READ: JOHN 1:9-13; ROMANS 8:16-17; 1 JOHN 3:1-3

Have you ever heard someone say they were “created to be” an artist or an athlete or a leader? Growing up, I believed I was created to write because it brings me so much joy and allows me to encourage others. Perhaps there’s something you enjoy doing that has come to feel central to your identity too.

But what if we weren’t created to “do,” but to “be”?

The problem with basing our identity around any earthly thing is that when that activity or relationship isn’t going well, it can feel like our value plummets. That doesn’t mean those things are wrong. Obeying God may even look like participating in those activities, but these pursuits aren’t why God created us.

God created us to be His children. You are God’s daughter or son, simply because you have believed in Him and trusted in Jesus’s finished work on the cross.

As God’s children, we recognize that we need God to take care of us, just as children need their parents to care for them. God delights in us, even when we stumble and require His helping hand (Zephaniah 3:17). He reminds us that our identity as His beloved, forgiven children will not be shaken even if everything else in our lives crumbles.

Before we can do anything to glorify God, we must first root ourselves in our identity in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-10). That doesn’t mean everything will come easy—just look at Jesus. Fully God and fully human, Jesus lived the perfect life and yet experienced tremendous suffering. But He was willing to endure the cross because He loves us, and He was determined to make the way for us to become God’s children. When Jesus rose from the grave, He promised to always be with us. So we can take heart knowing that even when we experience suffering, even if the things we love to do are stripped away, we will never have to walk alone.

As God’s children, we will always be treasured in His eyes. • Hannah Chung

• What activities, relationships, or other aspects of your life have contributed to your sense of self?

• What do you think it means that we weren’t created to “do,” but to “be”?

• How does it make you feel to know that God sees you as His child? How might rooting your identity in God’s love for you affect the way you approach life?

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1 (NIV)

READ: ECCLESIASTES 3:1-8; ROMANS 8:28-30, 38-39; 2 CORINTHIANS 4:4-10

Here it is. Autumn. We see the first of the leaves beginning to change color. Even as they glow and look beautiful, the sight of them may fill some of us with a sense of dread. We know that as soon as the leaves fully change, they will begin to fall from the trees. Then the branches will be bare, the weather will turn chilly, and nothing will seem nearly as pretty or fun.

But as the season changes, we don’t have to lose hope. God can use even our darkest, coldest, barest season for good. Jesus Himself went through the darkness, coldness, and bareness of death on our behalf; then He rose from the dead to bring us near to God and secure our resurrection when He returns. As we rest in the hope of what Jesus has done for us, God can help us grow so much, even in times when we feel like we are in a rut. He is at work in and through us even when we feel like we have nothing to offer.

The coming of autumn doesn’t have to scare us. If we know Jesus, God is with us even now. He can use any season for good. When leaves fall, there is hope that they will come back again. It’s not the end for them. And when things end or change in our lives, there is always hope for something new. Even as the days get darker and the trees become bare and cold, there is hope for spring ahead. God will help you through this season, and as you lean into His love, you may even get to see how He uses it for good in your life. • Bethany Acker

• Even in dark seasons, God is at work. Can you think of any ways you’ve seen God bring something good out of a difficult time, either in your own life or someone else’s?

• We won’t always see the good things God is doing through our dark seasons, but we can know that He is with us and He will never leave us. How could this be an encouragement in your life?

• During the darker, colder months of the year, it’s normal to feel more sad, lonely, or anxious than usual, and God invites us to process these feelings with Him and the people He has placed in our lives. If you find yourself experiencing an overwhelming amount of depression or anxiety, who is a trusted Christian adult you can talk to?

• If you’re not sure who to talk to, you can request a free conversation with Focus on the Family’s Counseling Department by calling 1-855-771-HELP (4357) weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Mountain Time). Please be prepared to leave your contact information for a counselor to return a call to you as soon as possible. In Canada, book your appointment by calling 1-800-661-9800 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (Pacific Time) and ask to speak with the care associate.

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NLT)

READ: PHILIPPIANS 4:4-13; COLOSSIANS 3:1-4; 1 THESSALONIANS 5:16-18

No one understands! I’m a failure—useless. People would be better off without me. I didn’t want to feel like this, but the thoughts came anyway. Would anyone notice if I was gone?

Have you ever felt like this—hopeless and discouraged? If you’re a child of God, Satan is going to want to stop you. What better way to stop you from serving God than to make you feel useless and like a failure? But what does God say in His Word?

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Paul writes something shocking: “Give thanks in everything.” Paul, the man who had faced more discouragement than most—the man who had been beaten numerous times, imprisoned, stoned, shipwrecked, mocked, and who was struggling with a “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)—tells us to give thanks! Not only that. He goes on to say it’s God’s will for us to be thankful.

Didn’t Paul feel discouraged? Absolutely! He admits he wasn’t naturally thankful or content; it was something he had to learn (Philippians 4:11). When Paul told us to give thanks, he knew it would be hard. He knew heartache, pain, discouragement, and depression. But he also knew God.

