October 1: Matthew 6 8-15
Key Verse: Matthew 6 13
And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Devotion:
How many temptations have you faced so far today... and how many have you given into! I'm not talking about the “go rob a bank” type of temptation, but the simple “I'll put off reading the bible until tomorrow” type of temptation; the ones where you think it will be OK until tomorrow and then tomorrow comes and you try it on again…
We are living in a world where we are bombarded by things to do, things to watch on TV, things to buy and places to visit. None of which we really need in our lives, but the adverts convince us that they are necessary! Notice that it is not the Lord that is leading us anywhere near this temptation. It is purely our choice by which we go in that direction. We have the choice as to whether we do things the right and proper way, or if we go out on a limb by ourselves and do what we think is best at the time.
If we only would take everything to the Lord the way that he wants us to, then we would be sure of getting the right advice about those things in our lives. The Lord is waiting for us to ask Him for advice, to ask Him for guidance, to ask Him for help. Notice the first verse in our scripture today... “... for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him.” (KJV)
God knows what we need in our lives, but He is not going to force it down our throats. He knows the best things for us to do. He knows what we should steer clear of. He knows what our weaknesses are. He knows our few strengths. He knows how to make us stronger. He knows how to “keep us clean”. All we have to do is ask Him “how?”
Points to Ponder:
Did you watch TV and did you read your bible?
Which has honestly had more influence on your actions today?
September 30: John 10 7-10
Key Verse: John 10 9
I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
Devotion:
Jesus promised us He is preparing a place in heaven for us, a place we can identify as being as glorious as a mansion. He is there preparing it for us. The only way we can get there is by Him allowing us in just as the butler or owner of a house is the one who will let you in.
Could you imagine being waited on all the time by a full-time butler, someone who would do everything you asked? Someone who would always have your food ready just the way you liked it, someone who would always have your car ready when you needed it. Someone who would always make sure the house was clean (I can always dream...) Someone who would driver you to the shops, and be there waiting to pick you up just when you needed it.
Jesus has gone further than that in preparing a place in heaven for us where we will live forever with Him. He is personally going to come back and get us when the time is right! He is personally going to take us back home to our new home in heaven. Best of all, we know He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. We know there is no other way we can get to heaven but by believing in Him. This is built into each and every one of us, yet we choose to go into the darkness and ignore the light.
How foolish and proud man is to believe he can find his own way in this world when Jesus is the only way, the only light! How conceited we are to think we can outthink God or be able to stay one step ahead of Him! He is protecting the way in and out of Heaven making sure no evil ever gets in and making sure we are safe at all time by filling the place with His safety and light!
Points to Ponder:
Have you ever dreamed of living in a palace?
Do you look forward to a time of living in plenty?
September 29: Revelation 21 22-27
Key Verse: Revelation 21 23
The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.
Devotion:
I find it hard to imagine the beauty of what we have in store for us in heaven. Revelation 21 goes some way to helping us imagine the splendour that awaits us, but I still think we will be amazed at what we see when we get to heaven. The part that I wanted to show you is the fact we will not have any darkness whatsoever in heaven. God's light will shine in every part of heaven, lighting up the whole place. There will be no need for dark corners to hide in. There will be no need for any darkness at all.
We will be together with Kings and Queens, Presidents and Prime Ministers, scientists and inventors, poor and gentle. We will be sharing heaven with the great and the small. But we will know that everyone there has been saved by the grace of God. Everyone there has been invited simply because they chose to believe it was true. Everyone will be there because they chose the path of light and steered clear of the darkness of the world around them.
Hopefully each one will be there knowing they have helped someone else to see the light whilst they were on earth. There is no shortcut. There is no secret passage. There is no other way to get to heaven but through the blood of Jesus. Jesus went to the cross knowing it would be enough to secure a place for each and every one of us.
We are now left with the choice of whether we want to put our faith and trust in the promise Jesus has given to us or whether we want to ignore it all and lose everything we have ever aimed for or collected in our lives. Nothing we have collected will come with us. We will have no need for any of this stuff we collect.
Points to Ponder:
How much do you trust the promises of those around you?
Would you trust someone who has never lied to you?
September 28: John 12 35-36
Key Verse: John 12 35
Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.
Devotion:
Imagine being given a task. You have to cross a field in the dark when there is no moon or stars, and you have a single very bright torch that will only last 5 seconds, but to cross the field you have to walk for at least 10 minutes. There are loads of cow pats in the field... How are you going to cross the field without stepping in any horrible things?
The answers you may come up for this puzzle would probably be something like, “shine the torch from where you are to the other side and choose a path that will miss all the droppings and then walk straight when the torch runs out”... And if you were able to walk in a perfectly straight line whilst completely blind... then it may just be possible! The only real way you are going to get to the other side is to ask for outside help! Don't be held back by the dark, but ask for help from a source of light, a source that is never going to run out. It's no good trying to rely on something that you know is not going to last, you have to aim for the eternal things in life if you want them to last.
Maybe by believing in that light in the beginning we will be able to use it to create light for others to follow. Maybe we can use the torch to find the lantern and matches God has left by our feet to help us across the field... You are never going to know they exist until you look for them in the beginning.
Thank goodness God has said He will always be there for us, and that anything we ask for earnestly in Jesus name will be supplied! God is not going to hold back something we need; we may think we have a special requirement which trumps other people’s requirements but God is the one who knows what we actually need. Trust Him because He has already set things in motion for us.
Points to Ponder:
Do you like the fridge light?
Would you like a light that is always there for you?
September 27: John 8 1-11
Key Verse: John 8 11
She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
Devotion:
Isn't that just the greatest, knowing that no matter how much we have sinned, no matter how much we have got it wrong... God is there for us, waiting to forgive us of the vilest of sins! Jesus is the light of the world. Jesus is the gateway to Heaven. Jesus is the Messiah. There is no getting away from the truth, no matter how much we are bombed and how much people try to beat it out of us, the truth is the truth and we must always uphold it.
God is able to see everything we do, God knows what we get up to when we close the door. God knows what we get up to when nobody else is with us. All we have to remember is we all can accept that forgiveness and get with it the gift of eternal life. The Jews at the time of Jesus chose not to believe He was and is the Messiah. That was a choice they made, but one that was misguided because of the darkness they had been living in for so long. They knew our Messiah was going to come to earth in the form of man, but they chose to not believe Jesus.
Some people found it so easy to believe in the truth when they were confronted by the truth, just like the woman in our passage today. She knew she had done wrong, but she put her faith in Jesus and believed. It was a simple step to take, but one that lead her from the darkness to the light.
Once we start to walk with Jesus, there never has to be any darkness in our lives – unless we chose to not walk in the light. Jesus is trying to show us the way and brings a lamp with to show us the way. Pretty awesome really!
Points to Ponder:
Do you help people in the dark with a torch?
Are you willing to use God’s Light as your torch?