PSALM 118:14
to see people of all nations experiencing a personal relationship with Christ, growing to be more like Him and serving in a local body of His family.
to make the life-changing wisdom of the Bible understandable and accessible to all.
How are you at reading the Bible? Is it easy, hard or have you never really thought about it? Right now you are holding an Our Daily Bread Teen Edition. We’ve written this for you—wherever you are at with Jesus. You may know Him and enjoy reading the Bible. You may not. That’s OK; this booklet is for everyone! We want to help you read the Bible for yourself and find out more about who exactly Jesus is and what difference He makes to your life.
We’d love to help you get to know how much Jesus loves you and wants a relationship with you. If you enjoy this booklet, come and check out @ourdailybreadeurope on Instagram. It’d be great to see you there as we explore the Bible’s teaching together and learn more about the God who invites us all to be an important part of His family!
instagram MOBILE-ALT
Instagram: @ourdailybreadeurope
TikTok: ourdailybreadeurope
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God (PHILIPPIANS 4:6).
One of the psalmists wrote, “Be still, and know that I am God” (PSALM 46:10). Paul told the Philippians, “Do not be anxious” (PHILIPPIANS 4:6). And Peter reminded his readers to put all their worries on God (1 PETER 5:7).
How can we stop being anxious and be “still” instead? Only through prayer and trust in our loving God (PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7). When we bring our worries to God and put them on His strong shoulders, we can step back from the things going on in our lives and simply rest with Him.
This doesn’t mean that those who are “still” with God will never have things to stress about. This is about being able to have confidence and peace even in the stress and worry. Our problems don’t go away when we pray, but our focus is brought back to God, our Father who can and will keep us going and meet our needs.
Christians who stay calm when life is hard aren’t following a formula. There is no ‘five steps to avoid worry’. They simply know who their God is, His love for them and His promise to be with them in everything.
If you’ve never taken time out to be still with God when you’re stressed, why don’t you give it a go. Talk with Him, read some of the Bible (maybe a Psalm) and turn your eyes away from the stress and back onto your God, Maker, Saviour and Provider. DR
Dear God, please give me Your peace as I spend time with You and trust my anxious thoughts into Your care. Thank You for being right here with me, even in my worry and stress. You are bigger than my biggest worry. BE
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
1 Peter 5:6-10Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you (1 PETER 5:7).
At the end of the day, I close my eyes and begin to say to God: “Dear Father, I’m coming to you today as your child. Thank You for Your power and goodness. . .” Suddenly, my eyes snap open. I remember that I haven’t replied to a message from a friend. Then my mind wanders to the people I’m still fighting with, all the stuff I have planned for the week and the fact that I think I’m starting to get a cold. Before long I’m just stressing over all my anxieties!
Distractions during our prayer times are pretty normal. It happens to all of us. But one Christian speaker said something really interesting about it. He said, rather than trying to ‘force’ our minds back to prayer through our own willpower, we could use the distractions as another thing to talk to God about. After all, if they’re on our minds, it must be because they are important. A big worry or anxious thought that interrupts a prayer could become the centre of that conversation with God. God wants us to be real as we talk with Him and open up about our biggest stresses and struggles. He is not surprised by anything we say. His interest in us is like the attention we would get from our closest friend. That’s why we are told to give all of our worries and cares to God—because He cares for us (1 PETER 5:7). JBS
How easy or hard do you find praying? What do you do if you end up just replaying your anxieties over and over again while you’re talking with God?
ASK AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU; SEEK AND YOU WILL FIND; KNOCK AND THE DOOR WILL BE OPENED TO YOU. MATTHEW 7:7
1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’
3 ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’
6 After saying this, he spat on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 ‘Go,’ he told him, ‘wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (this word means ‘Sent’). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
8 His neighbours and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, ‘Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?’ 9 Some claimed that he was.
Others said, ‘No, he only looks like him.’
But he himself insisted, ‘I am the man.’
10 ‘How then were your eyes opened?’ they asked.
11 He replied, ‘The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.’
This happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him (JOHN 9:2).
Why is it that when we hear about someone who is struggling in some way, we are more interested in the details of what happened than we are about how we can help?
When Jesus’ friends passed a blind beggar (JOHN 9:1), their question about why he was suffering was all they could think about—so they forgot to look for ways they could actually help him! “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” they asked (V.2). Their question for Jesus showed that they were way out of step with His love and care. In fact, lurking beneath their question was a judgemental attitude—they wanted to know who to blame—as if that would make anyone feel better! Thankfully, Jesus lived out care and love for the man. Instead of gossiping about what had happened to this man or why, He helped, which in this case meant healing him. He made it clear that the man’s blindness was given to him for this very moment. It allowed Jesus to make God’s love known as He took time out to care for a man most people probably ignored or just gossiped about every day.
