Youth Group Devotionals

We’re going to set the devotional speed at 2x today so we can cover some topics quickly.Pharaoh’s desire to kill all the baby boys led a Levite woman to place her newborn son in a basket along the Nile River. Pharaoh’s daughter found him, named him Moses, and raised him in Pharaoh’s household.When Moses grew up, he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew and killed the Egyptian. Afraid he would be caught, Moses fled into the wilderness, where he eventually married Zipporah and began a new life.Years later, the Israelites cried out to God because of their slavery. Exodus tells us that God heard them, remembered His covenant, and saw their suffering.One day, while Moses was caring for sheep, he saw a bush that was on fire but wasn’t burning up. God spoke to Moses from the bush and told him He had seen His people’s suffering and was going to rescue them.Then came the surprising part: God was sending Moses back to Egypt to confront Pharaoh.Moses asked, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh?”God’s answer was simple: “I will be with you.”Moses then asked what he should tell the Israelites when they asked who had sent him. God answered:“I AM WHO I AM.”This is one of the biggest moments in Exodus because God begins revealing who He is. He is the God who sees His people, hears them, remembers His promises, and comes to rescue them.Next, we’ll see what happens when Moses takes that message back to Egypt.

Welcome back! I hope your first day goes well! For the NRCA folks, I hope your first week was great!My plan for the devotional this year is to walk through the Bible—not the entire Bible, but an overview or survey of it. We’ll start with the Old Testament this fall, followed by Advent leading up to Christmas. After Christmas, we’ll walk through Jesus’ ministry and then finish the year with a survey of the New Testament.My hope is that by the end of the school year, you’ll have a better understanding of who God is, what He has done, and how we are called to live with Him. I also hope this prepares you for next summer as some of you head off to college, go on mission trips, or start summer jobs.We’re going to start in Exodus. Who thought I was going to say Genesis?When Exodus begins, we find God’s people enslaved in Egypt. They had originally come to Egypt generations earlier to escape a drought and famine. They were welcomed there because Joseph, of coat of many colors fame, had gone from being sold into slavery by his brothers to becoming one of the highest-ranking officials in Egypt.But Joseph and his generation had died, and now there was a new Pharaoh who didn’t know Joseph or care about what he had done for Egypt. Instead, he looked at the Israelites and saw a threat. Their population was growing quickly, and Pharaoh became afraid that they might eventually turn against Egypt.So, Pharaoh tried to control them. He forced them into hard labor and made their lives miserable, but something interesting happened: the more Pharaoh oppressed them, the more they continued to grow and flourish. Pharaoh eventually went even further and ordered that the Israelite baby boys be killed at birth.Pharaoh had a plan for God’s people, but God had a different plan.

In Acts 4 we get another glimpse into what life was like in the early church. The passage paints a powerful picture of how the early church was united in their faith and cared for one another so that everyone's needs would be met.Because they loved one another, they shared what God had given them so that no one in the church would go without. The passage says there were "no needy persons among them" because people who had extra were willing to help those who didn't. Some believers even sold land or houses and gave the money to the apostles so it could be distributed to anyone who had a need.One example is Barnabas. He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles. He wasn't trying to get attention for himself, he simply wanted to help his church family.The early church understood something important: following Jesus isn't just about believing the right things; it's also about loving people in practical ways. They saw the needs around them and responded with generosity. Their unity, love, and willingness to sacrifice for one another showed the world what it looks like when Jesus truly changes people's hearts.I hope this passage challenges you to see if you are paying attention to the needs of people around you. Are you willing to use the time, money, talents, and resources that God has given you to help others? The early church reminds us that God's people are called to be a family that cares for one another and makes sure no one has to walk through life alone.

During Jesus' ministry on earth, he sent the disciples out in pairs and gave them the power to teach, heal the sick, and cast out demons (Mark 6:7-13). In the first part of Acts 3 we see that the Jesus is continuing to work through His followers by the power of the Holy Spirit. This healing of the lame man demonstrates that the apostles were still acting with Jesus' authority and power, not their own. Just as Jesus used miracles to establish the authority of His teaching, the apostles are able to do the same to demonstrate their authority to speak about Jesus.One note, this healing is very similar to Jesus' healing of the lame man by the pool (John 5:5-15) but in this case the man had been unable to walk since birth.

In Acts 2:42–47 we see the start of the Church that you and I are a part of today. These new believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, prayer, and gathering together in fellowship. Notice that their faith was not something they lived out alone, it was something they shared as a community with the other believers.One note, big 'C' church refers to all believers past and present throughout the world.One of the things that stands out to me about the early Church was how self-sacrificial the people were. They cared deeply for one another and were willing to give up their own possessions to help meet each other's needs. 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 describes the Church as a body with it's many parts, the parts are ourselves and the gifts God has given us. When we share those gifts together the Church functions as one body. We see that play out in this passage. Each believer brought their different gifts, abilities, and resources, to be used by the group. Instead of focusing on themselves, they looked for ways to serve and support the people around them.Next, the believers regularly spent time together, shared meals, worshiped God, and genuinely enjoyed being with one another. Their lives were marked by joy, generosity, and gratitude for what God was doing.Lastly, in verse 47, we see that their love extended beyond the Church itself. "Having favor with all the people", meaning they treated others well and earned the respect of those around them, even people who were not believers. Their faith was visible in the way they lived, and as a result, God continued to add more people to the Church every day.All of these things are what we should mimic as members of the Church today.