December 30: John 16 28-33
Key Verse: John 16 33
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.
Devotion:
How good are you at explaining things to others? How good are your teachers at explaining things to you? In a class full of people there are going to be many ways in which things will have to be explained before everyone in that class will be able to understand what is being said. Each one of us thinks in different ways, so much so that we may well miss something which seems perfectly obvious to someone sitting right next to us.
Have you ever been told something is impossible without being given any reasons or explanations? Have you ever been told that something is true without being given the facts behind to support it? Jesus had the perfect way of being able to get the disciples to think about what was going to happen before they got told the plain truth. In this way, they were prepared for the truth when it was told. When they heard it, they knew it was the truth!
When you do some sort of science experiment at school, you may know what the outcome should be and by diligently following each of the steps in the experiment, you can prove to yourself that what you thought was the truth, is in fact the truth. God has made sure we have all the evidence in the world we need. God has supplied us with His Word so we can find out the truth for ourselves. God has given us the 'experiment' in the right time and place so we can prove to ourselves what the truth is!
God wants us to understand just how much has already been done for us before we get to Him. He wants us to understand He has done everything on earth for us. He wants us to understand He has done everything already! He has already overcome the world so we can accept the truth without having to pay for our shortcomings!
Points to Ponder:
What does it take to make you believe?
What more does God have to do for you to truly believe His Word?
December 29: John 16 23-25
Key Verse: John 16 23
And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.
Devotion:
How many times do you think you have asked the wrong question this year? How many times have you asked a question through ignorance? How many times have you asked a question without expecting an answer? And how many times have you asked the right question that was designed to get the right response out of someone else?
Most of our lives, we bark out questions without thinking about the outcome, without thinking about the answer, without thinking about the effect, without thinking... We ask “what?” before we have thought about what was said. We ask “when?” just after being told when. We ask “who?” just after being told who... But when push comes to shove and we find ourselves in a tight spot, we find it difficult to ask the right question to get us out of that situation!
God fully understands us, even when we do not. God listens to us, even when we don't listen to ourselves! God's love for us goes so much further that we can ever imagine, even when our love falls very short of the mark. God is standing by us as a friend, waiting for us to ask the right questions. He has explained it all to us, yet we have not been listening. He has patiently given us all the information, yet we have not listened. He is waiting for those questions...
How many times have you had to answer silly questions this year because your friends have not been listening to what you have been saying? How many times have you got cross or upset with them because of their ways? God's love for us extends far beyond our friendship with our closest friends. His love for us means He will never be upset with us for asking the questions over and over again. His love for us means He was willing to lay down His life. His love for us means He is willing to listen to our every call. His love for us means He is willing to answer every question we have and every request we make in Jesus' name.
Points to Ponder:
What questions do you normally ask without thinking?
Do you think about the prayers you ask of God?
December 28: John 16 16-22
Key Verse: John 16 16
Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.
Devotion:
Now that most of us have opened all the Christmas presents we have got from everyone, we are (hopefully) happy with what we have got. We looked forward to the point when we would be able to have those presents, but probably had no idea what was going to be in some of the boxes. But now the moment of opening has passed, we know what we have.
What we have at Christmas time and what the disciples were about to experience were two totally different things! What Christ was trying to explain to the disciples was a difficult concept to accept. He was going to die! Yet they were being told they would have something great to look forward to! But, what they were about to be shown physically was the greatest present that anyone could know of.
Have you ever had to share a present with anyone and they were the one that had to physically open the present? What was it like having to let them open the gift? Was the gift worth waiting for? Christ knew exactly what the disciples were thinking, He knew exactly what they were going to think, He knew exactly what sorrow and grief they were about to experience. But, He also knew what He was about to do would give joy to so many more people to come.
When we face sorrow in our lives, we very often get caught up in the now and do not look into the future. We look back with fondness on the then, but somehow are not able to see past the grief we bear now. But as soon as we are able to see past the grief point, much of the grief and pain melt away and we often see the reason behind that sorrow. Jesus has given us so much more than we can ever imagine. He has destroyed the debt we would otherwise have had to pay. He has given eternal life to absolutely anyone who is willing to put their faith and trust in Him. His forgiveness is absolute! His gift is perfect. His gift is on display, all we have to do is take it up.
Points to Ponder:
How long will your best gift last?
What would it be like to have that gift forever?
December 27: Proverbs 11 27-31
Key Verse: Proverbs 11 28
He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like foliage.
Devotion:
There is a big difference between any inheritance we receive here on earth and the inheritance we can receive in heaven. The inheritance we receive here on earth can keep us happy for a short while (or maybe quite a while if we happen to have a rich family), but that is nothing in comparison to what we can receive. But there are so many ways in which we can lose any inheritance or lose any sort of gift that we were going to get here on earth.
If we are going to put our trust in those riches here on earth, then we are going to quickly find we fall very short of the requirements God has for us. We will find we fall short of many of the requirements true friends have for us too. Yes, we will have others who will be trusting in us because of those riches, but that is about as deep as it goes!
And then we could really mess things up by causing havoc or even disruption close to home. The more we mess things up close to home, the more we will have to live in the mess we create. The more we do that, the less likely others close to us will trust us with the things they would have otherwise. The more we mess things up in God's eyes, the less we can be used by God to help those we love. God can use us in whatever we do, but we can be so much more effective is we are doing things His way!
If our eyes are diverted by the glittering things here on earth, we are not going to be able to see past them. If our hearts are persuaded to turn to riches here instead of what we can attain, then our inheritance may be high, but will be very short lived. If our souls are not destined for heaven, they will never see any riches. But if our heart, mind and soul belong to God, we can look forward to everlasting riches that will surpass anything we can imagine here.
Points to Ponder:
What riches do you look forward to here on earth?
What do you look forward to in heaven?
December 26: John 16 7-14
Key Verse: John 16 8
And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
Devotion:
Have you ever wondered how you can tell good from bad? Have you ever wondered how you are able to discern colours, animals, people, places, words and everything else in our lives? Our human brains are the most amazing things man has ever been introduced to. No matter how much we study the brain, no matter how much scientists, philosophers and psychiatrists continue to delve into the brains workings, they always fall short of what it can do.
No matter how much we try and figure out what God can do in our lives, we will also always fall short! There is no way we will ever be able to fathom out just how much God has done for us in our lives! There is no way we can hope to be able to understand other people... God has made us as creatures who are superior to all other creatures on earth. He has made us so we have dominion over all His creatures. He is the one who was able to give us the brains we have, those same brains which enable us to live, love, learn and to have free will.
But without laws and rules, our brains can be used in terrible ways. They are powerful enough to ensure we are able to discern many things, but without the right rules in our lives, they get led astray so easily. God has made sure we have The Holy Spirit with us all the time so He can guide us as we grow. So long as we continue to listen and learn, He can build us up in a fashion where He can use us to the best of our abilities.
Without The Holy Spirit, mankind found it hard to even believe there was a God. Without Him mankind found it hard to understand love. Without Him we find it impossible to live up to all the laws of the land. With Him we find out it is impossible to live up to God's Laws. With Him we find out how much He loves us and find out His way of Salvation!
Points to Ponder:
Who tells you when you do things wrong at home?
Who tells you when you do wrong against God?