Feeling curious about somebody’s problem? Shift into Jesus’ mode and move past curiosity. Look instead to see how you can help and pray. Show the compassionate love of Jesus. JS
What is your natural reaction to hearing someone’s having a hard time? Do you compare yourself to them? Look for someone to blame? Gossip about where they went wrong? Or do you ask God to guide you in ways you can show His love to them?
BY THIS EVERYONE WILL KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES, IF YOU LOVE ONE ANOTHER. JOHN 13:35
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures for ever.
2 Let Israel say: ‘His love endures for ever.’ 3 Let the house of Aaron say: ‘His love endures for ever.’ 4 Let those who fear the Lord say: ‘His love endures for ever.’
5 When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place.
6 The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
7 The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies.
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. 9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. 10 All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. 11 They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them down. 12 They swarmed around me like bees, but they were consumed as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them down. 13 I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. 14 The Lord is my strength and my defence; he has become my salvation.
15 Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: ‘The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things! 16 The Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!’ 17 I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done. 18 The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. 19 Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. 20 This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. 21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation.
22 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 23 the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes. 24 The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.
25 Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success!
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. 27 The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise you; you are my God, and I will exalt you.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures for ever.
The Lord has done this (PSALM 118:23).
Ayoung guy took a course on preparing sermons and preaching. When he started, he was a bit full of himself. In one of the early classes, he gave a sermon which was full of passion. He sat down feeling pretty good about it. The teacher took a moment before giving any feedback. Then he said: “That was a powerful sermon. It was well thought through and moving. The only problem is that God was not the subject of a single one of your sentences.”
It’s a problem all of us struggle with at times. We easily become the main character in our story. And so our focus is on me, me, me. We realise that God is generally ‘in charge’, but we live like everything really depends on us.
The Bible tells us that God is the real main character of our lives. Even our trust of Him is done “in the name of the Lord”—in His power (PSALM 118:10-11). God gives us our salvation. God rescues us. God meets our needs. “The Lord has done this” (V.23).
So the pressure’s off. We don’t need to worry, compare, do more, work harder or sort ourselves out. God is in charge. We need only to trust and follow His lead. WC
When are you most likely to think you’re the main character in your life? How can you keep God as the very centre of everything?
JOB 38:4
WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I LAID THE EARTH’S FOUNDATION? TELL ME, IF YOU UNDERSTAND.Follow
1
Make it a priority: Certain parts of the day are non-negotiable—eating, sleeping, dressing, going to school . . . Let’s add reading the Bible to that list. God’s Word is for our souls what a good meal is for our stomachs. Jesus said, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (MATTHEW 4:4).
2
Choose a time and place: Jesus taught, “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen” (MATTHEW 5:6). Our time with God is just that: quality time when we can be alone with Him. Where might your special, secret place with God be?
3 Share the journey: One great way to get into Bible reading is to do it with someone else. See if you can find a friend—or group of friends—who will join you in developing your new habit. Perhaps you can read the same book of the Bible and ask each other about it.
4
Have a guide: We can really benefit from the experience of Bible teachers and daily reading notes, like Our Daily Bread; they will help us get the most out of God’s Word and understand the various cultures and contexts it describes.
5
Meditate on it: Getting to know the Bible is more than just reading it; it’s about learning to take what you read with you through your day so you can meditate on it (or ‘chew it over’ in your mind). This is where God often reveals the truth of what we have read.
6
Don’t give up: Don’t beat yourself up for missing a day (or a week!). Our relationship with God isn’t dependent on us getting everything right; He knows we won’t. But let’s ask Jesus to give us a love for His Word. Getting to know God through the Bible is incredibly exciting and rewarding. We’ll never regret the work involved in making it a bigger part of our lives!
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
12 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs— heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (ROMANS 8:1).
When I was a boy in our village, something about chickens fascinated me. Whenever I caught one, I held it down for a few moments and then gently let go. Thinking I was still holding it, the chicken stayed down. Even though it was free to run away, it felt trapped. When we trust Jesus, He rescues us from sin and the hold that sin and the devil have on us. But because it may take time to change our habits and lifestyle, we can still sometimes feel trapped. But God has set us free by living in us through His Spirit. Paul told the Romans, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death” (ROMANS 8:1-2).
Through our Bible reading, prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit, God works in us to change us and to help us live for Him. The Bible tells us we can be confident in our walk with Jesus. Nothing can take us away from Him (VV.38-39).
Jesus said, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (JOHN 8:36). May the freedom we have in Jesus give us the energy to love and serve Him.
Jesus, thank You that there is freedom in following You. Some days the battle with porn feels overwhelming. Please help me to keep focused on You and to keep reflecting on Your life, death and resurrection.
HE WHO BEGAN A GOOD WORK IN YOU WILL CARRY IT ON TO COMPLETION UNTIL THE DAY OF CHRIST JESUS. PHILIPPIANS 1:6
7 ‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 ‘Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?
