Devotions for Teens

[Soldier4Christ]

  A Valued Lord

By: Tyler Pugh


“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." (Revelation 4:11) NIV

I was once a part of an exercise that judged our values. It is a simple question really. “Take a piece of paper and a pen, and for the next two minutes write down, in order, the things that you value.” My Christian buddies and I looked at each other with a slight grin, like we had the right answer to the question. After the two minutes were over my list was full of wonderful things that had some place in my heart, but of coarse at the top was God, then family, and followed by friends. When asked to read these values out loud, I was astonished to find that I was not the only person to have these specific top three. People that seemed to hate their parents and the ones that never went to church said their list of values like it was common knowledge. How could they possibly value God as much as myself?

“Next, write down the amount of time that you spend with each valued thing a day.” Right then my judgments slipped through my fingers and I was forced to get off my soapbox. My paper reflected a meager 30-45 minutes for God (not including church or youth group), minutes that I thought were sometimes long and arduous. I continued down my list and looked at family. I spent even less time with them, but the minutes grew exponentially the further I went down my list, even with the things that were meaningless to me. It was then that I realized that if I was to value God the most, then I must spend the most time with him, honoring and praising God to the fullest.
   
If you were to make a values list, would the things that mean most to you be equivalent to the time that you spend doing them? Are you honoring God with your time? Brothers and Sisters, sometimes it is hard to find that extra 30 minutes a day or even an hour to spend with God, but take a good look at your values list. Spending just an extra five minutes talking to God, reading his word, or thinking of ways to serve him makes all the difference. Pray right now, just to tell God you are thinking about him and ask if there is anything that you could do for him. God will always show you the way. May you keep God in you heart and mind, forever.

[Soldier4Christ]

  A Day To Remember

By: Jessica Scheurich


"And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth." Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" Revelation 5:9-12

The Sunday after Christmas I was at Campus Crusade for Christ's Christmas Conference, Baltimore. It was really great. It went from the Thursday before to the Monday after Christmas. That Sunday morning a bunch of my friends and I decided to go to church since it was a Sunday. We got in three cars and left the hotel. We knew our destination but we didn't exactly have directions. Needless to say we did get there. It took us an hour to get there.

The Scripture above was from the sermon in church. It talks about the Lamb who was slain. He is the one who is worthy to open the scroll. But today I want to challenge you to sing a new song. That is what the verses say. They sang a new song and a loud song. They were passionate for God. Are you passionate in your worship to God. After all He died for us, so that makes Him worthy of our praise.

You can yell and scream at ball games. You can even dance at a win. But are you that passionate when You worship God. If you aren't as excited as the angels in heaven when you worship God, than perhaps it is time to revaluate your first love. Is it TV, music, sex, pornography, your boyfriend/girlfriend? If Jesus is not your first love than why not make Him today? He should be the center of our lives.

Back to Sunday, Church ended. I am not regretting that I went. It was different from what I normally do, doing things spontaneously. My one friend form school who saw me there will never forget that day, when I showed up at his church with a bunch of friends. So get down to business. It is a new year. Give God your love and passion. Make Him your first love.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Test All Things

By: Janet Adams


Test all things; hold fast what is good.  Abstain from every form of evil.
(1 Thes. 5:21-22) NIV

Test all things.  Look at each activity or thought you might have.  You ask yourself the question, is this of the Lord?  Is this truth? Is this good?  It becomes quit easy to do when you practice it as a way of life.  In this world we are shot at every angle with all kinds of things that are evil.  Most of the time we are so caught up in our lives we don't even see what is coming. 

God tells us to abstain from evil.  This sounds simple enough but is it?  The truth is that it is hard to distinguish between good and evil sometimes.  That is where God comes in.  Open and intimate relationship with God assures us that we will be able to tell what is good and what is not. Satan is the relentless enemy of good.  When you search for good Satan is right behind you trying to temp you and destroy your relationship with God.  Never take the goodness in your life for granted, cherish it and hold it close to your heart.

