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Dec 2011

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What Pleases Him Most

Psalm 147: 10-11

You have two huge exams on Friday, three papers due next week, and an oral presentation to do the following week. Ahhh! You’re committed to putting all the effort you can into it; but some of it’s so challenging, you really wonder if your best will be good enough. What if you still don’t make the grade you need to?

It’s always right to do your absolute best at everything you do (Colossians 3:23). Diligence and excellence glorify God, and so does relying on him. Paul sure set that example well, saying, “I work and struggle, using Christ’s great strength that works so powerfully in me” (Colossians 1:29). Even so, there are times we give it our all and rely on God’s help, but our performance (whether it’s grades, sports, or anything else in life) still doesn’t meet people’s expectations. And if you’re a perfectionist with high standards for yourself, you might start to feel ashamed of yourself. You might even start to think God feels that way about you, too.

But you know what? God cares most about where your heart is. Psalm 147 says he’s not impressed with human strength or a perfect performance people will rave about. He’s pleased with people who “respect him” and “trust his love” (Psalm 147:11). So strive for excellence and do your best, but remember: at the end of the day, the most important thing is having a heart that honors God and is devoted to him. What a relief!

Want to know more? Find more devotionals in the Revolve Devotional Bible here!

Excerpted from Revolve™ Dream On: The Complete New Testament. © 2010 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Holy Bible, New Century Version. © 2005 Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Posted in: Daily Devotional, Dream On, Events, Faith

Dec 2011

Posted by The Revolve Tour

When Life Is Uncertain

Life is so uncertain. Sometimes it seems like everyone and everything conspires to make us afraid. Afraid of speaking up. Afraid of letting go. Afraid of holding on. Afraid of what people will think. Afraid of being less than perfect. But the Bible says, “God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7).

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Posted in: Daily Devotional, Dream On, Events, Faith

Nov 2011

Posted by The Revolve Tour

You Probably Already Are

You have millions of brothers and sisters in Christ. They are poor, rich, tall, short. They are elementary school kids and high schoolers. College students and grocery store workers. Heads of state and chairmen of big corporations. They are all around you, and that’s amazing- because there’s some serious power in numbers. And power is a good thing when you want to make a difference.

Your eyes are now opened. You feel terrible about all the needs that are not being met around the world. You want your classmates’ lives to be better. You want every person on earth to have enough to eat. You want prejudice and slavery to stop. You want sicknesses to be treated. You want everyone to hear about Jesus.

You really DO want to make a difference.
And you can.
And you will.

And you probably already are.

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Posted in: Daily Devotional, Dream On, Events, Faith, Friends, Revolve News, Revolve Tweets

Nov 2011

Posted by The Revolve Tour

A Good Cry

Luke 19: 41-42
You never have to wonder if Jesus was fully human and fully God. This passage proves he was both. He’s just received a hero’s welcome and ticker tape parade while entering the city. Fans cheered wildly and declared him King. A pretty exciting day, yes? It was like winning a ton of awards all at once! But Jesus was not rushing off to an after-party. There was no acceptance speech or wide-mouthed grin on his face.

No, he was somber and sad. Crying, in fact- and not tears of joy. His heavy heart proves he was a human, and subject to human emotions. But the reason for his sadness shows he was God on earth. He wept because he knew what the future held. In the next few days, this same crowd would be in a frenzy, furiously calling for his execution.

As a teen girl, it’s pretty interesting to know that Jesus cried. After all, crying can become a pretty common occurrence during the teenage years. Your Savior knows all about changing emotions. Just look at this one day in his life: from top-of-the-world royal treatment to down-in-the-dumps sadness in a matter of hours. And Jesus had other emotional times, too, like when his friend Lazarus died (John 11:33-35).

So next time you feel emotional and teary-eyed, talk to the one who understands better than anyone else first. Before you text or IM your best girlfriend, consider spending a few minutes talking to Jesus!

Want to know more? Find more devotionals in the Revolve Devotional Bible here!

Posted in: Daily Devotional, Dream On, Events, Faith, Friends, Revolve News, Revolve Tweets

Nov 2011

Posted by The Revolve Tour

Only God Can Forgive

Has anyone ever done something wrong to you, and instead of apologizing and making it right, she tried to correct her wrong by doing something nice for you? How did that make you feel? Really, you just wanted an apology, right?

