June 28: Ruth 2 8-12
Key Verse: Ruth 2 12
The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.
Devotion:
When Boaz found out about how loving and kind Ruth was to her mother in law he was more than willing to do something for her in return, after all this was one of his relatives as well. Do you find people are more willing to share things with you when you share with them? This should be part of our life experience that we are able to recognise people are kind to us when we are kind to them. The starting point for this is you have to be kind to someone else first of all.
It is all very well doing something if you are going to get a reward, after all we work for a living and we even strive to get better recognition for the work we do by working harder. But there are going to be times in your life when you will have to either work for someone who you know cannot pay you anything in return, or you will not know if there will be any reward to start with. Stepping forward and starting with the first act of kindness is what God is calling each of us to do.
If you do struggle with this whole concept of having to work without pay then take a look back through the Bible and see how many cases there are of people doing exactly that. It is not uncommon to just get on and do something because you know it is right or because you know it is needed. It is not a fact of life that we have to get paid for everything we do. Yes we do have to earn a living so we can do things like pay our bills and buy food, but these can come to you in surprising ways when you are willing to trust others.
God would like us to trust Him and indeed does ask us to trust Him. We may not see how He will be able to do what we think we require, but when we do place our faith and trust in Him, He is able to show us just what He can do. God does not want you to sit and wait for Him to do something. If you start praying and asking direction He may well show you how to wait on Him further which can get very uncomfortable if we want to do our own thing. God may require you to get up and do something more first of all before you see where He is leading you. Be patient and be expectant.
Points to Ponder:
Do you trust others?
Are you actually trusting God?
June 27: 2 Samuel 9 6-11
Key Verse: 2 Samuel 9 9
Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?”
Devotion:
David had a great friendship with Jonathan in spite of what Saul tried to do to him and this passage reminds us of the long term effects of wholesome friendship. David was also in remembrance of the king God had chosen; David did not want to be any part of killing Saul because God had chosen Saul and he had been anointed as King of Israel. David knew he had been anointed as the new King of Israel and so took on the role doing the best he could for God.
Now was the time when things had begun to settle down after all the battles and David was now beginning to think back on all Jonathan had done for him so he could escape the clutches of Saul. David enquires from one of the servants who used to work for Saul to find out if there was any relations of Saul’s that were still alive. If he could not reward Jonathan, he wanted to reward someone from the king’s family.
When David heard that Mephibosheth was still alive he sent for him. After all the trouble with the Amalekites I’m sure Mephibosheth must have thought it was the end for him when David summoned him. Mephibosheth prostrated himself before David to show total submission but David was not in any mood to take that. He reassigned Ziba, who used to be a servant of Saul, to serve Mephibosheth and to work all the land which used to belong to Saul. This land was given back to Mephibosheth because he was the closest heir left alive.
Then David extended his grace and mercy further by inviting Mephibosheth to eat with Him for every meal from then on; thus opening his own house to Saul’s family to show forgiveness for anything that had happened before. David did not want Israel to be divided because that was not God’s will; instead David tried to promote and support God’s will. Yes he did get things wrong now and again which would prevent him from building the temple in the end, but his heart was always for God.
Points to Ponder:
How is your relationship with your friends?
How is your relationship with God?
June 26: Titus 3 1-8
Key Verse: Titus 3 5
not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit
Devotion:
I must admit to having to read through passages like this a few times before they sink into my brain. When the English language gets tied up in words I do tend to lose track of what is being said, and hence I do tend to say the wrong thing now and again in these devotionals. But this is no big thing when compared to living our lives out in front of people who do not believe in Christ yet.
If you wanted to buy a new car you would probably want to see it to make sure it looked fine and you may even reject something just because it is the wrong colour. As Christians, our lives are on show in front of many people who are looking for something new to replace the horrible old stuff in their own lives. Not everybody will be looking for the same thing. Some may well be looking for all the dirt and grime to hide in, but there will be some looking for a positive change.
To live a righteous life in front of them is to give them hope for what may be ahead for them. If we can only show them despair then we will not be giving them hope in a positive future. But f we are able to share the life God allows us to have then we will give them something to hope in. We should not try to make them envious of our lives but to show them a different way in which they may find what they are looking for.
Each one of us is very different and our likes and dislikes are different, so trying to impose your ways on others is not going to work. But giving them a glimpse of what you can achieve through Christ will give them a glimpse of what they can do in their own way with Him too. It was because of Christ we were given this life and our eternal life to come. Allow others to see what they can have by opening up a new world to each person you meet today.
Points to Ponder:
Do you encourage others with your Bible?
Are you following your Bible’s teachings?
June 25: 2 Timothy 1 8-12
Key Verse: 2 Timothy 1 9
who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began
Devotion:
Can you think back to the last time when you kept quiet when someone misquoted the Bible or kept quiet when you knew the answer was in the Bible? Can you remember a time when you did not speak out just because you thought you would get mocked for telling someone what the bible says? Each of us have been given access to God’s Word and we need to use that access to the fullest extent we are allowed to!
It is no good hiding the truth under a stone in the hopes someone will eventually find it when we can take a step forward and give them the truth there and then! God knows we will not always have a smooth day when we stand firm in the Gospel. He knows we will come up against people who just want to shout us down. He knows we may end up in jail when we dare to speak about the bible in lands where they ban it. But He is willing to stand by you every step of the way, giving you strength and courage to continue on.
This is what God has called us for – not to keep quiet but to stand up and tell people about Him! It is not how effective we think we are based on our years of training but on how effective we can be based on the power of God working through and in us! Don’t complain about not having the training. Don’t complain about not knowing the Bible. Don’t complain to give yourself a way out. Complain about not being given enough opportunity to share the little knowledge you have about God!
Let us not be ashamed about what the Bible says. If we don’t know the answer, read up about it and study it. If we still don’t know, share it with others until you find out. If people are upset by what we say find out what is upsetting them, work through it. Don’t assume they can find out for themselves because that may be the time when they turn away because nobody else seems to care…
Points to Ponder:
Do you share your Bible?
Are you following God’s calling?
June 24: 1 Timothy 5 3-8
Key Verse: 1 Timothy 5 4
But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God
Devotion:
I love the picture painted here of how we need to respect widows; not just because it shows us we need to look after the elderly but also because it reminds children of their duty toward their parents. I know I have the most amazing children who love and respect me so much more than I think I deserve; and I truly thank God for them always. God wants us to share this love and support those who have been before us because they are the ones who made it possible for us to be where we are today.
If things have gone wrong in our lives we need not blame our parents or their parents because each of us has a choice and we have made the choices we have to be in the positions we are now in. Yes many things in life are beyond the choices we make, but even with those events we have a choice as to whether we accept them and move on or whether we apportion blame because we don’t like what has happened.
Paul had lived a varied life and he had learned to be thankful for whatever came through the door. God continues to be with us even when the wolf walks through our front door. Just because we are in danger does not mean God has left us and run off in the other direction – it just means God is with us and can protect us when we call out to Him!
The older we get the more we like to think we have it all under control. The more we do the more we tend to shut others out when they don’t do exactly as we say. The more that happens the more we think we have been left out ourselves. If we leave God out of our life we feel like He has left us. This is the same in our personal lives – though it took me a long while to realise that and longer still to accept it! Be loving and kind to those around you just as you would like them to be toward you later in life!
Points to Ponder:
Do you have loving children?
Are you a loving child of God?