F O U R - W E E K I N T R O D U C T O R Y E D I T I O N

3

The Bible Changes YouThe Word of God is the most powerful weapon that every Christian has. It changes us as we read it, think about it, and do what it says. The Holy Spirit also uses the Bible to speak to us. He takes the words written in the Bible and tells us what God wants us to know for our lives. Quiet Time Interactive is designed to help students just like you spend time in God’s Word. Maybe you think you can’t understand the Bible, or it seems like such a huge book to you! Don’t worry, this quiet time is made to help you understand how to read the Bible and actually get something out of it, even if you’ve never done it before! It may seem really hard to spend time reading the Bible, and maybe you don’t know where to start, but it really isn’t hard. God helps us, this quiet time is a tool to help you, and your small group leader, parents, or pastor can help you, too. With so much help, you really can’t mess this up.

Q u i e t T i m e I n t e r a c t i v e i s d e s i g n e d

t o h e l p s t u d e n t s j u s t l i k e y o u

s p e n d t i m e i n G o d ’ s W o r d .

4

Getting StartedIf you’ve never read the Bible before or done “devotions” (another word for spending time in the Bible), there are some special things that you should keep in mind. First, it is great to spend time in the Bible every day, but when you are first starting out, don’t worry about that! Seriously, if you are trying to do something new, you always have to learn how to do it and get good at it. It’s the same with devotions. It will take you some time to get the hang of it and make it a habit in your life. Do you have to think about how to eat? Or how to walk? NO! There was a point when you first learned those things, and you fell a lot, couldn’t walk, and slapped food all over your face. But now you’ve developed a habit of doing that stuff, and you just do it without thinking about it.

There will eventually come a time when devotions or quiet time will be like that too. You just have to keep at it and don’t worry about doing it perfectly. One great thing about God, is that He loves you so much that He doesn’t care if you are perfect. He just wants you to spend time with Him just the way you are right now. In fact, that’s what quiet time is all about: spending time with God. In order to be friends with someone, you have to do two things: talk to them and listen as they talk to you. God talks to you when you read the Bible. You talk to God when you pray to Him. Devotions are all about learning how to develop a relationship with God: learning how to listen to Him (by reading the Bible) and learning how to talk to Him (by praying to Him).

t h at ’ s w h at q u i e t t i m e

i s a l l a b o u t: s p e n d i n g

t i m e w i t h G o d .

5

Start by PrayingSo you will start by spending some time praying to God. Praying is really easy; you just close your eyes and tell God what’s on your mind. He really cares about you and everything that’s happening in your life. Even if it doesn’t seem like a big deal, God does care about it. He even knows the number of hairs on your head! Just start talking to God, and you are praying; it’s that simple. It might feel a little weird because you can’t see God, but He is always with you wherever you go. That means you can pray at any time.

What should you pray about? Start with some easy stuff, like asking God to help you as you read the Bible. Ask God to help you understand the Bible, and ask Him to help you obey it after you read it. If that is all you say, you just prayed a great prayer. That’s it! Now that you’re done talking to God it’s time to let God start talking to you.

Now Read the BibleLook at your Quiet Time and look at the verses chosen for that day. If you aren’t sure where the book is in the Bible, you can look in the front of your Bible to find the page number for that particular book of the Bible. Or an even easier way is to just use a Bible search engine or Bible app and type in the passage of the day and hit enter. You can read it right from your computer or smart phone if you want.

Now comes the fun part. Follow the questions, check boxes, and fill in the blanks that are on the page of your quiet time. Quiet Time Interactive is made to help you go through each verse and think about it more deeply. Some of the questions are made to help you think about the way you think and do things. There might be a question like, “I know people who always have to be right. Wait, is that me?” Be honest and check the box if that is true. Being honest with yourself and with God is the key to really benefiting from your time in the Bible. So really think as you answer the questions.

6

Then Apply It to Your LifeNow that you prayed, heard from God as you have read through the Bible passage, the last step is to apply it to your life. Applying God’s Word is where you take what you read and determine to live it out. For instance the quiet time might say something like, “I choose this specific word to characterize me today.” Choose one word and keep it in your mind that day. Maybe the word you chose was “honest.” That day as you go to school, hang out with friends, or talk to your parents, think about how God wants you to be honest and try to tell the truth. That is what it means to apply the Bible to your life. It means to take what you learned and determine to do it TODAY.

