April 8: Acts 17 22-28
Key Verse: Acts 17 26
And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,
Devotion:
It's amazing how political correctness prevents us from doing the things which Paul was doing all the time. If we were to see an altar erected to “the unknown god” we would probably be forced to accept that altar and those people into society as religious people. Even though they are clearly and openly breaking the first commandment God set, governments would say we do not have the right to change their minds.
God has given us a wonderful planet to live on with so many variations and hidden treasures for us to find and enjoy. Why people cannot see that there is reason and order behind this wonderful creation, I don't know. What possesses people to dig for precious metal and then to form that metal into an object they can then bow down before, I don't know. What I do know is that it is easy to get caught up in things others are all doing. It is easy to be distracted away from Gods Will and to “enjoy a new experience”.
No matter where in the world we go, be it for business, pleasure or for learning, we will always be close to God. We do not have to give in and follow the will of the people we see or visit. We do not have to give in to the local 'gods' the people worship. We do not have to change our beliefs to fit in with them. God continues to be by our side and we should continue to walk with Him, taking each step in our lives by listening to what He has to say to us and following His example.
Being politically correct is all well and good to keep the peace, but if it is going to force you to change your beliefs in any way, then it is time to stand up and be counted as a Christian Soldier. Paul put it quite aptly; God does not live in buildings, He walks with us all the time. We are all potential Christians because God created us all to live and worship together – it is time people woke up to the truth!
Points to Ponder:
When you go on holiday, do you change into a different person?
Just because you may be away from home, does not mean you have to be away from God...
April 7: Mark 7 14-16
Key Verse: Mark 7 15
There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.
Devotion:
One of the things that I was always taught as a child was to wash my hands before every meal. Have you ever thought about where this came from? It looks like it comes from the old testament, but things got out of hand! Whilst God wanted to make sure the temple was kept clean, the rabbi's started extending His laws to cover more and more things. They washed at almost every opportunity from eating, to going to market... even in the manner in which they washed their hands; rules were set which would place them apart from everyone else.
The Pharisees and Jews had created their own rules about what was clean and what was not. Yet when Christ was amongst them, He made sure they knew the truth – a truth which they did not want to hear and continued to ignore. It is not the dirt on your hands that defiles you, but what comes out of your heart and mouth which defiles you! Or to put it in much broader words, we are all the same on the outside, none “more clean” than others. But when it comes to what is inside of us, we differ greatly.
We should endeavour to make sure we do not purposely take in germs and others things we pick up throughout the day... So, yes, we should be washing our hands when they get dirty – especially if we are going to be eating with them! But if you are asking God to bless the food which you are about to eat, then why not trust Him to do so and not go about tasks which seek to undermine that authority and trust.
No matter what we are exposed to, no matter what is around us, no matter what others do around us, we can keep ourselves “clean” by continuing in God's Word and not by joining in with what they do. It is after all what we are doing / thinking / saying / believing ourselves that counts against us and not what others are doing. But it is so easy to get caught up with what others are doing! It is so easy to get caught up in the things which look most visible and ignore the things which count.
Points to Ponder:
How often do you wash your hands?
How often do you ask God to forgive you of what you are doing wrong?
April 6: Psalms 133 1
Key Verse: Psalms 133 1
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!
Devotion:
Too many times in our lives we find we have disagreements between ourselves and others – particularly in the family. I know when I was young I used to fight with my brother almost all the time. The silliest of things would cause a rift and argument which would end up with both of us being in a bad mood for some time. To what gain... well, not a lot! When I look back on that time and think of all the fun we could have had... if only we had been sensible like everyone was trying to tell us!
In every church there is going to be disagreements too. Whether people will be able to see through those problems will be entirely up to each of them. Many of us will act very differently when we come across something we do not like or do not agree with. We will hold that position against another, or allow it to fester deep inside of us until it burst out and we end up doing something totally out of character.
