February 7: 2 Kings 4 1-7
Key Verse: 2 Kings 4 6
Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased.
Devotion:
When reading through God's Word, we can see many miracles by many people. Elisha's miracles were miracles which showed that God's love for those who place their faith in Him is real. God does not want any of His people to go in want, He would rather supply us with everything we desire so long as we recognise that everything does come from Him and glorify Him for it all. But the thing which has to happen first is that we have to come to Him and ask, for by doing this we are showing we do believe He can do something about it. We are showing we have faith in Him!
This woman had lived as a wife to a man who believed in and followed God; maybe his death was unexpected and he left behind a debt which needed to be paid. When she met Elisha, she was obviously at the end of everything. Not only had she run out of food and money, but the creditor had come to take payment and the only payment she had was two sons who could be sold into slavery. There was no other way for her to turn other than to God for help. Her faith was tested and not found wanting.
Elisha showed her that her faith was what was about to save her from her debt and to give her enough to live on. Given a single pot with some oil, and a whole lot of empty pots and vessels, God showed what can be done with faith. The faithful step was for her to shut the door so there was nobody but God and her family in the room and to start pouring. The more she poured, the more came out, right up until the last vessel was full. God then stopped the oil because it was all that was required – more than she needed, but all that was required for this miracle to pay off her debt.
God has no shortage of anything when He wants us to see His love. Nothing is impossible with God. The hardest step is the first step of faith, to listen to God even when we think things are impossible. He will show His love and He knows exactly how much we need.
Points to Ponder:
Have you ever been in a tight spot? Did you turn to God?
Do you turn to God when times are good?
February 6: Proverbs 18 19-21
Key Verse: Proverbs 18 21
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.
Devotion:
The relationships we need to guard the most are those which are closest to us. Putting a spanner in the works in a close relationship is going to have a deeper and more far reaching affect than with one which is not so close. The closer we become to people, the more we need to ensure we do not offend them because the closer we are the more trust we place in each other and the more we depend on that trust. Breaking it will lead to a greater downfall than with someone you expect to do something wrong! But when close friends or relations do upset us, we need to try and forgive and forget as soon as we can to ensure we are not the ones driving the wedge into the relationship.
Our conscience (or belly as it is read) is going to be satisfied, or filled, with the things we say. The kinder we are to people, the more satisfied we will be. The more horrible we are, the more upset we are going to be with ourselves. Whether we like it or not, the things which we say are going to either show us up or win us through. Offending someone can be as simple as saying the wrong thing or talking out of turn. When we realise just what we have done, not only will it be offending or upsetting someone else, but it will be working against our spirits. We really do need to take care what we say and when we say it!
Saying the wrong thing in a strict society may well lead you into jail or far worse. You may well say the wrong thing and end up sentencing someone to death because of what you have said. I know that may sound extreme for those living in civilised societies, but living in a war-torn country is a totally different thing. A simple jest at an airport about a gun may well lead to a jail sentence, or at least a full body search by the police! Our lives are driven by what we say – giving Gods Word instead of insults can only help to save!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you put your foot in it with what you say?
Give God a thought before you speak next time...
February 5: Genesis 4 3-8
Key Verse: Genesis 4 5
but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
Devotion:
We can all relate to an instance of jealousy, but just how far we carry that jealousy will depend entirely on the instance and not our thoughts right now. Jealousy is one thing we do not have much control over, for when it hits, we go with the flow... Jealousy can be the one thing which will bring down great men and women when nothing else seems to phase them. When we see the account of Cain's jealousy we may well think how he acted in a very harsh manner, but when we are in the thick of it then we only think we acted a little bit out of character. Jealousy is the greatest of blinders that we have!