People may challenge your goodness and that can cause severe peer pressure.  You may be criticized for your moral stand.  Hold fast to God no matter what you face, hold on to the good.  Evil robs you of what God intends for you.  Prayer is a gift from God and even that can be strained if you don't abstain from evil.  Don't let Satan take what is your gift from God, goodness. Holding on to truth, righteousness and good in life frees you to experience God's best.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Toughest Of Times

By: Tony B. Rhoda


"But you, oh Lord, are a shield to me, my glory, and the one who lifts my head. (Psalm 3:3) NKJV"
   
      Let's face it, we all have bad days. Times when nothing seems to go your way. Nights when it would be in your best interest to just to fall asleep and pray that tomorrow brings forth a better day.
 
      I woke up the other morning with a pounding headache, and a stuffed nose that made it awfully difficult to breathe. I rolled out of bed and headed for school. After weaving through what seemed like an endless traffic jam, I dashed through the door into first period as the bell rang. I remembered I had a test in that period and my notes were laying on my desk, along with my lunch money for the day. All this before 7:30 a.m. "Wow, this was going to be a fun day," I thought to myself.

      As the morning turned into afternoon, I opened my Bible and read a few passages on the crucifixion of Jesus. Now, there was someone who was having a bad day. Not only was he hung on a cross, but he was beaten, whipped, spat on, and even tortured. Why? Because He loved us so much that He would go through every bit of pain just to insure that you could spend eternity with Him.

      After reading over the scripture, I started to relate it to my situation. "I thought I was having a bad day." But, what if Jesus would have woke up on the wrong side of the bed on the morning He was supposed to die for mine and your sins. What if He would have felt bad, and decided He wasn't willing to go through the pain of being nailed to a cross. What if when He saw that it was going to be a bad day, He decided to not die for us and it kept you from having eternal life. Friends, we are so grateful for the fact that Jesus did die for our sins. We are so thankful that even on our worst days, we would never have to go through what He did. Just let us not forget that when everything seems to be crashing down, Jesus died so that we could be built back up. May peace be with you.

[Soldier4Christ]

  The Choice

By: Laura Hofford


“Many are invited, but only a few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14, CEV)

All of us who are Christians got to the point in our lives when we accepted Christ as our Savior.  Maybe you grew up in church, maybe not…but there was some point when you made the decision to follow Jesus.

I grew up in a Christian home, but never really accepted Jesus till much later on in life.  I thought I believed, but as I grew up I realized I didn’t have faith in anyone but myself.  My whole concept of religion was originally based on the fuzzy warm feeling I got in my stomach knowing that I was “good” because I went to church and could recite a lot of prayers.  As I got older I realized that believing wasn’t a feeling but a conscious choice.

So does it end there?  We all chose to follow Jesus, right…so we’re good to go.  Or maybe not.  Lots of times we get up to make a profession of faith and what we’re really saying is something like “Well, I’ve looked at the available information and I’ve decided that it would be in my best interest to follow Jesus.”  Like it’s some big deal on our part!  We so easily belittle our God by focusing on what we’ve done…and losing sight of what He did for us.

Of course, it’s necessary for our salvation that we choose to accept the free gift of life.  But we forget that God chose to make us, chose to love us, and ultimately chose to hang on a cross and die for us…how arrogant of us to not fall to our faces knowing we do not come close to deserving the gift we choose to put out our hands for!

I would challenge you today in your quite time to really think about the choices that God made.  You know that He chose to die for you…what other choices has He made for your life?  Take the time to discover what God wants in your life, and be prepared for a life that is better than you what could have chosen yourself!

[Soldier4Christ]

  Church Is Great

By: Adam R. Rinehart


Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25)

"Hello, I actually have a question. I can't find a church that I am interested in that is in my area. I DO believe in Jesus but will I go to heaven even if  I don't go to church?"


What a great question!  I think that there are a lot of people that are asking the same question. In response to your question, I do feel that you would go to heaven, but I am afraid that you are missing out on one of the joys of being a Christian and that is the fellowship and encouragement of other believers.   To neglect meeting with other Christians is like neglecting to put fertilizer on a plant, and you take the chance of not growing at all.  When we gather together as a church, we are to gather together to share our faith, and strengthen each other in the Lord.

Maybe you are facing spiritual struggles, maybe you are facing false teachers who really do not care about your faith, and would rather see you just lay there and die than pick you up and really see you grow in your faith and in your relationship with Jesus Christ. Going to church should encourage you during those times.  It should also be there to teach you how to worship the Lord.  Something I tend to lack in myself sometimes.

