November 29: 1 Peter 1 6-7
Key Verse: 1 Peter 1 7
that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honour, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ
Devotion:
Even though we can be as “happy as a lark” (a singing bird) one day and “down in the dumps” (rubbish) the next day, each day can be lived in the knowledge that what we have with Christ is going to last forever. Each day can be lived to the full in the knowledge that Christ is with us and is protecting us and is our Creator who is in control!
We may well see tough times coming up ahead and we are probably not looking forward to those times at all; but we can be safe in the knowledge that those times are for a reason. They may be to strengthen our resolve, to make us more able to stand up to what we cannot see ahead, or they may just be so we can learn more about life and its pitfalls.
We can know that when Christ returns, all we have been through will be set aside as we join Him in heaven. We can know all that we are going through is in some way for the glory of Jesus Christ. He is the one who gave it all up for us on the cross so we can live our lives safely in the knowledge we will join Him when He returns.
Gold may be a very precious metal and may well drive the market prices up and down, but that is all it is... an object... and object which has a limited lifespan, stuck in these times. Think of all that gold has been through so it can be made to be as pure as possible. Think of the thousands of tonnes of earth which are removed just to bring back one ingot of gold. All that time set aside just for something which is going to fade away when this world ends. Our souls are going to continue living on, even after gold and silver fade away. Our souls are going to be destined for the place where we choose to live. I am happy I can go through trials knowing my place is being prepared for me in heaven by Christ Himself!
Points to Ponder:
How short do some “friends” last?
Is your love for God based on a solid rock?
November 28: Proverbs 17 3
Key Verse: Proverbs 17 3
The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the Lord tests the hearts.
Devotion:
When I was just starting to learn about Gods ways as a young Christian, one of the seniors at school told us about how narrow and winding the path is towards Heaven. I related to that because my path was difficult growing up in a boys only boarding school with many temptations to take me off the path; but walking with God made those days so much easier because I realised He was walking with me... But, I did not listen close enough to that lesson!
Being a Christian does not mean everything is going to run smoothly for the rest of your life. When we are far from God, He will try to do or allow things in our lives to bring us closer to Him. We may not notice the things He does and we may not realise that it is Him doing it. But when we sit down and look back on our lives we can see the pattern of events in our lives which have lead us to make the decisions we have, the pattern laid down by God.
The closer we get to Christ, the more we are able to find out and the more we notice what He does in our lives. But, the closer we get to Him, the harder it can become. Satan does not like the fact we are getting closer to God and will continue to throw everything He has in our way to try and get us to falter in some way. God will allow some of those things to reach us so we can become stronger.
In order to get a precious metal to a more pure state, the heat has got to be seriously cranked up so the impurities can be burned off! The last few impurities are normally quite difficult to separate and require the most heat. We have all sorts of habits in our lives which we have learned from everyone around us. God wants to get rid of some of those habits. They may well be the ones which we have been doing the longest and they may well be the hardest to get rid of! So if we think life is going to be plain sailing – we had better think again! God will continue to strive to make us more like Christ. In order to do that, the heat may well be turned up more than we think we can bear. But since He is in control, He does know exactly how much to turn the heat up to get us straight!
Points to Ponder:
Do you like it when your friends are bad, or do you try to stop them?
Do you think God will stand by idly and what you do bad things?
November 27: Jeremiah 17 10
Key Verse: Jeremiah 17 10
I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.
Devotion:
Personally, I have never tried to “drive” a horse... The biggest 4-legged beast I have been in charge of (loosely said) has been a donkey, and that was without reins! But I can imagine how you would have to pull and tug at the reins to make sure the horse is going to go exactly where you want it to. Mind you, if you watch some of the horses on television, they seem to know exactly where they should be going... Is it any wonder then this same illustration is used by The Lord?
Much of the time in our lives we know where we should be going and we just refuse to go there, or we shy away from it the first time. We know we should be going in the right direction, but somehow we just don't have the courage or will power to go there. We know our Master is telling us to go there and we know we should trust Him... but... Anyone would think that we think we know better!
