My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, – Philippians 3:10 (Holman)

My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, – Philippians 3:10 (Holman)

Paul’s goal was to know Jesus and His power. He didn’t want to just fake having a relationship with God. Paul. Paul studied the Bible and grasped the truth’s of the new testament. He truly accomplished this goal of knowing Jesus because not only did he know the truth, but he applied it to his everyday life.

Today will you also make it your goal to know Him and His power. Get into what the Bible has to say about Jesus. Primarily, get to know what happened to Jesus and what that sacrifice has done for us.

For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.

For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.
 – James 2:10

Today’s Bible verse is kind of sobering. It shows us how perfect we would have to be to be accepted by God. We see that if we have ever done anything wrong, if we’ve ever told a lie, ever said something unkind, ever lusted after someone, or anything else that is considered sin, that we are as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.

The truth is we all needed a savior. We couldn’t be good enough to be accepted by God. No amount of good works makes up for the fact that our sin separated us from God. Even the smallest sin, the tiniest of white lies was enough to keep us from God.

The good news for us is that God wasn’t okay with that. He wanted us to be able to know Him. So He did what we couldn’t do. He sent His son to pay the price our sin deserved. That’s why now, if we’ve accepted Jesus as our savior, we are considered righteous. So take a moment today and thank God for making you righteous!

HOW TO DEAL – TIPS FOR DEALING WITH TOUGH TIMES

Tough times are hard on us all. Whether a tough time comes from the passing of a loved one, a low grade on your history final, not making the softball team, or some other source, tough times can really weigh on you. Many times, it’s hard to know how to deal with tough times. You might feel like you don’t know how to respond, or want to blame God for the tough time you’re facing.

Where do tough times come from?

Let’s take a look at where tough times come from. Many people try to blame God for tough times. If a person you love dies, often people will say, God took them, or that God needed another angel in heaven. When you’re going through a difficult situation you might have someone tell you that God is using that situation to teach you a lesson. Let’s take a look at what the Bible says about difficult situations.

No one undergoing a trial should say, “I am being tempted by God.” For God is not tempted by evil, and He Himself doesn’t tempt anyone. – James 1:13 (HCSB)

This verse shows us that God isn’t sending a trial or a tough time to you to test you. God isn’t to blame for the difficulty you’re facing. He isn’t testing you or trying to teach you a lesson. God is good.

Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. – James 1:17 (NLT)

This verse shows us that God sends us good things. He’s not out there ready to strike down a loved one with cancer. He’s only got good gifts and things to give to you. So when tough times come, realize that God isn’t the source of your trial.

Your outlook is key in tough times

Your attitude and outlook makes a huge difference when you’re faced with a tough time. You can choose how you will respond to difficulties in your life. Your response makes a huge impact on how you handle difficulty. You can choose to be defeated or upbeat about the difficulties that come your way.

No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. – Romans 8:37

Paul is an awesome example of this. He faced lots of crazy stuff in his life. He was shipwrecked, beaten, left for dead, and put in prison. Despite all the hard things that happened in his life, he kept a good attitude. He chose to put his trust in God and keep a positive attitude in the midst of tough times.

Paul’s example should challenge us when we face tough times. Regardless of what is going on around us, we can take comfort in the fact that God never leaves us and isn’t the source of tough times. We can go to God in tough times and let Him be our shelter and our refuge.

Choose to look to God for His strength in difficulty. Remember that with God on your side you can’t be defeated. Keep a good attitude and know that God will help you through the difficulty you’re facing!

If you’re a youth leader and you liked this lesson, you can download a youth group lesson outline and powerpoint based on this devotion to share with your youth group in our online resource center.

WHAT ORDERING ONLINE CAN TEACH US ABOUT FAITH

Have you ever ordered something online? I got an Amazon gift card for Christmas this year, and I used it to buy a bunch of great things on their website. The interesting thing about ordering from Amazon is that you don’t get what you order immediately. They have to ship it to you, and that takes time. Most of the time you have to wait several days to get what you ordered. When you’re really excited about your purchases, that can feel like forever.

Ordering products online reminds me of how faith works. Faith is simply taking what God says and believing it. It doesn’t matter what you might feel or see around you, if God’s word says something, then faith believes that it is true.

Faith is what makes real the things we hope for. It is proof of what we cannot see. – Hebrews 11:1 (ERV)

Sometimes the things that we have faith in, don’t always happen right away. Its like when you place an order online. You have to have faith that the company is going to do what they said they would do and send you what you ordered. That in the most basic sense is faith. Its trusting someone to do what they said they would do.

And that is what God asks us to do in the Bible. He tells us to take what He said in the Bible and believe it. And even though we don’t always see it right away, we can believe that we will have what God has promised. Just like when we order something online, we don’t get it or see it right away, but we know that it is coming in a few days.

So the next time that you’re checking out at an online store, remember that just like you trust that store to send you what you ordered, you can trust God to do what he said. You might not see the promises of God come to pass right away, but you can trust that they are coming to pass in your life.

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” – Psalm 119:105 (NLT)

Many times people say the Bible isn’t relevant and doesn’t help us make decisions in today’s world. However, if you simply read it with an open heart, you’ll be surprised to find that it’s very relevant.

When you read God’s word you get the chance to learn things that help you with your everyday life. Whether you need advice on dealing with others or some wisdom for your finances God’s Word has what you need.

God’s Word (the Bible) is ready and available to give you light to the decisions you’re needing to make. God cares about the path you’re on. He has wisdom for you today. Read God’s Word today and let it speak truth to you and light your path.

Even a young man is known by his actions – if his behavior is pure and upright. – Proverbs 20:11

How are your actions? Its easy to say the ‘right thing’ when you’re around your parents or at church. But what’s the real you like? How do you act when no one is around? Do you slack off? Do you only do the minimum of what is expected? How you act when no one is looking shows your true character.

Your actions are what you’re known by, so if your actions aren’t uplifting and helping others, decide today to make any changes that are necessary. Its not always easy to change, but its always worth it. Its worth it to put the effort in to be a person of character. Choose to not compromise, even in the smallest area. Be a person of excellence and always do your best. Its the small choices you make every day that will set you apart from others. Choose to be someone who is known by good actions!

The small choices you make every day are what sets you apart from others. 

Pray: Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I ask you to show me if there are things I’m doing that aren’t uplifting and helping others. I desire to be a person that is pure and upright. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. – Phil 4:6 (NLT)

Worry is such an easy habit to fall into. Its so easy to start looking at what is going on around you and begin to worry. You might worry that you won’t make it into the right college. Or that you’ll never meet the right person and you’ll end up alone. There are so many things that are uncertain in life, and its easy to fall into the trap of worry.

However, today’s Bible verse tells us what we should be doing when we’re tempted to worry. It says that we should not worry, but pray about everything. We should be giving those worries to God and telling Him what we need. When we begin doing this, it helps us because we don’t have to carry those worries and fears any longer.

A final thing this verse tells us to do is to thank God for what He has done. So instead of spending all your time getting worried and worked up over a problem, choose to spend some time thanking God for all He has done in your life. If you do this, worry doesn’t stand a chance in your life!