March 14: 1 Corinthians 10 11-13
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 10 12
Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.
Devotion:
Just as it is right for parents to point out bad things to their children and to stop them from being caught up in evil, it is right that we should be trying to do the same with ourselves. We do have the knowledge about what is good and bad and we are able to call upon the Holy Spirit to assist and guide us – so what excuse do we have for not doing exactly that? The more we give in to our carnal desires, the more they are strengthened through our indulgences. The more they are strengthened, the more we give in. Yet if we stop them when they first arise, we have a chance at getting them behind us, with God’s help!
We are certainly not the first to face the sins and temptations we do face. Throughout the bible we can see just how many people have faced evil and how man have given in to it. We can see how many have been tempted by so many different things, yet the ones who have depended on Christ have been able to rise above those temptations. The ones who have tried to go it alone have fallen... Take Peter when Christ told him to walk on the water. At first Peter's faith and trust was solely focused on Christ and he was able to get out of the boat. Yet as soon as he lost focus and gave in to his surroundings, he began to sink. But again, as soon as he called out to Christ for help, he was helped.
We are not going to be faced with unique temptations that nobody else has faced before. Each of our temptations are listed in the examples of people before us. Everything we have seen and heard can be used as examples so we do not have to go through what they have been through – yet so many times we choose to go right on ahead and see if we can face them when others have failed. Why can we not simply trust? Why can we not simple obey? God has already given each one of us a way out of the temptations that we face – all we need do is call upon His name and trust in His Word.
Points to Ponder:
Do you follow your friends into trouble all the time?
Who do you call to when you face trouble?
March 13: Proverbs 20 9-10
Key Verse: Proverbs 20 9
Who can say, “I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin”?
Devotion:
What a legacy mankind has built for himself. You do not have to listen to much media through television, radio or the internet to be confronted by the deceit which is in the world today. The deceit that seems to run from the person next to us right up through governments and nobility. Mankind really has done a good job on himself! The only person who could initially say he was without sin (apart from Jesus Christ) was Adam; but even he turned towards sin though a simple temptation.
You may say it is not our fault because we have a sin nature which we cannot fight. Whilst that is true, we each of us do have our choices we can make. The one choice is that we do give in and go with the flow, and the other choice is that we bring in outside help to get us through our temptations. The Holy Spirit is more than willing to guide us through our temptations, to steer us clear of them as well; but we have to be willing to listen and learn. It is not through anything we can do that we will be cleansed from our sin, but through what Christ has already done for us. We are the ones who need to realise that!
Our deceitfulness is one of our properties which is going to follow us wherever we go and one which is hard to fight. Even when we are Christians who try to obey God, we continue to be faced with and tempted by sin; we continue to give in and deceit is just one of those traps we fall into. We may think we need to apportion the things we have according to who is more worthy in our lives. We may think special people should get more. But why should others get less just because they are not deemed as special in our lives by us. Each of us are created equal by God and that is why Christ said we should love our neighbour as ourselves. If we do not, we are not only deceiving them, but doing it in front of The Holy Spirit, in front of God.
We may not be able to get it right all the time, but we do need to pay attention and at least try!
Points to Ponder:
How much do you withhold from those not in your circle of friends?
How much do you withhold from God?
March 12: Proverbs 20 4-5
Key Verse: Proverbs 20 4
The lazy man will not plough because of winter; He will beg during harvest and have nothing.
Devotion:
No matter how much searching you do to be able to find wisdom, there is still going to be times when you have to stop searching and actually do something. Farmers continue to have to plough their fields and sow the seeds each year during the late winter in order for their crops to have the best possible times for growing. Any farmer who looks outside and decides it is too cold or too hot to do any work may well end up missing the boat and have nothing to show for his laziness at his harvest time!
Just like farmers, we too have work to do and we too have a timetable to keep to. We may be new to the job and not know the timetable – at those times we have to learn from those around us; be willing to learn from them and then willing to step forward and do the work. Those who are not willing to step forward and work may well find themselves lacking something when the time comes. We need to take both our new-found wisdom and our willingness to work and apply them together to make the best of any situation we may face.