We need to want to have a relationship with Christ, and we need to grow in Him. One of the easiest ways to grow in your relationship with Him is to go to church.  Second, Read God's Word, Third, Obey God and our parents, Finally, Witness, and tell other people about Jesus and what He did for us on the cross in order for us to have the wonderful opportunity to go to heaven.

If you are not going to church because you don't have a ride, then ask someone.  If you are not going to church because of getting out of bed to get there, then find a church that has a Saturday Night service. I know that a lot of churches are going to that.  There is no excuse for you not to be in a church somewhere being encouraged in your walk with Christ.

In conclusion, I would say that yes that you would go to heaven if you did not go to church, but it is going to be a lot harder to grow in your relationship with Christ because you need the fertilizer of encouragement and exhortation that going to church gives you.  I would challenge you today to continue in church, your relationship with Christ depends on it.  May God's Grace Abound In You.

[Soldier4Christ]

  The Storm

By: Janet Adams


Written in honor of the Jan 7 birthday of the late Donn Adams

You see a man struggling to stand and survive in the midst of a great storm,
the wind is howling and rain is beating down on him. He can't even see
because of the sting of the hard rain. He is holding himself to try to keep
warm. He finds it difficult to walk for the wind is blowing so hard in
resistance. The wind and rain force him to his knees. He holds his ears
trying to keep out the howling of the wind and blasts of thunder, while
trying to shelter his face from stinging pain of the driving sheets of rain.
The lightening is horrifying as it cracks near him. The flash shows nothing
but ugliness around him with its distorted lights and shadows. This man is
in a difficult situation, a storm in his life. All he can do at this point
is sit and try to protect himself till the storm blows over.

We have many storms in our lives, one after another.  I get letters from
many TDDM members who tell me some of the storms in their lives. The letters
are full of deaths, abuse, emptiness, heartache, illness, just to name a
few. When we find ourselves in the middle of one of life's storms we feel
like the man who is being pounded from every which way, being pounded to the
ground by the misery of the storm. Just because we are Christians doesn't
mean we won't have storms in our lives. But what is does mean is that God
will go through the storm with us. 

The man hears a voice that tells him to reach out. He feels a hand on his
arm as someone helps him to his feet. He feels a warm blanket being wrapped
around his cold body. Someone is helping him into a place of shelter. The
man is scared and hurting, dripping wet and cold but he knows he is safe
from the storm now. God is with us through every storm in our lives. We will
still feel the sting but God is there to give us warmth, guidance and
comfort for all we have to go through in this life. Next time you are in a
storm and see no way out from the pain, remember God is right there with you
waiting to take you to a safe place. All you need to do is reach out for
Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

  I Am



"God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: `I AM sent me to you.'" (Exodus 3:14) NIV

You are probably wondering what I am going to talk about. I am going to talk about I AM. God is I AM. He is the one we are to put our hope and assurance in. God is the one we need to trust in. He is I AM.

I have this poster up in my room at school. I can't remember all the words but here is a good paraphrase of what it is about. Living in the past is hard because God is not I WAS, living in the future is hard because God is not I WILL BE, but living in the present is not hard because God is I AM.

Since God is a God of now, try living for today. Don't worry about yesterday or tomorrow, instead focus on God's grace that He gives you right now at this very moment. So challenge yourselves to work on living for today. And living for the glory of God.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Rocking The Cross




Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and the harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with the stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 150:3-6) NKJV.

There are so many different styles and ways to praise God. Some people like to do it with hymnals. Others, like nothing better than a rock guitar and drums. But which is the best way to praise God? Should you use just your voice? Is it a sin to be to loud? That is a question that many teens ask themselves and has been a debate in many churches as well.

The Psalmist didn't seem to be afraid to share his point of view on the topic. Sit back and try to imagine the joy and excitement as he wrote those words down. Picture the energy and the adrenaline that flowed through his body. Every part was devoted to God, every muscle wanted to sing of His praise.

To be honest, it is hard to debate which is the best way to praise God. I think the true answer to this question lies with in you. We all have different tastes and backgrounds. Some people praise God to a Latin beat while others praise him to Hip-Hop. Does God prefer one over the other? No.

All God wants is our praises. Whether we sing by ourselves with just our voices or whether we rock it out with an alternative rhythm. It's not the music that God pays the most attention to. Sure it is nice. But it is the words behind the music and the heart of the one who sings it. Please stop worrying about who is doing what. Stop debating over which is God's favorite or the way we should praise God. Just Praise Him. Get crazy and let go of everything in your life and worship our creator. It could be soft and quite or loud and heavy. Which ever way it is, make sure you are giving Him your all.

