January 24: Proverbs 12 9-11
Key Verse: Proverbs 12 11
He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread, But he who follows frivolity is devoid of understanding.
Devotion:
Some of the proverbs take a lot of thinking of before you can understand them fully, for their meaning is held deep in the heart of men. Some tend to show the good side of men and others their bad side. Some, like these, cover all of the above.
People that go out of their way to secure fame and fortune just so others may see all they seek are not doing it for any other reason than to boast about what it is perceived that they do have. They may well not have the bread to eat properly at home, but they are trying to show others how much they have. These people are typically doing this to try and show someone else they are better than them in some way when in fact they have lowered themselves to almost nothing at home!
Some people go out of their way to show themselves as model citizens when in fact they have no real regard to life other than their own. These people may well be able to pull the wool over some people’s eyes some of the time, but sooner or later they are going to be found out because their true nature will show through the pretence they raise around them. Then we get the people who give in to these people and are “as gullible as iron fillings”. They have no form of their own, but place a magnet near them and they can be shaped into almost anything. They are the ones who are void of any real understanding. Others will seek the most basic of understanding so they will be able to provide for themselves right from the start.
God has given us so much in our lives (and our planet) to look after. He has given us ways we can encourage others, yet many times we take the path to discourage others. He has given us ways in which we can be kind to others (be it human or animal), yet we fail to live up to basic standards. He has given us so much, yet we always try to seek out those things which are not actually there other than in our minds!
Points to Ponder:
How satisfied are you with your friends?
How satisfied is God with you?
January 23: Ecclesiastes 3 11-15
Key Verse: Ecclesiastes 3 14
I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him.
Devotion:
Always look on the bright side of life... Something that is not from the Bible, for what we find in the Bible is so much more. God does not just want us to look on the bright side of life, but to embrace the bright side of life and to live it! You only have to look outside and see the wonders of this world to realise what God has done in the beginning is an awesome and wonderful thing. We may be able to understand and feel just how marvellous this world is, but we will never be able to understand all God has done in this world. Each of us starts to learn about life from a very young age, but none of us can pretend to know it all by the time we are taken home.
We can see all that is around us and know this has all been done out of love for the here and now, for nothing of this is going to be with us after we die; we are destined for greater things! But whilst we are here, we can indeed embrace the whole of life here and enjoy everything He has provided for us now.
What God has done is create something that is going to last for as long as He wishes it to last. We cannot break it totally, because He will not allow us to break all of it. We may well mess things up for a while and have to live with the consequences of our actions, but we will never take away from it what He has put into it.
Everything that has happened so far has been required of God. We are living in a day of grace, covered by His grace. He has already sent His son to die on the cross for us, because He required that to be done. When Solomon wrote these words, he realised everything that had past had been done for His glory (the glory of God) and many more things would follow to glorify Him more. Everything had been done so we could eventually see it is indeed God who is in control of this world.
Points to Ponder:
How many times have you pretended to own something?
Do you act like you own what belongs to God?
January 22: Amos 5 4-8
Key Verse: Amos 5 8
He made the Pleiades and Orion; He turns the shadow of death into morning And makes the day dark as night; He calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth; The Lord is His name.
Devotion:
You don't have to look too far before you begin to realise that God has been trying to guide us throughout history. From the beginning of time when Adam and Eve where given instructions in the garden of Eden, through to the present day; we have been receiving instructions through great men of faith.
We have even had men writing down instructions in scripts and scrolls, many of which have been gathered together to form what we know as the Bible. God has made sure that His Word which we have in the Bible has stood the test of time. Men have tried to discount it, men have tried to prove it wrong, men have tried to burn it, men have tried to ban it; yet still we have the Bible, with God protecting it all the way!
The instructions we have all throughout the Bible are simple: “Seek the LORD, and ye shall live.” What could be more simple? The ten commandments list out how we should be seeking God; by making sure He is number one. By making sure we have no other gods. By making sure we don't worship anything else. By making sure we set a good example by upholding His name above all else. And by making sure we keep His day holy.
We gather together on Sundays to remember the resurrection of Christ out Lord. We gather to lift up our voices in praise. We gather to lift up our prayer requests. We gather to show we love Him. He made sure we know He loves us by supporting us, by making His Word endure and by giving His life on the cross. What else can we do but worship the One who has made all the stars we see each night, who has made the sun and moon, and who has given us a perfect world to live in; even though we have all but destroyed it with our strange way of living!
Points to Ponder:
What do you think the best thing God has created?
How much love does it take to create that?
January 21: John 3 16-17
Key Verse: John 3 17
For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Devotion:
How do I sum up the Gospel of John? In two verses, or just a few words? John was a man who had a very close relationship with Christ. He began to understand just how much Jesus was doing for us, and after Christ had given His own life on the cross, I am sure John fully understood just how much love God has for each and every one of us. Not just love for the human race, but individual love for each one of us in person.
There is nothing we can do to get to have everlasting life other than giving in to the truth! We fight it all of our lives. We rebel against it all the time. We try to find any excuse to raise our own selves up instead of bowing to the truth! We always try to find something that can then turn round and say ... “I did that” ... rather than acknowledging there are some things in life we just have to depend on others for. God tried to show us there are some things where you have to allow someone else to do something. And in order to show us that, He sent His only Son to show us we can all be saved. To me, that sums up the Gospel of John.
John has captured what we take for granted. He has given us something to look at and to make us think. He has given us the words we need to understand God's love with. John has done all of this because he allowed Christ to take control of his life. He gave in to what Christ wanted in his life. The more he gave back to Christ, the more Christ allowed him to do through His name.
Each one of us have been given the same chance. Each one of us can bow down before our God and allow Him to take control of our lives again. When we do that, we are showing Him just how much we love Him for all He has already done for us!
Points to Ponder:
How would you sum up your relationship with someone else?
How do you describe your relationship with God?
January 20: Psalms 36 5-9
Key Verse: Psalms 36 7
How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
Devotion:
We could try to talk to people about how wonderful and faithful our God is; we could talk until we are blue in the face, but until others get to experience just how wonderful, loving and kind our God is, they will continue to wonder why we can trust in someone or something they cannot get to grips with!
No matter where we get to in our lives we can be touched by God. He continues to love us no matter where we are in our lives and no matter how far we get away from Him. There is no mountain which is too big for God to get over and no valley which is too deep for God to reach into to touch us and our lives. God balances the lives of men and of animals in this world which He has given us charge over.
I have no problem with putting all my trust and faith in God even when those close to me do not; I know those same people will have excuses to not do the same, I know they will have their own reasons to say God does not care for them but that does not stop me from continuing to love God openly. He has done so much for me and yet people around me do not see things the same way as I do. I know I can shelter under His wings but I also know others will run off to find other shelter instead. Can I help them? Yes. I continue to show my faithfulness to my Lord and God hoping they will begin to see and understand my relationship with God.
I wish I could switch on a big search light for some people so they could see the faithfulness and love of my God and Saviour. I continue to trust in Him and I continue to lift Him up so others can get a glimpse of His love for me. Don’t be put off by the gloom and doom in the world around you – rather try to spread God’s light through your life instead!
Points to Ponder:
How many people love you?
Do you know how much more God loves you?