DAILY DEVOTIONAL. Know God / Week 1 PRELUDE SOCIAL WORSHIP STORY GROUPS HOME WEEK 1 HOPE MEANS TRUSTING IN A BIGGER PICTURE.

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "DAILY DEVOTIONAL. Know God / Week 1 PRELUDE SOCIAL WORSHIP STORY GROUPS HOME WEEK 1 HOPE MEANS TRUSTING IN A BIGGER PICTURE."

Lester Knight
6 years ago
Views:

Know God / Week 1 WEEK 1 HOPE MEANS TRUSTING IN A BIGGER PICTURE. DAY 1 What s your favorite part of God s creation? Maybe it s something like waterfalls or bright stars?

1 Know God / Week 1 WEEK 1 HOPE MEANS TRUSTING IN A BIGGER PICTURE. DAY 1 What s your favorite part of God s creation? Maybe it s something like waterfalls or bright stars? Or maybe it s a puppy or a cute baby? No matter what parts of creation you love, you get to see some of them every day. No matter where you live, God s creation is all around you. That s why the apostle Paul says in Romans 1:20 that no one can deny that there is a God; the evidence is clearly all around us! This week, make a point to look around and notice some of your favorite parts of God s creation. 1

Next time you have the opportunity to worship the Lord, do it with passion. Let your voice harmonize with the seas and sing louder than the rocks. God loves our worship no matter how it sounds.

2 Know God / Week 1 DAY 2 God calls all His creation to worship Him even the rocks and the seas! You might not be able to sing like an angel or play the guitar like a professional, but you can certainly worship better than a rock! Next time you have the opportunity to worship the Lord, do it with passion. Let your voice harmonize with the seas and sing louder than the rocks. God loves our worship no matter how it sounds. DAY 3 God formed the universe on purpose with purpose. He created each and every thing with detail including you! Whether you believe it or not, you are a beautiful part of God s creation. And that s something worth remembering! On a piece of paper, write down three things you love about the way God made you and who He created you to be. Then stick that note on your mirror to be remind you of how wonderful He believes you are! 2

Know God / Week 1 DAY 4 All throughout Scripture, we see that God cares about His creation. He cares about the stars so much that He calls them each by name.

He knows your thoughts, your hurts, your dreams, and even your questions.

3 Know God / Week 1 DAY 4 All throughout Scripture, we see that God cares about His creation. He cares about the stars so much that He calls them each by name. So if God cares that much about the stars, how much more does He care for you the one created in His very image? God knows every part of who you are. He knows your thoughts, your hurts, your dreams, and even your questions. Before your head hits the pillow tonight, thank God for how well He knows you and how much He cares about every part of who you are. DAY 5 Life can be hard especially in middle school! Remember that when you re facing difficult things in your life, God is bigger. He created every piece of heaven and Earth; nothing is too hard for Him! This week, ask your Small Group Leader or a trusted adult in your life to share with you how God has helped them through a hard time in life. Ask them to help you remember that He will do the same for you. 3

4 Know God / Week 2 WEEK 2 PEACE IS FOUND THROUGH GOD. DAY 6 Worry seems to be a natural part of life in middle school, doesn t it? When you feel worried about homework or friendships or things happening in your family, what is your first response? Do you ignore it? Talk with a friend about it? Try to stuff it down? Get angry? The Bible reminds us that the best cure for any and all our worries is prayer. When we take our worries to God and tell Him what we need, the worry doesn t feel as heavy. Ask a friend or Small Group Leader to be your worry-checker this week. When you re worrying, have them pray with you and remind you to take it to God. 4

Tell Him you like the family He placed you in. Let Him know you need help being kind to the girl next to you in math class. Ask Him for courage to help you try out for the team.

5 Know God / Week 2 DAY 7 The Bible tells us to never stop praying. That may sound like a good idea, but how do we actually do that? We can t have our heads bowed and eyes closed all day (without getting in trouble at least!), but we can keep prayer on our minds all day. As you move throughout your day, give God a few shout-outs. Tell Him you like the family He placed you in. Let Him know you need help being kind to the girl next to you in math class. Ask Him for courage to help you try out for the team. Those simple prayers keep God on your mind throughout the day. And you ll be surprised at how you ll see God work when you keep prayer in your heart. DAY 8 Staying focused when you re praying can be tough! Even the best, most experienced of pray-ers drift off to another place from time to time. If you struggle to stay focused when you pray, try this: Choose a word that reminds you of God. Maybe it s something like joy, faithfulness, or strength. Use that word as the anchor of your prayer. Anytime your mind starts to drift toward your homework or your hungry stomach, say that word out loud to help your mind get back on track. 5

Know God / Week 2 DAY 9 Are you praying big? The Bible tells us that God wants to give us immeasurably more than we can ever ask or even imagine! Yet so many of us often pray small prayers.

Let God know your biggest and boldest prayers today. He s just waiting to show you all He can do! DAY 10 Does life feel hard right now? The good news is you don t have to move through it alone!

6 Know God / Week 2 DAY 9 Are you praying big? The Bible tells us that God wants to give us immeasurably more than we can ever ask or even imagine! Yet so many of us often pray small prayers. Remember, you are capable of more than most people give you credit for! What would you like to do for God? What do you hope to see God do in your life? Don t hold back! Let God know your biggest and boldest prayers today. He s just waiting to show you all He can do! DAY 10 Does life feel hard right now? The good news is you don t have to move through it alone! Connect with a trusted friend, family member, or Small Group Leader this week. Let them know what s going on in your life and ask them to pray both with you and for you. As you pray together about the trouble, you ll feel the weight of it lessened as it gets replaced with the hope only God can give. 6

Know God / Week 3 WEEK 3 TALKING ABOUT GOD HELPS US KNOW GOD BETTER. DAY 11 It can be hard to publicly talk about Jesus, no matter how old you are! But don t let that stop you!

