June 13: Matthew 6 19-21
Key Verse: Matthew 6 21
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Devotion:
How safe do you keep your valuables? Do you depend on security and prevention or do you rely on the insurance after the fact? Far too much of our lives we now look to the insurance to pay for our shortcomings or the greed and tenacity of others instead of making sure that our valuables are kept securely at all times. Sometimes, no matter how hard we try to keep things safe, something always goes wrong.
I like to think that I give priority to the treasures we look forward to in Heaven over the things I have on earth, but I know I do give in and protect some valuables more than I should do. This is a very human thing because we do tend to give far too much credit to the valuable we have. God does not want us to be distracted by the things we build up on earth. He wants us to be focused on Him and His ways rather than any treasure we can find on earth.
When we try to store our clothes we have to think about the pests we could find lurking in the places we store our clothes and the pest who live on our fabrics. We also tend to try and make cars last longer than they were designed to last. We cannot hide the fact we live in a disposably society, but giving the historical objects more credit than they are worth is not helping any of us.
I can think of many countries in the world where people have all manner of physical protection to prevent others from breaking in to their treasures. But I cannot think of too many countries where they will rather build up a good network of people trying to take the gospel out with them. We have far too few people willing to go out and teach others about God. I can think of many people who are willing to go out and teach others about how to make money! Share God’s love, joy and peace!
Points to Ponder:
What do you value in life?
Do you aim to gain more for Heaven than earth?
June 12: Matthew 6 16-18
Key Verse: Matthew 6 17
But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
Devotion:
Jesus continued to try and get the disciples to understand they had a choice as to how they lived their lives. It’s one thing to make a choice to do right or wrong things, but the choices we have to make go much deeper than that. The choices we make are going to be seen by others, but making those choices just so others can see what we do is not right. Our choices should not be made to bring glory to us but rather that we can give that glory to God our Father in Heaven.
I have come across people who go out of their way to help others and to do things for the church but they do those things because their either say it is the way it should be done or they say they have to. I have met people who give up their lives to help others out of love for them. I have known people who serve other people and care for them in homes and hospitals. But what use is any of this if all we seek is praise from others?
Our ultimate aim in our lives is what Jesus was trying to get us to see and admit to. If we seek things from earth, be it praise or riches, then all we can hope to achieve is those rewards on earth. Now some people will say those rewards are what count and it should be our goal to achieve the best rewards we can on earth to show we have lived life to the maximum; but what gain to we get if we know we cannot take those rewards with us when we die?
God would like us to have an honest and open relationship with Him. I know I have said that before, but as Christians we need to make sure other people get to know we are doing this for Christ and not for ourselves. If we hope to gain rewards in Heaven we should be aiming to please the one who can give us those rewards in Heaven and not aim to please earthly people. God will not be shy to give us our rewards when we serve Him with honesty and integrity.
Points to Ponder:
What do you do for Christ?
Are you living to glorify God or yourself?
June 11: Matthew 6 5-7
Key Verse: Matthew 6 6
But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
Devotion:
When Christ was giving instruction to the disciples about how to act in public toward God His instruction centred on making sure they gave their hearts and glory to God and not to show off in front of other people. So many times in our lives we do things to try and impress others rather than doing them to impress God. Can God be impressed? Yes He can, but not in a glory giving way but rather in respecting us for doing the right thing when He knows our lives.
If we are willing to praise God then we should not have to make a big song and dance about it each time we want to lift up our prayers. God will listen to us even when we lock ourselves in a dark room to pray to Him. God is going to hear our prayers when they come silently from our hearts and not via the church PA system to everyone can hear them. God is listening to your heart and not necessarily your use of the English language (or whatever other language you pray to Him with!)
I love to lift up my prayers at all times during the day – when I am sitting in traffic or driving down the highways, when I am almost asleep in bed to when I am dancing around in front of children trying to get them to sing to God! I believe God is listening to us all the time and He will reward us according to our hearts and our actions. But when our hearts and actions are turned toward impressing others, why should God be listening?
If we want God to answer we have to be sure we lift up our prayers to Him, then He can answer according to His goodness and His mercy. But if we lift up our prayers to other people then are we not already getting all we can earn from them? Are we not already impressing others – that is all the reward we should expect from them! Speak to God. Speak directly to Him. Ask things in Jesus’ name, but ask God…
Points to Ponder:
Do the direction of your prayers and heart agree?
Is God the focus of your prayers?
June 10: Psalms 27 7-10
Key Verse: Psalms 27 8
When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
Devotion:
What would your heart say if God asked you to seek His face? Would you do what Adam and Eve did and hide because you know you have done wrong or would you seek Him? It is an easy question to answer before you think about it, but one which may trouble you when you get to think about all you have done wrong before God!
This Psalms is all about the author declaring their faith toward God, not because he thinks it is the right thing to do but because he knows what God has done for him. With the New Testament to now add on to these writings from the Old Testament we should have even more joy and reason to have faith in Christ. Not only has God shown us how faithful He is in the times of trouble for so many people throughout history, but He shows us His faithfulness by fulfilling the prophecies of the Old Testament for us.
So when we call out to God we can be sure He will continue to answer us just as He has answered so many people in the past – not because they were so much better than us, nor because they sacrificed things, but because His love for us has never ended. Yes we do things wrong and we get mixed up in our lives and we have every reason to believe God would be angry with us; but God promises us He is faithful to forgive us each and every time!
Even when our own families reject us because of what we do wrong, God is going to be there to make sure we are not rejected completely. If we feel rejected then maybe we are the ones turning our backs on God. If we feel left out, then maybe we are the ones who have walked out. I feel bad for saying things like this toward other people, but I know God does forgive because He was willing to forgive me; so I must tell the truth and say that He will be merciful to forgive every one of us!
Points to Ponder:
Do you hide your sins?
Will you bring them to God?
June 9: 2 Corinthians 4 16-18
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 4 16
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
Devotion:
Do you read quotes like “don’t lose heart” and wonder how people could be so positive when you cannot see anything positive to look forward to? In the past I have looked at some of the things people write on social media and wondered whether they have actually read the words they have posted! But what would life be like if we were all exactly the same? I thank God He has created us all as very different people.
Yes we get to meet some people in our lives and wonder how they could be so similar to us. We even get to meet people we feel we should have known all of our lives and want to spend the rest of our lives with them. But most of the time we tend to meet people and then lose contact with them, maybe never to see them again. Life is fleeting. We move on.
When you get to know Christ though, you find a whole new dimension to what a relationship is like. Each and every day we have something new to look forward to, something new to learn and something to look forward to. This does not mean we will suddenly find the ultimate partner, nor that we will be able to be friends with everyone, nor that we will become like all the others… It means we get to live a purposeful life if we dare to enter into that good relationship with Christ.
As I have said in the past, our relationships have to be two way. That means getting involved with Christ, getting to know Him better each day and allowing Him into your life every day. It also means listening to Him every day as well otherwise we are starving our relationship. We need to be in constant contact with God in order to live our lives with Him. Stay in contact but also wait for replies. Waiting on God is as important as having your say.
Points to Ponder:
Do you pray constantly?
Do you take time to listen?