Browsing Tag

Who is God

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Matthew 19:16

Posted on May 23, 2024

Many people today believe that Jesus was a teacher. Some even go as far as to believe that He was a prophet. But Jesus was claiming to the world that He was much more than that. He claimed He was the Son of God. That’s a powerful difference.

In Matthew 19:16-22 there was a young person who was rich and was a ruler. He approached Jesus asking how to have eternal life. But notice how he referred to Jesus. “Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” (NKJV) He was only willing to call Jesus a good teacher. Jesus’ response said it all: – So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. (NKJV)

Jesus was trying to get to the heart of this man. He could see the rich young ruler was willing to call him a good teacher but wasn’t willing to call Him God. That is a big difference. A teacher can only tell someone good things they have to do to earn eternal life. But as God, He had the power to save us. This is what Jesus claimed He was. God. And as God He died and rose again, earning eternal life for us.

What do you call Jesus? A teacher? Or God? Trust in Jesus and believe that He was exactly who He claimed to be, the Son of God who takes away our sin.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Ephesians 1:4

Posted on July 28, 2022

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

Have you ever been chosen last when your friends picked teams in a game? I wasn’t that great at sports and so when I got picked last for a team at recess I hated it! I always wanted to be better at the game and wished that I could avoid getting picked last.

No matter how good or bad you are at a sport or a team, it doesn’t really matter. It’s being chosen that makes you important. And the good news is, God not only did God choose you, but He chose you first. This verse says that God chose you before he made the world. He chose you first. He loved you and wanted you to be a part of His family. So regardless if you feel unloved, chosen last, or ignored, that’s not the truth. God loves you and He chose you first!

Focus on truth. People might be fickle. They might not love you unconditionally, but God does. And it’s His thoughts about you that matter. So focus on what He says and know that you’re loved by Him.

Today’s Truth: God loves you, and you’re His first choice!

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Romans 8:16

Posted on June 27, 2022

God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. – Romans 8:16 (MSG)

This Bible verse talks about one of the most important things you can know in life, who you really are. When you know who you really are, it changes how you feel about yourself, how you treat others, and how you relate to God.

Who you really are is who God says you are. Your value comes from what God says about you. It’s no longer about what you’ve done or what has been done to you. It’s all about your value to God.

Today’s Truth: It’s not about what you’ve done, it’s about your value to God

So, when you feel unloved, when you feel like no one cares, you can take comfort that God always does. He always tells us who we really are. When we get a picture of how God sees us it will change what we think, say, and do. God sees you through the cross and the blood of Jesus. He sees you as someone who has value because He was willing to give everything He had to know you.

Today be encouraged by what this Bible verse tells us. We are children of God.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – John 10:10

Posted on December 27, 2021

“The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” – John 10:10

Many times when bad stuff happens in life, it can be easy to want to blame God. Its easy to get angry at God when something doesn’t go your way or turn out like you expected. However, God shows us in this verse that He isn’t to blame for the bad stuff that happens in life.

Today’s Truth: Jesus came to give you an abundant life!

Jesus came so that we could have life, and have an abundant life. That means a good life, a full life. So when bad things happen, realize that blaming God doesn’t do any good. Jesus came to give us an abundant life!

Today choose to not get mad at God. Instead realize that He came to bring good things to you and stay hopeful knowing that your situation will turn around.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Galatians 4:6

Posted on September 22, 2021

And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” – Galatians 4:6 (NLT)

This verse talks about God being Abba. That’s kind of like referring to God as our daddy. A good daddy looks out for His kids. He does whatever it takes to make sure his kids have all they need and are safe. If we know that a good earthly daddy would do that for his kids, what makes us think that our heavenly father wouldn’t do the same for us?

God wants nothing more than for you to have all your needs met and to be safe. He always will provide for you, if you’ll just put your trust in Him. God is a good father. He has made sure that we have everything we need to enjoy life.

Today’s Truth: God wants nothing more than for you to have all your needs met and to be safe

So today, take some time out to thank God for what He has done for you. Thank Him for keeping you safe, and providing for you.

