Saturday 5 Jul 2014

July 5: John 15:9-17

Key Verse: John 15:13
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

Devotion:
How far do you go to show your love for others? How far is acceptable in modern society? How far will you go if nobody is watching? These are questions that we think we know the answer to and we like to think we will always go all the way. But just like Peter denied knowing Christ three times, we too are going to deny knowing friends on occasion. That is because we are weak and certainly not as strong as we think we are!

The same will be the case for our relationship with Christ as well. We will say that we are there for Him. We shall say that we are there to be used by Him. We shall say that we will always say His name… but when push comes to shove and we get placed in a tight spot, we will be the ones who crumble just as Peter did. Never look at that day with fear and dread because it will be harder to accept when it does get here. Instead look forward to that day when you realise your own limits; you can only go forward after that day!

The more we do for Christ the more we will be able to do in the future. Each time we trip up and fall we gain strength to stand back up and do it better next time. Don’t look at them as points of failure but as points of learning, points at which your life changed to get back with God. You may not be able to stand up the first time; you may need a helping hand to lift you up, but when you do get back up again your strength grows!

It is not a strength that you have to exercise so that you get better at it each time; it is a strength that comes from God and one that need to be accepted so that we can use it. No amount of physical exercise will allow you to get up any quicker after being knocked down in this way, it is the spiritual strength that will allow you to raise you head and say you are still a child of God!

Points to Ponder:
Do you really like exercising hard to get back to fitness?

Why not keep fit through regular gentle exercise instead?