Friday 10 Nov 2017

November 10: Luke 11:27-28

Key Verse: Luke 11:28
He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

Devotion:
There are so many small things in the bible which we often read straight over without giving them another thought, but I would like you to give this one some thought. When Jesus was here as a human He had to face all manner of people; from the people who loved and worshipped Him, through to the people who despised Him for what He stood for and for what they did not. On this occasion He was faced with the scribes and Pharisees as they tried to say He was of the devil. His reaction was not to rain fire down from heaven but to point out why they were wrong in the simplest of ways.

This one woman lifted up her voice from the crowd and shouted out “Blessed is the womb that bore you and nursed you.” Ordinarily each of us may be pleased to accept this sort of praise. We would be happy for anyone who would stand up and shout our praises or praise our parents. But Christ turned it back on the very people who were around Him. He said that those who hear His Word and keep it would be the ones who are blessed. Christ was not one to “pump himself up” in front of the crowd or to do so about His earthly mother. He wants us to know He will bless us when we are willing to read His Word and to keep it!

There is a big difference between reading the bible and keeping it. Many people have bibles and I would guess most of the people who do have them do not read them regularly. Many simply use them to bring to church because that is where they think they should read them. But God wants us to be able to access His Word at all times. He wants us to be able to rely on it at all times. He wants us to carry it with us so we can be prepared. If we are willing to read our bibles, we will learn more. The more we learn, the more we carry round with us. The more we are able to carry round, the more we can be used by Him to help others! Keeping His Word is just one of those ways...

Points to Ponder:
How many bibles are in your household?

How often do you sit down and read any one of them?