May 9: 1 Corinthians 9 24-27
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 9 24
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
Devotion:
How many times have you expected to gain a prize without actually entering a competition? It is not a normal practice to gain prizes without first entering into competitions or buying tickets to raffles or whatever. So why should we expect God to give us all manner of things if we are not willing to first enter into the race set before us? It may not be fair to compare our relationship with Christ as a race because we are not trying to beat other people to Heaven but the fact that we have to enter a race before we can hope for a prize is worth thinking about!
Most of us are more than willing to spend a little money to gain some reward or to do some work to gain a reward – after all that is going to be a big part of our lives, working for a living. Any gain we get from working or any other competition will fade and disappear at some stage in our lives and we accept that; but it does not make us stop trying or reject the race before we even start. So if we are willing to do so much just to gain a reward that will fade and die, then how much more should we be willing to do to gain a reward from God that will never fade and die?
The gain we obtain from God is not uncertain like the potential gain from a race – we know the reward from God is certain and sure. So we do not have to gamble anything we have in order to gain a reward that may or may not be bigger than the stake we gamble with. That is not how God works. He has already given up the ultimate prize that will never fade, we just have to make the move to get into the right race and finish before time runs out!
We are not in this race to try and beat our neighbours or any other people, we simply have to enter the race before the starter’s gun goes off and leaves us out of the race! We do not know when the starter will pull the trigger to start the race, but we do know that it will be too late once the gun has gone bang! Get in the race and secure your reward!
Points to Ponder:
Are you trying to compete against others for God?
Do you not know the certainty of Christ’s living water?
May 8: Ephesians 5 1-7
Key Verse: Ephesians 5 5
For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
Devotion:
Each of us has been made in God’s image, not that we are all gods but that we have been created with body soul and spirit and we have a place with God in heaven. Whether we get to go there is our choice – God has already reserved a place but unless we take Him up on that place we will never get to see it or to experience it!
Just as He wants us to set aside the worldly ways and follow His ways, we too must set aside our own wants and lusts in favour of what He is supplying for our needs. God loves us much more than we can do wrong against Him, but unless we are willing to make that turn-around and admit we do sin against Him, we are not going to enjoy a life with Him. We can rest on His love as much as we like and tell everyone of this amazing love, but unless we repent, we get nowhere.
The act of repentance is not just saying sorry like a naughty child but meaning it and trying to turn away from the things we do wrong. We may not have the strength to turn away from our sin, but if we are bold enough to admit the sin and try to make a difference, God will help us to achieve that goal! It is the fool who will talk about the sin and say how bad it is, but continues to practise it! It is a fool who will go back for more knowing it is all wrong. And some of us are real fools because we have gone back for more time and time again!
God wants us to break the cycle of repetitive sin by not being the serial re-offenders we seem to be. God wants us to see what is wrong and turn away from it; He will supply what we need to overcome the sin if we are willing to trust Him and ask for that help. Don’t be put off thinking that the sin is greater than God’s grace or His love because it simply is not. God has already paid the ultimate price and no further price has to be paid – but we still need to join the train before we can get to Heaven with Him.
Points to Ponder:
Are you on the wrong train?
Will you ask Him direction?
May 7: Isaiah 44 6-8
Key Verse: Isaiah 44 8
Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.
Devotion:
What does it take for you to stop and remember just how awesome God is? What does it take for you to stop and realise there is no other God? What will God have to do in order for you to fully trust in Him and in everything He can do for you? Sometimes it will take a life-changing event which will rock the very foundation of your earthly life before you will see how great God actually is; but hopefully it will not have to be so for you!
God tries knocking on your door and waits patiently for you to open the door, just like a friend who will come round and gently knock on your door just in case you are asleep so as not to disturb you. You have the choice as to whether you are going to answer the door and you have the choice what happen after that as well. We could answer the door and make up an excuse about being too tired or washing your hair or some other thing that comes to mind, or you could answer the door and make a difference.
