Trisha Priebe - iAspire Teen Devotions: iAspire to know God. iAspire to serve others. iAspire to be the best I can be.

2020 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.

ISBN 978-1-64352-711-6

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Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the New Life Version copyright 1969 and 2003 by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the H OLY B IBLE , N EW I NTERNATIONAL V ERSION . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Published by Barbour Books, an imprint of Barbour Publishing, Inc., 1810 Barbour Drive, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683, www.barbourbooks.com

Our mission is to inspire the world with the life-changing message of the Bible.

Printed in the United States of America.

To Andrew, Steven, and Jillian: Aspire to live every day for the glory of God, and your life will be far better than anything you can imagine.

You want your life to matter, and this book encourages you to aspire to greatnessGods best for you.

A companion to Barbours iAspire Teen Study Bible, this collection of thought-provoking devotions addresses 101 topics vital to Christian living, with entries such as

iAspire to Follow Jesus

iAspire to Use My Time Wisely

iAspire to Be Kind

iAspire to Fight Selfishness

iAspire to Finish Well

Written especially for teens, these devotions offer you biblical guidance for wise living. And each entry concludes with a section called iAspire to Know More, offering additional scriptures or questions for further consideration.

You aspire to great things. Read on to see how Gods Word gets you there!

N OTE : Most of the scriptures quoted in this iAspire devotional are taken from the New Life Bible, a version originally created for missions. Though it often reads differently than more common translations, we hope you find its unique way of explaining theological ideas helpful. Of course, youre welcome (and encouraged!) to look up the verses in other Bible versions too.

This is life that lasts forever. It is to know You, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ Whom You have sent.

J OHN 17 :

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who know God and those who dont.

Does it seem overly simple to put everybody into one of two categories? There are more than seven billion people on our planetand every person is totally unique.

But without a doubt, what matters most is whether or not we know God.

In fact, what you believe about God is the most important detail about you. Its more important than how you look or who you know or what you own.

In light of eternity, none of those things matter.

What matters is who you trust with your eternity.

The most well-known verse in the whole Bible is John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. Whoever puts his trust in Gods Son will not be lost but will have life that lasts forever.

Gods Son is Jesus, who is God in human flesh. Its okay if thats hard to understand. People have wrestled with the idea of the Trinityone God in three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)for millennia. But even if Hes hard to understand, God is 100 percent real.

And God is the most important person who has ever existed. Hes all-powerful and He knows everything. He brought the world into existence with a single word, and He keeps everything going by His will. He knows every detail about your past and your future. And He promises that in the end, Hell remake this world and destroy those who oppose Him.

The best news you will hear today is that this same all-knowing, all-powerful God wants to know you. And Hes gone to great lengths to make it possible for you to know Him.

So whether you know God is the most important fact about you.

He made you. He loves you. He has your best in mind.

Gods Son, Jesus Christ, came into the world to rescue you from Gods wrath over sinto make it possible for you to have a personal relationship with God both now and forever.

So the most important thing about you is not you. The most profound thing about you is that the God of this universe cares for youand even more than that, He delights in you. And He wants you to delight in Him.

He invites you to seek Him every day through prayer and Bible reading. In fact, you will never regret a single minute you spend getting to know God.

Today and for the rest of eternity, knowing God makes all the difference.

Read 1 Corinthians 8:3 to find a major clue for how we can know God. How does this change your understanding of what it takes to know Him?

Look up Ephesians 1:4. If you have placed your faith and trust in Christ, how long does this verse say that God has known you?

Ask God to help you know Him better. He wants you to know Him, and Hell help you achieve that goal.

Jesus said to His followers, If anyone wants to be My follower, he must forget about himself. He must take up his cross and follow Me.

M ATTHEW 16 :

Your decision to follow Jesus todayas a teenagerwill shape your entire future. Thats exciting, isnt it? You dont have to wait to follow Jesus!