I don't think we will ever be able to stop people from disagreeing with each other, but the one thing we should never disagree on is God's Word. The Bible is written very explicitly. It has everything in it we need to know. It is not vague. It does not have any untruths in it. It is the perfect book by which we can find out all we need to know about God and ourselves. Because it is a perfect book, we should be standing by it all the time. Jesus did, because He knew it was the inspired Word of God. Anyone who goes against it is therefore going against God.
The Bible should be the one thing which pulls us all together. It should be the truth we stand up for above all. We can never hope to not sin whilst we are here on earth, but we can find out how we should be living our lives so that we are less likely to sin. Through living according to God's Word, we should be able to stand up to anyone. But by living up to God's Word, we must also accept that many will not agree with us – provoking them otherwise is not wise. Just because we cannot fully agree how to translate the bible should not stop us talking about it.
Points to Ponder:
How do you react when people tell you you are wrong?
How do you react when God's Word shows you you are wrong?
April 5: Jude 1 10-15
Key Verse: Jude 1 12
These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots;
Devotion:
This letter Jude wrote is often overlooked because of the strong words held within. Most people are glad to talk about the 2nd half of the letter where God's grace is exposed, but many shy away from the first half where we are told of things we wish not to hear. We are very much like this in our own lives where we love to hear about the good things and the good times, but when we are faced with terrible truths often hidden from us, we try to look the other way. I believe Jude's letter was written to make sure we do remember the evil which is around us all the time, not just out in the big bad world, but attacking us deep within our churches.
Now don't get me wrong – I point no fingers! The last thing that I want is for anyone to start obsessing about the actions of another in church! But we have an enemy who is so wily we dare not take our eyes off of him for a second. He will not think twice about using those who are near and dear to us to trip us up. He will not think twice about using someone in a church which is weak. He will not think twice about abusing anyone... We have to be vigilant. We have to be aware. But most of all, we have to depend 100% on the Word of God.
Look how Jude exposes them that work against us, from within the very family (Cain), through to Satan himself. They will 'walk the walk' and know the Word, but when confronted with The Word, they will back off. Christ has already won the battle by laying down His own life on the cross. We need not fear anything so long as we fully trust in His protection. He is able to discern good from evil far more than we can. We are able to discern those that slap us round the face – but only He can see those that work from the inside. Trust in Him alone!
Jude 1 24-25 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, To God our Saviour, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.
Points to Ponder:
Can you spot a bad egg just by looking at it?
We need Christ's help and guidance all the time – depend on it!
April 4: Proverbs 13 9-11
Key Verse: Proverbs 13 9
The light of the righteous rejoices, But the lamp of the wicked will be put out.
Devotion:
You need not look too far to see that most contention is due to pride, vanity or greed. Most wars are due to someone not wanting to back down, or someone being too greedy. Most family feuds are down to a simple disagreement which has got out of hand. And the more people continue to fight, the less chance there will ever be peace.
Some may say a fighting spirit is required to be a good businessman. Some may say you will never be successful without having the spirit to stand up to others. But far too many people will take these two simple sayings and go 'over the edge'. Yes, you should be able to stand up for what is right, yes you should be able to stand up to anyone who is in the wrong – but no, these should not be the root of conflict. Part of being a Christian is finding that level at which you can operate successfully without standing on peoples toes all the time.
The more people are taught to succeed 'no matter what' the less they will be able to see the truth for what it is. The more people build up animosity within others, the less they will be able to show them what God would have us do. The more people rub others up the wrong way, the less friends they will have. And have you noticed that when a person like that leaves, be it through being taken away or even death, people will talk about it, but very soon forget about it too. Yet if a good person were to be taken, the news carries the story for a long time with people not wanting to forget.
As a Christian we have to be very wary about the traps Satan lays down for us – those that are steeped in pride and vanity. We are so easily taken in by them and so easily rise to the bait. But if we take one step back and allow God to guide us through the maze, we will not only get through, but get through before our torch battery runs out! We can be eternally thankful God has given us everything we need to be able to survive and to do it well. All we need do is to follow His guidance by continuing to read His word and to allow it to light up our lives – that light will never go out...
Points to Ponder:
How easily do you get drawn into a fight?
Why did Jesus only use the bible against Satan’s temptations?