September 5: Proverbs 15 6
Key Verse: Proverbs 15 6
In the house of the righteous there is much treasure, But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.
Devotion:
Too many people are trying to cling to the idea that God will make them rich because of phrases like this in the bible. They hear the word treasure and immediately think of earthly treasures. They hear the word riches and again think of earthly riches. The one thing we have to do when we accept Christ as our Saviour is to realise His riches are not earthly riches – what good are earthly riches if we cannot take them with us – God gives us riches and treasures which we can keep with us forever!
If we follow God's commandments and guidance, we will live diligently, justly and, by earthly means which will ensure that, ordinarily, we gain from this. Living diligently will ensure we do not waste money and we spend it wisely and we have a reasonable amount to live on. This may not always be possible due to everyone else around us and some people lust for money, but that is what should normally happen. As long as we do live with God first in our lives, He will ensure we do have things here are earth too, not vast riches so we can build mansions and live like kings, but enough to make sure we can survive and continue to do His work.
One of the greatest things I find is when God blesses me with things here on earth, I am able to share those with others so others can see that God is the one supplying me with things in my life. Sharing what God shares with you will encourage you and others. Would you rather have a few hundred pounds (or dollars) of money which will last a few months, or to be able to share God's Word with people forever. God makes sure we can live here and continue to do His work, but He does expect us to live by His rules!
That does not stop some very wicked people making a whole lot of money! God may allow some people to get very rich, but at the same time allows us to see how they are getting their riches and what sort of anguish they probably have behind their gain! With God's riches and treasures come no pain and suffering... they are just by-products of what we do!
Points to Ponder:
If you were rich, what would you do with the money?
What would you do with it if you knew God was taking you to heaven in an hour?
September 4: Matthew 28 18-20
Key Verse: Matthew 28 20
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Devotion:
If you ever need encouragement then this is one of the passages you should turn to. Christ must be the centre of our worship for unto Him was given all power in heaven and in earth. That is not to say He was given enough powers to heal a few people and preach and do other miracles, but ALL power. That does mean He has the power to create a new heaven and earth. That does mean He has the power to destroy anything. That does mean He was there when earth was created and will always be there!
It's not such a hard task to keep up with our part in this world – we just have to go out and tell someone about Him. So few people are turning to Christ in recent times, too few are coming in to church and fewer still are giving their lives back to Christ. And then a small percentage of those who do are working for Christ... I can remember my classes back in school when I was taught about God. Not quite what I expected to hear and certainly told by someone who did not have much of an interest in telling us about any religion, never mind about Christ. Going to church, I was told about the bible and taught to memorise various passages and hymns and prayers... But then someone told me of the love that Christ has shown for us and then things began to change for me.
It's was a simple act of someone in my school telling me about Christ which got me interested in coming to listen to the truth. It was not long after that when I asked Christ to forgive me from my heart instead of by reading out a prayer which didn’t mean much to me at the time... I was at an open-air bush meeting when I started to realise just how much sin there was in my life and how I needed Christ to forgive me of those sins. It was then I asked Him for forgive me and to be with me forever more! But what I did with my life did not quite follow these instructions because I was just too caught up in the world and relaxed back into my old ways after a few years.
I needed someone to sit me down and tell me to listen to Christ. That person was the pastor at Faith Baptist Church. I had known Christ was with me, I just didn't take any notice of Him! Tell someone something different about Christ today.
Points to Ponder:
How often do you ignore friends?
How much do you try to ignore Christ in your life?
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September 3: 1 Peter 4 7-10
Key Verse: 1 Peter 4 8
And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.”
Devotion:
We have a wonderful Saviour who has done so much for us and who continues to do so much for us. It is little wonder then that Peter wrote these words to remind others of what we have in store. It's not just the fact we have Christ as Saviour, it's not just the fact we Acknowledge Christ as our Lord, but that we need to remember what has happened. Each Sunday we go to church remembering how we serve a risen Saviour, one who has paid for our sins, has died for them and has risen from the grave to defeat the evil one.