If the only water you have in your village is in a deep well, then you need to know the water is down there, have the wisdom to get it back out with a bucket on a rope and the willingness to step forward and do the work to get the water back. Without any one of those links in the chain, you will not get at your life-line. Any carelessness during that time may well end you up in the same problem as being lazy.
Each of us have knowledge and wisdom given to us by God. We have daily guidance from the Holy Spirit. We have health and vitality given by God too. But if we are lacking in anything due to our being lazy, then we have nobody else to blame for any shortcomings, but ourselves. We need to apply things in our lives to make sure we do make the most of what God has given to each one of us; and to do it before it is too late!
Points to Ponder:
What do you think of lazy friends?
What do you think God thinks of your work?
March 11: Romans 11 33-36
Key Verse: Romans 11 36
For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
Devotion:
If you are searching for help, wisdom or understanding, who better to give that to you than the first, the alpha, our creator? The apostle Paul was a man who knew so much about God's Word, He continued to be a pillar upon which many churches were built and he also gave us so many writings which are included in our bibles nowadays... yet he was one to confess that he was at a loss to know the enormity of God's kingdom and His wisdom. This is the same God who has told us we need to bring our petitions to Him in person.
We can never hope to understand His ways, neither to be able to search how deep His love for us or understanding of us goes. Yet He is faithful to listen to each one of our prayers and to answer them as best as He knows how to. Although we cannot understand how anyone could live outside of time, He does. Although we cannot understand how He can be everywhere, He is. His truth is written in the bible so we may know it; we may not be able to understand how it is possible, but He would have us believe Him through how He has inspired others to write about Him – giving us some sort of understanding of how wonderful a counsellor He is.
Nobody has taught Him, because He was the first. Nobody has given things to Him which He has required, because He first gave first. He owes nothing to anybody, because He has given it all. It is all because of God that we exist. It is all because of His love that we survive on a planet within a universe which cannot otherwise sustain life. It is to Him we all owe everything and because of this all, we need to remember that all glory should be given to Him and Him alone!
All of the truth is written in the bible so we can remember it and learn from it in order for us to begin to understand just how wonderful and awesome a God we do have. That way we can fully believe and trust Him for everything knowing just how much more He knows than us!
Points to Ponder:
Which person do you look up to for knowledge?
Why look anywhere else other than God for spiritual wisdom?
March 10: Hosea 14 1-3
Key Verse: Hosea 14 2
Take words with you, And return to the Lord. Say to Him, “Take away all iniquity; Receive us graciously, For we will offer the sacrifices of our lips.
Devotion:
You would think that after such a thing as the great flood, people would have no problem believing in God and responding to everything He wants in our lives... Yet we so quickly forget things when we are no longer in trouble – or at least when we think we are not. Time seems to allow our minds to wander off into realms we know are not right, yet over time we wander further and further each day. Each day we spend away from God is a day spent in wandering farther from the truth, until we suddenly hit a brick wall or something happens in our lives to make us take notice of where we are. Lost.
That is when we turn to someone for help! We find we have finally reached the limit of our strength or understanding and we now need help! If we are brave enough we are going to do the right thing and admit to our mistakes before asking for help. If we are wise enough, we are going to take it straight to someone we know can make a difference and trust Him to make that difference. There is a big difference between simply admitting your faults and asking for forgiveness and getting things right with God. We need to take our words and deliver them in person to God, praying with all earnestness knowing our heart-felt words are as good as the sacrifices were of old – so long as we really do mean them. A sacrifice for the sake of it is as bad as a prayer for the sake of it.
There will be a time when we do finally realise that no matter what we can do, nothing is going to make a difference. At that time, we need to make sure we take our problems to God where He can and will make a difference. We have to make sure we go to Him with open hearts, willing to accept whatever He gives to us because He alone is the one who knows what we actually do need in our lives. None of our riches or personal strengths are going to count for anything when we face Him, alone.
Points to Ponder:
Do you admit to doing wrong to friends?
Why should we treat God any differently when we know we have done wrong against Him?