July 28: Luke 17 11-19
Key Verse: Luke 17 19
And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”
Devotion:
Leprosy was a disease that people thought was a punishment from God for sins being committed. It was and still is a horrible disease which separates you from normal society. These ten lepers had obviously heard about what Jesus could do and desperately wanted to be back to their normal lives – they probably had families and even children they would not have seen for some time.
Isn't it strange we always call out for help when we think we are in a hopeless state, but not always when we think we can do something about it? The more hopeless the case the more we call out for help. We go through life doing our own thing, but when we find out we have a problem we cannot solve, we turn to God for help and inspiration. Why not do that for everything in life? Why not entrust everything in God’s hands instead of just the stuff we cannot do?
Just like many parents, God does not want to listen to us cry. He would rather pick us up and comfort us than allow us to continue crying for help. And just like kids, we only cry when trouble has hit us and not when it still lies ahead. Just like kids, we accept the comfort and then run off and do something else without thanking our comforter and ignore any warning we have been given about not going there again!
The lepers had no problem calling out to God in their hopeless situation! But what about any other lepers who thought their situation was so hopeless not even God would do anything? Far too often people accept that God is there, but don't call upon His Holy name to be saved from their sins. If we know God is there – we need to talk to Him!
Points to Ponder:
Do you ignore friends who ask for help?
Are you trusting God for help?
July 27: Acts 27 27-32
Key Verse: Acts 27 31
Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.”
Devotion:
It's so easy to run away and hide from trouble or at least that is what we like to think! Actually getting away from trouble can be more fraught with danger than we at first realise. Too many times I have found myself caught up in a situation where I think there is no way out because I have stayed a bit long in the first place; I then start to look for a way out, any way out, and no longer count the cost!
Imagine being caught in a violent storm at sea for 14 days, every day expecting to be shipwrecked, not wanting to sleep at night for fear of running into rocks, starving because you are just too scared to eat... I think by the end of the first couple of days I would be at wits end – never mind the next 12 days! When they knew the water was getting shallow, they cast anchors to try and prevent themselves from running into the rocks... A somewhat futile attempt in a raging sea! We get like that when we think we are near trouble – we start to do things ourselves because we think God is not acting fast enough.
Paul reminded them God had said they would be safe as long as they remained in the boat. We often want to jump overboard thinking we may have a chance of survival in the stormy seas around us. We look at what God has laid out for us and we get cold feet just because we lack a bit of faith. There are going to be times in our lives when God does let us go through trials so that we do remember what an Awesome God He is! It does not mean that He has forgotten about us, or that we are running into danger... It simply means that God wants us to stand up and be counted with Him!
It is far safer to be where God wants us to be in our lives than to be drifting alone in the world. It is safer to depend on our foundation which will not move than to try and depend on a rough sea. When God has promised we are going to be safe, we need to trust Him and listen to Him so we know we are walking the path laid out by Him!
Points to Ponder:
Do you always look for a better solution?
Are you second guessing God?
July 26: Proverbs 14 25-27
Key Verse: Proverbs 14 25
A true witness delivers souls, But a deceitful witness speaks lies.
Devotion:
One of the biggest challenges we face in life is working out who we should believe and who we should not. If we were to be surrounded by deceitful people only all our lives, then we would grow up to be deceitful ourselves. That part of our lives would stay with us until such time as we were able to find out the truth for ourselves. We would also grow up not being able to trust anyone, and in turn others would not trust us.
Thankfully most of us are exposed to truth at an early age and we quickly learn to tell the difference between good and bad. Whether we choose to follow the path of good or that of bad is another matter entirely. That is a conscious choice we have to make for ourselves.
But what do we have in order to base our choices on? Well, I believe the ultimate truth that we can base all our life's choices on is the truth that God gives us; His scriptures. If Jesus Himself can beat back Satan by quoting from the scriptures then that has got to be the most solid foundation we can hope for. But it's not just about knowing what is right and wrong – it's about applying the truth God gives us in our lives.
We all know that fire is hot and getting too close to it gets us burned. That gives us a healthy respect for fire, but we still need it because of the benefits it brings. We need to look on God and His Word as something that deserves more respect than fire. Without it, we would have nothing. With it, we can be everything. Without it, there would be chaos. With it, we can find peace. But if we treat it lightly we will find out the hard way it requires more respect than fire. If we don't have the uttermost respect for the very basis of our lives, then we don't deserve to have those lives – that may sound harsh, but think about it.
Points to Ponder:
Who do you respect?
How do you respect your bible?
July 25: James 5 13-18
Key Verse: James 5 15
And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
Devotion:
Part of loving our neighbours is to make sure we are thinking of others as much as we think of ourselves. If we are feeling tired, we look for rest. If we are feeling hungry, we seek out food. If we are feeling down, we look for something to cheer us up. The same has to be said for the people around us too. If they are tired, give them rest by maybe taking on some of their work load. If they are hungry, share some food with them. If they are anxious, comfort them as best you can.
But don’t try to do everything! We can encourage people to come and find out the truth about God. We can give them the Gospel. We can show them how we have changed by getting to know Christ. We can be as Christ-like as we can be… but it is not our job to change people’s hearts; that is the realm of the Holy Spirit. We sow the seeds and we encourage growth, but we cannot change their minds however hard we try. The only thing we can do is to make the best possible surroundings and environment for growth to happen.
It is God who will change hearts. God who will heal people. God who is going to forgive people of their sins. Don’t try to take on the work of God because we will end up falling flat on our faces. No matter how faithful and righteous we are, we are not going to change the rules. God will answer prayers, but he makes sure we get the best out of the answer and not just what we desire and want. I know I have been praying for some things for many years, and still wait patiently for God to answer. Do I give up because He has not answered yet? No. I keep praying and keep trying to be faithful and honest with God.
Share your prayers – don’t just focus on yourself but on everyone around you that needs prayers. Keep other people in mind at all times just as you hope for the best in your own prayers, always hope for the best in prayers about others too. God is good and knows what is best for us. Trust Him.
Points to Ponder:
Who do you pray for?
Are you consistent in your prayers?
July 24: James 2 1-13
Key Verse: James 2 10
For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
Devotion:
How do you look at the Ten Commandments? Do you look at them as guidelines, as rules cast in stone or as something else? I know we all have different ways of looking at the original commandments given to Moses by God, but how does that change the way you look at God’s Word? Why all the difficult questions?
When we do question our own faith we also need to dig a bit deeper and question our walk with Christ. James first talks here about the way we treat others because of the way we see them, how much they earn, their stature in society and many other outward appearances. We really do judge people because of how we see them! I was raised by parents and people who taught me to love and respect others and not to look at their outward appearance. That was hard because I was surrounded by many people who were racist, sexist and who had many other hang-ups. I too had my hang-ups which I had to work through myself.
God has chosen each of us to be the people we are on the inside and not to be imitators of other people in high stature within society. God wants us to be imitators of Christ the man who went out of His way to help the poor, heal the sick and befriend the sinners. If we do not obey the simple commandment Jesus Christ gave us to love our neighbours then we may as well ignore every rule God has given us from the beginning. We are reminded by James that each commandment, whether big or small in our own eyes, carries equal weight in God’s eyes.
The example James uses may seem extreme, but it puts the point home. If we choose to follow every other commandment we are given and yet go out and willingly kill someone, then we are guilty. Yes, even society will agree with us on that one! But the same has to be said about the commandments we think the least of. Jesus commanded us to love our neighbour. If we ignore that commandment we are as guilty as the murderer! Take time to think about what God is asking of you…
Points to Ponder:
Do you think you follow God’s laws?
Are you living them too?