READ: PSALM 139; MATTHEW 28:20; COLOSSIANS 1:22-23

Every Christian has a different testimony, or story of how they came to put their trust in Jesus. For some people, it could be really dramatic. For others, it may be really simple. Yet God works in each and every person’s life. This is the personal story of how God worked in my life.

My parents were missionaries in Japan, so I grew up learning about God both directly from them and by hearing them teach others. My mom is Japanese, and my dad is from America, so I don’t fit in well. In Japanese culture, no one tries to stand out. It’s very different from Western culture where being unique is celebrated. So, as a half-Japanese homeschooler Christian, I never fit in, except with other missionary kids or at church. In those places, everyone accepted me for who I was. They didn’t look at me weird when I didn’t act fully Japanese or fully American.

These places gave me a picture of how Christ loves all of us. God created each of us differently. It’s comforting for me to know that He made me the way I am for a reason. But when I was growing up, I had many insecurities. I was always unsure of my place in the world, worried about how others saw me, and afraid of not having people who liked me. I felt that I had to be good enough at something for people to value me or see past my being different. I ended up measuring my worth in what I could achieve.

But the amazing thing about the gospel is that we come to Jesus the way we are. I don’t have to feel like I’m perfect to have salvation. He is the one who will reconcile me to Himself and make me holy and perfect in His sight (Colossians 1:22). I didn’t realize how much I was holding on to the lie that I needed to be a certain way, or that I needed to fit in. Instead, I needed to surrender that to the Lord. I’m not the one in control, He is.

I’ve since come to find a sense of security in my differences. And it’s because I’ve been on a journey with God. I’ve had my ups and downs for sure, but God has stayed by me even when I haven’t made Him the most important thing in my life.

Know that even on your darkest days, Jesus is with you (Matthew 28:20). He is the person who makes you perfect in His sight. He has a plan for you, and He will be with you every step of the way. • Sophia Muhling

• When have you struggled to fit in? How can it be helpful to remember how Jesus sees us?

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14 (NIV)

READ: MATTHEW 9:9-13; LUKE 7:34-50; 1 PETER 3:15-16

Have you ever noticed how Jesus often spent time with people who were doing some pretty bad stuff? You may have wondered, “If that’s how Jesus acted, what should I do—especially if I’m supposed to avoid sin?” Sometimes Christians even ask, “Can I be friends with non-Christians?” The answer is, “Of course!” In fact, one of the ways people come to know Jesus is through friendship. God will help you show His love and truth to all your friends, whether they’re Christians or not. As you interact with your friends, remember these five things:

1. If you have a friend who isn’t a Christian, don’t expect them to act like one. But keep in mind, even as a Christian, you don’t always act like one either. We’re all sinners who need Jesus.

2. Don’t encourage friends to sin or participate with them in doing things that are wrong.

3. Learn what your friends believe so you can understand them better.

4. Talk to your friends about what Jesus has done in your life. Be honest about your own struggles and your ongoing need for Jesus. Be bold and kind!

5. If a friend shares a difficulty or hardship with you, show empathy and offer to pray with them. They may take you up on it; don’t force them though. Either way, pray for them on your own. Then, check back later to see how they’re doing and if there’s any other way you can help. And if they offer to help you with something you need, don’t be afraid to receive help too!

Ultimately, our friendships with others always point back to the most important friendship of all: God’s friendship with us. We can invite all our friends into deeper and deeper relationship with God by showing them who He is. And we can be free to be ourselves, imperfect as we are, trusting that the Holy Spirit is at work in and through us.

So, ask God who you can share Jesus’s amazing love with today. You can trust Him to guide you in what to say and do. Remember, because Jesus first loved us and invited us into friendship, we can show His love and friendship to others (1 John 4:19). • A. W. Smith

• Can you think of a time someone was a good friend to you? What did they say or do?

• As Christians, we don’t need to be afraid of being friends with non-Christians. But if you’re finding it difficult to follow Jesus because of your friendships, who are trusted Christian adults in your life who could help you navigate these relationships, such as a pastor, parent, or counselor?

