July 18: Matthew 22 1-10
Key Verse: Matthew 22 5
But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.
Devotion:
Sometimes it is hard to believe how people can turn down invitations to parties or feasts but then you meet some people and wonder how they would actually cope with being at the party! Whatever way you look at it this parable is told in a few different ways, all of which are basically saying that unless you respond to an invitation you may well find you are left out of future events!
This does not just relate to parties or big events, it can be something as simple as responding to an invite to come and have a cup of tea or to chat about something. You know what it is like to have someone ignore your plea for help or to turn round and say something crass like ‘whatever’ or ‘so what’! So why then do we respond in that way to Christ? He is inviting us into a great future with Him. He is inviting us to the best party in the world and yet so many people are either ignoring Him or responding with the ‘whatever’ look!
God wants us to be safe. He sent Jesus Christ in human form into this world so we can be sought out by Him and saved by Him. Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19 10) and not to come and find the safe people and have a safe party with them. Christ came to befriend the sinners and allow them to know real love and mercy.
I know what it is like to work with young people for many years, teaching them about God and watching them as they walk out the door without so much as a thank you never to come back again. I don’t get upset anymore because I know I have done my best to plant the seeds in their hearts. I know Christ is the one who will germinate those seeds. I know they will be thinking about their life one day and may even remember some of the stuff I taught them so many years ago. Leave God to do His work!
Points to Ponder:
Do you grow weary with Christian work?
Have you ever been thanked twenty years later?
July 17: Matthew 10 34-39
Key Verse: Matthew 10 35
For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’;
Devotion:
We get to hear a lot about Christ showing love that goes beyond our imagination, about Him healing the sick and comforting the poor; what we do not hear too much of is how He comes to divide families. That may seem counter intuitive thinking about Christ causing division within families and friends but when we look at why we begin to understand why He said these things.
We are sinners, which is never nice to think about but we are. We do things wrong and we continue to mess up. As we mess up we look for excuses to try and cover up the mistakes we make and we use the people around us to help cover things up; whether we want to be honest enough to admit that or not, we do. It is hard not to. In order for us to be able to make a difference in our circumstances, Christ is saying He will set us against each other as we begin to realise we are doing things wrong. When we back away from something because we see it as wrong, our friends may be upset with us for not supporting them in doing things wrong. Again, very human!
When we make a stand against wrongful things we get on the wrong side of the people around us because they may see something they are doing wrong because we have uncovered things for ourselves. They may take a view we are causing the pain instead of seeing they are doing this to themselves; just as we try to blame others for what we do wrong, we also blame others for showing us up!
Christ wants us to make sure we keep God first and foremost, just as He gave Moses the Ten Commandments with the first two being aimed at giving Him His rightful place of glory in our lives, so He gave us the same direction through Christ. If we are going to love each other as much as we love ourselves, then we had better start being honest with ourselves so we can be honest with others. That will give us the courage to be honest with God and change our lives even when our friends and families do not want to!
Points to Ponder:
Do you obey your family?
Do you obey Christ?
July 16: Luke 14 25-33
Key Verse: Luke 14 28
For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it
Devotion:
How many times have you fallen back into your old ways because God has not answered your prayers yet, depended on your own strength because you thought God may not answer or used your own money to do something you had asked God for because you did not want to wait? I think we all fall back on our own mean from time to time because we don’t always think God will answer or don’t want to have to wait for the answer; and in many cases God continues to bless us even though we have tried to do it ourselves.
If we say to God that we are going to depend on Him or that we will wait for Him, then that is what we need to do; not wait five minutes and then go off and do something ourselves! Asking God to do something is one thing, but having the faith to believe He will do it is quite another! Jesus told the people around Him they could not be His disciples unless they left everything behind, including their families. Why? To prove to themselves He answers prayers.
Throughout their history God had been trying to show the Israelites they could and should depend on Him for everything. Time and time again they did their own thing. Time and time again they fell flat on their faces when they tried. That seem to be the way of mankind – if you think of a way to do it yourself, then do it…
God wants people who will be willing to have their faith tested so they will have their faith expanded. If our faith is never tested we will not know it as being true faith. If we continue to ask God and then do something instead why should God continue to listen to our prayers? But He does! Waiting for the right time when you will have nothing left so He can step forward and answer your prayers the way He wants them answered.
Points to Ponder:
Do you ask God for things?
Do you wait for an answer?
July 15: Psalms 34 1-7
Key Verse: Psalms 34 3
Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.
Devotion:
As a Christian I find the Psalms so wonderful to read through and meditate on because many of them are worshipful songs lifting up god and giving the glory to Him. David went through so many different circumstances in his life and had to face many things; but each time he was supported by a loving caring God! We need to share our experiences of how God has loved and supported us with the people around us. It is the eye witness accounts which will make a difference in people’s lives.
No matter what position we hold in our lives, whether pauper or king, we can all praise God and see how He loves and supports each one of us. Sharing our experiences with others who are from different walks of life allows them and us to see how God works with all people and not just some people. God does not discriminate on any grounds. Man discriminates on many different things and even changes his mind based on how he feels or the time of day. God is faithful and just, remaining the one constant in our lives we can depend on.
I wonder if you have woken up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat as you began to think about something that was going to happen the next day; be it an exam, test, horrible task or even something like a wedding. When we wake up in that frame of mind we should stop and realise nothing we can do will change much we have to face. The only thing we will end up doing is making ourselves even more worried about the occasion. God, on the other hand, can ease our minds and our hearts giving us peace where we never thought it possible.
I know I have called out to God on occasion and I know He has given me comfort where I thought comfort impossible. Giving the trouble to God may not be easy or comfortable in the beginning, but once He starts to calm your spirit you will not look back and wonder why – you will look forward and wonder why you waited so long to ask!
Points to Ponder:
Do you lose sleep over things?
Do you include God in your discomforts?
July 14: 1 Timothy 2 1-7
Key Verse: 1 Timothy 2 4
who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Devotion:
Jesus gave Himself on the cross for each one of us whether we be kings and queens or the poorest of the poor; God does not discriminate on social standing in order that we may be saved. God looks squarely at the individual and what they do in order to judge them. He has given us the command to go and tell people the Gospel so that each person may be able to make their own mind up about Christ.
God also wants to make sure we lift each other up in prayer so we can extend our love to all people just as He has asked us to do. You see, God does not just give us a whole lot of rules to follow and see if we can do them. God knows we cannot keep all of the rules He has made. Instead He has given us opportunity to come to Him and admit to our shortcomings. It is His intention that we are all able to have our sins forgiven, but we have to make the choice in our lives.
It is not our choice as to whom we select to hear the Gospel either because Christ wants us to go to every person and share the truth. He sent His disciples to both Jew and Gentile. He does not discriminate according to race or religion or to family backgrounds. God chooses based on the heart.
We need to also support the people in charge. They are the ones who will be facing the stress and strain of leading groups, counties, countries or churches. They are the ones who need the peace of mind to do what is right when faced with the sins of the people around them. God is able to stick to the truth but mankind will be tempted just as we are; that is why we should lift up our leaders in prayer and support to ensure they have the best chance at getting things right while we are alive!
Points to Ponder:
Who do you pray for?
Do you keep governments in your prayers?