Melody Carlson - TRUE. A Teen Devotional

TRE

TRE

A TEEN DEVOTIONAL

Words from the Rock

MELODY CARLSON

2008 by Melody Carlson

Published by Revell a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.revellbooks.com

E-book edition created 2011

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN 978-1-4412-0195-9

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Scripture marked CEV is taken from the Contemporary English Version 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture marked ESV is taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked Message is taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked NASB is taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

Scripture marked NCV is taken from the New Century Version. Copyright 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked NIV is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture marked NLT is taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

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Contents

M aybe youve heard this before: Jesus is the Rock. But what does it really mean? And what does it mean to you personally?

I was fifteen when I went from being a flat-out atheist to a sold-out believer. And, trust me, my life did a complete 180-degree turnaround, but I didnt have a clue as to what my next move should be. As far as the Bible went, I didnt know 1 Chronicles from 1 Corinthians, and being in church felt like being in a foreign country with a whole new language. In other words, although I was found, I was feeling pretty lost.

But one of the very first things I learned as a new believer was that Jesus was not simply my new best friend, he was my Rock as well. And I needed a rock. I needed someone I could lean on and rely on. Someone strong and steady and immovable and sturdy. Someone I could build my life on and who would never wimp out on me. Ineeded a rockand that Rock was Jesus.

As the years passed, I got more comfortable with the Bible and the church and things like praying and worshiping. And after a lot of years, I got almost too comfortable. I knew a lot of the Bible by heart, I was teaching Bible studies, and I spoke nearly perfect Christianese. Consequently, I began to take spiritual things a little for granted, and this bothered mein fact, it bothered me a lot.

So, what did I do? I went back to the Rock. Instead of trying to become smarter or trying to become theological and understand more of the Bible, I decided to go back to Jesus (the Rock). I got myself a redlined Bible (the kind where Jesuss words are in red type), and I let myself read only the red linesjust the words from the Rock. And, man, was I blessed.

Thats the whole point of this devotionalI want to share Jesuss words with you. I want to share verses that have changed and strengthened my life, and I hope they will do the same for you. The primary Scriptures used in this devotional are quotes from Jesus words from the Rockand believe me, they totally rock!

More Than Food

Words from the Rock

It is written: Man does not live on bread alone,but on every word that comes from the mouthof God.

Matthew 4:4 NIV

I m sure its no coincidence that some of Jesuss first recorded words in the New Testament were about something we can all relate tofood. And although he was addressing Satan (Jesus hadnt eaten in weeks, and the devil had been tempting him to turn stones into bread), these rock-solid words were meant for everyone.

So, imagine youre starving. Youre hungrier than youve ever been in your entire life. You havent eaten in days, and all you can think about is food, food, food. Whether its a Big Mac and fries or a pepperoni pizza or even sushi, you are so hungry you might actually sell your soul for something to eat. Thats right where Satan had Jesusor so he thought.

But what was Jesuss response to Satans temptation? Even in his starved and emaciated state, Jesus told Satan that it took more than food to sustain life. He said that it was Gods very words that would keep him alive. But what did that mean?

Jesus was our example in that he lived his life in a very tight relationship with God. In the same way that some people must stay connected (via text messaging, cell phones, email, instant messages, etc.), Jesus related to God on an ongoing, never-ending basis. It was this tight and constant connection that gave Jesus the power and strength to do all he did. He stayed tuned to God and relied on Gods communication even more than he relied on food. It was his lifeline. And thats what he wants for us tooto connect and stay tuned to him, to realize we need him even more than we need food.

Stone

for the Journey

I need Godswords morethan I needfood.

My Prayer

Dear God,
Its easy to know when I need food because I hear my stomach growling, and its all I can think about. But its not always so obvious to know how much I need you and your words. Teach me to tune in to youto listen to you and to understand that your words can sustain me better and longer than my favorite meal.
Amen.

Final Word

I have hidden your word in my heart, that I mightnot sin against you.

Psalm 119:11 NLT

Make God Number One

Words from the Rock

Go away Satan! The Scriptures say: Worship theLord your God and serve only him.

Matthew 4:10 CEV

T his was something else Jesus said when he was out in the desert being tempted by Satan. Hed already told the devil that it took more than food to live. And when Satan tried to get Jesus to do a cheap trick to prove he was Gods Son, Jesus told that lowlife that it was wrong to use Gods power just to show off. And in this verse Jesus mustve been totally fed up with the devil because he simply told the loser to get lost.

Jesus also pointed out that we are to serve and worship only God no one and nothing else. Seems simple, and yet how often we forget. Consider what you spend your time thinking about. Maybe its a special someone, like your most recent crush. Or maybe its an activity you enjoy, like a sport or shopping. The thing is, if you spend a LOT of time thinking and obsessing over this particular person or thing, it becomes a lot like worship. And you have to ask yourself,