There are going to be hurdles in our lives where we do not know what is on the other side. At those stages we have to put our trust in someone who does know what is on the other side. That is a very hard thing to do and just about anyone could come along and get you to refuse those hurdles. We are just waiting for some excuse to be able to refuse to go there! That is where Satan knows he can attack us. He knows he can attack from just about anywhere and have the same result because we are not trusting in Our Lord.
To be able to have that sort of trust takes faith. Faith in Christ. We should have all the proof in the world we need. We have His Word. We have the world. We have so much proof that we can trust in Him. Yet we simply refuse because we don't know. Well, that is what faith is about. Trusting in God over things that we don't know. He is going to try to steer us by showing us the right way, but ultimately we have to make the right choice otherwise we are just not going to go in the right direction.
Points to Ponder:
Do you trust your friends and family?
Why don't we trust God as much as them?
November 26: Ecclesiastes 7 8-10
Key Verse: Ecclesiastes 7 8
The end of a thing is better than its beginning; The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Devotion:
Each day of our lives we work towards some kind of a goal, be it just to survive the day or to move closer to getting out of school or even closer to getting that job you always wanted. When we finally get to that position we will probably look back on the journey and say it was worth it! Unfortunately, there are going to be so many pitfalls along the way which will trip us up or slow us down! Each one of those pitfalls will be a new learning experience where we may well learn about something new, or a new way of tackling things. Each one will strengthen us for what may lie ahead.
Many of our goals will not be something which will end after a few hours, days or even weeks. Some of them will last years... Being patient enough to continue moving towards those goals over all the time it takes is called dedication. If we become too proud to continue because others look down on us or too proud to continue because it would mean showing others a side of us we do not want them to see, then we may never get to our goals. Trying to force those goals to be achieved early can also lead to problems and quite often raise anger within us. That anger will blind us from the real work that lies ahead and even cause us to lose our way.
We may look back and think how things were a lot better a few years ago... but really, we have moved forward so much in our lives we cannot honestly say that. Times may be tight or tough, but looking at the wider picture than just what is wrong today will always help us to look forward.
Reaching forward with patience and dedication as we move forward towards new goals in our lives will allow us to continue to have better and better days. Making sure we walk and talk with God each day will help us to stay focused on what is important... Each day we walk closer to God – how can it be better in the past!
Points to Ponder:
What goals do you have in your life?
How much help have you asked from God recently?
November 25: Job 38 – Job 41
Key Verse: Job 38 11
When I said, ‘This far you may come, but no farther, And here your proud waves must stop!’
Devotion:
It may look like a long read, but after reading these four chapters think of all the things that have not been written down. Think of all the things God is in control of. Think of all the things God has intimate knowledge of. Think of all the things God has designed. And still there will be more to list that we cannot even imagine yet.
Job was at the stage where he thought he had done everything right and was asking God what he had done wrong. He asked God to inflict upon him more harm for anything he had done wrong. He even asked God to do unto his family more than he had even thought wrong of – but he could not think of things where he had done wrong and had not brought them to God already.
Even through all the things that were wrong with Job at the time, he continued to show God he held Him up as the one and only true God. He continued to show God he bowed down before Him and would accept any decision God would come up with. He continued to show God he was a man and that God was God.
The only thing that God could fault him on was his faith which had begun to weaken because he thought he had done everything right. What God pointed out to him in the last chapters of the book of Job is how He alone has knowledge of everything and we need to make sure we bow to His knowledge and wisdom. If we seek knowledge or wisdom, we should seek it from God. We can gain knowledge of things around us by learning from people who have learned from others. But true knowledge can only come from God.
Once we take our pride and throw it behind us, we begin to understand God's greatness. Once we realise that and uphold God as our maker and everything, then we are beginning to walk in the right manner with God!
Points to Ponder:
Who do you think is the most intelligent in your group of friends?
How could you even compare your collective intelligence to God's?