask questions or give it a command. Now my grandpa loves it. In fact, if you go over to his house, he’ll entertain you by getting you to ask his Google Home questions. We visited him a few weeks ago, and he told us at supper to think of a really hard question. When we were done eating, he had us ask Google Home our questions.
Once my grandpa understood his gift, he could begin enjoying it and sharing it with others. In the same way, when we begin to see who we are in Christ, we can begin truly enjoying our life and living life to the fullest and begin sharing the love of Christ with others.
[Tweet “When we see who we are in Christ, we can truly enjoy life – @studentdevos”]
In Christ – You Can Do It
I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me. – Phil 4:13 (Good News)
Life can be tough. Disappointment can be real. But in the midst of all the difficulty that life can bring, knowing that you can do all things through Christ makes all the difference. If you put your faith and trust in Jesus, you can know that through Christ you can make it.
It’s encouraging to know that you’re not stuck out there in life all by yourself. You’ve got a God who has been through it already and is ready to walk with you through whatever difficulty you face. Knowing that in Christ you can do it makes a huge difference in life. It will keep you going when things get tough.
[Tweet “Knowing that in Christ you can do it keeps you going when things get tough – @studentdevos”]
In Christ – You Matter
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. – Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)
When God thinks about you, he sees a masterpiece. The great thing about a masterpiece is that it’s one of a kind. There is no other work like it and it’s very special to the person who created it. In the same way, to God, you matter. Your life is important and you’ve been created to do something special for God.
It’s easy to begin to compare yourself to what you see online. You can see what your friends are doing, how they look, what they wear and what they do and feel like you don’t measure up. However, the true measure of worth is what God says about you. When you begin to see yourself the way Jesus sees you, you realize that you matter. You’ve been uniquely designed and your life is important.
[Tweet “When you begin to see yourself the way Jesus sees you, you realize you matter – @studentdevos”]
In Christ – You Find Purpose
For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring. – Acts 17:28 (NLT)
It’s easy as a teenager to feel like you don’t have any idea of your purpose. You might not have yet discovered what you want to do for a career. You might not even quite know what it is that you’re really good at doing. Don’t get discouraged. It’s by spending time with Jesus that you find your purpose.
It’s in Jesus that we live. It’s in Jesus we discover what we’re good at doing and what God has created us to do. Find your purpose by getting close to Jesus. Let Him show you what it is that He wants you to do and let following Him be your sense of purpose.
In Christ – You Belong
God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. – Ephesians 1:5 (NLT)
God adopted you into His family. That means that you belong. Once you accept Jesus you have a family and a sense of belonging. So regardless of your home life, regardless of whether you fit in with friends at school, in Christ, you belong.
Don’t give into the lie of the enemy that says you don’t belong anywhere or that no one cares. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The truth in Jesus is that you belong. It made God happy to bring you into His family and He wants nothing more than a relationship with you. When those feelings or thoughts come that tell you that you don’t belong, choose to believe what God says instead. Choose to believe that in Christ, you belong.
What I Learned From A Google Home
I realized by watching my grandpa that a Google Home is really great, but we’ve got to spend some time learning how to use it. My grandpa didn’t automatically know how to use his Google Home. He had to spend some time learning about it to use it and get it working.
The same is true for us when it comes to our identity in Christ. We’ve got to spend time in the Bible learning about who God says we are in Jesus. We’ve got to let that identity become more real to us than what we see online or what others say about us. When we put in the effort to see ourselves how God sees us, it will change everything.
You Can Download Discussion Questions to use with this devotion.
Have you noticed that your habits matter? If you’re an athlete, you won’t get far if you don’t exercise, lift weights, and eat right. If you stuff your face full of chips, soda and spend your free time sitting around relaxing, you can’t expect to go as far in sports as someone who eats right and exercises.
