READ: LUKE 15:1-3, 11-31

Abidan stretched, looking toward the sun. It was setting, so he left the field and approached the house. He stopped, listening. That sounds like a party, he thought, waving over Baanah the servant. “What’s going on tonight?” Abidan asked.

“Your brother has returned!” Baanah said, “your father has served the feasting calf to celebrate!”

“Jabin’s back?” Abidan’s tone was angry.

Baanah nodded. “Shall I get your father?” Abidan only threw up his hands in frustration.

When Abidan saw his father coming, he turned away. “What do you want?”

“I want you to join the party. Please come see your brother. It’s been thirteen months.”

“I know.” Abidan’s voice was strained. “And I have been here. Working hard every day. Respecting you, always doing exactly what you’ve asked. I’ve given you everything, never once getting a goat to eat with my friends! Jabin runs off and wastes his inheritance. Upon his return, you restore him like he’s been a victim, and I don’t even get told to leave the field early? Isn’t what I do enough to please you? The disobedient son gets all your love?”

“My son, you are welcome to a goat—and all I have!” said his father. “Abidan, you have not entrusted to me what I long for: your brokenness. You keep me at arm’s length all the time. You desire to be loved, but ‘doing enough’ cannot earn what you want.”

His father continued. “Both my sons have been wrong in their perception of my love. One thought he could enjoy it by what he got from me, the other by what he could give to me. I celebrate Jabin’s return because he has come to discover what I will do with the truth about him, however ugly it might be. This is what I long for with you, Abidan. Will you come to the party, that I might celebrate the return of both my sons?” • H. K. Rausch

• Today’s story is based on Luke 15. What was Jesus contrasting in this parable of two brothers? Who was listening?

• Why doesn’t Jesus want us to clean ourselves up before we come to Him? (Hint: read John 15:3-4) Why is it impossible for anything we do (or don’t do) to sustain our relationship with God? How does God sustain His relationship with us? (Romans 3:22-28; 5:1-11; Ephesians 2:1-10)

Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” Luke 5:31-32 (NLT)

READ: GENESIS 1:26-27; ROMANS 8:28-29; 2 CORINTHIANS 3:17–4:6

Have you ever heard someone talk about how people are “made in the image of God?” What does that mean?

Essentially, it means we are God’s representatives here on earth and He created us with some of the same qualities He has: creativity, love, intelligence, a sense of justice, wisdom, kindness, and mercy—just to name a few. Whenever people express these qualities, whether they are Christians or not, they are doing it because they were made in the image of God. And when we see that happen, we can praise God for it!

Being made in God’s image gives each person immeasurable value—not because of anything we do, but because of who God is. Our Creator is perfect and holy and good, so anyone created in His likeness—including you, your best friend, and your worst enemy—is worth more than we can possibly imagine. And while we can’t reflect God’s image perfectly because sin has broken our image-bearing ability, each human life still points to the one who made it.

As people made in the image of God, our primary identity is “people loved by God.” That is at the core of who we are. God made us in His image to love us.

And we have an amazing job description: to do His will here on earth. That’s a very weighty (and sometimes confusing) job, but it all boils down to loving God, loving each other, and caring for creation (Genesis 1:28; Matthew 22:37-40). How do we do that in our broken state? We look to Jesus! He is the One who made it possible for us, as broken-by-sin-image-bearers, to resemble our Creator once more. If we’ve put our trust in Jesus Christ, believing in His death and resurrection, we can know that His Holy Spirit is now living in us, conforming us to the image of Christ. By leaning on the Holy Spirit, we can learn to see the ways God has made us—and others—in His glorious image. And that is a wonderful sight to behold. • Taylor Eising

• Where do you see God’s image reflected in yourself? Where do you see it reflected in others?

• When your friends are struggling with their identities or self-worth, what are some ways you could encourage them about who they are as image-bearers of God?