Ideas to Help You Obey the BibleHere are some great ways to help you apply the Bible to your life today:

Tweet out the quote at the bottom of the page. Or post about what you learned that day.

Tell some friends, small group leader, parents, or pastor about what you learned.

Write down what you learned somewhere and read it a couple of times a day.

Create a reminder on your phone that will pop up and remind you what you learned at a specific time during the day.

Text a friend what you learned and ask them to text you back about it at a specific time.

That’s it! You made it! Congratulations, you just had an awesome time with God, prayed, read the Bible, and now you’re going to go live it out today! Amazing! It’s really that easy!

The last thing is to think through your day and decide what time of day you will do your Quiet Time. Make it a consistent time, and make sure it will be a time when things are quiet and you can really think. Now set a goal for how many days a week you want to do your quiet time. As humans, we always do better when we have a real goal that we are trying to achieve. So make a goal, like two or three days a week, and tell someone what your goal is. When you tell someone else, it makes your goal real. Then write your goal down and put it somewhere to remind yourself to do it! As you keep praying, reading, and applying, you will be amazed at how God changes your life.

11SH

AR

E IT

“Although my memory’s fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.”

~ John Newton, Composer of Amazing Grace

WEEK 1

SUNDAYTRUTH: John 1:14-18

The song “Amazing Grace” has been sung on reality TV, by all kinds of music artists, on YouTube, and in many high school concerts. What is so amazing about grace, and what does that even mean? What’s so amazing about grace is that it is God’s undeserved favor that He offers freely to us although we only deserve His judgment, to be separated from Him forever because of our own sin.

John 1:14 The Word (Jesus, God’s Son) becoming a human being shows me grace (God’s undeserved favor) because: n He cared enough to come. n He revealed God to mankind. n He lived with people.

n All of the above.Read Ephesians 2:8-9. What can I do to get God’s grace? (Circle one)

Good works Nothing

Read Romans 6:14. The truth is, I can’t be good enough on my own to live up to God’s standard of perfection. One sin I struggle with overcoming is:

________________________________.According to this verse, once I am living under God’s grace, what is no longer my master (or has no dominion over me)? _______________

John 1:16 How much grace does God want to give me? n Just enough to get byn Piled high grace upon grace n He does not want to give me any, just slap me down for my sin

John 1:17 When something is repeated in the Bible, I need to pay extra attention. Here, the phrase, grace and truth, is repeated from verse 14. One area of my life in which I have seen God’s grace is: _________________________________________. Thank God for that now. n

John 1:18 As I learn to know Jesus, who He is, and what He is like, I also get to know God the Father. n True n False Listen to and sing Amazing Grace and pay attention to the lyrics. n

12

SH

AR

E IT

TRUTH: John 3:1-12

When you are a new believer in Jesus, it is totally normal to have lots of questions.

John 3:1-2 This describes my heart attitude when I come to Jesus: n Like Nicodemus, I want to learn from and understand Him better. n I am just looking to criticize rather than understand.

John 3:3, 5, 10These three verses tell me that Jesus: (Circle one) answered / ignored Nicodemus’ questions.

One question or something I don’t understand about knowing Jesus is: _________________________________________________________. n I will ask ______________________ (name of a Christian friend, youth leader, or pastor) about that. n I will look up different Bible verses about that topic to try to understand better.

John 3:4-7 Jesus is not talking about being born twice physically but about being born spiritually. The term “born again” means the new birth to spiritual life that a person experiences by trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior. As John MacArthur puts it, it is “an act of God by which He recreates you. It’s a new birth. And that’s the point of the simple analogy. This we call the doctrine of regeneration. What does it mean? It is simply a term that describes the necessity that a person receive a new birth, a new life, a new nature, a new disposition, a new character, a new mind from God and that person makes no contribution to that.”

John 3:8 I can’t see wind, but I can see the effects of it. One noticeable change in my life since believing in Christ and getting to know Him personally is: _______________

_____________________________________________________________________.

John 3:9-12 Use these words to fill in the blanks: believe complicated receive

Things that seem complex to me are not ______________________ for God. I must choose to accept (_______________) God’s gift of new spiritual life and __________________ what He says.

