Book Review : New Morning Mercies for Teens

By James Jeffery

Over the past few years, I have come to love Paul Tripp. His books are saturated with the glory of the gospel of grace. Tripp’s has a masterful ability to show how the gospel transforms the mundane moments of everyday life into opportunities for worship. The reason I love Paul Tripp is because he has helped me to know more of the love of Jesus. 

Tripp’s bestselling daily devotional New Morning Mercies has been to my family a source of great encouragement, reminding us of the various ways God’s mercies are indeed new every morning (cf. Lamentations 3:22-23). For this reason, I was thrilled when I heard that Tripp released a new edition — New Morning Mercies for Teens — this month. 

New Morning Mercies for Teens features 365 devotionals targeted at young adults between the ages of 12-18. While not personally convinced that the category of ‘teen’ is helpful or Biblical, the devotional itself addresses the challenges faced by young people transitioning into adulthood. In many respects, they are the same issues we all face. Nevertheless, their expression changes depending on the stage of life, hence this devotional.

These devotionals encourage young people to live in light of eternity, despite living in a culture that encourages us to live for instant gratification. Tripp tackles the struggles of anxiety, money, lust, peer pressure, and temptation head on, drawing us to see how the gospel transforms the way we live. It avoids the twin pitfalls of moralism, on the one hand, and antinomianism, on the other. Instead, Jesus is presented as the glorious Saviour who gives hope to the ordinary moments of the here-and-now.

Each devotional starts with a theological statement, followed by a devotional interspersed with Scripture, followed by a Bible passage and a reflection question. The devotionals are neither cumbersome, nor simplistic, making them an achievable and digestible resource for all readers. Though it may sound like quibbling, it would have been nice to have the Scripture passage at the beginning, rather than the end, of each devotional. 

The book is worth purchasing if only for the Q&A section at the end of the book. Therein, Tripp gives counsel to those struggling with anxiety and depression and battling sexual temptation in a sex-crazed culture. He gets into the nitty gritty regarding the influence of smart phones on our spirituality and calls us to live life in light of eternity. This counsel is applicable not only to teens, but adults as well. 

The Bottom Line

New Morning Mercies for Teens is an excellent resource to give adolescents between the ages of 12-18. It trains young people to see the world through the lens of the gospel, rather than the many false ideologies and hedonistic impulses of our hearts. I enjoyed reading New Morning Mercies for Teens so much that I gave a copy to my cousin. My only regret is that this devotional was released this year and not when I was going through the transition into adulthood.

On a final note, my great hope is that Tripp soon releases New Morning Mercies for Toddlers (with illustrations) so that I can read it with my children. Though Crossway have not announced any such publication, my expectations remain strong. 

**I received this book from Crossway in exchange for an honest review.**