[Soldier4Christ]

  What Are Your Motives



All a man's ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord.
(Proverbs 16:2) NIV

How fast we are to question the motives of others. We question others all of
the time for what they do and why. Are they doing what they do to impress
others? We make look at a seemly good act of kindness with skepticism. He is
only doing that to impress the girl he likes. She is only being kind to her
because she likes her brother. The list goes on and on. And you may think
this is childish behavior but it continues far beyond childhood.  I have
seen some adults do the same thing, questioning acts of kindness and what
the motives are. Especially in church you see those who want to be part of
every group or activity so others think they are such wonderful Christians.

How quick are we to question our own motives? In this area we are slow to
judge ourselves if we do at all. No matter what we do we seem to be able to
excuse and justify our own behaviors. God weights all the motives. What good
is it if you try to do something nice for someone only to gain recognition
for yourself? You cannot deceive God for He sees our hearts. 

You can go to church, join all the youth activities, jumping at every
volunteer offer. If your heart and motive is not for the Lord then you are
wasting your time. You can even pray with the wrong motive. Compassion,
generosity and faith must be present in your actions. What you do for others
should glorify the Lord not yourself or to impress others. God is always
looking at our motives in life and all He wants to see is love. Some of the
best things in life can come from the pure motive of love for God and
others. What lies behind the actions you take? Are they done to promote
self-pride or for the glory of God? Take this question in prayer to God. Ask
Him to show you what motives you use in your actions in life. Make a point
to examine your motives and make sure they are for the right reason, for
God's glory.

[Soldier4Christ]

  The Biggest Little Thing



"The most important commandment is this: 'The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your soul, and all your mind, and all your strength.' The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these. (Mark 12:29-31) NLT

Do one to others as you would have done to you. We have been taught this all of our lives. If we treat others with kindness then we will be treated the same. If we want respect, we have to give it. Do you want to be loved? You get the idea, love others.

Ernie is a guy that everyone looks forward to seeing day in and day out. With a smile grinning from ear to ear, and a glowing personality, he walks up and down the mall. Ernie is a security guard and has been for some time, everyone there seems to know his name. Yet, the one thing he loves more than his job, would be the people he comes in contact with daily.

As lunch time rolls around Ernie comes strolling up with a pocket full of candy. When someone has a sad look on their face, in his pocket he goes and pulls out a few treats and shows them to the grateful person. A little kid wonders down the isle and another piece of candy appears. It is greeted with a happy squeal and another new friend.

Ernie is not a made up character. He is an average human being like each one of us. Except he has mastered one of the most important things the bible talks about. The Golden Rule. Every time I see him I cannot help but smile. Every time he walks by someone's day is turned around, and every time he leaves you are left anticipating his next arrival. Do people feel the same about you? Is it that hard to make a lasting impression on others? Sure, a five cent piece of candy may not seem like much, but the effect it can have on the people it comes in contact with can be priceless. God Bless and Keep The Faith!

[Soldier4Christ]

  God's Grace



"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift off God not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9

Has there ever been something you wanted, buy you didn't think you deserved it?  Like, when you were 8, you told Santa you wanted a bike, but you had been bad some that year and you didn't know if you would get it.  Well, what if your parents gave you the best bike ever, no matter what you had done.  That is the way it is with God. 

You don't deserve his grace, but he will give it to you anyway if you just ask him.  That doesn't mean you can keep doing bad stuff and just say, "Oh well, I'm forgiven."  You still have to do God's will.  God expects us to do good, so when we do, we shouldn't think of it as working to earn His grace. Because, you already have it!

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."  Eph. 2:10.

