Project 252 is designed to teach you the habits necessary to becoming a lifelong follower of

Jesus Christ. My hope is that you will carve out 5-10 minutes a day to do the following four
things: 1) Read your Daily Devotion. 2) Spend 5 minutes in prayer. 3) Look over your
memory verse. 4) Think about one thing you can do to reach someone for Jesus today. In
addition, we will be teaming you up with a mentor who will help you on your journey.
Excited? Here we go:

Jeremiah 29:11
11For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to
harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Day one - 1 Peter 2: 1-3

1Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every
kind. 2Likenewborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your
3
salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

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Think back to the last time facebook updated their layout. I know some of you aren’t on
facebook yet, so maybe you can think of the first time you used a computer. Do you
remember staring at the screen and just feeling lost? Like how it feels to lose track of your
mom in a grocery store. And you just stand there stunned for a moment, trying to take it in
and make sense of it all. Am I right? When we were saved, we entered a new Kingdom with
that same sort of shell shocked look. It’s cool, it’s shiny, but things aren’t in the right spot
anymore and I can’t seem to do all the things I used to be able to do! Malice is a desire to
see others hurt, and the other words there mean lying, saying one thing and doing another,
wanting something someone else has, and lying about someone to hurt them. Peter says
that we need to get rid of these things, and just like a person doing something for the first
time, we need to get to the basics so we can grow. The milk here is an action, the opposite
of those other things. What spiritual milk is God calling you to? Do you need to love
someone? Encourage them? Build up their reputation?

-Jeff-

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Day two - 1 Peter 2: 4-8

4As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to
him— 5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy
priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6For in
Scripture it says:
"See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame." 7Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to
those who do not believe,
"The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone," 8and,
"A stone that causes men to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message—
which is also what they were destined for.

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You’ve all heard the story of the Three Little Pigs. One builds a house of straw, another of
sticks and another out of bricks. The last one worked harder than the other two, and in the
end when the wolf came he was the savior of the others. The process of moving stone
around is difficult. It’s hard work because it’s heavy, and if you don’t get it just right then
you have to move it. It’s not fun. But a building built in stone will last a long, long time.
What are you using to build your life? Is it built on technology, friends, sports or other
things that are here today and gone tomorrow? Or is it built on something that will last?

-Jeff-

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Day three - 1 Peter 2: 9-12

9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God,
that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful
light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not
received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

11Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful
desires, which war against your soul. 12Live such good lives among the pagans that, though
they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day
he visits us.

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Athlete. Student. Gamer. Shopper. Scrapbooker. Boyfriend. Girlfriend. Musician. Reader.

Clown. Chosen. Royalty. Pastor. Holy. Which of those words can’t be used to describe you?
There are probably a few. Check out those last four though. I don’t know if you’ve ever
thought of yourself as royalty, but you are the son or daughter of the King. You may not see
yourself as a pastor, and yet God has called you to minister directly to Him (through
worship). And the thing is you didn’t just stumble into this through some luck of birth or
years of study, but God chose you to do these things. And because He called you, He expects
a lot out of you. He says to put aside your sinful desires and live for Him. In fact, you should
be living such a good life that those who don’t believe would come to God, not through your
words but through your actions! Find a way to serve someone today, so you can start loving
them to Christ.

-Jeff-

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Day four - 1 Peter 2: 13-17

13Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether
to the king, as the supreme authority, 14or to governors, who are sent by him to punish
those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15For it is God's will that by doing
good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 16Live as free men, but do not use
your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17Show proper respect to
everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

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Submit. That word has such a bad sound. It’s especially bad if you’re a fan of MMA (mixed
martial arts). I’m not, but from what I understand the purpose is to cause so much pain, or
get the person in a position that no matter what they do they can’t get out. At that point the
person taps out, and the other person is the winner. Teachers can be like this. Their goal is
to get you to tap out, or in this case focus on your school work. And they’ll do whatever it
takes to make your life miserable in the process. But there’s a reason that God put them in
your life as an authority over you, and the Bible hear says that we need to submit to them.
Same with your parents. We need to learn to show the proper respect for everyone. Try
extra hard to do what your teachers/parents/leaders are telling you to do today.

-Jeff-

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Day five - 1 Peter 2:18-25

18Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are
good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh. 19For it is commendable if a man
bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. 20But how is it
to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for
doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. 21To this you were called,
because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
22"He committed no sin,

and no deceit was found in his mouth."[e] 23When they hurled their insults at him, he did
not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him
who judges justly. 24He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to
sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25For you were like
sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

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Remember yesterday when I compared teachers to MMA fighters? Well, how do you
respond when your teacher just doesn’t like you? At all? When they don’t even try to hide
it? When nothing you do is ever good enough? Maybe for you this person isn’t a teacher,
maybe they’re a coach, boss or other authority figure. It’s not fair, is it? It doesn’t make any
sense, and you’re left wondering how to fix the mess, even when you’re not the one doing
anything wrong! We don’t have slavery here in America, but the principle behind these
words is still true. We are called to submit to those over us, not just the ones who are nice,
but also to those who are mean! But God does say that if we do this, without complaining,
that He’s gonna give us a big pat on the back (that’s what commendable means). Notice it’s
only a good thing if it’s not your fault. Verse 20 says it doesn’t mean anything if we do
something bad, get punished and don’t have a bad attitude. But if we are unfairly treated,
singled out in the middle of class for our beliefs, made fun of at lunch, and we bear these
things without having a bad attitude, you will win the approval of God, and that’s
something worth living for. Watch your attitude today when things don’t go your way and
try to be upbeat and positive no matter the problem.

-Jeff-

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Name of Unsaved Friend: _____________________________________________________

My Other Prayer Requests:

1) ___________________________________________________________________________

2) ___________________________________________________________________________

Also pray for that God would give you an idea for how to reach out to your friends in love.

This is the week to step up and be a servant. Spend a moment to think of something you see
your friends doing that you could help out with. Look for an opportunity to carry
someone’s books, tutor someone, sit next to someone who is alone at lunch. And remember,
a friendly smile and nod go a long ways.