11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened (MATTHEW 7:8).
Atwelve year old Cambodian boy named Lem Cheong began to question his family’s religion. He had been taught that anyone needing guidance should go to a temple and shake a box of numbered bamboo sticks until one fell out. The priest would then interpret the meaning of the number. But this didn’t satisfy Cheong’s need for clear answers. It still left him feeling like something was missing in his life.
According to Harold Sala in his book Touching God, Cheong asked his uncle, a priest, if he had ever had a prayer answered. The man was shocked by the boldness of his nephew’s question, but he admitted that he couldn’t remember a single time one of his prayers had been answered.
Later Cheong asked a Christian if God had ever answered his prayers. The man retold many stories where God had clearly heard and answered his prayers. Cheong was so impressed that he accepted Jesus as his Saviour that day. Since then, prayer has become central to his life.
Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (MATTHEW 7:7). Christian prayer is powerful because God is the living and true God who hears and answers. Nothing can stop Him! VG
To pray about . . .
Thank You, Father, for giving me what I need. Help me to trust that You will provide, even when Your answer seems long in coming.
EYES OF THE LORD ARE ON THE RIGHTEOUS AND HIS EARS ARE ATTENTIVE TO THEIR PRAYER.
10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:10-17
From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 TIMOTHY 3:15).
Mashing up different religions and spiritual ideas can be very popular. You might even have friends or family who like to Pick ‘n’ Mix what they believe in. I’ve listened to some celebrities, for example, who do meditations on their ‘inner-goodness’, follow some of the things Jesus said and then also hope to come back to life as another person when they die. In the end, they say, it doesn’t really matter what you believe, as long as you feel good and become a ‘good’ person.
One researcher who looked into this trend described it as “tailormade religion”. This is dangerous ground. Real Christians know that Jesus is the only way to God (ACTS 4:12), and that the Bible is the only place to find out about who He is and what it means to follow Him (2 TIMOTHY 3:15-16). All beliefs must be based on the Bible’s truth—not on how nice they sound. Sure, sometimes the truth in the Bible is hard to hear—but that doesn’t make it any less true. If we only listen to teaching and ideas that make us feel good, we could end up following a lot of dangerous lies.
Don’t trust Pick ‘n’ Mix beliefs. Make your focus and your confidence all about Jesus, and test everything against what the Bible says. Then you can’t go wrong. DB
How easy or difficult do you find it to think about how the Bible relates to your day-to-day life? How often do you read it and test what you hear against its teaching? THERE
1 TIMOTHY 2:5
IS ONE GOD AND ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MANKIND, THE MAN CHRIST JESUS.
31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, ‘It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.’
33 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, ‘Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.’ So she named him Simeon.
34 Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, ‘Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.’ So he was named Levi.
35 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, ‘This time I will praise the Lord.’ So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.
She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord” (GENESIS 29:35).
Many of us work out how we feel about ourselves from what we see on our social media. How many likes or double taps are we getting? Who’s reacted to our selfie? How busy is our feed? It can be on our minds all day as we try to work out how much people like us from what’s happening online.
Humans have needed value and love since the beginning. In Genesis 29, Leah understandably wanted to be loved by her husband Jacob. Her need is shown in the names she gave to her first three sons—all describing her loneliness (VV.31-34). But, sadly, it doesn’t look like Jacob ever gave her the love she looked for.
With the birth of her fourth child, Leah turned to God instead of her husband, naming her fourth son Judah, which means, “This time I will praise the Lord” (V.35). And Judah became part of Jesus’ family tree. Leah chose to find her value in God, and she became part of His story of salvation!
We can try to find meaning and significance in many ways and many different things, but only Jesus gives us our identity: children of God. We are “co-heirs with Christ” (ROMANS 8:17) and everyone else who will live with our heavenly Father forever. As Paul reminds us, nothing in this world can ever compare with the “surpassing worth of knowing Christ” (PHILIPPIANS 3:8). PC
Where do you find meaning and value? What would it look like for you to find your identity in Jesus, and not in what your friends or classmates say about you?
SEE WHAT GREAT LOVE THE FATHER HAS LAVISHED ON US, THAT WE SHOULD BE CALLED CHILDREN OF GOD! 1 JOHN 3:1
GENESIS 29:35
SPOTIFY PODCAST
How are you at reading the Bible? Is it easy, hard or have you never really thought about it? Right now you are holding an Our Daily Bread Teen Edition. We’ve written this for you—wherever you are at with Jesus. You may know Him and enjoy reading the Bible. You may not. That’s OK; this booklet is for everyone! It will help you read the Bible for yourself and find out more about who Jesus is and what difference He makes. It might even change your life . . .
Scripture taken from Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
© 2023 by Our Daily Bread Ministries. All rights reserved.