Hopelessness is not what God wants for us. And He doesn’t leave us alone in our despair—He came to us in Jesus. Because of Jesus’s death and resurrection, we can know that all the hard things we go through are temporary, and our struggles don’t define us. When we give thanks to God, it turns our focus onto Him and the abundant hope He has given us through Jesus. If we dwell on our difficulties, we will be discouraged, but when we turn to God, thanking Him in every situation, we experience His joy.

Is it easy to give thanks during the hard things? When your friends betray you, when your mom is in the hospital, and when you don’t fit in? No, of course not. But the reason God calls us to thankfulness is because He loves us and wants to point us to Christ. He is the true source of joy. • Priscilla J. Krahn

• What are some good things God has brought out of difficult things in your life?

• How does the gospel, and looking forward to Jesus’s return, affect how we understand God’s call to give thanks in every situation? (For more about this good news, see our "Know Jesus" page.)

• If you or someone you know is feeling hopeless, who is a trusted adult you could talk to today?

Give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (CSB)

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-27; GALATIANS 5:13

Whether we have known Jesus for a long time or a little while, we are part of His body—the church— because He saved us through His death and resurrection. But we may mistakenly think we can’t do important things in the church until we’re adults. Thankfully, I wasn’t even a teen yet when I learned that was not true.

I grew up in a very small church, so small that there were never enough adults to do everything. That was good for me—when they let me become a Sunday School teacher at only twelve years old.

Obviously, they felt desperate. No adult was available, so they were kind of stuck. The crazy thing is that I loved it, the little kids loved me, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I loved telling the kids about the God who loved them, and the class grew.

I learned that I was an important part of the body of Christ. The church needed me, and I needed them.

You might not be part of such a small church as I was. You may not see obvious needs in front of you. But I encourage you to look for ways you can serve, because your siblings in Christ need you.

This will require you to depend on the Holy Spirit in ways you may not have done intentionally before. But as you rely on His love to serve others, looking to Jesus—the one who served you by laying down His life for you—His love will overflow from you, and He will help you grow in spiritual maturity.

Think about things you could do and enjoy doing. Greet people? Prepare food? Sing or play an instrument? Help with technology? Set up chairs? Do yard work? Organize food and clothing donations? Create art? Teach children? Give a friend a ride to youth group? Ask God to show you where He is inviting you to serve…and watch what He’ll do through you. • Lisa Bouma Garvelink

• If you know Jesus, then you are part of the body of Christ, and God has given you gifts and abilities you can use to serve others in the body. How might God be inviting you to serve? In addition to talking to God about this, who are trusted Christians in your life you could talk to?

Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. 1 Timothy 4:12 (NLT)

READ: GENESIS 1:26-30; PSALM 139:13-16; EPHESIANS 1:4-8; 5:1

I stare at my face in the lake below.

I watch the ripples of the water grow.

A precious human made by God above

On whom He pours out His unending love.

Who am I to serve the powerful King,

The creator God over everything?

Why did He choose me? I don’t understand

What He thought when He chose me with His hand.

But then, in my heart His voice I can hear.

He speaks quietly, but His words are clear.

“I love you, my child. Why do you not see

You are a living reflection of me?”

“You are always mine whatever they say.

I will be with you and will guide your way.”

I smile as the tears flow down from my eyes

And I look up at the breathtaking skies. • Brooke Morris

• It’s so easy to believe the lie that we’re worthless because of what others say about us or what we think about ourselves. Even though you might not like yourself at times, God always loves you. In fact, He even likes you! He created you on purpose, and He wants you to be with Him forever. That’s why He became human, died, and rose again—to take away the sin that separates us from Him. How does it make you feel knowing that Jesus sacrificed His life for you?

• Every person is made in the image of God, and everyone has value! And, if you are a believer in Jesus, then you can also reflect God’s glory because you are His child and you have the Holy Spirit, who fills you with God’s love and helps you live in His good ways. When we’re feeling discouraged, how can these truths give us hope?

So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT)

READ: JOHN 8:1-11; ROMANS 3:23-24; 8:1

Unable to speak, the woman felt fear pulse through her as heavy hands pushed her toward the temple.

“We’ll see what the teacher has to say about this,” one of the religious leaders jeered. Despite the scorching heat and the sun shining in her eyes, the woman was cold. Not like this, she thought. A foolish mistake, and I’m paying for it with my life. Too shocked to cry, she felt her heart beat frantically. No escape, she thought, shivering as she turned away from the prying eyes surrounding her.

“Teacher,” said one of the leaders, “this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery. In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?”

The crowd of men carried rough rocks in their hands, ready to throw.

Silence. The woman glanced at Him, and He met her gaze—not with the cruel eyes of condemnation, but with compassion. She had to tear herself away from His gaze; for in that glance, she knew He could read her innermost heart and thoughts. She understood this was the man—Jesus—who she had heard rumors about.