WEEK 1

MONDAY

“The Scripture does not say, ‘Ye must be improved,’ but ‘Ye must be born again.’” ~ Charles Spurgeon

13SH

AR

E IT

What I believe affects my behavior.

WEEK 1

tuesDAYTRUTH: John 3:13-21

What I believe affects how I live my life, my behavior.

John 3:13 Another name for Jesus is Son of Man. Jesus was claiming to be fully God (having come from Heaven) and that He was also fully man. He also used this term to let the people know that He was the Messiah (the expected deliverer and King of the Jews) that they had been expecting to come for thousands of years (Daniel 7:13-14).

John 3:14-15 Check out Numbers 21:4-9. Nicodemus knew this part of his people’s history. Jesus used this to help Nicodemus understand faith. To have eternal life, I must believe and put my faith in:

n Nicodemus n Jesus n A snakeWhat circumstances did Jesus use in my life that helped me understand my need for faith in Him? ___________________________________________________

John 3:16 Personalize it. Write out this verse on a card replacing the words “world” and “whosoever” with your own name. Put that card in a place where you will see it. Read it to yourself and believe it every day.

John 3:17-18 I have a choice. If I believe, I _____ If I do not believe, I ______ A. am saved from eternal (perpetual) punishment of my sins through Jesus. B. am pronounced guilty (condemned) already.I have taken Jesus up on His offer. However, n I am still holding onto guilt over a particular sin. I will choose to hold onto Jesus’ forgiveness instead.n I am living my life in freedom from guilt of my past because of Jesus.

John 3:19-20 I say I believe… n but I am struggling with a secret sin. I know it is wrong, but don’t know how to stop. Read 1 Corinthians 10:13 and talk to a mature Christian _________________________________ (name) about how to live free from it.n so I will help my friends deal with their sins, or help them find a person who can help.

John 3:21 I will choose to light up the world around me with the truth of Who Jesus is by living my life for Him. _______ (Initial here)

14

SH

AR

E IT

God never said that I would not have dark, stormy times in my life, but He did promise to be with me through them.

TRUTH: John 6:15-21

Life can be hard. Health issues, homelessness, terrorism, family problems, and more are dealt with every day.

When I think about the storms of life,n I get anxious or fearful. n I want them fixed now.

John 6:15 The people wanted their immediate physical problems with their Roman rulers solved then and there.

There are times when I: n Try to get God to do what I want done now, instead of patiently waiting on Him. n Get mad when things do not work out for me right away.

God’s plans (Circle one) do / do not always involve immediately making things easy for me.

John 6:16-18 God never said that I would not have dark, stormy times in my life. Check out Philippians 4:6-7. What instructions does God give me for those times? Instead of worrying, the better choice is to: __________________________________________. One thing I will pray to God about is: ______________________________________.One thing I will thank Him for is: __________________________________________.

God promises to give me: (Circle one) More worries. Peace.

John 6:19 Is it always easy to understand or recognize God and His work in a dark and stormy part of my life? n Yes n No

John 6:20 Because of Who Jesus is, and the fact that He is with me since I have surrendered my life to Him, I do not have to:

n Go through hard times. n Be afraid.

John 6:21 The disciples: n willingly received Jesus and His help. n kept trying to solve the issue on their own. Do I more often: (Circle one) try to “go it alone” or turn to Jesus?

One person I know who is going through a hard time right now is _______________. I will pray for that person and send a text or message to encourage them. n Done.

WEEK 1

wednesDAY

15SH

AR

E IT

My hope in Jesus Christ is sure and secure.

WEEK 1

thursDAYTRUTH: John 6:35-40

Doubts come. I have thought or wondered: n I messed up so bad. Even though I asked for forgiveness, would God take back His offer of eternal life? n I trusted Jesus as the only way to have a relationship with God, but I don’t feel any different. Could I really have eternal life? n Is Jesus really enough?

John 6:35 In this time in history, bread was not a side menu item. It kept people from starving. How much does Jesus provide for me?

n Almost enough n Just enough n Plenty

What do I need to add for eternal life? ___________________________ (Circle one)

Good deeds Nothing

John 6:36 Belief in Jesus as the only way to have a relationship with God is more than just knowing the facts. It involves placing trust. I have gone beyond just knowing about Jesus to trusting in Him. n Yes n No

Write out one or two sentences that I could use to explain trust in Jesus to a friend. _____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

John 6:37 Will God ever kick me out after accepting me as one of His own?

n Yes n No

Circle the kind of hope I have since believing in Jesus:

Wishing Sure and secure

John 6:38-40 I (Circle one) have / have not had to deal with the death of someone I know. Based on these verses and 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, I have the promise that if I and a person I care about have each believed in Jesus, looking to Him for eternal life, we (Circle) will / will not see each other again in Heaven.

