February 23: Genesis 9 8-17
Key Verse: Genesis 9 9
And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you
Devotion:
After the flood God made a promise to Noah and all his descendants that the world would never be completely flooded again; in other words that is our promise from God! Each time we have rain the sunlight gets refracted through the droplets and we see rainbows. This was the new beginning God was making for the whole of humanity after they had all but destroyed their own lives with evil and corrupt living. It is an unfortunate thing that man is so impatient…
It did not take people very long in the Old Testament before they turned away from God and worshiped idols and did terrible things to each other. Each time they walked away from a life with God He would try to persuade them back to a righteous life with Him. God continues to love us and support us but will not stand idly by whilst we waste our lives with bad living; we should expect things to happen that will bring us round to seeing the truth again!
Even though there is so much proof written down in our bibles we make all manner of excuses so we can go off and do our own thing instead of having to listen to God. But there is just as much proof in our bibles showing us how wonderful life can be with God when we do listen to Him; and yet we still want to do our own thing! If there was one event which should bring it back to us that God is in charge then the flood should be it! The whole world was destroyed because of what mankind had done! And yet just eight people were saved from the flood because they listened to God’s instructions.
It may not be easy to listen to God, but it should be what we do first of all and not as a last resort. Let us take note of God’s Word, read it, digest it, obey it and live a life that includes God every day from now on.
Points to Ponder:
Do you give up?
Or do you start something new?
February 22: Psalms 17 3-5
Key Verse: Psalms 17 4
Concerning the works of men, by the word of Your lips, I have kept away from the paths of the destroyer.
Devotion:
None of us can ever hope to be able to say we have no sin within us and David is not saying that either. What he is alluding to is the fact that we have a God who is willing and able to forgive us even when we have done wrong. God’s mercy goes far beyond our ability to sin!
When Christ forgives us of our sin He is withdrawing that sin completely from our lives and will present us to God the Father as if we did not have any sin within us. For Him to be able to do that for us means He has paid the ultimate price for us and nothing is ever going to be big enough to prevent Him from forgiving when it is right for Him to forgive us.
Each time we do find any sin within us and we bring it up to Christ to forgive us, we can be sure He will find it in His heart to forgive us. Christ did not hold back when He went to the cross, so we should be more than willing to make the difference now. When we ask for forgiveness we should be turning away from sin to ensure we will not go back into it. Allow Christ to work to the full extent in His life. Ask Him to forgive and He will do so as far as the East is from the West.
But as we turn away from our sin we do need to find the strength to not be tempted. As we went through before this we will have to make sure we ask for that strength from God through the Holy Spirit because we certainly do not have enough to set this aside. Allow God to guide your every step so you will be less likely to turn back to your sinful ways and enjoy a wonderful life with Christ!
Points to Ponder:
When do you feel most forgiven?
Imagine being totally forgiven!
February 21: Galatians 5 19-26
Key Verse: Galatians 5 22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness
Devotion:
If you think that it is difficult to tell the difference between going the way of the world and listening and following God, then you need to take another look at these verses. But then there are going to be many of you who will immediately identify with these verses and yet stop half way on the journey… When God said that we should turn our backs on worldly ways it was not a meek suggestion to stop doing the horrible things we find listed in these verses but rather a commandment to turn away from them altogether. It is no use saying that you are not going to give in to adultery any more and yet continue having parties and getting drunk all the time…
Turning you back on worldly ways means not just giving them up for Lent but turning away from them altogether in your life. That means not going there through temptations, not going to a place where you will be tempted by them, not wanting to go there… That’s the hard part because we may well have had these habits or problems in our lives for a long time and giving them up may be hard, but the thoughts continue on for a lot longer!
So how do you stop yourself thinking about those things? Unfortunately the answer is, “you don’t!” because you are the one who had them in your life and you are the one who broke the rules so you could have them. You are the one who got used to them and now you are the one thinking of them all the time to try and give them up! So if you can’t do what God is asking you to do – what do you do?
You take your problem to God and you lay it at His feet asking Him to give you the wherewithal to remove that from your life. There is no way you will be able to do it yourself – you couldn’t do it the first time and you probably won’t do it every time you try… but God can give you the strength to combat them and to help you remove them from your life. It is through Christ that you will succeed and not through your own strength!
Points to Ponder:
Do you give in too easily?
Are you asking God to help you?
February 20: Acts 17 24-31
Key Verse: Acts 17 27
And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings
Devotion:
How quickly we forget that we are all human being made by the same God in His own image! It only takes a small argument to start a big fight and a short time to destroy peace that has been pieced together over a long time. It is God who ordered the universe and gave us direction and purpose; but us who have turned down the wrong paths and gone astray for that direction.
We get used to doing things in our own ways and even get to the point where we require others to walk the same path as we do because we just want that to be so. We do not have the right to force people down our erroneous paths, but we do. We should not judge people according to our own rules, but we do. This must be some of the most painful times for God, watching us as we turn our back on Him and struggle to turn other people away just so we do not feel alone in our ways.
What we should be doing is holding out our hands to others people as we walk in Christ’s ways and not our own. We should be encouraging people to walk the righteous path and not break down what God has built up. How can we hope to maintain something we cannot keep in order for ourselves? How can we take someone away from God when we know it is wrong?
We do this for our own gain. We do not fully understand just how precious God’s ways are until we break down and see ourselves, broken and destitute. Why wait until we have gone too far? Why wait for the complete breakdown when we can live for God in a much better way? Take a look at what God has given us. Take time to see how much He has given us. Now look upon that as you would looking upon gold and others riches. These are the true riches – the one’s Christ given to us!
Points to Ponder:
Do you like riches?
Are you seeing the riches Christ supplies?
February 19: Isaiah 25 6-8
Key Verse: Isaiah 25 7
And He will destroy on this mountain the surface of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations.
Devotion:
Can you think of a good reason to have a feast? I’m sure we could all make an excuse to have a good meal and party and when we are able it lifts up our spirits. Having a celebrative party because you have succeeded in doing something is great fun but we often forget about the reason for some parties and continue on in our lives just doing and getting by after the fact.
Who would you invite to your party or feast? Would it be friends you know, family or old acquaintances? It seems a difficult choice to make sometimes to make sure you do not upset people who expect to come along – oh the joys of peer pressure in our modern society.
God’s invitation is an open invitation to everyone who is willing to listen. It does not have any special requirements such as us having to bring along a part of the meal or drinks to go with it. His invitation does not exclude people because of their belonging to another religion. It really is an open invitation. God wants to break down prejudice and allow people to seek the truth. God wants us to come together to seek out that truth as we learn from each other. God wants us to stop carrying round the barriers we have put up which stop us from being open about the truth. God wants us to stop doing religion and start loving our neighbours so we can share the Gospel message!
There are a long lasting a great reward for those who are willing to put aside their own wants and desires and follow God’s truth. A reward that will go far beyond the memories of any feast or party. Happiness which will endure… But we do have to listen when He says NO! It is no good just going along for the party and then expecting rewards just because you turned up. Make it real!
Points to Ponder:
Do you listen to God?
Are you doing what He is asking?