Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: ROMANS 8:1-2, 15-18, 26-39; 10:9-13

I shouldn’t have done that, you think to yourself after you’ve sinned. I’m a Christian now—or at least I thought I was. Maybe I’m not really saved after a…

READ: GENESIS 1:26-31; MICAH 6:8; 1 CORINTHIANS 10:31

I love food. It’s a wonderful way God sustains us, as well as a source of joy, and it often provides opportunities for community. But sometime…

READ: GENESIS 1:26-28; ROMANS 8:22-25; COLOSSIANS 1:15-23; 1 PETER 1:3-5

"Humans have made a mess of this world. It’s time for them not to be in charge.” I backed away after the android said this,…

READ: MATTHEW 1:22-23; JOHN 8:1-11; ROMANS 8:1

The music blasted, and we sang so loud that dogs started barking. My car full of friends bounced as we moved to the thumping bass. Then—CRUNCH!

Th…

READ: MARK 4:35-41

We rocked violently against the waves and wind. The men I had grown to know and love over the last several months huddled together near the mast, what was left of the sail cover…

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 3:1-11; 8:1-3; PHILIPPIANS 1:9-11

I was just reading an article about sheep, and I learned about something called sheep bloat. Sometimes a farmer goes out one morning, and ther…

READ: ACTS 10:34-36; 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-27; GALATIANS 3:28; JAMES 2:1-10

Equal, not just a term that’s used in math

Let me see others as equal, God, the way You see them

Help me see the cel…

READ: PSALM 1; JOHN 1:1-14; ROMANS 15:4

Trying to understand the Bible can be…overwhelming. The more I learn about it, the more I realize I don’t know. And I find myself wondering if I’ll ever tru…

READ: ISAIAH 7:13-14; MATTHEW 1:18-23

Another tool that can help us understand Scripture is genre. The Bible has lots of different genres, like historical narratives, parables, poetry, letters, wi…

READ: JEREMIAH 29:4-14

Another important piece to consider when interpreting a verse is the literary context. In other words, what’s going on in the Bible before and after this verse? To do this, …

READ: GENESIS 1-2

One of the most important parts of interpreting the Bible is understanding the historical-cultural context of the text. In other words, asking questions like, “How would the orig…

READ: PSALM 119:89-96; LUKE 24:13-27; JOHN 20:30-31; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:20

Did you know that you are a biblical interpreter? Whether we know it or not, all of us interpret the Bible when we read or l…

READ: JOHN 6:37-40; EPHESIANS 1:3-14; COLOSSIANS 1:9-14

Four months after Marmalade came out of the darkness of his stair home, he found his forever home with me. Last night, as he lay on top of m…

READ: PSALM 91; 1 PETER 2:9-10, 24-25

Sunlight cascaded through green leaves as I descended the stairs at one of my favorite parks off the shores of Lake Michigan. Suddenly, a furry flash of orang…

READ: PSALMS 19:1-4; 139:14; ISAIAH 40:26

There have been so many moments in my life as a Christian when I’ve doubted the existence of God. Praying just seems silly—like talking to the air. But I …

READ: JOHN 20:26-29; 1 PETER 3:8-17

As we navigate life, we often hear persuasive voices, each one bringing its own opinions and biases. And sometimes those voices deny the gospel. In 1 Peter 3:15…

READ: PSALM 133:1; EPHESIANS 4:1-6; 1 JOHN 4:19

I got the part; now I needed the costume. At age eleven, I tried out for the role of mascot for my school. The judges picked me, and I prepared to e…

READ: DEUTERONOMY 11:10-25; 31:8

What kinds of changes have happened in your life so far? Maybe they’ve been small changes, like transitioning to a different school building when you reached a cer…

READ: MATTHEW 23:1-12; LUKE 22:25-26; JOHN 13:1-17, 34-35

Wyran, kitchen servant in the palace of Ardh, studied the king’s table, ensuring that not a single grape was out of place. King Terrian ha…

READ: PSALM 139:7-12; ISAIAH 41:9-13

When we’re little, all kinds of things scare us. Maybe we’re afraid of the dark and we need the comfort of a nightlight. Maybe we don’t want to get on the ride…