Stooping down, Jesus wrote in the sand, reflecting before finally breaking the ache of the silence: “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Silence fell once again. Anticipating the pain, the woman winced as she heard the thud of a rock colliding with the ground. Only it didn’t hit her. One by one, the stones were cast down, and the religious leaders walked away, until she was standing alone with Jesus.

“Woman, where are they?” Jesus asked. “Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, Lord,” she replied.

“Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.”

Joy and relief flooded her. Jesus had set her free. • Cindy Lee

• Today’s story is how one author imagines John 8, when some religious leaders tried to trap Jesus. Consider taking some time to read this passage slowly. What do you notice about Jesus?

• Jesus came, not to condemn us, but to save us (John 3:16-17). We have all sinned, and we all need Jesus’s forgiveness just as much as anyone else. Because Jesus died and rose again, we do not need to pay the price for our sin because He paid it for us. How can this truth affect the way we view our own sin, as well as the sin of others?

“Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin anymore.” John 8:11 (CSB)

READ: ROMANS 6:1-23; 8:1, 11

There’s nothing worse than feeling stuck in an endless cycle of sin. These sin cycles steal our life, slowly consuming us until we don’t even recognize ourselves.

Pornography is a sin that is very difficult to give up, feeding the cycle of frustration and self-hatred. Thankfully, there is one who can break that cycle.

Jesus helps you break the power of pornography, or any sin in your life, in a few ways. First, He offers forgiveness to those who know Him. Because Jesus lived a perfect life—then took our sins upon Himself when He died on the cross—He removed God’s righteous wrath from us and gave us His righteousness before God. In other words, when God looks at us, He doesn’t see our sin. He sees Jesus’s perfection.

How does that help break our sinful patterns? By killing our self-hatred. Yes, it is right to mourn sin, and it’s okay to be frustrated with yourself and to bring those frustrations to God. But that doesn’t mean that you have to live there. Jesus came to bring an end to that mourning (2 Corinthians 7:10). By recognizing that Jesus has forgiven us and thanking Him for His incredible grace, we stop dwelling on our own sins and start to meditate on God’s goodness.

Second, God also gives us help through Jesus’s resurrection. God’s power raised Jesus from the dead, and that same power lives in you if you know Jesus. God’s power, through the Holy Spirit, is the only way to defeat sin. You can always ask God to remind you that His Spirit lives in you and can defeat sin for you. You can also find hope knowing that, because of Jesus’s resurrection, you will one day be resurrected from the dead, free of sin and brokenness forever.

Lastly, Jesus gives us community. Find a trusted Christian you can confess your sin struggles to, and ask them to keep you accountable. After all, breaking the power of pornography is often a group effort. Ask them to remind you of Jesus’s forgiveness and His power that lives in you. God is stronger than any sin, and He can bring healing. • Taylor Eising

• What sin cycles do you struggle with? Who can you talk to about it? How does Jesus help you break it? (If no one comes to mind, you can ask God to help you identify someone in the future.)

• How could you help your friends when they are stuck in a sin cycle?

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Romans 8:11 (NLT)

READ: GENESIS 1:26-27; 2:24; MATTHEW 5:27-30; 6:22-24

Most people do not realize how harmful pornography is. For many, porn consumption is considered a normal part of adolescence, and some say that it’s a healthy expression of sexuality. And God wants us to be healthy, right?

Well, yes, He does. And that’s exactly why He warns us in the Bible that lust, in any context, is a sin. And sin is damaging. Whenever we lust after a person, we are dehumanizing somebody who has been made in God’s image. We are taking that person and, in our minds, using them for our own gain instead of viewing them with selfless love and honoring the dignity that person has as an image-bearer of God.

You may not know this, but porn consumption fuels the sex trafficking industry. There is a good chance that the people in those pictures or videos did not consent to that lifestyle; they were likely threatened, coerced, or otherwise forced into producing pornographic content. Even if the actors in some content did consent, viewing porn from any producer supports the entire industry, including those who engage in sex trafficking.

The good news is that Jesus lived a sinless life for us, despite the temptations He felt (Hebrews 4:14-16). He died on the cross to take away our sin and resurrected from the dead to give us victory over sin and death. If you or someone you know is struggling with porn, there is hope. If you know Jesus, you have the power of His resurrection living inside you, and He is there to help you fight sin every step of the way—even when you fall. All your sins— past, present, and future—are forgiven in Christ. Lean into His incredible, ridiculous grace. • Taylor Eising

• Pornography, and every form of lust, are not good because they are outside of God’s good design. He created sex to be shared and enjoyed by a husband and wife within marriage. But lust and pornography warp the good gift of sex God has given us. Thankfully, Jesus offers us freedom. If you struggle with lust, who is a trusted Christian in your life you can talk to about it? If you don’t struggle with this temptation, how can you support your friends who do?

• In Christ, we are dead to sin (Romans 6:6-7, 11, 15-23). How does this affect the way we battle with temptation?

• What are some ways you can pray for those involved in sex trafficking?

And some of you used to be like this. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:11 (CSB)