And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust [Adam], we will also bear the image of the man of heaven [Jesus]. 1 Corinthians 15:49 (CSB)

READ: PSALM 145:14-19; HEBREWS 4:14-16

Today’s poem is written in the style of a rap.

I’m here every night; too tired to fight. Just trying to make it, not fake it. It’s hard…to be a PK, knowing you want me to say, “It’s okay. I still believe.” Though in my heart I still grieve.

But I see a world that’s gone bad. And it started when Dad Headed out of the door, said he wanted no more.

Preacher dad who told me of God— what a facade. Now our family’s a mess, and each day’s got stress.

I pray, but don’t know what to say. Can I be real? There’s nothing I feel except empty inside. See, last time I cried and said, “God, take it away— this pain, lift it I pray”—

God, You left it there. And continued to tear my family apart. So, don’t start with me, people in pews, giving your views of what I should do.

My best friend Kat—she’s got my back She has what I lack: Faith—faith to still pray, And wants me to be the same way.

Though I wish God really cared And wasn’t just there, up in the air. • Linda Washington

• Have you ever felt like Shenice? You might be a PK (pastor’s kid) whose dad walked out, or your pain might be totally different. Who, if anyone, did you talk to about what you went through?

• How would you want to respond if Shenice was your friend?

• What do you believe is true about the God who Shenice labels “just there up in the air”? Why?

• When Jesus, the God of the Universe, came and lived among us, He experienced our suffering firsthand. He went all the way to the cross for us—to the grave and back—because He loves us, and He never wants to be apart from us. Jesus is never too far away to hear you when you call. There is nothing you can say or do to Him that will make Him stop loving you or hearing you when you pray. Consider taking some time to talk to Him about whatever hurts you’ve been carrying (Matthew 11:28-30). You don’t need to filter your thoughts before you say them to Jesus.

• When we go through hard times, it’s normal to wonder if God has stopped caring about us. The pain of betrayal is especially deep. Healing from that kind of hurt can be a long, slow process. But God is faithful to bind up the wounds of the brokenhearted, and even to bring us joy again (Psalms 30:5; 147:3). God does His patient work of healing through His Word, through His Spirit, and also through His people. He calls us to pray for one another, to speak the truth—but never without love—and to weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15; Ephesians 4:15-16; 6:18). Who is a trusted Christian in your life you can talk freely with when you’re hurting? (If no one comes to mind, you can ask God to help you identify someone in the future.)

The LORD is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth. Psalm 145:18 (NLT)

READ: ROMANS 8:31-39; 2 CORINTHIANS 12:9; 1 PETER 4:12-13

Have you ever heard of The Pilgrim’s Progress? This book, written in the late 1600s by a pastor named John Bunyan, is the most famous Christian allegory still in print. For centuries, it has encouraged believers to continue following Christ…despite the difficulties.

At one point in the book, the main character, a man named Christian, is shown around a house by the Interpreter. The Interpreter shows Christian a fireplace with a tiny, trembling flame. Satan is standing near the fire, dumping water mercilessly on the flame to try and put it out.

The Interpreter then takes Christian around the side of the fireplace where Christian sees a man pouring oil on the flame. The Interpreter explains that most of our lives, we only see the devil pouring water on the little flame of our faith. What we don’t see is Christ strengthening us with the oil.

Christ warns us that struggles will come if we follow Him, and that our faith will be tested in many ways (John 16:33; James 1:2; 1 Peter 4:12). During struggles, it may feel like Satan will put out the flame of our faith, but we can look to Christ as the one who will never let us go. We can rely on Christ’s strength, trusting that nothing will ever separate us from His love (Romans 8:39), and that He will help us withstand all the devil’s temptations (1 Corinthians 10:13; Ephesians 6:13). • Chloe Ann

• Have you ever felt as if every hardship and struggle in life was trying to put out the flame of faith you have? Are you feeling that way right now? Consider taking some time to talk to Jesus, asking Him to help you see the ways He is strengthening you in the midst of your trials.

