February 13: Ecclesiastes 3 1-10
Key Verse: Ecclesiastes 3 1
To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
Devotion:
One of the things I do not understand is the compulsion of people to read all about their “stars” or “horoscopes” each day to see what is in store for them! God continues to encourage us to depend on Him for everything and not to depend on the world or worldly things. Having someone tell you what you are like based on the position of the stars and planets just seems to be wrong for me; it kinda screams of “trust in things that God has made and not God Himself”.
When we studied faith in our Bible studies at church, one of the things which made great men and women of the Bible stand out is the fact that they had faith. Not just “faith”, but faith which they totally trusted in. A faith in their God which went beyond the faith you have in a friend or in anything earthly. They depended on God to deliver on His promises He has made to them.
Our planet and solar system is changing all the time. There are many “constants” within it (like the time the earth takes to move around the sun – even though that is actually changing very slowly) that we take for granted. We measure other things by these times. But everything we see, hear and do changes over time. I know I am a very different person now to what I was when I was young. Some would call it experience. Some from the youth groups may call it old age! Some may be kinder and call it maturity. We are not given to a repetitive life like our “stars” would have us believe. We are not given to a life that is guided by the “stars”. We are given a free choice whereby we can choose what we would do.
There will be a time to do everything in our lives that God will allow us to do, but what “profit” or gain do we get from working towards a life which is predestined by the stars? God has given each one of us a task to do – to show love and compassion to everyone as well as to return that love which He has already shown to us. He created everything for us so we would recognise Him as the creator; the one to trust and follow.
Points to Ponder:
Besides God, who do you trust most in this world?
Can you count on that trust for eternity?
February 12: 2 Timothy 2 22-26
Key Verse: 2 Timothy 2 22
Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Devotion:
One of the hardest things in life I think has got to be our lives during our teen-age years! I can look back with fondness on many things, but I can look back with dismay on the many many more things which I did wrong in those years in my life! It is the time of our lives when we are more open to temptations, most vulnerable to suggestion and most willing to take chances with. Yes, I could harp on about the hormonal changes which make us do strange things, but that is not what I am looking at here. If there is any good that has come out of the things I have done wrong, it is the fact I am able to stand up and warn others of the things which are ahead so they can avoid them.
When we drive down the roads we will see sign posts warning us of sharp bends or other obstacles. If we choose to ignore them, we are choosing to do so at our own peril. If we choose to take notice of them, we are beginning to be wise. If we go one step further and make ourselves ready for the obstacles the signs warn us of before we get to them, we are then doing what the signs were intended for. It is just too easy, though, to take a quick look and push ourselves as far as we dare round that bend... One day we may well meet something coming the other way which will make us stop and think!
If we are all to live the best possible lives, then we have got to take notice of all the warning signs we see. By doing so, we can live better lives. So why not take the extra step next time you see a sign; be prepared for the hidden things which could be round the corner. Be prepared to help out someone else who you can see has taken the wrong action or ignored the warning signs. If we show them we are ready to help them out when they got it all wrong, they may well be encouraged to find out why we did what we did.
During Christ's ministry on earth, He continually purposed in His heart that people would see how He was willing for forgive no matter what the circumstance. That is one of the things which made people stop and think!
Points to Ponder:
What is the favourite thing you do that you know is “not quite right”?
Are you willing to set an example?
February 11: 2 Timothy 2 19-21
Key Verse: 2 Timothy 2 20
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honour and some for dishonour.
Devotion:
How many times have you wondered “why am I here”, or “what possible use am I” or some other similar thought. Normally when we get into that sort of mood, things start to go wrong. We stop thinking rationally and start to blame ourselves for all sorts of things. We soon find we have dug a rather big hole for ourselves without actually trying to find anything positive.
Give thought to a few things around the house which are absolute zero on the street-cred scale. Take the U-bend behind the sink, or worse still, the one behind the loo. It's a pipe in a funny shape that makes all the other pipes look wrong because of its shape. If it was straight, it would look better. If it was hidden, it may be even better, but without them we would have the stinkiest bathrooms in the universe!
