October 25: John 20 19-23

Key Verse: John 20 21
So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

Devotion:
I love the way that Christ comes into the room unannounced and proceeds to give the apostles a very special commission, not just to go out and tell everyone about Him but to make sure that they understand why they need to know as well. Depending on which translation of the Bible you read these verses will come out differently and may be read to have different meanings if not read carefully and in context with what Christ has said all along.

God has always taught that he alone is judge and He alone will forgive sins; that means God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit because they are one. These verses are telling us that Christ personally came to deliver the Holy Spirit to the Apostles. When they received the Holy Spirit they were given the wisdom to know when people were going to be forgiven. This is not to say they were given the ability to judge people but the ability to discern the judgment of Christ. People would know that they were telling the truth.

When we start listening properly to God, we too will be able to discern whether people are following Christ or whether they are doing something for themselves. The problem comes with our ability to listen properly because like Jonah we may not want to listen to God because we don’t like some people! Does this mean that we have a problem if we can’t hear God? I think I would be worried if I did hear voices because I think of that as a last resort way of reaching us from God. When we spend time with God by reading His word and trying to understand it, we grow closer to Him and understand His judgment better. It does not give us the right to judge but it does give us an insight into other people’s lives.

We should not have to wait until we get a personal visit from Christ. We should not have to wait until He speaks verbally to us. We should not have to wait until we see Him face to face. We have been given our Bibles, great people of God who have gone before us, great scholars who have studied the scriptures and many people who just love God with everything. Let us listen carefully and try to discern the real will of God in our lives and the lives of those around us.

Points to Ponder:
Do you feel like you are not tuned into God?

Have you spent some time with Him alone recently?

October 24: Malachi 2 7-9

Key Verse: Malachi 2 7
For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge, And people should seek the law from his mouth; For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.

Devotion:
If there is one thing that you learn from reading the Old Testament is that man keep on saying that he will do things and does not always get round to doing them! There is a recurring theme whereby man says he will, starts to do it and starts to please God, then falls away, withdraws from God, loses direction, stops obeying God and falls flat on his face once again. Then when the prophets and priests tell the people how bad they have been, they eventually come round to setting things right with God and restarting the same old cycle once again.

But this book has a bit of a difference from the previous books and letters because there is a large gap in time after the prophet was around and the time when Christ came. This is when we should start to remember that God is in charge and that His measurement of time does not always match up with ours. We like things to happen instantly because our time is measures in minutes, hours and days. God is not bound by time and continues to get it right no matter what or when.

But note also that it was the priests’ job to make sure that he knew as much information as possible so that he could pass that on to the people in his care as well as to teach the next generation year after year.

When God says no, we need to listen and to make sure we show Him we are listening. It is great to be able to set things up and show God that you are listening. Trying to pull the wool over God’s eyes is just not going to happen! The priests’ job was to learn the scriptures well enough to be able to explain it all and do it all. It is no good just saying you will do it, or even making sure you do it in school… it is about telling God you will do something for Him and doing it!

Points to Ponder:
How quick are you at doing things for God?

How much do you talk about it instead?

October 23: Ezra 7 7-10

Key Verse: Ezra 7 10
For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.

Devotion:
When Ezra was still in Babylon he had made his mind up that he was going to study the scriptures so that he could become a scholar and an expert in the law that Moses has been given by God. Various prophets had stirred up the people and encouraged that all they should be rebuilding the temple again, but Ezra being stirred up to study even harder to gain the knowledge and wisdom about God’s word.

If we are willing to set our goal of doing something for God, then we should be strong enough to continue on that quests until such time as we have completed our task for God. In the same manner we should also aim to complete things that we say we will do for God. When God says that he will do something for us, it gets done! When we say we’ll do something for someone, it’s got a chance of happening, but our word is not quite as firm as Christ’s word!

Ezra’s journey from Babylon to Jerusalem was not just a hop in the car or plane, it was a long journey that took him 4 months of travel. I know I complain when I have to travel more than 4 hours never mind 4 days, weeks or months; but God wants us to take on the tasks He gives us with as much determination as Ezra. Taking a journey of a few weeks was bad enough in those days, but 4 months would have opened them to all manner of dangers; throughout all of this God was watching over them and protecting all who travelled together on that journey.

I admire anyone who can compete in athletics because I know how tough the job is of getting fit and staying fit so that you have a fighting chance at actually finishing the race! I may have run long races in my youth, but never anything that lasted longer than a few hours. Determination to finish the journey would have all but disappeared if God had not given them the strength and will to complete the task… This is because God wanted people to know that he was behind this all.

Points to Ponder:
Do you have stamina?

Will you persevere for God?

October 22: Nehemiah 8 1-6

Key Verse: Nehemiah 8 2
So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month.

Devotion:
Nehemiah made a point of getting the people together so that they could hear the law as written down by Moses. He made sure that there were people gathered together who would be able to understand the law and to take it in. He made sure that there was not just one person standing up alone but the priest Ezra and 13 others standing as witnesses. We could stand up and tell people exactly what it says in the bible, but it often takes a bit more to convince some people that you are actually reading the truth. Sometimes we do have to have someone or some others with us to re-enforce the idea that this is the truth.

It is not as if God cannot work miracles in their hearts, but sometimes people are so caught up in the world that they persistently trash the word of God just because they have never been in a group of loving and supportive Christians. We need to stand up together and support each other as we go forward and tell people about God. God allowed Aaron to go with Moses in the beginning because Moses was complaining about his lack of clear speech. When God senses we have some sort of lack of confidence, He will make sure that we have the support of others around us to help us explain His word to people.

I absolutely love the fact that I have people around me who are willing to support each other in God’s word. I love being able to be part of our church as we bring the Gospel message forward to people. I love being able to introduce young people to the amazing stories from the bible. I love being able to stand up and bring God’s word to a discerning audience. But all of this does take time for some of us. I know it took me a long time before I had confidence to get up and talk about God.

If you start by talking to people who want to hear the Gospel, you will feel just how wonderful it is to serve God through teaching. If you are brave enough to take a step further and teach people who don’t really care then you will feel the urgency of this work we have to do. When you know just how important it is to reach and teach others, God will give you the support you need to get it done!

Points to Ponder:
Are you scared of public speaking?

Will you try telling friends about God?