Pray: Dear Jesus, thank you so much for your love for me. I thank you that you want to meet my needs. I thank you that as I put my trust in you, You’ll always provide for me. In your name, Amen.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – 1 Samuel 15:29

Posted on June 29, 2021

“And He who is the Glory of Israel will not lie, nor will He change His mind, for He is not human that He should change His mind. ” – 1 Samuel 15:29 (NLT)

Have you run into some people that were unfaithful? Maybe you have some friends at school that suddenly decide they don’t like you because of what you wore today to school. It’s hard to know how to handle the difficult people that we face at school and on our jobs.

The good news is that regardless of how other people treat us, that’s nothing like how God is. He’s not like the people you know who say they’re going to do something and then forget. God is refreshingly different. This Bible verse says that He won’t lie and won’t change His mind.

Sometimes it can be hard to put your trust in God because we expect Him to be like all the other people in our lives who sometimes let us down. We know people that say one thing but mean another, or don’t follow through with their promises. However, that is the opposite of how God is.

God always comes through. He never gives up on us and He doesn’t lie or change His mind. God is the one constant in your life that you can always count on. Be encouraged today that you can trust in God’s faithfulness.

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Learn more about God’s faithfulness in this devotion.

Why Jesus Is Better Than The Easter Bunny – Part 2

Posted on April 14, 2019

** This is a repost from a devotion from 2015. We added discussion questions (download info below) and some new content and hope it will be helpful for your small group or youth group Bible study this Easter!

There is a giant inflatable Easter bunny down the street from my house. The Easter bunny is holding an Easter Egg that has to be almost as tall as I am. This is no small bunny!

Seeing this giant inflatable bunny got me thinking. That bunny is huge and really makes a statement in my neighborhood. It’s hard to miss his huge floppy ears or massive feet when you’re going by him. However, there is someone who made an even bigger statement than the massive Easter bunny my neighbors own. That someone is Jesus and it’s easy in all the egg hunts, candy, and Easter baskets to forget how great He really is! Let’s take a look at a few reasons why Jesus is better than the Easter bunny.

The Presents (Easter Bunny vs. Jesus)

First of all, the Easter bunny brings you candy and little presents. These are super nice and of course, we’re glad that the Easter bunny does this, but in all reality, the presents the Easter bunny gives us aren’t that awesome. They will all be eaten and most of his gifts will eventually be forgotten., however, gave us a gift that doesn’t get old, eaten or boring. Jesus gave us the gift of eternal life. By accepting His gift we are able to get to know God the Father.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – John 14:6 (NIV)

The Easter bunny is fluffy and cute, but he really doesn’t compare to Jesus. Jesus conquered death, hell, and the grave. And he did all of this for you and me, so we wouldn’t have to. We no longer have to fear death, in Jesus our eternity is certain.

Read: What’s So Great About Eternal Life?

[Tweet “We no longer have to fear death, in Jesus our eternity is certain. – @studentdevos”]

Jesus is way better than the Easter bunny. He made a way for us to know God and He also conquered death and hell. We should take time this Easter to thank Jesus for all the incredible things He did for us!

Jesus Sticks With You

If you’ve noticed, once Easter is over, the Easter bunny leaves. The stores tear down his decorations and pictures. They make way for the new holiday. Also, have you noticed that no one really hangs out with the Easter Bunny on Easter? He just leaves eggs and baskets and heads out.

Jesus, on the other hand, is there for you. He doesn’t sneak around trying not to be seen. Instead, He wants a place in our hearts and lives. He wants to walk with you through the trials you face. He wants to be there in both the good and bad times.

Jesus loves us with an everlasting love. His desire is a relationship with you. And He did what it took to make that happen. So when you’re going through difficulty, be encouraged. Jesus is there. He’s been through trials too and He wants to be there as you go through them. He’s there to lead and guide your life, if you’ll let Him.

So today, be thankful for Jesus. This Easter, don’t focus just on the candy, presents and Easter Bunny, but remember what it is we celebrate on Easter. It’s that Jesus has broken the power of sin over us. He desires to know you and be known by you!

