A Teen's Guide To: Finding Eternal HopeПримерок

# Getting What We Don’t Deserve > Because of all that the Son is, we have been given one blessing after another. > John 1:16 (CEV) It’s easy to focus on the negative. Our culture does it and we are constantly bombarded by negativity on all sides. There’s plenty in this world to be negative about. Just look at your social media or the news feed—how much is positive stuff? Not much. But when we focus on the negative it affects us in unhealthy ways. We might experience emotional stress that leads to depression. Stress and anxiety can make us physically sick. And all of this leads to emotional and spiritual harm. Focusing on the negative takes our eyes off the good things that God showers on us. It can make us lose sight of God’s trustworthiness and his power to help us overcome. Instead of looking only at the negative, take time to consider how much God showed his love for us by sending Jesus to die on the cross. Because of him and his forgiveness of our sins, we can have hope. His death means we will not be punished for our sins. We can live forever in heaven with Jesus. We don’t deserve any of it… and we can’t earn it. Jesus is a gift of love, and all the good things we receive are because of God’s grace. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve. It can be astonishing to consider all the blessings upon blessings, grace after grace, that God sends. We just need to accept them . . . and be grateful! ## SPIRITUAL FITNESS TRAINING What does being forgiven mean to you? Write your thoughts in a journal or on some paper. As you do, thank God for his endless love for you. ## INSPIRATION > ”Concentrate on counting your blessings and you’ll have little time to count anything else.” > —Woodrow Kroll, American preacher and radio host ## KEEP IT GOING Related passages: These additional verses will help you expand Scriptural knowledge and place on the armor of God’s Word to tackle each day. Swipe to read the passages today. Nehemiah 9:17 Psalm 150:6 Romans 8:32 1 Corinthians 15:56–57