December 24: John 16 1-6

Key Verse: John 16 1
These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble.

Devotion:
I think one of the hardest things people have to come to terms with is death. You don't have much choice with the matter in your own death, but the death of others does affect us more than we would like to think or believe. Christ wanted the disciples to be sure of exactly what was about to happen. He wanted them to understand just how far things were going to go. He wanted them to know this was His Will, and that everything was going the way it should. Christ told them in no uncertain terms He was doing His Fathers Will. They all already understood that God's Will was perfect. They all understood that God's way was perfect. But what they now had to come to terms with was that God's Way and our way often do not coincide!

Some things will happen in our lives where we will not understand how they could ever help. But we can be sure that God's Way is going to be a whole lot better than any way we can think of. Maybe we are going to face a trial in our lives just so someone else can see how God can help us in that time of need. Maybe we are going to face something they would not be able to stand up to, but as long as we continue to put our faith and trust in Christ, He will carry us through.

There will be times where people blame us for things they have done wrong in their lives. They may well be able to convince others they were in the right. But they are not standing up to the Truth! They do not know the truth because they cannot see it. They do not understand just how great God is. They do not understand just how much God loves us!

But as long as we have His Word and His Love, we will continue to survive all this world has to give to us. When God has decided that our time is right, He will gladly bring us home to be with Him. He will gladly take the burdens away from us so we can have peace and rest with Him. Until that time, we have work to do...

Points to Ponder:
Have you noticed things go wrong when you least expect them?

Did you see who was still with you at those times?

December 23: John 15 26-27

Key Verse: John 15 26
But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.

Devotion:
Has there ever been a time in your life when you have come to the end of what you can take. You finally decide you cannot continue with your current quest and give in to the world because it is, after all, so much easier! There have been, and will continue to be, many people in this world who will give in to the world because they cannot cope with all the hardships they have to endure for Christ's name. They cannot take the hassle they get day in, day out. They cannot take the fact they feel like they are treated like lepers. They feel like they are walking alone in a crowd.

But they are forgetting one promise which Christ Himself made to us all. We shall have a comforter with us all the time. As soon as we accept Christ into our lives, we gain support from The Holy Spirit. That support is there 100% of the time and is able to support us 100%. There is nothing that cannot be done when we trust and depend on His support!

No matter how far we go and how much we turn our backs on Christ, He has faithfully promised The Holy Spirit will ensure His Word is kept in some way throughout all eternity. No matter how down we may feel about not being able to spread God's Word, He will be there supporting us so His Word will never be forgotten. How can we fail with such positive and total support!

When the disciples had had some time to digest what Christ had done for them, they went out and preached as far and wide as they could. Nothing was going to hold them back from doing what God wanted them to do for Him. What will it take to get you to go forward and tell someone else about God?

Points to Ponder:
Can you always count on your friends?

Do you know Christ is there 100% of the time?

December 22: John 15 21-25

Key Verse: John 15 22
If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Devotion:
How many time have you ever continued to do something many times before someone else pointed out you have actually got it wrong! I can remember being at my grandparents house trying to get a set of headphones to work. They were large and blocked out almost every noise outside. I fiddled around for some time but could only get one side to work, eventually I twiddled one knob and found that if I turned it right up high I could hear in both ears... Within a few seconds my grandmother came running up to me waving her hands over her head; when I took off the 'phones I realised I could hear it because I had turned the volume of the main speaks up so loud that I'm sure the whole block could hear my music!

I would have been blissfully unaware that I was doing anything wrong until that point when someone told me I was! But the fact I was doing something without knowing does not excuse me from the fact I was doing it wrong! If I had continued to do it wrong I would have ended up damaging more than just my ears!

Without God's Word, people do not always know they are doing wrong. They continue to learn from others who are also doing it wrong. The cycle of sin continues to go deeper and deeper into people until someone shouts out about what is right and wrong! We have laws in this country to prevent things from getting out of hand. They are designed to allow people to live together within this country. We have God's laws in our lives to tell us how we should be living to fit in with God's requirements.

Have you seen how many people say they hate the police; just because they tell them the law! People also hate others who try to uphold that law; just because it shows them they are doing things wrong and will have to change their lives! It is the same with God's Law too, many people will hate God because of His Law. People will hold that against us as we try to uphold God's Law – just because it shows them shortcomings in their own lives. It will not be until the day of judgement that many will realise they have had it wrong all their lives.

Points to Ponder:
What laws do you not like in your life?

God’s laws point us toward perfection.

December 21: John 15 18-20

Key Verse: John 15 18
If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.

Devotion:
One of the best things about our relationship with Christ is that He has gone through it already! Whatever we have to face in our lives, He has already done so. Whatever hardships we have to face; He knows about them before we do. Whatever befalls us, we must know He has already given us a way out of it!

There are going to be people who just do not want to know about God. They will do anything they can to disrupt the things Christians do – simply because they do not know Him, for if they did, they would not be acting like they do. There are going to be people who will try to do what they can to make sure you do not tell the Gospel to their so called friends – the same people who they would quite happily stab in the back to help themselves!

We do live in a world which is full of hatred, full of deceit, full of itself! I am not saying that there can only be successful Christians in life...far from it, because the world will look after its own... If you have someone who is willing to bend over backwards to please others even though they will be breaking laws, harming others, telling lies and deceiving all; they will most likely have a very successful life up to the point they are found out! If they are 'lucky' they will never be found out, but I pity them when they have to face Christ in the end!

I can walk round the village where I live and meet people. Some will recognise me, others will not. Those who do recognise me may ignore me. Some may greet me and tell me of the 'great' work I do, but I may never see them come to share in that work. Some will smile pleasantly but work against me later because of what I do. Some will face up to me for the work I do ad try to tell me that it is a waste of time. But one thing I can be sure of is that this is not all done against me! They are doing this because they do not like what God stands for! They do not like to be told that they have it wrong... because they like hiding in their own lives.

Points to Ponder:
Does it get you down when others work against your beliefs?

Who is the one who created everything?