DAY ONE

Welcome to Silent Sounds!  As students and their leaders are at the beach this week, we invite you to join with them as they develop the important spiritual discipline of a Daily Quiet Time (DQT) with God. Throughout the week, students will complete ten devotionals that include Scripture readings, commentary on the passages, interesting illustrations, and questions that will help them apply the content to their daily lives. Each day you will receive a condensed version of two of the sessions. These will provide a good overview of what the students are studying that day. We pray that these devotionals will challenge and encourage you as you read and apply them in your own walk with God.

It is not unusual for individuals to experience some confusion and even a little fear when they are asked to read and study God’s Word for themselves. But the truth is that it is virtually impossible to become an obedient follower of Jesus Christ without spending consistent time in the guidebook that God has provided for us. When we ask God to help us as we open and read Hs Word each day, we begin to gain confidence in doing so. And, before long, we begin to view these moments with God as the best part of the day. God’s Word equips us to become more like Jesus and provides the resources we need to live for Him each day.

Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. Matthew 7:24-27

These verses from the Sermon on the Mount teach us several important things about the importance of knowing God and studying His Word:

1. God’s Word is the foundation of life. When our lives are built on the solid foundation of God’s Word, we are better able to withstand any challenge that the day may bring.
2. God’s Word is wisdom. In times of uncertainty, God’s Word can be trusted to help us make the right decisions and to make choices that honor Him.
3. God’s Word is strength. Nothing is impossible for God! You can go through each day without worry or fear because He is greater than any circumstance you will face and He wants you to rely on His strength and not your own.

Meditate on God’s Word Daily
Meditation is what moves the truth of God’s Word from our heads to our hearts. Here are four things you can do that will help you become more intentional in reading and applying God’s Word to your daily walk:

• Ponder – Think about what God is saying to you in the Scripture you are reading.
• Picture – Try to imagine the context of the passage, including the setting, the people and the circumstances described in the passage.
• Process – How can you apply and put into practice what God is teaching you?
• Pray – Praise God for who He is, confess any sin that may be hindering your relationship with Him, thank Him for all He has done and is doing in your life, and present your requests to Him.

It is normal and natural for students to wrestle with questions about their identity, which makes it difficult for them to perceive themselves as God does. Three passages of Scripture help students – and adults as well – develop a biblical response to the question, “Who am I?”

 “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule…God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”  Genesis 1:26-27

 To be made in God’s image teaches us several important truths about ourselves:

1. We are created to use our minds to reason and understand the world around us.
2. We have the capacity to give and receive love, and to experience full and enriching relationships.
3. We are able to make moral decisions and to distinguish between right and wrong.
4. We are made male and female and we best reflect God’s image by honoring Him with the body and the gender He created us with.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

 God created us with intentionality. He gives each of us unique gifts, abilities, talents and interests that He wants us to use as we do the work He has given us to do. It is comforting and reassuring to know that God’s doesn’t make mistakes! He designed us with a purpose and wants us to find our true identity in Him and to use our gifts and our abilities to glorify Him.

“For you formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were written all the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. Psalm 139:13-16

Isn’t it amazing to realize that God knew you before you were born and that you are fearfully and wonderfully made? God planned every detail of what makes you who you are. God has done many mighty and miraculous things in the history of the universe, and you and I are among those miraculous things. He made you. He cares for you. He has plans for your life. Our understanding of these verses helps us answer the question, “Who am I?” in a way that acknowledges all that God has done for us – and all that He desires to do in and through us.