Friday 25 May 2012

Friday Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:17-20

Key Verse: 1 Thessalonians 2:17
17  But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire.

Devotion:
Have you ever wondered why you cannot be with the ones that you love all the time? It seems like the world is a small place when we can call, text, email or meet through various social media sites on the Internet, but when you look at the distances that actually separate us, they are a bit of a challenge! Now can you imagine what it would be like to have to walk that whole journey instead of taking a car, boat or plane! We do take various methods of communication and transport for granted nowadays which help us to make the world a smaller place. It is amazing to see how far God’s Word can go through something as simple as a daily devotion…

We may miss each other when we are apart from our friends and family, and we may rejoice when we meet up, but none of that is going to compare to the day when we can be together forever with all the other saints in Christ! As with Paul, I count it JOY that I am able to reach people with God’s Word and to encourage people from around the world.  It may seem like a small cottage ministry in numbers but I know that God’s Word will never return void and that each of you are encouraged by these words almost as much as I am encouraged by writing them. My personal hope is that God’s Word comes to you each and every day so that you will never have to feel alone, no matter what corner of the earth you are from.

No matter how small a difference each of us thinks that we actually make in this world, it is the fact that we are making a difference that counts. Yes Christ was able to make a difference in many more people’s lives because of the things He was able to do; but His words to us that we should take the Gospel with us wherever we go must encourage us to do exactly that. If we feel alone when we are not with our loved ones, then imagine what it must be like for someone who does not know Christ at all? Can you think back to the days when you did not know Christ and how you felt when things went wrong? Can you remember the gloom that came over when you realised that there was nobody there to hold your hand? Because we have been able to hear God’s Word from someone else we have come to know and love Jesus Christ as our Saviour; and because we now know Him as a forever friend, we shall never be alone and can look forward to that glorious day when we shall be together, forever.

Points to Ponder:
Do you feel alone at times?

Do you remember the Holy Spirit is always with you?