IS THERE A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL?Sometimes life seems overwhelming. Loneliness, depression, addiction, greed, poverty, violence, and disaster are everywhere. Even when life looks great on the surface with popularity, achievement, and wealth, something is still missing.

But, there is hope.

This book sheds light on the root of our hope as children of God. All people share a universal need for the hope found only in the gospel. He is more than a fl icker at the end of the tunnel. He is the ever-present Father in the darkest hours of need.

31 Verses Every Teenager Should Know

: HOPE

HOPE

HOPE31verses.comnavpress.com

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© 2011 by The Navigators

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission from NavPress, P.O. Box 35001, Colorado Springs, CO 80935.

www.navpress.comwww.studentlifebiblestudy.com

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iSBN-13: 978-1-61291-104-5

Cover design by: Laurel-dawn B. McBurney

unless otherwise identified, all Scripture quotations in this publication are taken from the Holy Bible, New international version® (niv®). Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by international Bible Society. used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Printed in the united States of America

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 / 16 15 14 13 12 11

NavPress is the publishing ministry of The Navigators, an international Christian organization and leader in personal spiritual development. NavPress is committed to helping people grow spiritually and enjoy lives of meaning and hope through personal and group resources that are biblically rooted, culturally relevant, and highly practical.

For a free catalog go to www.NavPress.com or call 1.800.366.7788 in the United States or 1.800.839.4769 in Canada.

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Introduction 6HowToUse 7

Verse1: Jeremiah29:11 8Verse2: Colossians1:27 10Verse3: Psalm71:5 12Verse4: Psalm119:147 14Verse5: Isaiah40:31 16Verse6: 1Peter1:3 18Verse7: Hebrews11:1 20Verse8: 1Corinthians15:19 22Verse9: 1Thessalonians4:13 24Verse10: Proverbs11:7 26Verse11: 1Peter3:15 28Verse12: Psalm65:5 30Verse13: Psalm9:18 32Verse14: 1Timothy6:17 34Verse15: 1Peter1:13 36Verse16: Romans12:12 38Verse17: Ephesians1:18-19a 40Verse18: 2Corinthians3:12 42Verse19: 1John3:3 44Verse20: Psalm42:11 46Verse21: Romans15:13 48Verse22: Romans15:12 50Verse23: Ephesians4:4 52Verse24: Isaiah51:5 54Verse25: 1Timothy5:5 56Verse26: Psalm69:6 58Verse27: Psalm52:9 60Verse28: Psalm62:5 62Verse29: Romans5:3-4 64Verse30: Hebrews10:23 66Verse31: Titus2:13-14 68

Closing 70AbouttheAuthor 73

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“Hope” is a word that stirs up different feelings and images in people’s hearts and minds.

What do you feel when you hear that word? What comes to mind? every day, whether we realize it or not, we put our hope in the people and things around us. it could be as simple as hoping there’s enough milk in the fridge for a bowl of cereal or as serious as hoping that a loved one recovers from a sickness.

Some people have been let down and disappointed so often that they’ve be-come hard toward the idea of hope. is that you? Perhaps promises made to you in the past have been broken. Maybe your expectations and dreams have been dashed against the rocks. Whatever the case, whatever you may have experienced in the past, you need to know that there is a source of unending and ultimately satisfying hope.

And it’s available to you.

even in the midst of seemingly hopeless situations, the God of hope is pres-ent. And according to His Word, He offers us a hope that never disappoints. That is the kind of hope that we will explore in this book. So, prepare your heart and mind for the blessing of God’s hope and allow these 31 verses to literally change the way you see life.

Your brother in the faith,

Sean Bess

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Now that you own this incredible little book, you may be wondering, “What do i do with it?”

Glad you asked. The great thing about this book is that you can use it just about any way you want.

it’s not a system. it’s a resource that can be used in ways that are as unique and varied as you are. A few suggestions . . .

The One MOnTh Plan On this plan, you’ll read one devotional each day for a month. This is a great way to immerse yourself in the Bible for a month-long period. (OK, we real-ize that every month doesn’t have 31 days. But 28 or 30 is close enough to 31, right?) The idea is to cover a lot of information in a short amount of time.

The ScriPTure MeMOry PlanThe idea behind this plan is to memorize the verse for each day’s devotional; you don’t move on to the next devotional until you have memorized the one you’re on. if you’re like most people, this might take you more than one day per devotional. So, this plan takes a slower approach.

The “i’M nO WilliaM ShakeSPeare” Plandon’t like to write or journal? This plan is for you . . . Listen, not everyone ex-presses themselves the same. if you don’t like to express yourself through writing, that’s OK. Simply read the devotional for each verse, then read the questions. Think about them. Pray through them. But don’t feel like you have to journal if you don’t want to.

The STrengTh in nuMberS PlanGod designed humans for interaction. We are social creatures. How cool would it be if you could go through “31:HOPe” with your friends? Get a group of friends together. Consider agreeing to read five verses each week, then meeting to talk about it.

Pretty simple, right? Choose a plan. Or make up your own. But get started already. What are you waiting on?