Just like a good soldier has to be vigilant about everything around him to survive, we have to be vigilant about everything around us to make sure we don't get tempted into doing things for Satan. We have got to make sure we stay on top of things and don't get bogged down in our personal feelings and lusts of the mind. Just like we have lusts of the body where we have an over-zealous affection for someone or something, we have lust of the mind where we have an over-zealous imagination which we are able to do more than we can or think we are always right!
Christ showed amazing grace when He allowed himself to be the target of all of our sin. He showed amazing restraint by allowing the rulers at the time to blame Him for things which He knew He had not done. He did that to make sure we were and are going to be safe forever. He did it because of His love for us – each one of us! He did this all before we even knew He existed – because He wants us all to seek everlasting safety through Him alone.
Just as an obedient child will not question their parents, we have to come before Him as obedient children to show Him how we love Him for everything He has done for us. We will find it hard until we realise just what He has already accomplished for us by going to the cross! Then, and only then, we can put behind us our lustful thinking!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you rebel because you think you know best?
God created the universe! Don't you think we should bow to His knowledge?
September 2: Romans 5 1-5
Key Verse: Romans 5 1
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ
Devotion:
Isn't it strange how when you have something essential, you often cannot imagine ever not having that item. Or when we get used to having something, we say we cannot live without it any more. Can you imagine a life without simple medicines which we now use? Can you imagine a life without cars, or planes, or mobile phones?
When we are saved, we don't ever have to look back into our lives and imagine what it would be like not to have eternal peace... I'm not talking about the stuff we have to put up with whilst we continue to live here on earth. For whilst we are here, we do have to put up with a lot! But what we should not be doing is hiding in places where we think we will not be touched by the world around us.
We can learn so much from the hassles we have to put up with. With that learning we can apply knowledge and wisdom learned to good use. With that learning we also learn a whole lot of patience – without patience we would be climbing the walls and trees! Without that patience we would not be willing to wait for Christ's return! But with this patience we have hope, a hope which builds up our faith, the faith which shows others the truth about God.
What would you do for a friend who gave you almost everything in your life? I would like to pay them back for everything they have done for me. We are not here to live our lives for ourselves, but to live them for Christ. He is the One who has given us everything and we owe Him everything. Living our lives according to His wishes is just part of what we can do to pay Him back for all He has done and continues to do for us. It is this knowledge that He is here for us and this knowledge about how He listens to and answers all our prayers which gives us the positive hope that expands our faith and encourages others to find out what makes us happy. If there is anything essential in our lives, it is Christ!
Points to Ponder:
What do you hold on to in your life?
Would you be willing to give it to Christ?
September 1: 2 Timothy 2 1-5
Key Verse: 2 Timothy 2 3
You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Devotion:
There are many people who firmly believe if they become a Christian their lives will all be changed to run smoothly from then on. Well, sadly, it just does not work like that! We still have to live in the same world as everyone else, and hence will face the same events which everyone else is facing – there is no way we can get away from an earthquake when everyone else around us is experiencing it!
But it's not just the big things in life like natural disasters, it’s all the small things we have to face as individuals. We may think we suddenly deserve to have those small trials taken away from us – we may think we should not have to face them alone any more... The good news is that we don't have to face them alone because Christ is always with us – the bad news is some of those things will continue to happen just like they have been unless we ask that Christ to change them or help us to change.
Imagine what it would be like not to have to worry about any financial matter anymore? Would you still be as cautious as ever with every penny, or would you become lax in your financial dealings? I would certainly find myself in the latter category, becoming lax with my money; I know because I have been there when I was earning a lot of money. God does not want us to ever become lax in anything in our lives. He wants to make sure we are good stewards of everything He provides for us – including money.
What good would an army be if they never had to face any difficulties in any of their training? They would probably collapse in a heap at the first hardship they faced on the field – they would certainly not know how to mount a coordinated attack when the enemy responded with violence! What good would we be if we never had to face up to any difficulties? You may say “but I would never face any difficulties”, but what about the people around you? When they got into difficulties, you would not know how to help them face their own difficulties... It's not just about what we face, but how we can help others face things as well.
Points to Ponder:
Do you think you are “hard done by”?
Asking for help is often the most difficult first step.