January 3: Romans 10 9-13
Key Verse: Romans 10 13
For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Devotion:
One of the most popular new year resolutions has got to be “I'll be good this year” and it is probably the first to be broken each year too! No matter how hard we try, there is always a slip of the tongue or a word taken out of context which is going to get you into trouble with someone. And when that happens you find yourself on the defensive and fall into the trap of telling a white lie or two...
No matter how hard we try to be good, our bad side always seems to show. What we need to do in our lives is to try and limit the trouble we do get into by always remembering we need to seek forgiveness from those whom we do upset. Without first seeking that forgiveness, we are not going to succeed in smoothing things out! We need to go out with the attitude we will be the first ones for forgive and forget otherwise we may well be waiting a long time for someone else to forgive and forget!
When we go out with that sort of attitude, it is easier for us to see how Christ went out with the same attitude. He came to earth to forgive people, not to condemn people. His attitude from the start was to save us and to allow us to see just how easy it is to find salvation through Him. These verses in the book of Romans allow us to see that it is as simple as believing in Him as asking for that forgiveness. His answer will always be yes!
One other thing to understand is how that forgiveness is going to last forever when we do admit our belief in Him. Sometimes in our lives we start to make a habit of forgiving someone only to blame them again a few days later; or we make a habit of saying sorry for things when we do the same things wrong over and over… We then see the folly in their ways or ours... The same applies with our belief in Him. If we are serious about our belief, then He is just about forgiving us – if not, He sees straight through us!
Points to Ponder:
Do you like forgiving people?
Are you straight with God?
January 2: Proverbs 17 27-28
Key Verse: Proverbs 17 28
Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive
Devotion:
One thing we all strive for is knowledge. We may not be able to all attend the best universities to gain knowledge, but we actively seek knowledge each and every day. However the knowledge we gather is not always what we require, nor is it always what we desire! How we use that new-found knowledge is what really matters.
We could go out and gossip about the things we have found out or we could simply tell the truth and share that knowledge with someone else. We are the ones who are given the choice as to what to do with the information we have found out. We are the ones who need to discern what information others should be given – not based on what we know, nor what we think they should know, but based on whether the information is required. If the information is about others, then should we allow them to make up their minds about who should be given that information!
If we are able to show others that we are of good spirit, of good temper, encouraging, sedate, meek; only then are we showing them that we are wise. We are showing them we have the wisdom to be of that good spiritedness when others may well not be. Knowing when to shut up and listen is also a quality we all need to encourage in our own lives. Through this, others will be encouraged by our spirit.
But one thing we are not able to do is to hide anything from God through not talking about it! God is always listening in to our thoughts, for they are like words to Him. Nothing we think about can be hidden from God. We may be able to fool others by the way we act, but we cannot ever fool God. We can encourage others by our actions, but we have to be totally open and honest with God – because He is totally open and honest with us!
Points to Ponder:
What do others think of you?
What do you think God thinks of you?
January 1: James 3 13-18
Key Verse: James 3 17
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.
Devotion:
HAPPY NEW YEAR! What have you decided you are going to resolve to do this year? What do you think you are going to be able to do differently this year? It is amazing how many people come up with brilliant ideas for the new year but find it almost impossible to keep to them – most are because unrealistic goals have been set or because the wrong approach was used from the start!
Amongst the things I have read that people wish to do each year are things like “pray every day”, “read the bible every day”, “be more healthy”, “be more ecological”, “be happy”, “learn a new language” or even “identify 100 things which make me happy!” If I were to get a list of things people have vowed to do this year, praying more and reading the bible would come in the top 100, but probably only just. People would still rather try to find their own happiness rather than facing up to the truth.
For us to be able to do anything this year, we have to show a bit of wisdom in choosing what we are going to do and then to follow in Jesus' footsteps. What use is trying to go out and accomplish anything this year unless we know that Christ will be behind us? We have been told we should be more Christ-Like and so we should, but only by seeking to expand ourselves in ways which He would approve of. If we try to do things He does not approve of, then should we even expect Him to be behind us?
One of the first things which we need to accomplish is to be of good conversation. This word is not used in the “gossiping” way that we think, but rather in our outward appearance; but your appearance is not just the way we look but everything that makes us who we are. We need to be able to show others that we mean it just like Jesus showed everyone around Him. Depending on Him for guidance will allow us to show others just how special He can be in our lives.
Points to Ponder:
So what are you going to start with this year?
Will God approve?
December 31: 2 Corinthians 5 16-21
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 5 17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Devotion:
Yet another year comes screaming to an end – where do they all go? What has happened to each of those years? How much have we done? How much have we not done?
We can thank the Lord we have a Saviour who is just and faithful to forgive us of our sins. No matter what time of the year, day, night, whatever, He is willing and able to listen to us... But there is coming a time when there will be no more chances to get it right, there will be no more asking Him to forgive us. Just like this is the last day of the year and we cannot hope to get all the things we have not accomplished done in this last day, Christ will be returning on the appointed time. But unlike our calendar where we can see the end of the year approaching, we do not know when He will return!
When we accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour, we take on a new life; we are “born again” into a new life which is always with Him. A Life where He will never turn His back on us for all eternity! He gives us the ability to go out and show others who He is, what He means to us, and what a wonderful Saviour He is. All we need do is to grasp those gifts and use them for the purpose they have been given to us! How many have received gifts at Christmas and have yet to use their new gifts? Maybe you were saving it until the right time or too scared to open it in case you break it... An unopened gift is a useless gift!
Of course there are going to be some gifts which need to remain unopened until they are required, but we will have unwrapped them! But God's gift to us was His Son. A means by which our sins may be forgiven and by which we can have eternal life. That gift has to be opened and used immediately because we do not know when it is that it will be too late!
Points to Ponder:
Have you opened all your presents this year?
How much have you used God's new life that He gave you?
December 30: 1 Corinthians 4 7-13
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 4 10
We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonoured!
Devotion:
Oh how easy it is to get carried away with the things we are blessed with... As did the leaders of the Corinthian Church. After the apostles had been there and given them all manner of teachings for them to take forward the Gospel, they assumed a “high and mighty” approach to those around them. They assumed that because they knew so much, they should be acting as if they were kings! How often do we take that sort of approach too?
Sometimes we need to be brought down to earth with a bump to remember just where we are from and what we are. God created Adam from dust... but He breathed life into him so he could become a living soul (see Genesis 2 7). He sets us forth like kings, but we do not have the position. He sets us forth with all authority, yet we are not in charge. As king Solomon put it, “All is vanity”. When God gives us a position in His church, it is for life, not just for the moment. We need to accept that position for what it is, a position within His church, not a building block for our own church!
We need to grow within God's grip, not try to grab hold of things and think we can take on His position. We need to remember we are servants of God, not that we deserve servants because we are so pious or that we have outgrown our faith and need more in our life. God's universe is eternal and infinite. We are but a speck in it. Yet He has given us a position within His universe which is above all other things. He has given us such a position because of His love for us.
When someone gives you things through love, you do not use those things against them to bring them down! Why should we use everything which God has given us to exclude Him from our lives? I was pleased to see there were many people who continued to include God in this year’s Christmas festivities – if only they acknowledged Him as their ultimate creator as well…
Points to Ponder:
The words of Matthew Henry: “Note, Due attention to our obligations to divine grace would cure us of arrogance and self-conceit.”