January 30: 2 Corinthians 12 19-21
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 12 20
For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.
Devotion:
I wonder whether God has placed something on your heart and you have not yet taken up the challenge… I found myself in this position a few years back when I was “between youth jobs”. I knew God had plans for me, but had not listened to find out what and where. So why have I picked these verses for a question like this?
Many times in our lives we shy away from having to do something because we think it is going to be hard work or something we are not going to be able to cope with; but when God is calling you to do something, you need to be listening to Him because it is the best thing for you to be doing. It may well seem like hard work and it may seem like you are about to walk into a storm because of the people you are being called to go to – but when you get there are knuckle down to what God has called you to do, it all starts to make sense!
Yes, it may well be hard work. Yes, there may well be times you have to berate people for what they are doing. But unless you are going to do that, just maybe those people will not be able to fully grasp what God has in store for them. I love seeing people admit to the fact we are shining lights in a dark world; the darkness cannot stop us because as soon as light enters into the space, darkness is no more!
Do not be put off by the actions of others. Do not be put off by the lives others live. If God is calling you to witness to such people, He is also going to lift you up and protect you in your calling. You do not have to join in with the lifestyle of the people around you – in fact you need to ensure you are that shining light others will be able to count on. Be the example God has called you to be; but don’t go in and think you are better than the people around you! God has called you to be a witness to them and an example through which they will be encouraged, giving them hope.
Points to Ponder:
What has God called you to be?
Will you submit fully to God’s will for your life?
January 29: 2 Corinthians 10 1-6
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 10 2
I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world.
Devotion:
I don’t think any of us like to confront people with what they are doing wrong just as Paul did not like having to confront the Corinthians – but, he was willing to do so to stop them following the ways of the world! The more people live in the ways of the world, the more they are willing to push their ways and the ways of the world instead up upholding God’s ways. Just like the passage yesterday, we need to remember we are working against spiritual powers and need God’s power and wisdom to bring us through and allow us to promote gospel ways!
I wonder how many times teachers had to (or have to) tell you off because of the things you did (or do) in class which are not right! The way the teachers used to stop us from doing things wrong was with a cane – the ways teachers do this now are very different; but they are still ways of the world and not the way Christians should be doing things.
Christ calls us to uphold the gospel and promote the gospel to encourage others on the right path and not to constantly punish people when they step off the path He has described in our lives! The weapons we should be using are not the canes from long ago, nor the exclusions and others ways of the world today but rather we have the divine power of God through which we can accomplish so much more.
Don’t limit your ways to the ways of the world but rather allow God to use His ways and His powers to overcome the worldly and spiritual powers we work against. It is said that a single voice cannot do much, but multiple voices can do so much more; I put it to you that a single voice backed up by the most powerful and wise voice in our world can do immeasurably more than we can imagine! This means obeying God and trusting more to Him than we do now...
Points to Ponder:
How strong do you think you are?
Will you give your battles to God to win the wars?
January 28: Ephesians 6 10-17
Key Verse: Ephesians 6 13
Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Devotion:
One of the greatest things I love about being a child of God is the protection He offers us each and every day of our lives with Him. But just as we do obtain protection from Him, we also need to make sure we have the best protection available: this means putting on the full armour of God. Our armed forces dress appropriately for battle wearing protective gear against being shot and also carrying weapons they can use when required.
Our struggle, as mentioned here in there verses, is not will other armies or people, but with rulers, authorities and the powers of this dark world. For these we have to be prepared to fight back against injustice and wrong-doings. But we also fight against spiritual forces for which we have no real powers by ourselves; through Christ and the Holy Spirit we have the ability to fight these forces.
But what use is the best weapon going to be unless we know how to use it or how to deploy it? We could have the very best the world has to offer, and we know we have the very best God has to offer, but if we do not know how to use this protection and these weapons, we may as well be running into battle with our bare hands – not the best thing to do!
God wants us to be truthful and inform people about the gospel message to start the war against evil. Then we need to listen to the guidance from the Holy Spirit as He tries to guide us in the best possible way forward. Don’t back down when people argue about the gospel; stick to the truth and stand firm in that truth. We may not be able to see tangible evidence of the power God can yield through us, so we need to have faith it is there and faith it will deliver us in all circumstances. The evil one is going to use circumstances around us to make us doubt – don’t believe him! Christ has promised us this all; take it in faith and firmly believe it!
Points to Ponder:
Do you have doubts about your faith?
God does not doubt His power or His faith?
January 27: Ephesians 4 29-32
Key Verse: Ephesians 4 29
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Devotion:
Depending on your background and where you were brought up, this may be a hard thing to do – to stop the bad language, bitterness, rage, fighting and other things which do not build up others. In boarding school we learned to talk one way in front of the teachers or parents and another way entirely in front of others students. Having someone point this out when I was in boarding school would probably have not changed the way I was talking and acting!
But when we start to study what is being said in these verses and other parts of our bible giving similar instructions, we find a very different way of life to how we probably have been brought up! The big point we should not miss out on is to not grieve or upset the Holy Spirit. Does that mean we just have to talk to God and the Holy Spirit like we would talk to parents and teachers? Far from it! The Holy Spirit is with us in every walk of our lives, listening and trying to guide us in the correct way of doing things for God.
When we start swearing, taking the Lord’s name in vain, putting down others or getting angry with people just because we are not getting our own way, we are upsetting the Holy Spirit with our words and actions. Don’t forget the Holy Spirit is part of God and God cannot and will not accept these sort of actions.
Have you ever been upset with people for the way they have acted toward you? Have you ever been pushed into a proverbial corner through other people’s actions in your life? This is what we are doing to the Holy Spirit when we do things God would not like in our lives; it is as if we are forcing Him into a corner in our lives where He cannot help us, guide us and keep us from harm...
Points to Ponder:
How often do you get angry?
How often do you grieve the Holy Spirit?
January 26: Ephesians 1 11-14
Key Verse: Ephesians 1 13
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
Devotion:
I still find it remarkable how Christ made it possible for every one of us to be able to join God in heaven! The most amazing part of this being God, who knew of us before we knew Him, chose us to be the ones who would be given this amazing gift… because He already knew what decision we would make in our lives! Christ came to us, not to build Himself up, taking glory from God, but as a mere human who was willing to give all the glory to God.
This was God’s plan for us; Christ came to fulfil this plan. The Holy Spirit is with us to continue making it possible for us to achieve our destinations through Christ’s promise and for God’s glory. It’s mind boggling for us to try and get our heads around this all!
Do we have to understand it all before we can be with Christ? Certainly not! As long as we have heard the truth and choose to believe that truth, we have this amazing gift given to us which cannot and will not ever be take away from us! Christ sealed His promise the moment you chose to believe. Just like wax seals were put on letters to ensure the recipient knew it had not been interfered with, Christ’s seal stays with us as we are presented to God as new beings, not interfered with by the world.
How can He do this? Ours is not to try and figure out the logistics of the whole operation but to simply have faith in Christ knowing He will carry out His promise with us. The moment we believe, that seal is put on us… Yes we still live in the world and we do get up to all manner of things, both good and bad, but that seal remains!
Points to Ponder:
Do you ever doubt your life could ever be forgiven?
Will you simply have faith that Christ has put His seal on you?