Will God ever back out of that promise? n Yes n No

16

SH

AR

E IT

“Faith is a living and unshakeable confidence; a belief in God so assured that a man would die a thousand deaths for its sake.”

~ Martin Luther

TRUTH: John 7:1-13

John 7:3 Who did not appreciate Jesus being around them?

_________________________________________

They wanted Him to leave and go to Judea and answer His critics there.

John 7:5 Jesus’ siblings obviously knew He existed: they had spent their life growing up in the same household with Him. They were speaking with Him. So what does it mean, they did not believe in Him?

_____________________________________________________________________

Do I know people who say “I believe in God”, and yet they have not accepted Jesus as their Savior? n Yes n No

Knowing a person existed, like I know that Abraham Lincoln existed, and really trusting that person for my eternity are two different things. Am I very sure that my belief in Jesus is not just believing in His existence like His brothers did, but instead is a belief that He is God? That He died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins, and He rose again? Can I say with assurance that I have believed in Him for my salvation?

n Yes n No

If I checked no, I will go discuss this with ___________________________________.

John 7:4-5 Siblings are known for trying to push their brothers and sisters around. Here, Jesus’ brothers did a similar thing. They were giving Him a hard time saying, “If you really are what and who you say you are, why wouldn’t you go show off publically and demonstrate your power to the world?” The Bible Knowledge Commentary says, “God’s way was a public display, but on the cross of humiliation.”

I’ve been there: n My siblings mock me. n My siblings have or do try to push me in the wrong direction. n I struggle because my siblings don’t support me. (Take a moment and pray about what you have checked above.) n I’m VERY thankful! I have great siblings who point me to Jesus and encourage me to follow HIS ways and plans for my life!

John 7:7 Truth is, I may suffer if I take a stand for Jesus, but Jesus says it’s because the world (fill in the word from the verse) __________ Him.

WEEK 1

friDAY

17SH

AR

E IT

Since Jesus was sent by God, what He says is true.

WEEK 1

saturDAYTRUTH: John 7:25-29

John 7:25-27There was a Jewish misconception that the Messiah (the expected deliverer and King of the Jews) would burst on the scene seemingly out of nowhere. They certainly should have known better since Micah 5:2 foretold that He would be born in Bethlehem. Because of this misconception, they were unwilling to accept what Jesus was telling them and unwilling to accept that He was the Messiah they were looking for.

I have the same problem. Sometimes I feel so familiar with someone because I’ve known them forever, that I don’t listen to or apply what they are teaching me from the Scriptures. This is true of my:

n Parents n Youth Leader n My Pastor n Friend

John 7:28-29 Since Jesus was sent by God, what He says is true. The people I listen to may be sent by God and their words may be from God’s Word for my good, or there is a possibility that they are speaking lies.

How do I determine if what they teach is true? (Check only one) n It agrees with the Bible. n It makes sense. n I’ve heard that same thing from several other people.

John 7:29 Jesus Himself claimed that He was sent by God. There are many religions that believe that Jesus was just a good man with good ideas. This Scripture contradicts that. So if someone tells me that the Muslim religion (which denies Christ) and the Jewish religion (which denies that Jesus was the Messiah) and the Hindu religion (which doesn’t even acknowledge Christ – only Buddha), are all “other avenues to God because we all believe in the same God, there are just different ways to get there,” what does my response to that have to be? __________________________ _____________________________________________________________________I’ll be honest. Sometimes I have wondered, “Is Jesus REALLY Who I think He is?” Don’t struggle with that thought alone. Would I consider talking to my youth pastor or a mentor who could help me stake down who I believe Jesus to be?

n Yes, I’ll do that.

I’m going to know people who may struggle with the fact that Jesus is really God. n I’ve settled it and would be willing to help someone else settle that. n I’m still really scared to talk about Jesus, so I’ll ask someone stronger how to grow in that. That person is: ______________________________