Well, sometimes we do that to God. There are a lot of people who believe they can work their way to heaven or that God will love them more if they do enough things for him. They believe they’ll be rewarded because of their good deeds. It just doesn’t work that way, and these thoughts will get people into trouble. There are still others who take it to the other extreme.

These are the kind of people who believe they have to suffer just like Jesus did, so they beat themselves with whips, crawl across glass, and even hang on crosses for hours at a time in order to receive forgiveness. Both of these ways are false.

“Only God can forgive sins” (Mark 2:7). You can’t get his forgiveness from your parents or from the people you hang out with. Sure, they can (and should) forgive your shortcomings by not holding them against you, but only God can erase them from your record permanently. All you have to do is confess your sins to him and repent and- instantly -they’re gone forever.

Confess your sins to the Lord today. He’s the only One who can get rid of them for you!
See for yourself: Matt. 9:6; Mark 2:10, 11; Luke 5:20, 24; Eph. 2:8, 9

Want to know more? Find more devotionals in the Revolve Devotional Bible here!

Posted in: Daily Devotional, Dream On, Events, Faith

Nov 2011

Posted by The Revolve Tour

Live On The Edge

Fear or faith. Which is stronger in your life? Allowing fear to control your life is a prison. Allowing faith to control your life is an adventure.

God has plans for you that will totally stretch you out of your comfort zone- plans that may even make you feel super freaked out at times. If you allow fear to control your choices, playing it safe instead of trusting God, you’ll miss out on amazing opportunities. But if you trust in a big God and decide to risk living on the edge with him, you’ll accomplish things you never dreamed possible.

Begin identifying things that rattle your world- failure, rejection, being alone, getting sick, being treated harshly, speaking in front of people, getting hurt physically or emotionally, trusting God with your future, missing out, or sharing your faith. Next, replace fear. Memorize Philippians 4:13 and Isaiah 41:10. Repeat them each time you come to a challenge that seems too hard. Also, make a list of the times God helped you through tough spots and ask really committed believers to tell you about situations when God helped them through fearful events.

Faith isn’t the absence of fear- it’s the courage to overcome fear because you believe in a big God! So relax and believe that something you can’t see yet will happen- an awesome faith adventure where there’s no room for fear.

Want to know more? Find more devotionals in the Revolve Devotional Bible here!

Posted in: Daily Devotional, Dream On, Events, Faith

Nov 2011

Posted by The Revolve Tour

Devo: Standing Up For Truth

Standing Up For Truth

2 Kings 10:16
When people ask about your faith, how do you usually respond? Do you eagerly tell them about your beliefs or quickly change the subject? If you’re more inclined to run away than boldly share your faith, it may be because you think talking openly about God is risky. Because it’s popular to believe all paths or religions lead to God, others may think you’re narrow-minded for believing that Jesus is the only way. In our culture, it’s just not cool to believe there’s only one God or only way to Him.

Jehu also lived during a time when believing in one true God wasn’t so popular. Influenced by religions of other nations, and the example of their former king, Ahab, most people worshiped pagan gods. To them, claiming there was just one true God seemed crazy. But Jehu followed God’s commands and demonstrated just how serious he was by destroying anyone who worshiped Baal. And for this extreme obedience, God rewarded him. Tragically, Jehu didn’t stay faithful, but for a short time, he showed Israel that unfaithfulness to God has consequences.

Standing up for truth and following God’s commands may not always be easy or popular- and Jesus never promised it would be. In fact, he said his followers would be hated because of him (John 15:18-19). But this shouldn’t stop you from boldly showing the world how serious you are about God. What’s the best way to do this? Follow his commands.

Want to know more? Find more devotionals in the Revolve Devotional Bible here!

Posted in: Daily Devotional, Dream On, Events, Faith

Nov 2011

Posted by The Revolve Tour

I Hope It’s You

There’s always a backstage in someone’s heart. Maybe there’s a divorce behind the popular girl’s pomp. Maybe there’s abuse behind the quiet girl’s heart who always sits in the back row. That guy who always cracks jokes in class? Maybe he has never met his dad. And that guy that always picks on people? Yeah, maybe he’s never been told, “Son, I love you.”

Let’s try and look behind the mask, behind the popularity, behind the swollen egos, behind the humor or the quietness. Let’s make a pact to really get to know people’s hearts. The real stuff. Before we judge, let’s pray- pray that God will show us how we can love someone better, even when that person is the LAST one we want to love.