Have you ever been to a restaurant and been given “the wonkey table”? What I do is to find something that is of little or no use (some old piece of paper or card), fold it up a few times and jam it under the one short leg. Works a treat! God hasn't just let us go wild here on earth. He has given each one of us a purpose in our lives. One that we may not yet know, or one which we may not want to know! Some of us may be given wonderful positions where others will look up to us, and others will be given positions where nobody will look up to them but they may well be the positions that are most relevant! We don't have to be the gold or silver piece to be of any use. Personally I would not waste a lump of gold to jar a door open, but I may well use a stone or useless book!
Every single one of us can be used of God. All we have to do is to allow Him to use us in the way He knows is best for us. For as long as we continue to invite and allow sin into our lives, God is restrained from using us in any honourable way. I have a couple of ashtrays that I now use for placing my tea-bags onto after making a cuppa – to me a much more honourable use than what the commercial world would have me do with them!
Points to Ponder:
Did you learn to read and write in school?
Will you use those abilities to learn more about God?
February 10: Acts 19 11-16
Key Verse: Acts 19 15
And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?”
Devotion:
How many people have tried to do something against you by saying that they have the support of someone else when they don't really have that support? And no telling me about any politicians! We are facing many enemies on this small planet, but none quite so dangerous as Satan himself. We may be able to fool many people into believing we have something we do not have, but Satan can see right through us. Unless we show Him that we trust in Christ to protect us, he is going to walk all over us.
Paul showed everyone he did everything in Christ's name. He showed people he did everything for Christ's glory. He told people he could do nothing without Christ. Some of the Jews who had seen what he was doing, decided they could probably make a name for themselves, and maybe even a bit of money. They had set themselves up as exorcists. They must have had a bit of a following because when they failed here and Christ prevailed, many people turned to The Lord.
There are people who will try to do things, pretending they are doing it in Christ's name, when they in truth are just mentioning His name because they know you will take some note if they do. There are people who will have massive followings because they say and do many things. But you will be able to identify them by the things they do which are not mentioned in the Bible.
Christians and believers should be trusted servants of God, doing nothing in their own names, but everything through Christ. They should not seek fame or fortune. They should not boast. They should not presume. They should not bully. They should show through example. We may be able to be fooled by people who can hide their true intentions most of the time, but Satan will never be fooled by anyone pretending to know Christ. He certainly will not support nor provide for those people. Christ, on the other hand, will support and provide for anyone who calls on His name in truth.
Points to Ponder:
Who do you trust the most in your life?
Who is your rock?
February 9: James 5 1-8
Key Verse: James 5 8
You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Devotion:
I can remember my brother getting a poster when we were young. The poster was a picture of two vultures sitting on a branch and the one vulture was saying to the other that he was no longer going to be patience, but wanted to go out and kill something! (but the words were not that polite!)
As we see the world unfold in front of us, I am often taken to thought about the amazing sequence of events which leads to each miracle in our lives. One of the most amazing things that I find is space... We can look up into the night sky and see literally thousands of stars shining. We now know that some of them are so far away that we don't know if they still exist! But God has placed each one of them in the heavens, He has placed the light shining from them in the heavens – if He had not done that, then we would not know about those stars.
And then when we walk out of our front door, we rush off to find the first things which will make us money. Not waiting to see if it is the right thing to do, or to ask God if it is what He wants us to do – we just rush out and do it because it seemed like a good idea at the time! Far too often in my life, I sought after earthly things without giving true and timely thought to what God wants me to do in my life. When I look back on my life, I can see when those times were just by seeing how much trouble I go into!
We read about asteroid which are reported to come very close to earth and the newspapers jump on the band wagon reporting just how close they will come, or at least the report the closest calculation or guess! When the asteroids do fly past they are so far away we can’t even see them! There is still one which is reported to come close to us in about 2029, so close it will be closer than some of our satellites. My mind immediately then rushes round thinking about the end times and films that have been made about comets hitting earth! Jesus has already told us that He will return. He did not tell us when He will return, because only God The Father is the one that knows that time. Will you be ready? Will you be patient?
Points to Ponder:
Did you wait patiently for your pancakes today?
How patient are you doings God’s will instead of your own?