January 19: 1 Peter 5 5-11
Key Verse: 1 Peter 5 8
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
Devotion:
How often do you watch nature programs and think about how wonderful the world is. Or maybe you have been out walking, or even driving, and you have seen a wonderful natural sight. Recently I was driving back home and I saw what I think was a kestrel swooping over the grass to land of a small tree stump; and it wasn’t too long ago I saw a barn owl flying alongside me as I drove to work! What a beautiful sight it was. What a beautiful place God has given to us to live in.
Have you seen any programs about animals hunting – particularly big cats. Most often than not, they will keep themselves as hidden as possible so their prey will fall into a false sense of safety. They will try to make sure their prey is going to be caught off guard when they leap up to make the kill. If you watch a crocodile slowly floating up to some animals taking a drink... he is trying his best to make himself look as harmless as possible before he snaps your head off!
The devil is just like that. He is going to lull you into that false sense of safety before he snaps at your body to get to right where he wants you. He is going to bring your guard down by allowing good things to happen to you, seemingly good things which are not what God wants in your life. Have you ever checked with God to see if you are doing what He wants you to do before you go off and do it? Have you ever checked up on things to make sure you are still in His will?
The wily devil can make your life seem so rosy that you soon forget what has been supplied by God, and who has supplied it. Before too long, you get to think you are in complete control of your life – when all of a sudden it breaks down and nothing is right anymore! Satan has done his worst!
Points to Ponder:
When things are good in your life, do you remember who is making it happen?
Are you living an abundant life with God?
January 18: John 20 26-31
Key Verse: John 20 31
but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
Devotion:
If you wanted someone to believe something that you had done, would you tell them every single little detail about it, or would you tell them just enough to get them to believe? It is part of the human brain to seek out more detail for things that we are told about, but if we are told everything there is to know about it, then we are unlikely to go out and find out more.
Whether the disciples knew it at the time or not, God was guiding them to do exactly that. They have written, each in their own words, a summary of the things which Christ did whilst He was here on earth. They have put these all into words which have been gathered together in the Bible for us. What they have written between them is an amazing record of what did happen, and we know it to be true by the fact that they all agree.
If you were to go into any criminal justice department or court, you would find the same thing. Each witness gives an account as they remember it, the whole being put together such that we have a string of events good enough to allow us see the truth. The jury then has the choice as to whether they want to believe what has been placed before them. Just like that, we have the choice as to whether we want to believe the Bible, a string of facts that is whole enough to convince anyone that reads it.
Thomas wanted to see Jesus before he would believe, saying he wanted to be able to touch Him. But when he was confronted by Jesus, his response was simple “My Lord and my God.” He had facts to believe in. We need faith to believe. We have been given the whole truth and nothing but the truth and now we have to deliberate on the verdict. The more people who are able to read the whole truth, the more will believe in it...
Points to Ponder:
How many court decisions do you believe without being there?
How will you share Christ’s court hearing?
January 17: Psalms 115 16-18
Key Verse: Psalms 115 17
The dead do not praise the Lord, Nor any who go down into silence.
Devotion:
Christ is in Heaven with God right now as are all of the saints who have gone before us; they are safe in His protection. God created this world for us to live in and has given us control over this world in as much as we have freedom of choice as to what we do here. He gave us charge over the world saying we should look after it and to be able to enjoy the fruits of the world. We are the ones who make or break the world as it stands.
Those who choose to believe in Christ and follow His teaching and His will in their lives will continue to praise Him for all He has done and will do in the future. Those who do not believe in Christ make a choice to not praise God for anything but would rather lift up themselves and others in His stead. If it were not for Christ we would not be here and we would not have this freedom of choice to begin with. Those who have already died made their choices whilst they lived on earth and now they have to endure the consequences of those choices for all eternity.
