May 23: Proverbs 14 1-4
Key Verse: Proverbs 14 1
The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.
Devotion:
How many times have you heard someone say “behind every successful man is a woman?” We don't hear much of those great women behind their husbands – they diligently and lovingly work without seeking praise. That does not mean they do not deserve praise – far from it! Each one of us is an integral part of the family unit. Each one of us needs to make sure we hold up our part of the family how the others expect us to. Just like a building is not going to last long if the foundations are only dug properly in one corner, each one of us has to carry our own weight. If any one of us within the family is going to disrupt things, the whole family will be in danger of collapsing!
God wants us to make sure we all build our own lives on the best possible foundations. If we are all going to pull in different directions – we will end up pulling things down. But if we all work together, we work to reinforce the family as a whole. God wants us to do this by making sure we all live for The Lord, through reverence and fear of God. Without that common and firm foundation, we are but nothing.
It is not just the things we do, but the things we say which are going to make or break our family. If we start to work against each other through pride or greed, that same pride and greed will pull us apart and lead to a life where we will do nothing better than to pull things apart all around us.
If we are not going to pull our own weight, then others will have to carry us if we hope to be able to stay together and work together. If we are not going to use our own strengths to help pull together, those same strengths will become our weaknesses which break us apart. Without an outward sign that we are actually using our strengths, others will perceive that we are wasting our strengths – or in other words, disregarding the work we can do just because we are too lazy to do anything about it! A family takes everyone to work together to make it a family, otherwise it is one or two people trying to carry everything!
Points to Ponder:
Do your parents keep having to ask you to do things?
Do you do things for God without having to be asked?
May 22: 1 Timothy 3 1-7
Key Verse: 1 Timothy 3 4
one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence
Devotion:
Have you ever thought of what your family is like in the sight of God? I'm not talking about whether you think various members of your family are good Christians or not... but rather something along the lines of – what is a family in God's sight? When we think of a family, we may think of a 'safe' place where we are able to do what we do without fear of those around being upset or being offended. We may think of it as a place where we can feel loved even if everything else around is breaking up. We may think of a place where we can gain support from others without having to ask for it.
One definition of a family could be “a group of people linked by blood, adoption or marriage”. God has ordained the family as the basic institution of civilization. When he placed Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, He did so with the knowledge that they would do things together. When society continued to reject God and break down, He chose a complete family unit to restart with. He chose Noah and all his family.
A family is a group which has a head, spouse and children. God expects the head of the household to be able to control their children; not by bullying, but through subjection with gravity. This means children should be obedient to their parents, not through any other means than through wanting to; but not just wanting to, but wanting to with lustre. Children should want to obey because they need to obey.
Equally parents should show their children that doing the right thing leads to a family which cares for each other. Without that love and care from all sides in a family, how are those family members supposed to start to think about loving and caring for others outside of their family! The basic institution of the family is the building blocks of the church. Loving one another will allow us to see what the needs are of others outside the family – that way we can widen our family!
Points to Ponder:
How do you treat your parents & How would you want them to treat you?
How do you treat God & How would you want Him to treat you?
May 21: Ecclesiastes 9 11-12
Key Verse: Ecclesiastes 9 12
For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time, When it falls suddenly upon them.
Devotion:
Are you one of those people who just have to get things done on time? Are you one who try to get things sorted out before they start? Or are you one that sits back and waits for things to start before getting involved? Or someone who withdraws and waits until things are almost at their conclusion before starting out? We are all very different in the way we attack problems in our lives, but there is one thing for sure, we will have problems in our lives!
No matter how much we try to make sure we have everything sorted out and running in the way we think things should be done, there is always going to be an unexpected event somewhere along the line which spoils something! We can try our best to prepare for all things, only to find out that one small detail has been left out and we fail at the end. Or we can just 'have a go' at it and fail because we are unprepared. What may well hit us is what we expect least of all...
