Josh McDowell's Youth DevotionsSample

FULL MOON FAITHFULNESS. Did the sun come up this morning? "Don't be ridiculous," you answer. "Of course it did!" Well, are the rivers still running to the sea today? "What kind of question is that?" you might say. Have you floated off into the atmosphere yet? "Of course not!" is your likely response. "What is your problem?" Those are pretty silly questions, aren't they? Crazy, right? Absurd! The sun rises every morning. The rivers run constantly to the sea. Gravity holds you firmly on the ground all the time. Nobody even has to think about such things. Right. You can count on Halley's comet to streak across the heavens every seventy seven years. You can count on the seasons coming and going every year. You can count on a full moon appearing in the sky every 27 days, 7 hours, and 43 minutes. Because faithfulness is built into God's creation. And faithfulness is built into God's creation because God is faithful. His creation reflects his nature. We should reflect God's nature, too. God wants us to be faithful. He wants friends to be faithful to each other. He wants husbands and wives to be faithful to each other. He wants his children to be faithful to him because he knows that faithfulness is an important part of any good relationship. Being faithful means keeping one's promises, being someone others can count on. That description fits God. Does it fit you, too? REFLECT: Faithfulness is built into God's creation because God is faithful. Where can you see God's faithfulness reflected in his creation? Who are your most faithful friends? Are you faithful in your relationship with God? with friends? with others? In what ways can you be more faithful? ACT: After dark tonight go outside and notice what phase the moon is in. Is it full? half? just a sliver? Take a few minutes under the night sky (unless it's raining) to talk to God and thank him for his faithfulness to you. (You may even want to pray the words of Psalm 57.) PRAY: "God, I know you'll always be faithful to me. Thank you for your faithfulness when... Help me to be faithful to you today when..."