November 24: Psalms 42 6-11
Key Verse: Psalms 42 9
I will say to God my Rock, “Why have You forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?”
Devotion:
Have you ever noticed that as a Christian, you still get depressed? Or have you tried to cover that up? If we are all honest, there have been times in our lives when we just feel so sorry for ourselves! We get to the stage where we actually start to blame God for things which are happening around us! Well, you are not alone...
This Psalms was written a few thousand years ago. Yes, they did get depressed back then too. We may look back at their history and think they had no right to be depressed because of all the things which God had done for them. God had lead them out of slavery into their own land. A Land He had reserved for them alone. God allowed them to defeat people who were far stronger than them. God had provided food for them out of nothing... Yet they still got down in the dumps...
No matter how well our lives may be going, there are going to be times when others around us are looking at us and asking why are we so sad when we have so many things? There are going to be times when others will look upon us and think we have no right to be sad. Why do we feel like that?
Satan is a very clever adversary. He is going to continue prodding us until he can get us to the point where we are sad and depressed. He knows that if he can keep tripping us up, we will start to feel rejected. Just as we begin to feel rejected, he will throw ideas at us until we do start to blame God for things which are happening. We do this because we are drifting away from God and allowing this sort of thing into our lives. We have an open phone line to God. No matter who says we cannot worship Him, we can always pray to Him. Nothing can stop us from reaching God. Nothing can stop God from reaching us... that is unless we turn our backs... God continues to be in command of everything, but still allows us to have free will. We need to choose the right course to keep happy in Him.
Points to Ponder:
What do you do when your friends feel down?
Do you call on God to help you to smile?
November 23: Exodus 18 7-12
Key Verse: Exodus 18 11
Now I know that the Lord is greater than all the gods; for in the very thing in which they behaved proudly, He was above them.
Devotion:
No matter how far you wish to go back in history, people recognise the fact that God's hand is in everything. No matter how much people try to show they are the proud owners or constructors, God's hand is seen in everything. Moses' father-in-law, Jethro, expressed his joy at everything God had done; not at all the people had achieved, nor all Moses had done. He recognised God's handiwork!
This is a wonderful scene of everyday life at the meeting of a son and father-in-law. Moses may well have been a great prophet who God had used to accomplish amazing things, but he himself showed humble respect for his father-in-law. No matter how important we may think we are, we need to recognise we are nothing compared to God and we need to show respect to others at all times. Jesus was and is above us all, but He showed respect to the criminals and sinners of the world.
To be able to recognise God's handiwork, we have to know what God can do and learn about what He has done in the past. As long as we do read our Bibles and find out the truth, we know that nothing is impossible through God. Jethro wanted to know all that had happened so He could know just what God had done.
Jethro recognised God's work and he wanted God to know how much respect he had for Him. He wanted to show God how much he cared for what He had done. He did this in all openness, without shame or embarrassment. He knew his place and he knew God's place. He also wanted to share his happiness with others who knew God's handiwork as well! So no matter how proud we may get with thinking we are accomplishing much in our lives, we need to learn from great leaders in the past; God is in control of things and He alone deserves the praise for the great things we are allowed to accomplish in our lives. Without Him, we are but dust...
Points to Ponder:
Who is the person you look up to most in life?
How often do you remember God's handiwork?
November 22: Psalms 138 6-8
Key Verse: Psalms 138 6
Though the Lord is on high, Yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar.
Devotion:
It truly is amazing that we have a Saviour who cares for us so much. He knows things about us that we do not. He continues to look after us and He continues to protect us. We can have confidence in knowing He is there for us – unlike many who are too proud to even admit that God exists!
God does not have to be right next to you to know you are up to something within your heart. We do not have to be Christians for Him to know our hearts are in one place when we say they are in another. He knows our inner thoughts and what we are up to before others can tell. He has respect for those in life whom we often look down on just because of their lack of social standing. He has respect for those who are true in heart and know He exists and call upon His name.
For those who don't care, what else can they expect from God? We can know He is still our protector, even when we are walking in amongst trouble. We can know He is still watching over us when everyone else loses sight of us. We can know He still hears our prayers even when others do not know where we are!
When we feel threatened by others, we can call upon His name, knowing He is there. When we feel let down, we can call upon Him knowing He will support us. When we feel all alone, we can call Him knowing He is there. His mercy and grace for us shows no end. His love for us has no bounds. His truth will always stand and will always be something that we can depend on at any time. God does not want us to give up on anything in our lives just because we feel down or left out. He wants us to know that whatever we do, we can call on His help and He IS there!
Points to Ponder:
Are your best friends always with you?
How often do you think about God when you need help?
November 21: Proverbs 16 18-19
Key Verse: Proverbs 16 19
Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Devotion:
You do not have to look too far in life before you see an instance of someone who got a bit too proud of what they had done and collapsed in a heap. Everyone from Kings & Queens, politicians, businesspeople and even the person next door may well have had their share of destruction when they got a bit proud. Pride is something that we need to watch very carefully and direct it very carefully too.
Whilst there seems nothing wrong in being proud of something in your life, you have to keep in mind how you got there. Being proud of something because you know that God has got you there is one thing. Being proud and boastful about your position because of what you think you have personally achieved is where you fall down! Too many people suddenly get it into their heads they have achieved everything when they see themselves nearing a position of power. They get it into their heads they are personally responsible for everything they have done and cannot see who is actually in control of their lives.
Knowing God is in control and making sure you remember that will wipe away any boastful, insolent or haughty spirit which you build up. Knowing it is by the grace of God we are where we are and making sure we thank Him for that will keep us away from the road to ruin. Being able to admit that God can do what we can never do, being able to admit others may even be able to do what we cannot do goes a long way to keeping the peace.
Being too proud to admit to a problem in your life means you will be keeping that problem with you wherever you go. Being humble enough to admit to it means your problem is going to be shared at the earliest possible time so someone else can help you. God is simply waiting for us to lift up our problems to Him in our lives. He is the only one who is able to take on all of our problems and help us at the same time!
Points to Ponder:
Do you admit it friends when something goes wrong?
Do you side with God or the guilty?
November 20: Proverbs 16 16-17
Key Verse: Proverbs 16 16
How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
Devotion:
No matter how much we think about money and how it can get us into bad situations, I'm sure we all would love to be in the position of not having to worry about the stuff! We go to school so we can learn about things which will essentially become our life. We then go to work so we can live that life with at least some food... But the starting point of it all is knowledge and wisdom.
Without wisdom we would not know when we should be listening at school. Without it, we would miss out on the things we have to learn in order for us to be successful in life later on. Without it, we don't have much of a life. But getting the balance between life and living it up can be hard because of all the temptations which surround us all the time. Without a bit of wisdom we would be sorely tempted to spend our money in manners which are not wise – before long we would either be broke or in a whole lot of trouble!
To be able to know what to expect in life is going to help us a whole lot more than a pile of money. The pile of money will run out. Knowing what to expect can help us to avoid bad situations and to seek out the things which are wise and prudent. Being able to steer clear of the evil things in life is not about having money but about having the wisdom to apply our knowledge to avoid them. Having a whole bunch of money will rather tempt others to be around us more; the sad part being the more money we have, the more evil people will be seeking us out!
Being able to rise above the greed and desperation which surrounds having money is a wisdom far too many people loose. When you have the money, you may not be too concerned about the needs of others. When you don't have the money, you can sympathise with those who need it more! Wisdom is about knowing what is good for you soul, not what is good for your belly or bank balance!
Points to Ponder:
How many 'friends' do you gain when you have money?
How much money will you be taking to heaven?