God is not going to force His way into your life but He may well make it very uncomfortable for you to ignore Him if He knows you need Him. If a friend spots a fire burning in your back room they are not going to knock gently to make sure they don’t wake you up, they are going to bash hard enough to wake you from your deepest sleep because they want to save your life! Are you going to wait for God to have to knock that loudly?
God alone knows there is no other gods; we just trust Him and our friends to believe there are no other gods. Some will tell you about all the other gods they follow and others will tell you about all the other things in their lives they follow whilst ignoring God. Those other things are their gods because they are making them more important in their lives than God. There is only one Rock upon which we can build our lives and that Rock is Jesus Christ!
Points to Ponder:
What do you trust in your life?
How much do you trust Christ?
May 6: Psalms 145 17-21
Key Verse: Psalms 145 19
He will fulfil the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them.
Devotion:
I think these words were not written down to try to get us to do more so we can get more back, nor to praise God more so we could get more blessings back; I believe they were written down as a matter of fact by the author telling us this is how he found out life with God was like. The more he was able to lift up his praise to God, the more God seemed to bless him. The more the author was able to trust God and believe God in his own heart, the more God was able to bless him and support him.
When we find out how God does something for us or how much He blesses us, we should be telling other people about it so they are encouraged to trust in God as well. We are all prone to a bit of exaggeration and we like to stretch the truth sometimes – this is not what God is after because people will find out the truth in the end and they will be put off trusting God. But if we are able to tell people the truth about how God is working in our own lives, then they will be encouraged to trust in Him more.
God has demonstrated His love toward us already but many people will not be able to see just how much He loves them because they get trapped up in all the gory details or in the bad things that surround the good points. The news is full of bad news and bad things that are happening with a snippet of what there may be that is good news. That is the way we have been brought up and it is not God’s way unfortunately. God wants us to hear the good points so we can be encouraged!
If all we ever did was to tell the people we love the things they do wrong and not the things they do right, they would not be very happy with us. God does not make a point of telling us of all the things we do wrong all the time so why should we do that? God gives us encouragement through example, and sometimes the example is not good news but it has to be said for us to move on to the next good thing. Trust God in all His ways and in all His words.
Points to Ponder:
Do you tell people good news?
Have you read God’s Good News?
May 5: Ecclesiastes 12 13-14
Key Verse: Ecclesiastes 12 13
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all.
Devotion:
I wonder if you have said to anyone “If you loved me you would…” Unfortunately it is a very human thing to do, to demand that others do things the way we want just because they love us or because they say they love us. If we truly loved them as well we would not be demanding anything of them. I know I am a person who does try not to demand outwardly, but I still think along those lines in my head. I know I am a trying person in that I do not always do what is right as well, but I think along those lines in my head.
God does not demand we do anything. He gives us the rules and He says what he would like us to do and how He would like us to act, but He does not demand it of us. Does God get upset when we do not do the right thing or go against His will? I am sure He does get upset! And that is why we have words written down like this by the ‘Teacher’ telling us we need to fear God, to hold Him up in a position of uttermost respect, not because He is dangerous but because of His amazing love for us.
When you do love someone you find you want to be able to do things for them and you may even get upset when you cannot do things for them. I love to be able to take care of people and to help them out in as many ways as I can; not just because it makes me feel good, but because I love them and because I love God. Loving God allows you to see how much more we can do for others by giving them full Christian love and by opening up your life toward them, not just saying things.
When people do things for us and show us how much they appreciate us, we enjoy it, we love it. When God does things for us, we get to see just how much He does care for us. God is watching us all the time and He knows when we do things for Him and for others. But it’s not just the fact that he sees what we do; He sees the intent in our hearts for everything we do and that is what counts – what is in our hearts as we do things. Love goes so much further than just a simple relationship with another person!
Points to Ponder:
Do you expect your partner to do things your way?
Are you expecting God to do things your way?