Christian Youth Devotionals
Are you struggling to find appropriate devotionals for your Christian youth group? As
part of discipling, we should be seeking to get our young people into God's Word for
themselves - that is the only way they will really grow and develop as healthy
Christians. We are called to make disciples, and that is not making them dependent
on us or others for ministry, but learning to 'feed themselves'. Of course, we all want
them to stick to the truths of Scripture, and not be led astray, and sometimes it can be
difficult to find Christian Youth Devotionals which are meaningful and appropriate.
Learning to 'feed' yourself
I went to hear Anne Graham Lotz speak in Cardiff, in the UK, about four years ago.
She suggested a method of personal devotions which I have found easy to follow and
very helpful to my Christian life. It does not use bought materials, or thoughts penned
by others, it simply requires a Bible and a notebook and three basic questions to
follow through...Don't be put off, it has been explained to an 11 year old who could take
it on board easily!
Anne Graham Lotz's devotional method
Select your passage of scripture to read. This method is useful for a relatively short
passage - not more than 10 verses say - but that doesn't mean you can't read a whole
chapter, or just do a study on only 5 verses. I have been reading a chapter of the new
testament each day, but only selecting a portion of the passage to look at in greater
depth.
Firstly - "What does it say?"
- sum up the main thrust of each verse using the key words in the passage.
example "The crowd also joined in the attack upon them, and the rulers tore the
clothes off of them and commanded they be beaten with rods".
becomes "The crowd joined in the attack on them"
example "Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the very foundations of the
prison were shaken; and at once all the doors were opened and everyone's shackles
were unfastened."
becomes "There was an earthquake. The doors were opened and the shackles
unfastened."
Secondly - "What does it mean?"
- write down a spiritual truth from the passage. Different individuals may be led to
focus on different aspects of the verse.
example"The crowd joined in the attack on them".
becomes "You can be publicly attacked for doing the 'right' thing"
example "There was an earthquake. The doors were opened and the shackles
unfastened."
becomes "God can use whatever means He chooses to reach you and bring freedom"
Thirdly - "What does it mean to me?" or "How does this affect me?"
- write down a question or truth posed by the passage (this will be personal and
most probably different for everyone)
example"The crowd joined in the attack on them".
becomes "You can be publicly attacked for doing the 'right' thing"
results in "Do I take the right course of action regardless of consequences?"
example "There was an earthquake. The doors were opened and the shackles
unfastened."
becomes "God can use whatever means He chooses to reach you and bring freedom"
results in "God is not restricted in His capability by any circumstances"
To sum up:
1 Select your portion of scripture for that day and get a notebook
2 Select a few verses to study in context and pray for the Holy Spirit's leading
3 Ask - "What does it say?"
"What does it mean?
"What does it mean to me?"
4 Make notes as suggested.
5 Use your findings as a basis for prayer and worship for that day
In addition...
Try keeping a spiritual journal. It's a very grand name for a notebook, but I have
recently started to make my morning notes at the front, and record my prayers at the
back. It has been really encouraging to write down the date I prayed the prayer, and
then record when God answered! Obviously not all are answered yet, but my faith has
been growing as a result...
The young
always have
the same
problem ,
how to rebel
and conform
at the same
time. They
have now
solved this by
defying their
parents and
copying one
another.
Quentin Crisp
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Christian Youth Devotionals
Building relationships with God and Young People
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