Just as a fish is not prepared to be caught by the hook or net, we are not prepared for things which we think are going to be of little consequence. If we are prepared for anything, it is going to be the things we see happen all the time. We are going to be prepared for the car which comes speeding down the road when we cross. We are going to be prepared to be shot in a game of paintball. We are going to be prepared for the school bully to attack at some stage... but what we are not going to be prepared for is those things that 'just don't happen'.
One thing we do need to make sure of is that we are prepared for the second coming. When Christ returns, we need to make sure we are ready and prepared to leave in the blink of an eye. We will get no second chance. We will not be given any warning. We do need to know that when He returns, we will be going with Him!
Points to Ponder:
How many of your friends are Christians?
When was the last time your told them about what kind of person you are?
May 20: Psalms 63 1-6
Key Verse: Psalms 63 3
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You.
Devotion:
No matter which way we look at it, our quest for inner peace cannot even begin until we know there is peace to behold. Many people will try to look inside themselves to find that peace thinking if they work at it hard enough, they must be able to find peace somewhere. But, just like we fail to work through life to find riches, we will fail to work through life to find inner peace.
That peace is something only God can give to us. The peace which goes beyond all our understanding is something only God can allow us to understand or find. We can do what we like 'till we are blue in the face, but unless we start out on the winning side, we shall always fall short! David was a man who knew what it was like to be on the right side of God. He also knew what it was like to upset God. Just like him, we are 'only human' and have to try what we can to make sure we look to the right place to keep on track. David allowed his gaze to wonder (physically and probably spiritually at times too) and that wondering was what got him into trouble.
We do not have to be 'blinkered' like horses. We do not have to have straight-jackets on (though it may help at times). We do not have to completely cut ourselves off from the rest of the world (but it may well help if we cannot stand up). What we do have to do, though, is look in the right direction for His Awesome guidance in our lives.
We need to look inwardly – to be able to see ourselves for what we are. As soon as we are able to admit to our faults, we will then be able to ask God to prepare us and strengthen us against those weaknesses. We need to look upwardly – He is the only one who can give us that guidance. We need to look back – to make sure we don't go there again! We need to look forward – to what God has in store for us. But we must not look sideways at all the temptations which surround us!
Points to Ponder:
What would you describe as your worst weakness?
God alone can strengthen you to overcome that weakness?
May 19: Colossians 2 8
Key Verse: Colossians 2 8
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
Devotion:
Have you ever noticed how easy it is for people to persuade you to do things when you are feeling down or left out. The lower we feel in our lives the easier it is for others to change our mind in order to cheer us up. When we are feeling down, we are actively seeking for others to help us out of the hole we are in. We are probably not going to mind what we do, so long as we get out of that hole!
It is at that very time Satan will step in with something in mind to trip us up. He waits patiently for us to be at our lowest ebb before he takes steps to trip us up. But we are not going to notice it is him behind that tripping up! Come to that, we will probably not even notice we are being tripped up! We are going to feel quite comfortable just to feel like we are wanted by those around us.
There are also going to be times in our lives when we are going to be confronted by people who seem to be on our side, but slowly and surely take us away from Christ's path. Not everyone we meet will listen to the truth. Not everyone we meet will listen to God's Word. Not everyone we meet will be on our side! There are those out there who are working at tripping us up through intelligent conversation and through so called scientific facts too.
When any one of us is at a point in our lives when we feel like we are all alone or not wanted, we are going to do things to try and rectify those feelings. Some of those things are going to lead us away from God along a path we may even think is good. Some of those things will also look like they will bring fame and fortune and may look very pleasing. Some of those things are going to look so much glossier on the outside because of the way they have been described by others... But as long as they are not on the path which Christ wants us to take, we may as well be walking in the other direction! Christ's Word alone shows us the righteous way. He is the way, the truth and the life (John 14 6).
Points to Ponder:
Do you buy everything that you see in adverts on TV?
Just how much are you willing to believe from those who speak intelligently?