Many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples. Matthew 9:10 (CSB)

READ: JOHN 15:9-17; ROMANS 5:6-11; 1 JOHN 4:11

Relationships of any kind—with family or friends—are important to God. From the beginning, God made us to live in community. Shortly after He created Adam, the first human, God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him” (Genesis 2:18). So God made Eve, Adam’s wife and the first human friend in history.

Besides Adam and Eve, there are lots of friendships in the Bible. David and Jonathan, King Saul’s son, were best friends and took care of each other when they faced tough times (1 Samuel 18:1-4; 20:1-42). Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, were very loyal to each other, even when they both lost their husbands and faced poverty (Ruth 1–4).

Jesus had friends too—He had twelve followers called disciples who were especially close to Him. Jesus even called Judas “friend” when this disciple came to betray Him (Matthew 26:50). The next day, when Jesus hung on the cross, Luke 23:49 says, “Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching.”

Jesus was willing to go to the cross and die that terrible death—for us. He knew that we all would betray Him through our sin, but He still wants to be friends with us. And the amazing thing is, if you know Jesus, God is friends with you (John 15:15; James 2:23). That’s because Jesus is God the Son, and the Father sent Him to make the way for you to be close to Him. By dying on the cross and rising from the grave, Jesus took the penalty for your sins (John 14:6).

If you know Jesus, not only are you God’s friend, but you also have a whole family of friends—other Christians! All those who trust in Jesus are adopted by God and are brothers and sisters in Christ. They make up God’s family. Throughout the Bible, God encourages His people to love and care for one another as He loves and cares for us, and to tell others how they can become friends of God too. Because, ultimately, friendship with God is what we were created for. And once we’ve experienced His friendship, there’s nothing better! • A. W. Smith

• What does it mean for God to be friends with you? (You can find out more on our "Know Jesus" page.)

• Can you think of any ways you’ve seen Christians around you act as a family of friends? What does it look like to act like a brother or sister toward our fellow friends of God?

So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. Romans 5:11 (NLT)

READ: LUKE 22:52-62; JOHN 21:15-19

The man sitting across the table from me makes me uneasy. His failures bear resemblance to mine. Yet, even with his failures, he has been with Jesus. Jesus loved this man.

I eye him suspiciously, wondering if he’s lying about knowing Jesus and being chosen by Him.

“How can I know you’re telling the truth?” I blurt out before I can stop myself. I feel my face flush but continue speaking anyway: “Why would Jesus want you after the way you failed and betrayed Him?”

I wince at my judgmental tone, but Peter smiles, neither surprised nor put off by my blunt questions. “I don’t know,” he says, “Jesus certainly shouldn’t have chosen me.”

I’m struck by the calmness with which this man states that God shouldn’t have chosen him. Where is Peter’s confidence in his abilities? Where is his refutation of my claim that Jesus shouldn’t have chosen him?

“I know Jesus didn’t choose me because of who I am,” Peter continues, “He chose me because of who He is, despite my failures.”

This man must be crazy. No one, especially the God of the universe, would choose someone who failed them, right? I look around, eager for an excuse to leave this conversation. But as he continues talking, I become wrapped up in Peter’s words as he recounts his time with Jesus and speaks of His great mercy.

“He called me by name,” Peter tells me with tears in his eyes. “He called me by name and just asked me if I loved Him. I said I did love Him, and, in the midst of my failures, He chose me.”

My skepticism falters. Though it seems crazy, I can’t help but believe it might be true. I can’t keep my lips from pulling upward into a smile that mirrors Peter’s. I thank him for his time and leave.

Could it be true? I wonder. Could I be chosen to follow Jesus? I begin to pray, “I love You, Jesus. I want to follow You.” • Julia Frontz

• Today’s fictional story is how one author imagines what it would be like to interview Peter (also known as Simon or Cephas), one of Jesus’s twelve disciples. If you want to dig deeper, you can read more about Peter’s failures and Jesus’s responses in Matthew 14:22-33; 16:21-23; 26:31-35; Luke 22:49-51, 54-62; John 18:10-11; 21:1-25; Galatians 2:11-21.