Jesus always looked past clothes, social class, gender, and race and focused straight on the heart. When we do that, we see that everyone needs love. Everyone needs Jesus. But who is going to be the person to give that love? I hope it’s me. I hope it’s you. Let’s pray that we see the need and do something about it.

See Jenna Lucado Bishop LIVE at The Revolve Tour: Dream On 2012. Register here!

Posted in: Daily Devotional, Dream On, Events, Faith, Friends

Oct 2011

Posted by The Revolve Tour

Everybody’s Not Doing It

The Conformist Myth

Everybody’s not doing it. Sometimes it does seem that way, but a perceptive young person will eventually discover that a lot fewer people are “doing it” than the crowd would have them believe.

Everybody’s not having premarital sex. My research indicates that more than 50 percent of high school students aren’t “doing it.” That’s a significant number.

Everybody’s not using tobacco. In fact, smoking is at historically low levels, with a recent survey conducted by the National Institute of Health indicating that as many as 80 percent of teenagers do not smoke.

Everybody’s not using alcohol. The latest national survey from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) found that only about 50 percent of teens engage in underage drinking by the time they graduate high school.

Everybody’s not doing drugs. The National Institute on Drug Abuse’s “Monitoring the Future” survey found that in 2009, less than 47 percent of high school seniors had ever engaged in any illicit drug use. In particular, recreational use of stimulants has sharply decreased in recent years.

Everybody’s not losing or “outgrowing” their faith. The Washington Times reported a teen survey that revealed that nearly 70 percent of all teenagers consider faith to be an important part of their lives. Another survey of 3,000 U.S. households found that around 50 percent of teens consider faith to be extremely important, and only around 8 percent did not value religion at all.

The lie that everybody’s doing it is often used by teenagers to manipulate their friends and peers into conforming to the rest of the crowd. Well, don’t believe the Conformist Myth. Everybody’s not “doing it.” A hefty percentage of teenagers know how to say no. And they’re doing it more and more.

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Posted in: Daily Devotional, Dream On, Events, Faith, Friends

Oct 2011

Posted by The Revolve Tour

Stars In Your Eyes

The Love-at-First-Sight Myth

There I was, crunched in a crowd of guys around my locker the first day of school, talking about, well, you know, what guys talk about. When all of a sudden- in she walked.

“I knew the second she glided into that school that she was the girl for me. Man, she was perfect. Blonde hair cascading onto her shoulders, splashing gleams of light into my eyes. A tan like she just walked off the beach. A figure that could reduce any seventeen-year-old guy, like me, to a stuttering fool.

“I fell in love. Love at first sight, right?” Well, it was for me, anyway. And, it took a while, but I finally got a date with that vision of loveliness. Things just kinda happened after that- we were married, had kids, and lived happily ever after.”

Ahhh, that’s how it happens. True love. Love at first sight. Sometimes you can just look at a girl or guy and know that you’ve found your love, your soul mate.

That’s a myth. Oh, maybe it could happens that way every once in a while. But it can be dangerous to think that those exceptions typify true love.

We’ve come to think of love as primarily a feeling: a rush of emotion, butterflies in your stomach, stars in your eyes. But the Bible speaks of love as an action, not simply something you feel, but something you do.

Failure to do that may be why so many relationships fail: because nobody is prepared to work at love. Nobody thinks you need to water the seed. Nobody is prepared to weather the storms that threaten to uproot the seedling. Nobody is willing to tend the soil. As a result, not many people ever enjoy the full flower of love.

The apostle Paul emphasized the active nature of love when he said, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church.” How did Christ love the church? ”[He] gave himself up for her…In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church” (Ephesians 5:25, 28-29, emphasis added).

You may still feel the rush of that attraction when the blonde with the tan walks in. You may swoon when the captain of the football team notices you. But that’s not love. It’s exciting, but it’s not the same as actively loving someone and watching that love grow and blossom into a fragrant flower.

Get your own copy of the book here!

Posted in: Daily Devotional, Dream On, Events, Guys

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Viewing ‘Daily Devotional’ Category

What Pleases Him Most

When Life Is Uncertain

You Probably Already Are

A Good Cry

Only God Can Forgive

Live On The Edge

Devo: Standing Up For Truth

I Hope It’s You

Everybody’s Not Doing It

Stars In Your Eyes

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