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1What do palm readers, tarot cards, and crystal balls have in common? They all promise to tell you the future. The truth is, though, that not one of these can actually deliver on their promise. Take, for instance, the palm readers. They ask you to hold out your hand, palm side up, and then they proceed to “read” the wrinkles and lines in your palm. i don’t know about you, but i’m not willing to make any life decisions based on the lines in my hands. However, there is One who looks at us and knows — truly knows — what lies ahead.

Open your Bible and read Jeremiah 29:4-14. At this point in history, the israelites are in captivity in Babylon. false prophets are telling God’s people not to settle down in Babylon because God is going to set them free and return them to Jerusalem soon. Although this may have been what the israelites wanted to hear, this wasn’t the truth. The fact of the matter was that the israelites were going to be in Babylon for decades to come. However, in verse 11 God assures His people that He has a plan for them and that He, not the false prophets, knows exactly what that plan is: to give them hope and a future.

There will always be psychics and false prophets, but there’s only One who truly knows the plans for your life. Only God can see what lies ahead and His promise of hope and a future extends to His people today. remember, God not only knows what will happen, He’s all-powerful and in control of it. He has a plan for you. A great plan. Take time right now to pray. Ask God to help you trust Him with your future.

“ForIknowtheplansIhaveforyou,”de-clarestheLORD,“planstoprosperyouandnottoharmyou,planstogiveyouhopeandafuture.”JEREMIAH29:11

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1.Describeatimeinyourlifewhen,liketheIsraelites,youwishedyoucouldescape.

2.WhoorwhathaveyoubeenrelyingonotherthanGodtogiveyoudirection?

3.HowdoesthispassagefromJeremiahhelpyoutrustGodwithyourlifehereandnowaswellaswithyourconcernsaboutthefuture?

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Have you ever seen the movie The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring? it was released in 2001 and follows the adventure of nine friends as they try to destroy a powerful ring that could be used for evil. One of the heroes, Aragorn, is the decendant of a man named isildur. isildur had the opportunity to destroy the evil ring long ago, but his greed got the better of him and he kept it for himself. Aragorn fears he isn’t up for the task of destroying the ring because of his family history. Aragorn says, “The same blood fl ows in my veins. The same weakness.”

Open your Bible and read from Colossians 1:24-29. in this passage, Paul speaks of his suffering for the Church, as well as God’s call on his life to make known among the Gentiles the mystery of salvation. Through Paul, God was revealing Jesus Christ to all nations. Paul preached that Christ is the mystery and hope of salvation. He is the One salvation comes through and He is the One living inside of every Christ-follower.

There’s good news for those of us who feel defi ned by our mistakes or the weaknesses that run in our families: if you have placed your faith in Christ and surrendered to Him as Lord, then He lives inside of you! That means there isn’t simply weakness running through your veins or sin in your heart. You have the Spirit of the living God inside of you, along with His righteousness and His power—a power that created the universe and raised Christ from the dead. Whether sharing our faith, serving others, loving our enemies, or simply doing our homework, Christians must do all things as people who have God living inside of them. Whatever you do today, do it as someone who has the same Spirit of Christ in them.

TothemGodhaschosentomakeknownamongtheGentilesthegloriousrichesofthismystery,whichisChristinyou,thehopeofglory.COLOSSIANS1:272

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1.Whataresomemistakesmadeinthepastbyyouorsomeoneinyourfamily?

2.Inwhatwayshaveyouallowedthesemistakestodefineyouorholdyouback?

3.WhatneedstochangeinyourlifeinorderforyoutoliveassomeonewhohastheSpiritofGodinsideofthem?

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3When Jordan romero was nine years old, he told his dad that he wanted to climb the world’s seven summits, the highest mountain peaks on all seven continents. At age thirteen he became the youngest person to climb Mount everest, the highest mountain in the world. After he completes his goal of climbing the world’s seven summits, Jordan romero plans on climbing the highest peaks in all fi fty states.

Grab your Bible and read Psalm 71:1-12. in this passage, the psalmist writes that he has been hoping in the Lord since he was a boy. The psalmist asks God to be his strength now, as well as when he is elderly. His relationship with God began when he was young, and now as an adult he continues to praise God and rely on Him for all things. As enemies surround him, the psalmist isn’t turning to a stranger, but to the Provider he has known since he was a youth — the living God.

Major life-changing decisions can be made early in life. At nine years of age, Jordan romero decided that he was going to climb the highest mountain peaks on all seven continents, and he’s actually doing it. At fi fteen years old, Jordan romero is breaking world records and inspiring people of all ages. As a child, the psalmist decided that he was going to hope in the Lord. This decision stayed with him into adulthood, and he was determined to carry it with him into old age. We see from Jordan romero and from the psalmist that some decisions don’t have to wait until we’re older. Pray and ask God to set the course for the rest of your life today as someone who hopes in the Lord and shares that hope with others. don’t put it off.

VERSEForyouhavebeenmyhope,OSovereignLORD,myconfidencesincemyyouth.PSALM71:5

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1.Whatdecisionshaveyoubeenmakinglately—goodorbad—thataregoingtohaveanimpactonyourfuture?

2.WhataspectsofyourrelationshipwithGodhaveyoubeenputtingoffforwhenyou’reolder?

3.InsteadofwaitingtodevoteyourlifetotheLorduntilyou’reolder,howcanyouhopeintheLordtodaymorethanyoudidyesterday?

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