We may well think jealousy is something which is all alone and nothing else leads to it, but when we start to dig deeper, we find we have jealous feelings because of pride or because of greed or because of an extreme desire for something. It is always aimed at someone else – which is the greatest problem. If it were aimed at ourselves, we may not look at it as such a problem, but because it will always affect others, we need to know about it and know how to get out of it! Each of those sources all stem from a single self-worth assumption. We each of us have a level to which we think we live and to which we think we should attain or aim for. If anyone else shows signs of getting there first or stopping us from getting there, jealousy strikes!
Cain showed a proud but doubting heart. He gathered what he had done and placed it before God. Able obeyed God and gave his proper sacrifice. Cain did not see the rules as being immovable; he wanted to show how good he was at farming by giving what he thought was best rather than the simple gift God required. If we are not going to heed God's commandments, then we will fall into sin and we will allow it to rule our lives. By knowing God's will and allowing Him to rule our lives, we submit to our creator and that submission can help us keep us away from sin.
Points to Ponder:
Do you look out at others possessions with jealous feelings?
God should be sufficient. Why allow anything else to fool us?
February 4: 2 Corinthians 3 4-6
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 3 5
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,
Devotion:
Self-praise, or seeking others praise for doing what God would have us do should raise certain feelings of guilt within us. If we are aiming at doing God’s work from within our spirits, then that should be sufficient for us all! We should not have to seek glory or praise when we are doing God’s work – but that is very often what we do. We may do it openly where others will be able to see what a fool we make of ourselves by contradicting the very thing we stand for, or we may choose to do it silently, where we embarrass the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.
When we go out and allow God to use us in whatever way He requires, then we are submitting to Him. By submitting we are showing Him we do respect the very word we seek to spread. If we are going to be honest about it, then we should admit that it is God who is allowing us or encouraging us to do what we do for Him. If we are subject to His will, then we are doing what He requires. If we are doing it right, then should not the designer of our work get all the praise?
Far too often in life we see the opposite happen. A person will design a new gadget which will be very useful, but it will be manufactured by a huge company who will then win all the praise. A scientist will create an invention, but the big company who manufactures the item gets all the praise. Someone comes up with an idea at school, but the person who shouts about it the most gets the attention. We seem to have this desire to build up our own selves rather than admitting we are created and we are basically anything at all because of our creator, God.
He alone is the one who has taught me His word. He has used ministers to explain it more to me when I was hard of hearing. He used physical things to show me. He has done so much to allow me to see that He is God and that He is sufficient for all my needs!
Points to Ponder:
Do you take credit for what your friends do?
Do you let God use you as a vessel?
February 3: Luke 15 25-32
Key Verse: Luke 15 31
And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.
Devotion:
Most of us can remember the parable of the lost son; how the son took his inheritance early and went off to spend it living it up somewhat. He wasted everything which was supposed to last him for the rest of his life. His greed took over and he went out and lost it all. But when he was at his lowest point, he remembered the good life his father’s servants had and wanted to come back and live as a servant because that was better than his current life. But the first thing he had to get over was his pride and come back in a repentant mood!
But how many of us remember the second son, the son who stayed at home. That son stayed with his father and continued to work with his father. He continued to listen and do whatever his father required. He followed the law. But when his brother came back after wasting everything, his anger was kindled because his father kept back no expense in the celebrations when the wayward younger son had returned. He looked at everything he had done and protested saying he was good. He was so angry he would not go back into the house and greet his brother. He even spoke about him as if he was not his own brother!
What had happened? He had been taken over with pride and self-righteousness! Up to that point he had been doing good. But unlike Job who kept everything in the correct perspective, he gave in to his jealous feelings and broke down in anger. We may well have times in our lives when we think we have done everything required and someone comes along and gets all the reward because they came in at the last second... But what we need to know is when we walk with God, our rewards come through all the time. Our blessings are given to us in small doses continually. When we see someone being given a huge blessing, we need to be happy for them because just maybe they have made a radical change in their hearts and deserve it!
Points to Ponder:
Do you get jealous when others get good things?
Are you counting your blessings?