July 7: 2 Chronicles 1 4-12
Key Verse: 2 Chronicles 1 10
Now give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people; for who can judge this great people of Yours?
Devotion:
It is undisputed that Solomon was the wisest king in history. But where did he get it from? The answer is simple; it is what God gave to him when Solomon asked for it. But notice how he went about it.
Solomon first wanted to show God how much He meant to him. He did this by giving God a portion of his inheritance which David (his father) had given to him. He offered this to God in the form of 1000 burnt offerings. Normal people would give one, celebrations would sometimes call for 10, crowning of a king sometimes reached in the realms of 100; but Solomon wanted to give God all the glory rather than keeping any part of it. (Note the altar was the same one which Bezaleel had made for Moses more than 700 years previously).
When God had seen his sincerity, He approached Solomon and asked what he would like. Solomon's request showed just how unselfish he was. He asked for the wisdom and knowledge to be able to rule the kingdom given to him by God. And as can be seen from God's response, Solomon did not just say these things to get the job; he really meant it in his heart. God's response was to give him so much more than what he had asked for because of his unselfishness.
So many times in our lives we get caught up in our self-centred attitudes and we leave out the wants and needs of others. We do not need half of the things which we desire. We do not require half the things we think we need. And yet we are always on the hunt for bigger and better things for our lives. If only we would acknowledge God as our God and give Him all the praise for what He does supply for us. If only we could give Him all the glory instead of seeking it for ourselves – well, it's not easy, but it is possible. All we need to do is change our attitude towards Him. If we treat God as our God instead of as a king or ruler, we may just get somewhere!
Points to Ponder:
Who is number one in your life?
Where does God come when you are having a ball?
July 6: Exodus 31 1-11
Key Verse: Exodus 31 3
And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship
Devotion:
Have you ever had to back down from doing something because you have not been able to gain enough support, or the support which you got just was not up to what was expected and you cannot go forward? There are always going to be times in our lives when we are faced with difficulties or seemingly impossible tasks which we will feel like we cannot do. There are always going to be times when you feel like you are the only one who is willing to do things. There are always times where you will feel like there is no support for you in the world!
Moses must have felt much like that when God asked him to go forward and take on the task of leading the children of Israel out of Egypt. But every step of the way had been planned already and God made sure there were enough people to continue the work and support Moses at all times. When Moses felt like there was not enough people who were able to build the tabernacle, God made sure there were people who could. He made sure “Bezaleel” was a skilled craftsman who would be able to do all manner of tasks; and he was there at the right time.
But notice also God likes to choose those who are willing to do the work, or willing to learn. Verse 6: “and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom”. God will make sure anyone who is willing to do His work has or gains the right experience so they will be able to do His work. Just maybe the times which you think are the hardest are the times when God is preparing you for a task ahead, one where He would like you to do something when you are willing to do it.
Not only is God standing by our sides and keeping us day by day, but He is also leading us. He is also giving us work to do which will prepare us for the rest of our journey. He is also allowing things to happen in our lives that will prepare is for the tasks ahead. Each one of those things is done through love – His love for us which knows no bounds. We are the ones who impose the limits in our lives, He is the one who is working to break down those limits we have imposed!
Points to Ponder:
What limits do you impose on your life?
Are you willing to let God take control of your life?
July 5: Genesis 2 15-17
Key Verse: Genesis 2 17
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.
Devotion:
When God created us, He created a being which was far more capable than any other creature on earth. Each one of the creatures which He has created, He has given an instinct to. Each animal has been given instinctive thoughts which will allow them to survive. Some of them have been given a certain amount of intelligence to be able to mimic others and even to come up with new methods of survival. But to man, He gave intelligence and the ability to reason.
Because He created us with such intelligence and reasoning abilities, He warned Adam he should not go too far with his quest for knowledge. He warned Adam not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam was created with a mind which knew good only. He knew nothing of evil. But Between Adam and Eve, they were tempted into the quest for knowledge which only God should attain.