Daily Bible Verse – December 5

Posted on December 5, 2017

Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing. – Psalm 34:10

It’s easy to think that if you serve God, you’ll be missing out. You’ll miss out on the parties, and all the fun it appears that those around you are having. Sometimes it even feels like you have to give everything up to serve God. However, today’s Bible verse shows us a different side of things. We see in this verse, that when we put our trust in God we will lack no good thing.

That’s great news. We don’t have to be concerned about having enough fun, relationships, or anything else. If we place our trust in God, He will see to it that we will not miss out on any good thing!

So don’t get discouraged, and don’t think that serving God is not worth it. Rather, focus on the fact that when you serve God you don’t have to lack any good thing.

What Twinkies Teach Us About Faith

Posted on June 19, 2017

Twinkies are a fun treat. They taste good, they’re light and fluffy, and that have that delicious creamy vanilla frosting center. Simply put, Twinkies are amazing. Can you imagine your life before you had your first Twinkie? If you’re like most people, you wouldn’t want to imagine something like that. But think about your life before you knew all about the awesome frosting center and it’s sugary goodness?

If you didn’t know Twinkies existed, how would you have heard about Twinkies? Perhaps one day you were hanging out with a friend and they began to tell you about how good Twinkies were. They talked about the texture, the flavor, and of course the vanilla frosting. More than likely, after hearing your friend describe a Twinkie, you’d want to head to the nearest store and try one out for yourself.

How Does Our Faith Come?

The idea of your friend telling you about Twinkies is a little like how faith works. After hearing about how good Twinkies are from a friend, your desire to eat a Twinkie grows. That’s a lot like how our faith in God grows. As we begin to hear about God and His goodness, we want to know more about Him and our faith grows.

So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. – Romans 10:17 (NLT)

The more you hear about Twinkies, the more you want one. The same is true for our faith. The more time we spend in God’s word, talking about God’s word, and thinking about God’s word the more our faith grows.

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Faith Is Taking God at His Word

What would make you believe that Twinkies were good? It would have to be a matter of trust. You’d have to trust that your friend was telling you the truth about how good Twinkies are. You might rely on the fact that your friend tells the truth or that they have good taste, but it really comes down to believing what your friend said about Twinkies was true.

That’s a lot like how faith works. Faith is just taking God at His word. Its trusting what God says above everything else. Just like you would trust your friend’s word that a Twinkie was a great snack, you have faith by trusting that what God says is true. Hebrews says it like this:

“The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living.” – Hebrews 11:1 (Message)

Faith takes God at His word. When the Bible says something, having faith is believing what the Bible says no matter what it might look like around you. So the next time you rip open a package of Twinkies, remember that they can teach you a lot about faith!

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If you’re a youth leader and you liked this devotion, feel free to download a PDF of discussion questions based on this devotion.

Youth Group Discussion Questions – What Twinkies Teach About Faith
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How Do I Know If God Is Real?

Posted on August 5, 2015

Have you ever questioned God’s existence? If you have you are not alone. Many people wonder the same thing. So how can we know if God really exists?

Let’s start by looking at an everyday example. If you’re like many teenagers, you probably have a gaming system in your house. The XBox or Playstation at your home is complex and has lots of small complicated parts that make it work. It has controllers, a hard drive, and tons of wiring. All those complicated pieces have to function together to make the game work properly. All the parts that go into making the game are to complex to just have “happened” one day. Your XBOX didn’t just show up in your living room. It had to be put together…it had to be created. The complexity of the game system shows that it had to have a creator..

In the same way our world is complex. The trees, the oceans, animals and people that make it up are way too complex to just have “happened”.

We can see that there was evidence of a creator in the world around us, but it is up to us to choose to believe that creator was God. There is nothing that 100 percent proves God’s existence. There is no scientific study that proves that God is real. If there was every person would believe God exists.

We have to take what we see in creation and read about God in the Bible and we have to choose to believe it. That’s really the definition of faith.

The Bible says it like this: “By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.” (Hebrews 11:3 NLT)

We see evidence of God’s existence all around us everyday. The trees, the sun, the birds, all speak of a great creator. When you wonder if God is there or if He really does care about you, stop for a minute and examine the creation around you. God took the time to create each animal and plant and most of all He took time to create you. Take some time today to thank God for everything He has made.

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