• Can you think of a time you realized God was strengthening you when you were in the middle of a trial? What was that like?

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39 (NIV)

READ: AMOS 5:24; MICAH 6:8; LUKE 18:7-8; REVELATION 21:4

A girl stands in front of a judge and jury, retelling her traumatic assault, and her assaulter walks free at the end of the trial. A family breaks into tears after learning there was not enough evidence to convict their son’s murderer. You tell your teacher you’re being bullied, and they say they can’t do anything unless they see it.

Our world is riddled with injustices big and small, and they sting. We say, “That’s not fair!” and someone responds, “Life’s not fair.” But there is hope in the midst of these injustices.

The book of Amos says that God’s justice will pour outward like a river. And in the book of Revelation, the apostle John says Jesus will enact justice at His return, even removing our death, crying, grief, and pain. John paints a picture of God wiping away our tears as He takes away our suffering. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? Part of God’s plan is to bring His justice.

And Jesus revealed God’s justice. When Jesus died on the cross, He took on the sins of the world—and God’s just punishment for them—so that all of us who put our trust in Jesus won’t receive the punishment we deserve. God longs for people to turn to Jesus so they can be made right with Him. But those who reject Jesus will face His just wrath at Judgment Day, when He promises to bring justice for every wrong. So, whether through the cross or at Judgment Day, all injustice will be made right (John 3:15-18; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 2 Peter 3:9-13).

In the meantime, we can rest knowing that God hears us whenever we cry out against injustice, and He promises to bring an end to every wrong and heal our every hurt. Not only that, but God also calls His people to act justly here and now as we wait for His upcoming justice. When we look to Jesus, we see that He acted against injustice on our behalf—for example, He flipped over tables in the temple and stopped the money changers who were taking advantage of people who had come to worship God (Mark 11:15-17).

This means one way we can show Jesus’s love to others is through seeking after justice. While we wait for our Savior to return and bring ultimate justice, we can rely on Him to help us shine His light on any injustice we encounter. • Naomi Zylstra

• Where do you see injustice in the world today? Consider taking some time to pray about an injustice, asking God to help you notice any ways you could bring His love and justice there.

“But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” Amos 5:24 (NIV)

READ: COLOSSIANS 3:16; HEBREWS 10:23-25; REVELATION 4:1-11

The more I study worship, the more frustrated I get with how we do or don’t do it in our churches today. From coffee snobs to music snobs, we all know “that guy.” Well, I think I may have become “that guy” when it comes to finding a church I like.

I recently moved back home to the United States from Canada, and I’m trying to find “the right church for me.” Before this, finding my church was simple. It was the only one with a worship time late enough for me to attend after working third shift.

Now, I’m church shopping and getting frustrated with myself and with the churches in my area. The megachurch nearby feels like a rock concert with a fog machine and laser light show, which irritates me. But when I go to the smaller churches, they seem lifeless and filled mostly with older people who seem to value tradition more than anything else.

I do hope to get over myself soon. To humbly approach the altar and worship God is an incredible and unique aspect of the Christian life. When we do this, we’re joining the elders around the throne room of heaven that John describes in Revelation 4.

I want to feel the rumble of the thunder, see the flashes of lightning, and smell the smoke coming off the lit torches in heaven’s throne room when I join in and sing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come” (Revelation 4:8).

Maybe that fog machine isn’t as terrible as I first thought. Maybe it would do more to aid in my worship of Jesus if I decided to first humble myself before entering the sanctuary, remembering that Jesus—not me—is the one the service is about. He died and rose again for us so we could be forgiven and live with Him forever—He is truly worthy of our worship. • Andy Smith

• How do you normally experience worship services at church? Do you look forward to it, dread it, or something in between?