[Soldier4Christ]

  A Speech That Well Never Forget


Revelation 5:9 �And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you
purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.� 
(NIV)

Ephesians 2:14 �For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and
has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,�  (NIV)

Galatians 3:28 �There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor
female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.�

�..�.�Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From
every mountainside, let freedom ring.  And when this happens, When we allow
freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet,
from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when
all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles,
Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words
of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty,
we are free at last!"     Martin Luther King, Jr., his speech on August 28,
1963 in Washington DC   http://www.usconstitution.net/dream.html

I really did not feel that the Lord was wanting me to write about a question
this week, but rather to write my heart.  I enclosed an excerpt of the
speech given by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his dream of freedom across
this land.  I would encourage you to go and read it and ask yourself, �Have
we really met the dream of Dr. King in our society today?�

We all have prejudices.  At least once in a while if not more often we all
make a judgment about something or someone that is simply based on race,
creed, color, religion, or belief.  We assume and make the first judgment
that comes to our mind without really thinking about what Jesus would think
in the situation.  We all think and have the idea that in some way or
another we are better than everyone else.  We have come a long way since
the day that this speech was given, but are we really having a meaningful
heart, or are we tolerating it, and listening to Satan�s lies about people
and not realizing that God created them like you and me.

Friends, I want us to really look at our hearts today and know that God is
deeply saddened when we have prejudices in our hearts and lives especially
with racism.  I would like to hope that Dr. King's dream would one day be
met, where we can all look into the eyes of other people no matter what
race, color, or creed and know that God made that person, and they need
salvation just as much as you and I.  As well as knowing that it is all
level at the foot of the cross, and that people from all tribes and nations
will be in heaven.

In conclusion, I would challenge you this week as we celebrate Martin Luther
King Day to look at the negative stereotypes that you have in your life, and
the people that you may have judged and work on a heart change with a new
point of view, God�s point of view.

We need to erase those thoughts and replace them with thoughts of love, joy,
peace, and kindness toward all people.  I would also challenge you to look
at the people that you may have hurt because of your judgmental behavior and
seek their forgiveness, and may Dr. King�s dream truly come alive within our
nation. May God's Grace Abound In You.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Song For A Savior



"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30)

There is a song by Third Day on their Offerings CD that I remember hearing. I don't remember the title but I do remember some of the words. Below are just a couple of lines to the song. They might be a little out of order.

"I heard it said that a man would climb a mountain just to be with the ones he loves... Just to be with you I would do anything ... there is no price I would not pay"

One day in our Campus Crusade for Christ meeting last year, they played this song while they showed a clip from the "Jesus Video." The clip was the crucifixion. It was so real, so heart touching. Jesus Christ came a great distance to bear our sin. He became human so that He could die for us. Christ paid that ultimate price for us.

Do we love Christ that much? Do we love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength? Are we willing to give up our lives for Him? Are we willing to put our lives on the line to tell others about Him?

I am not saying they we need to die for Him, but we need to be willing to make sacrifices for Him. If we love God with everything that we are, than we need to be willing to obey Him.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Helping Yourself


     John tells us the wonderful story bout Jesus and the woman who committed adultery. Everyone knows the story. After a group of religious leaders tried to arrest Jesus and failed, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. He appeared again in the temple courts where he encountered a woman who was accused of adultery. Her accusers demanded the death penalty in accordance with the Law of Moses. Jesus countered the accusers with one statement, "If any one of you is without sin, let him cast the first stone." (John 8:1-8). John 8:9 explains…. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman standing there. Jesus stood up and asked her "Woman, where are they? Has no-one condemned you?" The woman said "No one, Sir" and Jesus said, "then, neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin." Jesus, by His actions teaches us that we must become involved in order to help someone. Luke tells us that helping others is a PRIORITY (Luke 13:15-16). Peoples needs are more important than laws. Helping always comes to those with faith (Luke 18:35-43).

     No matter how old you are, you will encounter times in your life when someone comes to you and asks for help or you go to someone to ask for help. This is not a weakness or a sign that you are not capable of helping yourself, it is a sign that you care both about yourself and about others. You are capable, at any age, of developing a strong lasting relationship with another person by being willing to become involved with that person enough to want to help them. It is an experience that we, as humans and as Christians, value and cherish. I know that each of you has committed to help someone you know and I know that you have experienced the wonderful feeling of the sense of accomplishment and love you have shown. This is one of the most compassionate and loving you can do for someone else who is in need. Helping someone, giving of yourself will give you a sense of self worth and accomplishment. Our churches spend a lot of time helping others in many situations. Selfish people do not become involved, selfish people don't care about others. When we help we are not selfish. God will reward us for this and He will love us for this. Helping is infectious. Try it sometime, help someone without being asked and let me know how you felt about yourself and the person you helped. Help someone each day and you will experience a calm and a peach in your life. I pray that I have helped you today.