Praising God does come naturally when you know just how much He has done and continues to do for us. We do this because we understand what He has done, what He sacrificed and what He continues to uphold in this mixed up world. I do find it strange that some would choose to ignore the truth and continue in their own worlds and in their own beliefs; but then those who do not know Christ probably think it strange that I have such a relationship with someone who they cannot see or understand.
We need to continue worshipping and upholding Christ’s name to encourage more people to see the truth for what it is. It is only through others seeing the difference between God’s ways and the world’s ways that they will get to make an informed choice in their lives. When each one of us die we will get to see Christ face to face and have to answer for the choice we have made. Praise God for giving each one of us the chance to hear and understand the truth!
Points to Ponder:
Who first told you about God?
Who are you telling about God?
January 16: Psalms 31 13-18
Key Verse: Psalms 31 17
Do not let me be ashamed, O Lord, for I have called upon You; Let the wicked be ashamed; Let them be silent in the grave.
Devotion:
If you are going to put your trust in God, how far are you willing to go? How far are you willing to have that trust and faith stretched? I’m pretty sure we will all have our limits and some of us will have shorter limits than others – so we cannot and must not judge each other by our strength of trust or amount of faith. I think the Psalmist here gives us good insight into how we should see our strength.
If we are honest with God and with ourselves we will all admit to failing at some stage with lack of faith or lack of strength to carry on. The Psalmist admits to loving God and trusting Him; you would think therefore his faith is unwavering. Just like him we all have people who will be against us at some stage in our lives, be it spiritually or physically, we will have or make enemies of others. Asking God for protection shows faith in believing God is able to protect us.
Asking God to allow His own light to shine through our faces is an admission that we fall short of the mark and need His strength to carry us through our daily lives. Just because we have faith does not mean we have enough strength to carry us through everything that will come up against us. We do need His strength and guidance daily to keep us on the right track.
God will also be able to put the right words on our tongues, the right thoughts in our heads and the right feelings in our hearts. We need to show faith by trusting God to show us while we wait on Him. He will give us the courage to face up to the doubters and the enemy, allowing us to be much more confident than we are in our normal lives. I know God allows me to stand up in front of others and teach them about Him. I know it must be God because I failed to live up to any expectations when I tried it on my own before getting God involved!
Points to Ponder:
How much faith do you think you have?
Did you ask God to strengthen your whole body and mind?
January 15: Matthew 10 27-31
Key Verse: Matthew 10 28
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Devotion:
What does it mean to fear the Lord? If we take the literal meaning of the word in the way we use it nowadays we get a very different meaning to the phrase to fear the Lord than when the scripture was written. The Jews had a deep respect and reverence for God because they had history which showed them just how awesome God could be; we tend to forget about that side of God because we live in a modern world which is very different to the world back then. We are amazed by many things technological and scientific in comparison to the days of old.
God continues to baffle technicians and scientists as He works miracles they cannot fathom or accept but because of the weight of so many things happening those miracles tend to get swept under the carpet until someone can try and prove them scientifically. We are growing into a society which will only accept the things which can be proven and explained by other means rather than through what God can do. The Jews used to accept what God could do and give Him the glory and honour due to Him.
God has not changed and continues to work in many ways behind the scenes but we ignore much of that because of the world and all that is going on in it. God still wants us to tell others of the great thing He has done in the past and the things He continues to do but with modern society and scientific ways many people are not brave enough to stand up and say it is God’s way and not just science. To fear God means to accept He can do all things and to continue to uphold His name and His ways even when the world around you is trying to prove otherwise.
To fear God means to stand up for Him and not for the world. The birds continue to baffle engineers because they fly so effortlessly in comparison to anything man can build and yet Christ said we are far more valuable to Him than the birds. We may not be able to fly, we may be clumsy in comparison to birds, but God loves us the way we are because that is how He made us. Show God the reverence and respect due to an amazing God who loves you more than you realise!
Points to Ponder:
What is your greatest accomplishment?
Did you know God loved you even before you did that?