• Does God value us because of anything we do or don’t do? Is anyone more or less worthy of God’s love than anyone else? (Hint: read Romans 3:23-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:5)

• Ephesians 1:4-5 says, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.” What might it look like for you to live in light of this reality—that God has chosen you because He loves you and wants to be with you?

You can find out more about what it means to know Jesus on our "Know Jesus" page.

[Jesus said,] “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.” John 15:16 (NIV)

READ: MATTHEW 4:4; 1 PETER 1:22–2:3

Have you ever been hit by a sudden, bizarre craving? It might be in the middle of the night, when all the stores are closed and the pantry is empty, but there’s nothing in the world you want more than…potato chips.

While cravings seem to be more or less random, our bodies feel and function their best when we take care in planning and preparing what we eat and follow a healthy, balanced diet. In some ways, we are what we eat. The nutrients and vitamins in the food we eat are what makes our bodies grow and maintain health. And it doesn’t take long for a body deprived of nutrients to get sick.

In today’s passage Peter exhorts Christians to crave the pure, spiritual milk of God’s Word. It is through the Word that we are born again, and it is through the Word that we grow, like how newborn babies grow from drinking their mother’s milk. Peter wants us to have a holy craving for the Word of God, because it is through the Word that we learn how God loves us so much that Jesus died and rose again to save us. And, through the Holy Spirit, He uses the Word to help us grow in our sanctification—the process by which we become more and more like Jesus.

In my life, I’ve eaten a lot of good food. But when I really try to think about it, only a handful of meals come to mind that I specifically remember. And yet, even on days when I can’t recall what I had for breakfast, all that food has sustained me and helped my body grow. In the same way, God uses His Word to grow us.

Even if you can’t remember any specific lessons, you are who you are today because of the things God has shown you in His Word. Jesus wants to satisfy your deepest hunger with the pure nourishment of His Word—so keep reading! • Jacob Bier

• When we experience a craving to know God more, it’s because He is already reaching out to us in love. And He delights in fulfilling our desire through His Word (the Bible), His Holy Spirit, and His people (the church). Have you ever experienced something like this? What was that like?

• In our walk with Jesus, there will be times when we intensely crave His presence, and there will be times when following Him feels repetitive, boring, or uncomfortable. But even in those seasons, we need to be sustained daily by the food of His Word and His presence. What kind of season are you in right now? Consider taking some time to talk to Jesus about this in prayer.

Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! Psalm 34:8 (NLT)

READ: ISAIAH 43:1-13; JOHN 10:3-4, 27-30; HEBREWS 12:1-3

Have you ever been in the middle of competing in an intense sporting event, tired and discouraged, when someone called out your name to cheer you on? During my days playing high school soccer, I’d be racing toward the ball, exhausted and ready to quit, then I’d hear a familiar voice call out my name. I could hear it above all the noise of the fans. It was all I needed to dig in, keep fighting, and run with endurance. Someone knew me by name. They were watching. They cared. I wasn’t just a player on the field. I was their player.

We have a heavenly Father who knows us and calls us by name. We are His. We hear His voice, and we follow Him. We are seen, known, and loved.

At times we can feel lonely, tired, lost, or fearful. We can feel as if no one really knows us or sees us. We can tell ourselves we are just a player on the field, lost in the race. But it’s not true. We serve a God who cares so intimately for us that He calls us by name.

In Isaiah 43, God tells the Israelites to remember that He chose them, He formed them, He redeemed them. Therefore, they need not fear. They are not alone. And God tells us the same.

Listen for His voice calling your name when you’re tired and ready to quit, when you feel lonely and wonder if anyone sees you, when you’re scared and can’t see the road ahead. He is calling your name. Listen for His voice and follow Him. He sees you. He knows you. He loves you. • Renee Robinson

• How does it make you feel when someone uses your name? Is it a good feeling or a bad feeling?

• Take a moment to imagine God calling your name. What kind of tone of voice does He use? What might this tell you about how you perceive God?

• Why does it matter that God knows us by name? Through Jesus, God ran the race before us. He became human and lived a perfect, sinless life—ultimately dying on the cross and rising from the grave to make the way for us to be forgiven and live with Him forever. So now, as people who have been called by name and put our trust in Jesus, we can “run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1-2). As we remember Jesus’s loving sacrifice for us and look forward to His return, we can know that He’s always with us, calling us by name, cheering us on, and reminding us who we are in Him.

