Mikal Keefer - Growing Spiritual Grit for Teenagers: 40 Devotions

Group | Lifetree

Growing Spiritual Grit for Teenagers

40 Devotions

Copyright 2018 Group Publishing, Inc./0000 0001 0362 4853

Lifetree is an imprint of Group Publishing, Inc.

Visit our website: group.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, visit group.com/permissions.

Credits

Author: Mikal Keefer

Chief Creative Officer: Joani Schultz

Senior Editor: Candace McMahan

Assistant Editor: Cherie Shifflett

Art Director and Designer: Jeff Storm

Production Artist: Andy Towler

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4707-5337-5 (softcover), 978-1-4707-5546-1 (ePub)

CONTENTS

by Rick Lawrence

FOREWORD

Finals. Dating weirdness. Family meltdowns.

Life is full of tough stuff.

We need strength and perseverance to navigate the rough terrain of life. And along the way, we discover that our own strength and perseverance are often not enough.

We need something bigger and tougher. We need grit.

Grit is the engine that drives perseverance. Its the core strength that helps us face and overcome challenges and obstacles. And its the essential characteristic that sustains our lifelong journey with Jesus.

Without grit, our faith wavers, distractions derail us, and our focus blurs.

And heres the kicker: Every person who has had a great impact on the world, everyone whos lived out the mission and work of Jesus in world-changing ways, needed grit to do it. In fact, they needed a supercharged version of grit thats stronger than the garden-variety stuff we all develop along the way.

That regular grit helps us hang tough when were tempted to quit. It helps us solve difficult problems that seem too big to overcome. But personal grit is limited by our capabilities; spiritual grit is fed by the limitless resources of Jesus and is anchored in a growing dependence on him.

When were captured by a passion for Jesus, we not only take on the tough stuff, but we also discover joy in the journey because Jesus is our intimate companion.

And as daunting as all of this might sound, youre about to be shocked by how fun growing spiritual grit can be.

Rick Lawrence

Author of Spiritual Grit

INTRODUCTION

These devotions will make you uncomfortable.

Thats because youll be doing the very things Jesus asked his first followers to do. Hard things, but things that ultimately gave those disciples the fortitude to own their faith, stand strong, and follow Jesus no matter what.

These devotions will help you grow grit. Spiritual grit.

And you develop spiritual grit much as you develop grit anywhere else in your life: by doing stuff.

Hard stuff.

Hard stuff that turns out to be good for you. That helps you rely on Jesus and see him working in and through you.

Hard = Good, at least in the kingdom of God.

Youll move outside your comfort zone, out to where you can see Jesus more clearly. Youll have conversations you havent had before, look at people through new lenses, lean into challenging things.

Youll risk relying on Jesus.

You get two options in each devotion: to do something gritty and to do something even grittier. Feel free to do one or both. Ask Jesus what he recommends.

Youll then reflect on what youve experienced and talk it over with Jesus. Thats a grit-builder, too.

Dont worry; theres nothing here that will leave scars. But you will stretchin a good way. In a spiritually gritty way.

So take a deep breathand lets get started.

Lets grow a little grit.

KEEP THE FAITHAND TRUST JESUS

Its several years into Jesus ministry, and the disciples can see the wheels are falling off.

The crowds have thinned. Religious leaders Jesus has offended along the way are circling around like wolves closing in for the kill.

And Jesus seems unableor maybe unwillingto do anything about it. Even after hes publicly criticized. Even after a crowd in the Temple courtyard tries to stone him to death.

Even as the disciples point out the obvious: Jerusalem is no place for Jesusor them. Theyll be walking into a lions den the moment they cross back into Judea.

But Jesus isnt persuaded. Hes going to Judea and on into Jerusalem with or without them.

So its up to the disciples to decide: Do they trust Jesus enough to follow him when everything they see tells them to cut their losses and walk away?

Theres no question that they believe in Jesus, that they have faith. The miracles theyve seen, the teaching theyve heard, the healings that made Jesus famousall of that convinced them long ago that he is who he says he is.

But when their lives are on the line, do they trust him?

Thomas response to the dilemma is classic. He takes a long, deep breath and then sighs, Lets go, tooand die with Jesus (John 11:16).

Then this band of brothers, this dozen disciples, silently falls into step behind Jesus.

Jesus first disciples dont just have faith in Jesusthey trust him. And faith and trust are less alike than they appear at first glance.

Having faith isnt actually all that hard.

You can easily have faith that an ancient elevator creaking open in front of you is safe. Its carried passengers for decades, it was installed back when things were built to last, and some inspector has signed off that the floors solid and the cables arent frayed.

But when you step into the elevator and punch a button for the 30th floor, thats when faith turns into trust.

Faith prompts a nod of agreement. Trust prompts action.

If thats true, if trust translates into something that can be seen, heard, touchedwhat can you point to in your life that indicates you trust Jesus?

Good news: Youll soon be able to point to one or both of the experiences youll find below.

GRIT GROWER 1: TRUST WALK

You may be more trusting than you think.

Not sure about that?

Do this: Walk around your house or apartment and briefly touch everything you trust, often without even being aware you trust it.

That medicine bottle: You trust that the pharmacist didnt accidentally substitute cyanide.

The electric outlet? You trust it will work when you plug in your laptop.

And that website where you learn about the world? You trust that what you see is the truth, nothing but the truth andwell, maybe you dont trust everything in your house.

And thats okay: Its wise to trust carefully.

See how many objectsor peopleyou touch in a five-minute trust walk.

AND EVEN GRITTIER

Take a virtual hike through the contact list on your phone. How much do you trust each of the people whose names scroll past?

Whos trustworthy? mostly trustworthy? less trustworthy?

And how do you decide where each name falls on your trust scale?

Now consider this: If Jesus did this same exercise and your name scrolled past, how do you think hed rank your name on his list of trustworthiness? Why?

TALK WITH JESUS

Jot your thoughts about