February 24: John 7 6-9
Key Verse: John 7 7
The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil.
Devotion:
Have you noticed how you support the ‘bad’ person in some movies, or how you go against the good person because they are spoiling all the fun? There are so many times in our lives where we go against what we think we should because it makes sense for us to do so or it seems to please more people to do so…
This does not make these things right and should not mean we support those things – but what do the people around us see when we go against what is right or support the bad people? They see us rebelling against what is right and they may well turn away from righteousness in order to support you or to go the same way they see you going. This is nothing new, we are followers of people and we like to fit in with the crowd so we can be part of the crowd – a certain amount of anonymity in our lives gives us peace.
Jesus was nothing like that – but He knew when to stay away from the crowd because of what they would have planned against Him. He knew it would eventually come to this, but He also knew the time was not right. We don’t tend to get such insights in our lives and we blunder forward bouncing between things, hoping to make it through to the other end. The world will probably not hate us for doing this or for being whom we are; unless we stand up for Christ in everything we do.
When we stand up for God and follow His will in our lives, we may well find there are a lot of people who do not like what we are doing because it either throws light onto the dark things they are involved in, or it allows others to see you as righteous and not them. The world wants to envelop people and gather everyone together so we can all hide behind each other! God wants us to stand out from the crowd and make a difference – just wait for God’s timing and don’t turn away!
Points to Ponder:
Do you like hiding behind others?
Will you stand up front and be the example?
February 23: Luke 6 23-26
Key Verse: Luke 6 25
Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
Devotion:
There is always another side to the coin… we were reminded yesterday how God is willing to bless all those who are in need, those who are poor, those who are weak and those who are struggling. The other side of the coin points to those who have all they need, more money than they need, more food than they need and who are not willing to step forward and offer help to those who have not…
To these, God issues a warning. The poor and needy will rejoice and leap for joy because they will have everything they need in heaven, but those who have been spoiled here on earth will not be spoiled in heaven. The rich are warned they have already received their comfort because they have spent it all on themselves. Those who have had more food than they needed have eaten all they could. Those who have laughed at the expense of others have had their laughs.
The kingdom of God is based on holiness and justice! That means there is no place for sin no matter how small or insignificant we think it may be. That sin may be the ignorance we feigned about other who were in need, the things we held back from others when we saw them in need, the things we overlooked because it did not please us to look at them. We may think of ourselves as being upright people – and that we may well be. But what are we ignoring around us.
Look to the people around you. Don’t just glance but look long and hard. Do you realise what is going on in your communities? Are you turning a blind eye to the needs of the few in your community? God wants us to have open eyes, open hearts and be willing to see and hear exactly what is going on around us. He wants us to step forward and make a difference to those people we have ignored in the past. He wants us to show people how great the Kingdom of Heaven is going to be by being His examples right here and right now!
Points to Ponder:
How do you look at the poor people?
Are you willing to make a difference?
February 22: Luke 6 20-22
Key Verse: Luke 6 21
Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
Devotion:
The more people gathered around Jesus, the more He wanted to tell them about the kingdom of God. The more people who gathered to be healed and blessed, the more He wanted to bless them in the positions they were in. He did not wait until the right amount of rich people gathered together before He addressed the crowds. He did not wait until the right amount of sick people gathered before He healed people. He worked with the people who gathered there and then!
Too many times in our lives we wait until the right opportunity arises or we wait until the right people hear our message before we deliver what we have promised; we give in to the ways of the world instead of making the ways of the world. Look around you at the people who are close by – what do you see and what do you hear? Do you hear gossip and bragging, do you see flamboyance and degradation?
What is God laying on your heart? Is He giving you a heart to step out of your daily routine and help people who have no routine? Is He asking you to leave your lifestyle behind and go and be with people who are poor and in need? Is He asking you to step forward and be with people of great stature? We cannot impose our ways or our wants on God; we have to listen for His ways and His desires. He is the one who does know what is best for the people you see around you, be it with your eyes, hearing with your ears or watching over news channels…
God blesses the poor because they do not see the riches of heaven in their world. God blesses the hungry because they do not have the opulent lifestyle of some others. God blesses those who weep because they are in need of comfort when the world has taken them away from that comfort. God blesses the people who hate you and your Christian ways because He wants them to see what they can have if they would turn to Him. Wherever God is calling you, step forward, one step at a time and move on with Him!
Points to Ponder:
Do you have a heart to serve other people?
What is God asking you to do – and will you listen?
February 21: Luke 1 46-55
Key Verse: Luke 1 53
He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.
Devotion:
How would you describe the Lord when you are asked to describe your God? Mary chose several ways to describe God and her position with Him. She was now not under any illusion that God was not fully in control of what had happened and what was about to happen to her, and indeed Elizabeth. She had accepted fully the path God had laid down before her… so today I want to look at a few things we must remember about God as reminded her by Mary.
Christ is our Saviour and we need to let that sink deep into our minds and our spirits; nothing should make us doubt this or persuade us otherwise! This is true no matter what our position is in society, remembering we should be behaving like a servant to God alone. No matter how low or how high we think we are in our community, we are still God’s children because He has shown us this already! The more we remember this and act accordingly, the more we give Him all the glory He deserves.
God has shown us mighty and terrible things against all who dared to come up against Him or dared to come up against His children. God continues to love and protect all His children just as a shepherd cares for the sheep in their protection. He continues to protect the people who need it most and lift up the poorest who need Him most. He does not care for rules or politicians who do nothing for His children; they are nothing despite their belief they are invincible!
God has shown us throughout history how He cares for His children and we are called to be His children too. God’s promise to Abraham was upheld despite his and Sarah’s ages and despite the fact everyone though it not possible. We need to wait on God and allow Him to work according to His will and not our own will. God alone is God and His promises stand forever!
Points to Ponder:
Do you grow weary when things do not go your way?
Are you still willing to wait on God?
February 20: Psalms 34 7-11
Key Verse: Psalms 34 10
The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
Devotion:
One thing I loved about being brought up in Africa was the opportunities we had to be able to see nature in action on a scale available in only a few countries in the world. The lion is considered to be the king of the jungle (though lives in the bush and not the jungle) because of their position in the food chain. They are considered to be strong and able to take on any other animal to get food – but that is not always true.
Despite there being some animals they will shy away from, they are dependant on the animals they like to eat being available. If the country is in the grips of a drought, their preferred prey may not be available, so they go after something else. But if the drought is severe, they may not have anything they can eat available; they will grow weak and hungry because they have not got food…
For those lions which are kept in game parks or zoos, a ready supply of food is made available to ensure they can continue to thrive. They have a safe haven in which they are not just welcome, but where they do not have to stray from in order to find food enough to eat. Any good zoo or park will make sure the lions still have to work for their food and also have the right food available to them – lions do not choose to be vegetarians and require the right meat to grow strong and keep healthy.
We need the right food in order to keep healthy too; but I am not talking about our diets be they carnivorous, omnivorous, vegetarian or vegan… I am talking about the spiritual food we need in our lives to keep our souls healthy. If we are spoon fed things all our lives, we may well grow weak and lazy; we need to go hunting for our spiritual food so we can keep on form and be able to tell the difference between good input and unrighteous things. Seeking the Lord at all times will keep us in good spirits just as good exercise keeps us physically healthy.
Points to Ponder:
What things do you seek in your life?
Are you focusing on Godly things?