August 1: Luke 5 27-31

Key Verse: Luke 5 31
Jesus answered them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are ill.’

Devotion:
I could just imagine the faces of the Pharisees and teachers as they watched Jesus go to the tax collector’s house and have a banquet with them instead of a humble occasion with a few of the people they thought should deserve it… What would you think if your vicar went to have a meal with a local drug dealer instead of coming round to your house and having a light salad!

OK, that may not be a good comparison, but it has got you thinking… Just what do we expect in our lives and how much do we judge others according to our own rules and our own wants? If we are honest we will admit to having some jealous thoughts in our lives which are not really justifiable!

Jesus quite clearly stated He was not here to appease the people who thought they made up the best synagogues or supported the best temples… He came to reach out to the people who needed God most in their lives. He came to allow the people who were shunned from the temples to meet with God and see a new hope in their own lives. God calls us to do similar things – and it can be very scary!

I cannot compare my life to that of Christ, but I can see so many places where God has placed me in a difficult situation to allow me o be used in a way which reaches out to people who can’t face coming to church for one reason or another. God uses us in ways which we cannot or do not perceive. He uses us where we just don’t know how to reach people – because He is God and He can do these things! Trust and obey is ringing in my head as I write this down...

Points to Ponder:
Where do you aim your “God Work?”

Will you stop and allow Him to do work through you?

July 31: Luke 5 22-26

Key Verse: Luke 5 23
Which is easier: to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up and walk”?

Devotion:
Firstly yesterday things went a bit awry! I have been receiving continued check-ups as I have recovered from my bout of necrotising pancreatitis, cystitis and a whole lot of other complications and big medical words! I had a scan a few weeks back and a call from the surgeon to say the cystitis had finally cleared and I should get booked in to have the stents removed at some stage. The next day I got a call asking if I could come in the following day (yesterday) to have “endoscopic stent removal!” So I was under the influence of the sedation drugs yesterday and did not get round to this devotion – so today you get two for one!

In our verses today, the Pharisees and teachers were not impressed anyone could come into their “territory” and do things which they could not do. It made them look like they were not as good as they had made things out to be… the truth was being told!

Sometimes in our lives we get used to doing the same old thing over and over again and we get used to taking short-cuts and even telling people how we are doing more than we actually do! We are all guilty of this at some stage in our lives and we should all take note of how Jesus handled this. The first thing He did was to pick out the people who were living in their own pride. He stopped and made them think about what they were doing. God is going to do the same to us if we continue to walk off in opposition to His will in our lives.

But it is going to be up to us as to whether we act like these Pharisees and make even more excuses playing the blame game, or whether we stop and make a U-turn to follow God’s will in our lives. I am always amazed at how He is able to do so much in our lives when we do follow His will and that includes placing some incredible surgeons and consultants in your path who are able to do some pretty amazing things to keep us alive! I know it was God who was behind this all because my life has not fallen apart as I thought it must do when it all went belly up in hospital back in February last year! God is good! Listen and obey!

Points to Ponder:
Do you keep on making excuses?

Will you put aside your pride and try to do what God wants you to do?

July 30: Romans 8 31-33

Key Verse: Romans 8 32
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Devotion:
I have heard the first verse said many times before and quoted so much on social media: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” To me this can sound a bit hollow unless it is followed up with an explanation as to why this should be so. I know in my early journey with God I used to pick holes in so many things Christians said because I saw them living a different life to what they were saying; this is not God’s way and certainly not what God has done!

I God was willing to allow His only Son to come to us and die in our stead, just because He loves us, then we should grasp this saying with both hands and live with it, not just say it! What does this mean in real terms? Does it not mean we should be trusting God and going out to do things in His name and knowing He is going to support us? So what is stopping you from listening to what God is saying to you?

Sometimes we hear things and immediately ignore them just because they sound like it could be difficult. Sometimes we try to change what we hear to support our own wants instead of the true need God knows we should be filling. I am proud to be a part of the Eden group (@joineden on must social media) and a few years back we stepped forward to do what God was asking us to do. This meant being totally outside my comfort zone, which changed very quickly when I realised God was actually doing what He said!

Living on an estate where we can help and support local people, not through giving money and covering expenses, but by social and spiritual help gives a whole new meaning to life. This is what God has asked of us and we do so willingly, knowing it will be hard work, knowing we will get backlashes, knowing we will face opposition, but knowing God is with us every step of the way!

Points to Ponder:
How often you wonder if you are listening to God?

Will you place your faith and trust in Him wholly?

July 29: Romans 8 26-27

Key Verse: Romans 8 26
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

Devotion:
How do you know what to pray when things are going wrong, when all you can feel is the whole world collapsing on your shoulders or something like that? What words come to mind? Are they going to be good enough for God? These are the sorts of things we all worry about when things are going badly in our lives and it is a very real worry too.

What God wants during times like this is not an academic answer the church will be proud of, but an honest and heartfelt plea for help. You don’t have to try and explain the situation in delicate details because God knows what you need before you even open up your mouth. All you need to do is try to rest in His embrace and allow whatever you feel to come out of your mouth as honest pleas or emotions.

God wants you to be real with Him and not to try and make it like you are a scholar who has read all of the bible enough times to be able to quote from passages here and there. God just wants you to love Him and trust Him to provide what you need. He will do this through the Holy Spirit if you are willing to listen.

The holy spirit may well put words in your mouth which you never though you’d ever say. He may well just open up your heart and allow you to cry because that emotion will speak more than words. He may well make the prayers to God whilst you remain silent wishing you knew what to say. The Holy Spirit knows our hearts and minds and will make sure God hears the right prayers to answer your needs right now!

Points to Ponder:
Do you get tongue tied when you try to pray?

Will you rest in the Holy Spirit’s arms and allow Him to direct you?