Devotion of the Week

It's a Brand-New Day!

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)

We get used to doing things the same old way, day after day, month after month, and year after year. We get stuck in ruts, but often God wants to do a new thing in our lives. The "new thing" might be a change in behavior with family or friends, a school activity to start (or drop), or a new after-school job. When it "springs up," we need to pay attention to it.

Suppose your friends are all on the volleyball team, but you want to join the schoolï¿½s new video production team. It sounds excitingï¿½but it meets after school when the volleyball team practices. It takes courage for you to tell your friends youï¿½re dropping volleyball this year to join the video production team. You know youï¿½ll miss your friends after school. Yet, the new project excites you, and you hope youï¿½ll make even more friends as you work to produce the schoolï¿½s daily news reports. Itï¿½s up to you to branch out and try new things. ï¿½Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own lifeï¿½ (Galatians 6:5 MSG).

God is always in the process of doing new things in your life. He wants you to think creatively and use your imagination to experiment with fresh ideas. We must be willing to take some risks (and even fail a few times) on the way to success. Donï¿½t be afraid to try new things: new activities, new attitudes, and new relationships. Branch out and see what wonderful things God has in store for you!

More Devotions to Get You Thinking

Believing God

Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. —Genesis 15:6

Because Abram believed the promises God gave to him, God said Abram was a righteous man. To be righteous means to honor God and live your life according to his will. When Abram believed God’s promises, it honored God. God responded by declaring him righteous because of his belief.

Jamie had a hard time believing anyone. She’d heard her older brother declare he never took drugs—then watched him be arrested for drug abuse. Her dad had promised he’d be there forever—just a month before he walked out without an explanation. So when her mom promised one weekend that she’d take Saturday off and go with Jamie to an amusement park, Jamie muttered, “Yeah, I’ll believe that when I see it.” Her mom was hurt that Jamie didn’t believe her. It didn’t seem fair. She hadn’t done anything to lose Jamie’s confidence or make Jamie distrust her.

Even more so, God deserves our trust for being our all-loving Creator and giver of good gifts, and he wants us to believe him. “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV). You don’t just have faith (or trust) by itself. You have faith IN something or someone. The proper and most reliable place to put our faith is in God.

People will let you down. Sometimes it’s on purpose, like when they make promises they don’t intend to keep. Most often, people don’t mean to disappoint you—they’re just imperfect human beings. Put your trust in God instead of people. He will never let you down.

Way to Go!

Your love has given me great joy and encouragement. Philemon 7 (TNIV)

When we love one another, we bring joy during times of disappointment and hardship. Show your love by giving a kind word and lifting someone else’s spirits.

Samantha wasn’t athletic or pretty. She couldn’t sing, play an instrument, or create art. But Samantha was very popular. Why? She loved others, and she showed it by encouraging people. She cheered hard at the baseball games. She attended her classmates’ concerts and complimented them on their band and vocal solos. She noticed when people looked sad and did her best to cheer them up. She didn’t do it to be popular, but people loved having her around.

How can you be an encourager? Notice when someone tries hard to accomplish something. Say, “Great job!” or “Way to go!” Also, find someone going through a hard experience that you have been through yourself. If your parents were divorced a few years ago, and a classmate is now coping with it, you can offer encouragement. Let her know that things will get better. You could also tell her about the comfort you received from God, who is the best encourager of all: “the Father of compassion and the
God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3–4
TNIV). Make it your goal to encourage someone in your family or at school every day. One surprising benefit will be that your own joy will greatly increase.

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It's a Brand-New Day!
See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? Isaiah 43:19 (NIV)