• How does your church worship service remind you of who Jesus is and what He has done? (If you want to dig deeper, read Acts 4:11-12; Romans 3:22-24; 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Colossians 1:13-23; Titus 2:11-14; Revelation 21:1-7)

Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.” Revelation 4:8 (NLT)

READ: LAMENTATIONS 3:21-26; 2 TIMOTHY 2:8-13

Baking treats for my family is one way I show love. Years ago, I learned to make brownies from scratch. But one day, something that wasn’t on the ingredients list found its way into the brownies. One family member, Dane, took his first warm, chewy bite—but was dismayed to find a sliver of paper in it. Apparently, I hadn’t removed the entire wrapper from the stick of butter I’d used in the recipe, and Dane found it in his brownie.

I promised to do better. The next time I baked brownies, I offered Dane the first piece, and he enjoyed a paper-free dessert. The next day he got another serving. But this time he found a small scrap of butter wrapper. I’d made the same mistake twice! After that, I assumed it would take a while before Dane would trust my brownies again.

People (and our cooking) can be unpredictable. Some days we treat each other kindly and keep our word. Other days we let each other down in ways that leave behind a trail of hurt and disappointment. Sometimes friends and loved ones break our trust, which can be difficult to rebuild. And sometimes we break theirs. Even after apologies and forgiveness, it may take time for us to open up again as we wonder, What am I going to get this time?

Though we humans are often inconsistent, we can count on God to be true to His character. When we begin a relationship with God by putting our trust in Jesus—the one who took all our sins upon Himself when He died on the cross and rose from the dead—we become God’s children. As we grow in this relationship, we come to know how God relates to His people: with consistent forgiveness, love, and compassion. God poured out all His wrath toward sin and evil on Jesus at the cross, so now His children can rest in His faithful mercy and lovingkindness. Even when we are unfaithful, He will always be perfectly faithful to us, and He will never break our trust. • Allison Wilson Lee

• When is it hard for you to trust God? Consider taking a moment to tell Him about this.

• What are some things that remind you of God’s faithfulness—such as Bible verses, songs, personal experiences, the experiences of others, etc.?

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. Lamentations 3:22 (NIV)

READ: ROMANS 12; 1 PETER 2:9-12

Have you ever felt like you had to try hard to get people to like you? School, church, homeschool co-op, work—anywhere you go there are expectations to act a certain way, say certain things, do this, and definitely don’t do that! You might feel like you have to guard yourself to make sure no one sees who you really are—because they might not like that person.

Looking for approval is something we all do, but we often look for acceptance in the wrong places. When we focus on being the cool kid or being the teacher’s favorite or wearing the right thing, we sometimes forget we belong to Jesus. He is our loving God, who laid down His life for us so we could become part of His family. We don’t need to earn acceptance, because He has already accepted us through the cross. And yet, it’s so difficult to fight the urge to fit in because, even though our world says, “Be yourself” and “You’re perfect just the way you are,” we’re still constantly being judged and even rejected by others.

But why should we try so hard to fit in when God has called us to be different? In Jesus, He’s given us a new identity as His dearly loved children. When we focus on Jesus, we often find we don’t care how other people are acting. As we experience God’s love for us, our focus shifts to showing others His love and truth, instead of worrying about what they think of us.

As teens, we especially have an opportunity to be a light to the world. Why teens especially? You’ve heard the stereotypes! Teens are lazy. They just want to have fun and be popular. They’re self-obsessed and addicted to their phones.

But, in Christ, we can be the ones to break the stereotypes. We can be the ones who work hard, genuinely care about the people around us, and don’t care if anybody thinks we’re weird. We can be the ones who are respectful, intuitive, smart, and helpful—putting others first. We don’t have to conform to the world’s expectations. Once we know Jesus, we are being transformed to be like Him. • Leah Najimy

• Can you think of a time you felt pressured to look or act a certain way? How did you deal with it?

• According to 1 Peter 2:9-12, what are some things that come with having our identity in Christ?

• How does knowing we are fully accepted and loved in Jesus affect the way we view others and what they think about us?

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)