June 13: Mark 4 26-29
Key Verse: Mark 4 27
Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.
Devotion:
I continue to marvel at how plants grow no matter what goes on around them. The world is knee deep in panic and survival mode at the moment, with some countries seeing the light at the end of the tunnel whilst others are just going into the tunnel… but throughout this, the plants around us continue to grow and provide for so many, not just humans but insects and animals and mammals alike. God had this plan sorted before we came along and broke things – but His plan continues no matter what.
Yes, we have to tend to things and look after things, just as He has asked us to; and if we don’t look after things, we get meagre offerings from our plants, but they still continue to be plants and continue to survive in most cases. God does not require that we know why things happen or how they happen, just that they do happen and accept it. We can study things to allow our plants to grow better and produce more, but as soon as we start fiddling unnaturally with things, we break more than we fix!
We are not gods and we cannot hope to understand all He has for us and all He does for us, but if we are willing to use what He gives us and listen to His instruction about what we have, we will make it through and we will be successful. Our definition of success may well be different from God’s definition, but we will succeed as much as He wants us to – whether we know it or not!
When I plant seeds, I like to keep an eye on things – not because I have to to make sure they grow, but because I want to see the marvel of God’s creation springing up from a pile of dirt! If this is what God can do with a seed in a pile of dirt, then imagine what He could do with you in the right place at the right time! But we need to listen to Him to know where that right place and right time are!
Points to Ponder:
Do you like watching plants grow – especially in the spring time?
Have you thought about where God wants you?
June 12: Mark 3 20-29
Key Verse: Mark 3 23
So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan?
Devotion:
Sometimes I despair at the way people go about trying to make change in society. Sometimes people can be seen as going too far. But, sometimes, when we stop and actually think about the oppression which has gone on for too long, we can forgive people for what they are doing right now. But, the question I want to look at today is along the lines of “How can Satan drive out Satan?”
When Jesus was doing something different, many leaders were upset because He was not following their rules, not because He was doing things which were not good, but because He refused to continue following the unjust rules set up in society. What was the reaction from some – to say that He had lost His mind! His own family were trying to diffuse the situation by saying Jesus had lost the plot somewhere along the line!
But it was the leaders who were inciting more unrest by saying things which could not be true just so they could take Jesus away; they could if He would be seen as breaking the law. The leaders had built up their own rules to uphold their own societies and nobody was allowed to say otherwise. But when Jesus came along and started to tell people the truth about what was going on, the leaders objected because it would show them up in the light of truth.
But one thing which could never be true was that Jesus was using the ways of the devil, and yet, the leaders wanted others to believe that. If we want to see the kingdom of Christ be enlarged, then the only things we can use are Jesus’ ways and not any unjust ways. Injustice cannot drive out the unjust and injustice cannot uphold the law; the truth has to be seen and the truth has to come out so people can forgive and move on.
Points to Ponder:
Do you get worked up about the way some people uphold lies?
Are you willing to stand up and uphold the truth as Jesus did?
June 11: Mark 2 13-17
Key Verse: Mark 2 17
On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Devotion:
When Jesus went round trying to open people’s eyes and hearts to the gospel message, He did not just go to people who went to the temple regularly or just to people who professed to follow God, He went to people who He knew needed to hear the gospel – especially if it was going to be for the first time! This meant He would meet with people who had little or nothing in common with what would normally be seen as His normal circle of followers!
Jesus reached out the the people He knew needed God most of all in their lives – these were typically the people who had turned their backs on Godly ways and embraced the corrupt and deceitful ways of the world. The backlash from this came from the people we would probably look at as being the ones we should trust from the church; although this was what we now know as the religious leaders and not what we now call church leaders.
I can imagine the tax collectors all flocking to this dinner at Levi’s house because they wanted to be seen as the main people in society. I really don’t think they went there to listen to Jesus or to learn about following Christ; but I may stand corrected if I meet them face to face in Heaven! Christ often calls us to places where we will have to be part of the local community where He has not been invited in before. How else can He be accepted in unless He is invited in?
We are the people on the front line who God is asking to open the ears of eyes of the blind and open the ears of the deaf. I’m not talking physically but metaphorically. Jesus wants them to open their hearts just a little so He can work in their lives. But as long as they remain firmly closed and behind locked door of greed and corruption, He cannot hope to come in. The last thing these people need is someone coming in a switching on the light full blast to bring shame to them. Jesus wants us to come in with open eyes, ears and hearts; to become part of the community so they can see there is hope if they are willing to look for it. That hope is Christ Jesus!
Points to Ponder:
Do you only stick with your own friends?
Are you willing to step out into a new community for God?
June 10: Matthew 4 18-22
Key Verse: Matthew 4 19
“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
Devotion:
What is your first reaction when someone asks you to join them for an event? I suppose the answers would range from “depends who asks” to “depends what for” or even “depends what mood I’m in.” We would all react differently to being asked to do something. But what if it was someone of great importance who did the asking? What if it was your best friend who asked? When it is someone whom you trust and rely on, you are more likely to take notice. When it is something you want to do, even more so.
But what happens when someone asks you to do something because they believe God wants you to do it? What is your reaction to it then? I must admit to being sceptical about some of the things I have been asked to do in God’s name, but ask time has gone on I have also began to realise God uses people to talk to you – He doesn’t always rely on you listening and obeying like these disciples did…
The world seems to be rather a chaotic environment for all of us, especially over the first half of this year; and when the world is noisy and chaotic, we don’t tend to hear God when He is trying to speak to us. Many people have commented on being able to hear the birds chirping away during this time of lock-down, even in the cities. It’s not because they are shouting out louder than usual but because there is much less background noise for us to be distracted by.
This is why God uses other people to talk to us. This is why we are placed in the right place at the right time to hear a message from God – just because we cannot hear it through the hustle and bustle of our normal lives! These disciples were ready to go with Jesus. They were expectant. They wanted to go. They left their livelihoods and followed Jesus. To do what God wants in our lives we need to be more like these disciples and less like the rest of the world around us.
Points to Ponder:
Are you ready, willing and able?
Are you expectant and listening?
June 9: Isaiah 11 6-9
Key Verse: Isaiah 11 6
The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.
Devotion:
This morning as I lay in bed for a while trying to get my eyes to focus and my brain to get into gear, I stumbled through my early morning social media catch-up and happened upon a video rant from a young black woman highlighting just a few of the wrongs of this world against black people in America. By the end of the clip I was in tears, literally! My mind is still reeling from the truths she said and the burden the rest of the world has placed upon their shoulders. It reminded me of my time spent in Africa and the social injustice I lived with and was glad to turn my back on.
This picture painted here of a place where we shall all be able to live in harmony seems but a distant dream we can all think of but one which we cannot really imagine because of the world we have been brought up in. And then just as I was about to get out of bed for my shower I happened on a video of a young child playing with the most enormous snake I have ever seen – playing as if it was normal to do so!
Nothing is impossible. Nothing is too far out of our reach. But we have to be the ones who make the change here and now so others after us will begin to see this new way of living as normal!
I would like each of you to sit down and pray for 5 minutes about this social injustice we are living in and being a part of. I know 5 minutes is a very long time to pray for some of us, but what is 5 minutes compared to the life you have lived so far? What is five minutes of prayer which may just change your world? Are you willing to give just an inch and make it stick? Too many times in the past we have seen promises made which are broken because the unrest has died down or because the news people have found something else to latch on to. 5 minutes...
Points to Ponder:
What social injustice do you see in your community?
Are you really looking at your community or just your life in it?