But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1 (NIV)

READ: HEBREWS 11

Hebrews 11 is full of examples of people who trusted God even when it seemed foolish. Abel burned up some of his best livestock as a sacrifice to God (Genesis 4:1-11). If he hadn’t had faith, it would have seemed like a waste of food or income. Enoch’s deeds are not mentioned specifically, but his faith pleased God, and God “took him away” to be with Him without dying (Genesis 5:21-24). That sounds impossible, but nothing is impossible for God (Matthew 19:26).

It’s encouraging to read Old Testament accounts of God’s faithfulness. When people put their lives at risk to obey God, He often showed His faithfulness by physically protecting those people in their particular situations—like He did for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, keeping them alive when they were thrown into a fiery furnace (Daniel 3). Other times, people suffered or even died for their faith, like Stephen (Acts 6–7). God was faithful to those people too.

Although we may endure situations where it might seem hopeless or unrewarding to follow God, faith allows us to recognize that God has a plan and will take care of us. He has given us promises to lean on whenever we endure difficult times. And every single one of those promises is fulfilled in Jesus. Because Jesus died for our sins and rose from the grave, we can be restored to relationship with God. In Hebrews 13:5, He promises never to leave or forsake us. In Matthew 21:22, He promises to answer prayers asked in faith—those answers may not be what we expect, but we can trust that He is working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28-29). And in John 3:15, He promises that those who believe in Jesus will have everlasting life.

Like the people in the Bible who acted in faith, we all have times when obedience to God leads to uncertainty about our futures. They knew that God is trustworthy, so they believed God’s promises and acted on them. God fulfilled His promises to them, and He will fulfill His promises to us. • Karen Niewoehner

• What are some ways God has been faithful to you in your life?

• Who are some people you know who walk in faithful obedience to God? What about their faith in Jesus do you admire?

• If you’ve put your trust in Jesus, you have the Holy Spirit living in you. How does the Holy Spirit empower us to act in faithful obedience to God? (Romans 15:13; Philippians 2:13)

For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory. 2 Corinthians 1:20 (NLT)

READ: PSALM 23

Sometimes when I think about death and dying, it scares me. I know this is the case for a lot of people. I also know that, unless Jesus comes back during our lifetimes, we will all experience death one day. But personally, I don’t want to think about it. However, when I was reading Psalm 23 last night, I was struck by the hope it gives us regarding death, dying, and what comes after.

Many people read Psalm 23 when they want to feel God’s presence and be reminded that He is with us in the difficult times. Last night, it really hit me in a new way. Verse 4 tells us that God will be with us when we’re in “the shadow of death,” and verse 6 says we have an eternal home in the house of the Lord.

I don’t have to fear any situation that God has promised to enter with me. If I were to get sick today, and the doctors told me that I had just days to live, I could trust that God would stay beside me and everything would be okay. I don’t have to be concerned about the particulars surrounding my eventual death; God will be with me, comforting me, no matter how things work out.

God will stay beside us even when we’re getting close to death; He’ll be with us to comfort us, and He’ll lead us through that time and into His home. • Emily Acker

• What is the scariest thing about death for you personally?

• As Christians, how could knowing that God is always with us—and always will be with us—affect the way we think about death? (Romans 8:35-39)

• Psalm 23 describes God as a shepherd, and this whole psalm points forward to Jesus—He is the Good Shepherd who “lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). If we know Jesus, we not only have confidence that He will be with us in “the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4), but also that He has already gone through this valley before us, on our behalf. He went to the cross to save us, so He knows what it’s like to die. He even experienced the anxiety and anguish of knowing that His death was near (Mark 14:33-34; Luke 22:44). But, glory be to God, He also rose from the grave, and He promises that when He returns, everyone who has put their trust in Him will be raised to live with Him forever on the new heavens and new earth (John 14:1-3; Revelation 21:1-5). As we think about death and dying, how could these truths give us hope?

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will still live, even if he dies.” John 11:25 (WEB)