Because Adam and Eve took that step, we now live in a world which is becoming more and more evil. We do not have to imagine the horrible things which may happen in our lifetimes, because we are being shown them on the news! We do not have to imagine what horrors can come out of the world, because our cinemas are overflowing with films depicting horrors we would not have come up with by ourselves. Man has exceeded his own expectations on this front!
But does this stop us? No! We want to go just a little bit further! We want to stretch the boundaries which surround us. We want to push the limits a bit further. With the extra ability which God gave us comes a certain amount of responsibility. That responsibility should limit us to what we do. He has given us the instructions and the examples by which we should live, but we have to continue stretching things further and further until we break them! God's Word contains so much guidance we should never go wrong. God's Word contains so many warnings we should never err. God's Word needs to be the central point in our lives so we can walk with Him!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you dare people to do things?
How many times has God ever dared you to do something?
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July 4: Proverbs 14 15-19
Key Verse: Proverbs 14 16
A wise man fears and departs from evil, But a fool rages and is self-confident.
Devotion:
We have a word for those who believe everything – gullible. But you will be amazed at how many people do believe all sorts of stories just because they like the story or they believe the story just because they want it to be true. We don't call those people gullible because maybe we believe in part of that same story. It takes a fair amount of study and knowledge to be able to discern some of the stories we come across in life from the actual truth simply because so many people often do get taken in by the stories.
We have the task of discerning between good and evil all of our lives. We have the task of choosing between what is glossy on the outside and what is actually good on the inside. Quite often we will get taken in by something which looks glossy, but is has an evil core which will not be seen until it is far too late. The one thing we have which will be able to give us a clue about what is wrong is the truth. That truth is in God's Word and our guide through it is the Holy Spirit. So long as we are willing to listen to that small voice, we will be able to overcome our desires for those evil deeds in our lives.
Then there are those things which just wind us up; those things which annoy us so much that we lose focus on what is good. It is often too late to spot what we let ourselves in to before we have gone too far in anger. We then quickly learn to hate those who have lead us into such evil places with such provocation. We are letting our hearts rule us before we have let our minds think about what God's Word has taught us!
But if we are just going to accept things as they come, we are going to end up with a whole lot of strife in our lives and not a lot to gain from it at the end. The more we strive to gain on earth, the less we get to learn about the truth and what awaits us in heaven. The more we are willing to study God's Word, the more we are likely to walk by His side and the more we are likely to gain from our relationship with Christ!
Points to Ponder:
Are you easily provoked?
God's patience has broken all our boundaries. He continues to wait!
July 3: Proverbs 14 14
Key Verse: Proverbs 14 14
The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, But a good man will be satisfied from above.
Devotion:
Backslider is such a descriptive word because that is exactly what we do when we backslide. We turn away from God. But we don't just turn and walk away, we normally start out by sneaking a bit here and there before we think it is “safe” to continue. Why we should ever think we are safe to continue in our divisive ways is purely up to us!
The more we get into doing something which is not right, the more we are not only showing others we think it is ok, but the more we are showing ourselves we think it is ok! Pretty soon we are able to convince even ourselves that what we are doing is acceptable. We can do this until we get to the stage of no matter how much we read, we still think it is ok – because we are now at the stage where we are filled with ourselves! We have begun to have “selective reading” as well as the “selective hearing” we probably started out with!
Despite our failings, God has given each one of us a discerning heart. He has built into us the ability to choose right from wrong. This ability is what we are born with because it is a gift from God. Unless this gift is treated in the right way we are more than likely to break it. Just like treating a lava lamp as a baseball bat (how random I can be sometimes!) If we treat things wrong, they will not last and give us the same light they should have in the beginning!
Judging where that line should be drawn is something we have to learn by reading and hearing God's Word. We cannot hope to be able to learn this from the world with the world in the state it is at the moment. We are surrounded by so many temptations and evil things we would find it very hard to focus on anything good without first being shown what is good. But as soon as we are willing to start to look into God's Word, He will ensure the Holy Spirit will guide us through our “Wordly” journey. He will ensure He gives us the understanding we need to be able to learn from His Word. He knows we can do it because that is the way He has made us! All we have to do is to follow that Word.
Points to Ponder:
How often do you get carried away with things?
When was the last time you stood back and thought “What would Jesus do”?