May 8: 2 Timothy 3 14-15
Key Verse: 2 Timothy 3 14
But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
Devotion:
Have you ever gone back to basics and tried to think of who first told you about God? Who was the first person to invite or take you to Sunday School? Who was the person with you when you gave your life to Christ? Have you ever thanked them or even let them know how much further you have come?
It is amazing to be able to pass on Bible knowledge to young children. Most do not have any pre-conceived ideas of what being a Christian should be about. Being able to show them a little truth and have them realise the rest is an amazing sight. God has given us such a wonderful mind that we should be able to understand scripture at such an early age, even before we learn about things we may think are required everyday such as mathematics!
Trying to break down the barriers which adults have about Christians is another thing entirely – not helped by some people who would force their version of the gospel on anyone that comes near them. Learning about Christ is a very personal thing. It is a relationship between you and Him alone. Just as in a personal relationship with another person, you may not want everyone to know all about yourself, but you are willing to open up to that person. We must be able to be completely open with Christ at all times.
Being close to Him is something that will continue to help us to understand more about our relationship with Him. Learning more about Him makes us understand Him more so we are able to do more of what He likes us to do. If you try to do your own thing in a relationship, that relationship will not last too long. But if you work towards doing something which the other one in your relationship likes, the relationship will grow stronger for both of you. Learning to understand what Christ wants in your life and working towards doing that comes from understanding what it is He wants in your life. That comes from reading His Word and being where it is taught properly.
Points to Ponder:
How many times do you talk to your best friends a day?
How many times do you talk to God a day?
May 7: Romans 11 5-6
Key Verse: Romans 11 6
And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
Devotion:
If we had to do the work in order to be saved, then we would never be getting close to heaven! We have seen over the last few days how we are expected to do many things for Gods Glory. And, if like me you can always think of the things you have not done, then you know you are falling short of all the things that have to be done!
We can be happy Christ has given us hope! We can be happy He cared enough for us so that being saved is through His Grace and not through our works. The people of Israel found out just how hard it really was to try and live up to God's expectations. Their history is recorded in the Bible so we will know just how hard it can be. God's Word records all of that history so we can know it is a hopeless task to try and work our way to heaven!
But through Christ's Grace and Mercy, He paid the ultimate price for our sins so we would still be able to get to heaven – so long as we put our faith and trust in Him and Him alone. He wanted to pay that price because of His love for us. He wanted us to be able to be with Him in the best possible place! But what of the works? Well, all the work is still there to be done, and if we turn our backs on it, then it will not get done! Christ alone is the one who has made it possible for us to be with Him in heaven after we die.
What happens when you are asked to do something by a friend? Do you do it right away, or do you put it off until they seem to forget about it and then sweep it under the carpet? What happens when, one day, they remind you of that task they had asked you to do? How do you feel about it then? Christ has made it possible for us to join Him in heaven. That means we are going to face Him! What things are you going to remember when you come face to face with Him?
Points to Ponder:
How willing are you to help your friends out with things?
How willing are you to tell your friends about God?
May 6: Matthew 18 15-16
Key Verse: Matthew 18 15
Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.
Devotion:
One of the hardest things to do can sometimes be telling a friend they have offended you in some way. The last thing you probably want to do is to upset your friend. The last thing they may want to do is to offend you – but if they have done so and have not realised it, then you should raise the issue. If you do not, they may continue to do whatever they are doing without knowing it is offending you. Equally, when a friend comes to you saying they disagree with something you are doing or have said, then that is the time to sit and listen and not to blow up and shout about it as we often do!
If people were willing to discuss issues openly with each other all the time, then we would all be able to work out our issues before they got out of hand. What we normally do is to bottle them up inside of us where they slowly work at our feelings, breaking down what love we used to share. Much worse than that, when we are upset, we are more likely to say something to someone else about the issue. That is going to upset our friend more than us confronting them alone!
If you want to know you are going to be safe when someone is not with you then you have to know you can trust them to tell you what is going wrong when it is going wrong. This implies you have a truthful relationship between yourselves; with that truth grows trust and a deeper friendship. Whatever goes wrong should be able to be openly discussed.
God wants us to do exactly that! When we have any issues in our life, He wants us to make sure we do take it to Him. He continues to remind us of His awesome power and wants us to be able to share our burdens with Him. He wants us to be able to take our problems to Him as well as to be honest with Him more than we would with a friend. If we are able to take our trespasses to Him openly, without fear of repercussion, then our friendship with Him is going to deepen further still!
Points to Ponder:
How open are you with your friends?
Do you still try to hide things from God?
May 5: James 2 14-17
Key Verse: James 2 17
Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Devotion:
What would you think of a government who promised to deliver all manner of changes before an election, yet did not deliver anything after the election? What would you think of a company which advertised a free holiday, yet when you went to obtain it they said you had to pay for it? What would you think of a restaurant which promised the best food and served up something not fit to eat?
We can clearly see the wrong side of all of the above arguments, but there are many points in our lives which are not quite so clear cut. Maybe you have been promised you can have a free gift, but have yet to receive it. Maybe you have promised a gift to someone but are yet to deliver on it. These are not viewed as doing wrong because the outcome is not yet certain, there is still time; or at least we think there is still time.
What then happens when the time comes and passes? We must try to deliver before that time so we have not gone back on our promise. But what happens when you do not know the end time? What happens when you have given a promise but have not told of the end time? In these cases, would it not be prudent to try to fulfil the promise before the time runs out? But since you do not know when the time runs out, it must be better to fulfil the promise as soon as possible.
We know that God is in control. What we do not know is the time span of His Works. We do not know when Christ will return. The Bible even tells us people will still be working side by side when one will disappear! So if we do not know whether we have 1 second or 1 millennium, what is the best time to ensure you do things? Right Now! We may believe in God. We may know He is going to return. We may have faith. But what good is that all if we are not willing to use our belief and faith to show others Christ is real and He is returning soon? What good is it if we hide our light under covers so nobody else will be saved? Make Heaven even better by getting more people in the doors.
Points to Ponder:
How often do you withhold good things from friends?
How often do you withhold God's Word from them?
May 4: James 2 1-10
Key Verse: James 2 8
If you really fulfil the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself,” you do well;
Devotion:
How easy it is to look kindly upon someone who is dressed well, and how easy it is to look down upon someone who is dressed in dirty clothes. We are so conditioned by our surroundings and by the people around us we often lose sight of what actually is important in our lives. We lose sight of the real treasures, looking on bright and shiny things as treasures. You could say we are no better than the magpie who seeks anything that shines.
Any person who professes to believe in Christ and does so is as good as any other who does. There is no rich and poor societies within Christ's church. Going to some churches would make you think otherwise when confronted by people who look on the outward appearance of their congregation. Christ looks right through the gay glamour into the person within. If that person is dressing to impress others, then they are not dressing to impress Christ. They have lost their way before they enter into His house!
We may not be able to look into the minds of others, but some insist on wearing their minds on the outside for others to see. We do not have the ability that Christ has to see through people, but many choose to force their minds on others with what they wear or own.
Christ continues to teach us we must “Love thy neighbours as ourselves”, yet we sometimes choose to show our neighbour what we are like through what we own or do. Immediately we have fallen short of Christ's law. Immediately we have judged others! By doing that, we are as guilty as the murderer who will kill to obtain the glamour they wish to wear. Christ does not place sin at different levels but rather as black or white – sinfulness or righteousness. It is a simple choice, but a hard one.
Points to Ponder:
How quick are you to judge others by the way they dress?
What do you think God thinks of you with the “thoughts that you wear”?