September 26: John 3 1-10
Key Verse: John 3 5
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Devotion:
Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest Jewish council at the time with only 71 members. The only person above them was the high priest. For someone like this to try to come and meet with Jesus and find out about His doctrine suggests that this council had become worried that someone was usurping their authority. That is probably the main reason why he came at night – so nobody would see him and know that he was coming.
But when Nicodemus got to Jesus he already knew there was something very special about Him: “no man can do these miracles ..., except God be with him.” He already knew that God must be with Jesus, but what he probably did not want to accept at first was that Christ is God.
What he was confronted with stunned him even further. He was told he would have to be born again! Like most people, the thought of having to somehow be born as a grown up rather than as a baby just did not fit into his brain! But the message was clear, Nicodemus would have to go through some sort of change before he would be able to get to heaven. Up to that point he had been upholding the law as was required of him by God. He was elected to make sure the law was followed exactly as it was written in the Word of God.
Jesus explanation of being born again erased those thoughts from his mind. Being born again of the spirit was nothing visible, but the after effects are visible. Just like you cannot see the wind, but you can see the effects of the wind on the trees – you cannot see the moment of re-birth, but you can see the change in the person afterwards. Whether that change is sustained or simply wasted is up to us.
Points to Ponder:
Have you been born again?
Are you doing your best for Christ?
September 25: John 1 1-5
Key Verse: John 1 4
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Devotion:
Each time I read these few verses at the beginning of the Gospel of John I am reassured about having the everlasting, eternal Word of God in my hands! The “Word” (Jesus) was there in the beginning... In other words, Jesus was there with God before we came into being! But not only that, but Jesus is God! A single awesome sentence that gives us hope and shows God's love. God knew what was going to happen and knew what Jesus would have to go through, even before we were around... What an awesome thought, an awesome display of His love for us.
What a pity when Jesus spent that time on our planet in human form the locals chose to not believe He was and is the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. Why? Because they knew no different at the time. They could not comprehend Jesus would be able to come to earth and be in human form, 100% human form. But this was and is all part of the master plan, to be able to give each and every one of us the choice of whether we want to follow that Light or not.
We now have the Holy Bible, translated into English so that we can understand it, and we have preachers and teachers that help to explain the Word of God to us. We have so much going for us, but yet we have so much against us! There is so much darkness in the world, not just half the world in night time but the darkness of evil and evil things.
We are sinners. We cling to the darkness like it was some sort of comfort blanket. We don't want to go out into the light because we don't understand it. But take one step into that light and you can see! One step forward and know that you never have to look back into that darkness any more. Look forward into the light and keep your vision open.
Points to Ponder:
How much of a darn room does a little light light up?
Do you hold Jesus as your light?
September 24: Luke 2 25-32
Key Verse: Luke 2 32
A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.
Devotion:
Sometimes you look at people doing some strange things and you have to think to yourself... “Why are they doing that?”... Most of the time you can probably give the answer, “because they don't know any different”. If you go to a 3rd world country and see people walking miles to get water, you may well think “why do they do it?” But in those countries the local people have probably not ever seen indoor plumbing, they probably have never seen the amazing water, taps and filtration systems that we have in the West. They are glad just to be able to get water, never mind that it is cold and filtered and soft...
If we turn this over on its head and think of what could be done with a little knowledge and a few pipes... Think of what could be achieved with a little help and guidance; think of how much is being done through various aid groups as they take the simple things like water to places they need it most.
Now let’s put this in perspective with the lesson. We are living in a 3rd world world when it comes to Christianity. Many people know of it, but don't know it and even fewer believe it! Just like 3rd world countries and water... We are living in a dark world, a world that is consumed with darkness, a world which does not know the light, a world that does not know God.
Simeon was one of the few people who knew Jesus the Messiah was going to be the Light of the World. He had been given an insight by the Holy Spirit about what would happen and just who Jesus was (and is). If you have a dark room and you place a small light in one of the corners, you no longer have a dark room. Yes there may be places where you can't read, but the whole room is no longer dark!
Points to Ponder:
Have you ever received a life-changing thing?
Will you change a life by showing them God?
September 23: 1 Corinthians 3 9-15
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 3 11
For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Devotion:
There are few certain things in life – or at least that is what seems to be the case from where we look at it! One thing is for sure. God's Word is a rock that we can stand on. It is immovable, certain, steadfast and wholly truthful. It has the truth about where we came from. It has the truth about where we are headed and it has the truth about how we will fail to get there unless we have a helping hand!
It is an amazing thing that happened almost 2000 years ago, and it is something that we must never forget. That is why it has been written down. That is why many people have recorded the facts. That is why there are people following the truth.
In my naivety I never thought there would be anyone who could convince others that they were the son of God at this present day. But as I was browsing through the Internet I came across a page showing a testimony about someone coming to know and love Christ. And as I read through the page it became apparent all too quickly they were talking about some human person who was alive. Then as I browsed through a few more of the pages on that site it was alarmingly obvious someone had totally pulled the wool over other people’s eyes and was getting them to follow him believing that he was the Messiah!
The Bible not only contains the truth about how Jesus will return, but about what will happen at that time. If anyone tries to tell you otherwise, buy them a bible! They will thank you for it!
Points to Ponder:
Where do you actually come from?
Where would we be without God’s grace?
September 22: 1 Corinthians 2 6-8
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 2 7
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory
Devotion:
Our true understanding of the Bible does not come from other people or from the preachers who have gone before us. It does not come from kings, politicians or other people. Our true understanding comes from much deeper than that all; from God. We cannot hope to understand from where the wisdom actually is sourced until we know the wisdom personally. We can listen to the fancy words spoken by others, we can watch the fancy moves made by others and we do the fancy things others do, but the true knowledge and wisdom comes from learning from the source of wisdom.
“You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink” springs to mind (no pun intended). No matter how far we go as humans, we cannot hope to go further than being a “plain old human being” unless we start to learn from something greater than humankind. You can aspire to be greater than your teachers, but without wisdom, you will always be one step behind them. They will always be one step ahead of you because they are still teaching you.
When we become Christians, we invite a whole new Teacher and Guide into our lives. The Holy Spirit becomes our personal Guide and Teacher. Through Him we can gain understanding that goes far beyond normal human comprehension. But even as we learn from Him, there is so much more at hand we will not understand until we are able to leave our earthly bodies behind.
God has prepared something special for us. Something we cannot comprehend here, but something that we will enjoy when we get to heaven. His love for us means we have much more to come and a whole lot of time to learn it in.
Points to Ponder:
Do you go to a history lesson to learn about science?
Do you rely on The Holy Spirit?