7 Know God / Week 3 WEEK 3 TALKING ABOUT GOD HELPS US KNOW GOD BETTER. DAY 11 It can be hard to publicly talk about Jesus, no matter how old you are! But don t let that stop you! There are a lot of ways to share what God is doing in your life with others. Try some of these for starters. Partner with another friend from church and wear your summer camp shirts to school on the same day. Post your favorite verse on social media. Pray before your cafeteria meal (which might not be a bad idea considering the food in the cafeteria!). These little things can go a long way to show others that God is working in Your life. 7

You have people all around you who need to hear about the love of Jesus. Ask God to open your eyes to people in your community who need Him.

8 Know God / Week 3 DAY 12 As a student, your world probably feels small at times. Even though you may not drive yet or have been somewhere far away on your own, you still have the potential to do a lot of big things right where you are. You have people all around you who need to hear about the love of Jesus. Ask God to open your eyes to people in your community who need Him. Then, pray that God would give you the courage to do something nice or share a little about your faith with those He brings to your mind. DAY 13 Those of us who know the good news of Jesus have something great going on! We know just how awesome God is and how much better our lives are because He s in them. So why wouldn t we want to give everyone the chance to know the same thing? When you have good news, you don t want to keep it to yourself. Spend some time looking through the Bible to see how people shared the good news of God in their lives. Ask your parents or Small Group Leader how they do the same. Take some of their ideas or try to come up with a few of your own. Then, put them to practice by sharing the good news of God in your life with others. 8

Not only will your light shine, but others will be drawn to that light just because you re being you!

9 Know God / Week 3 DAY 14 One of the greatest ways you can let your light shine for God is by being exactly who He created you to be. While others are trying to be someone else to fit in or get noticed, be different simply by being who you are. Lean into how God uniquely created you. Be creative. Be smart. Be strong. Be a leader. Not only will your light shine, but others will be drawn to that light just because you re being you! DAY 15 Spending time with Jesus alone is so important, but openly declaring your love for Jesus is also important. Learning to talk about your faith in God and the way He s working in your life is a big part of your faith journey. This week, talk with your Small Group Leader about how you can practice and begin to share a little more with others about your love for Jesus. 9

10 Know God / Week 4 WEEK 4 WORSHIP HELPS US KNOW GOD BETTER. DAY 16 Our God is a God of miracles both big and small. Even though God is at work each and every day, we sometimes miss the amazing, miraculous things He s doing. This week, shift your eyes to God s miracles at work in your life. Write down a few miracles you see or experience throughout your week. Miracles like the birth of your new baby cousin. Your ability to breathe (even while running laps in PE!). The sun in the sky each and every day. Look for any and all miraculous things happening in your life. Try to write down 25 miracles and then share the list with someone in your life. 10

Know God / Week 4 DAY 17 What would your life look like if God were at the center? Would you be kinder to your siblings? Worry less? Do nice things for your parents?

He influences your choice of friends, classes, activities, words, and so much more. Ask God to help you make Him the center of your life today.

11 Know God / Week 4 DAY 17 What would your life look like if God were at the center? Would you be kinder to your siblings? Worry less? Do nice things for your parents? Chances are you d do all that and a little more. When God s at the center of your life, that means He touches every part of your life. He influences your choice of friends, classes, activities, words, and so much more. Ask God to help you make Him the center of your life today. DAY 18 If you attend church, then you probably know that you can worship God in a group. We do this every week through music and song. But did you know that you can also worship God alone? In the same way that you praise and learn about God at church surrounded by others, you can also praise and learn about Him alone in your room. This week, go in to your bedroom alone and spend a little time worshiping God. Pray, read your Bible, listen to or sing a worship song at the top of your lungs, or write down a few thoughts you have about Him in your journal. 11

Know God / Week 4 DAY 19 All the Earth is asked to sing praises to the Lord. That means that in the same way we sing songs to worship God, the flowers bloom and the sun rises to worship, too.

As you look at all that is around you, thank God for all He s made. Worship God alongside creation. DAY 20 We re all pretty good complainers. Why can t I ride shotgun? I m hungry! I need money!

12 Know God / Week 4 DAY 19 All the Earth is asked to sing praises to the Lord. That means that in the same way we sing songs to worship God, the flowers bloom and the sun rises to worship, too. This week, look for how you see creation worshiping God. Pick your favorite time of day (as long as you re not skipping class!) and head out on a walk. As you look at all that is around you, thank God for all He s made. Worship God alongside creation. DAY 20 We re all pretty good complainers. Why can t I ride shotgun? I m hungry! I need money! My parents never let me do anything! Why do I have to do my homework? Rather than being good at complaining, this verse calls Jesus followers to instead be good at being thankful. This doesn t come easy for all of us so you might need a little help. Ask your parent to call you out each time you complain and help you instead find something to be thankful for in the moment. It might be difficult at first, but the result a more thankful heart will be worth it! 12

A Prayer for this Week

A Prayer for this Week Introduction This week is Solemn Assembly; a week in January where we, as a church family, pray first. It s a time to listen for God s voice, ponder His thoughts, and talk to Him. Time spent with God is