October 11: Matthew 25 14-30
Key Verse: Matthew 25 25
So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.
Devotion:
This story about the bags of gold is one that used to trouble me until I got out and started working for God with an open heart, then it sunk in and made much more sense than before. This man was obviously fairly well off and wanted his belongings to be looked after whilst he was away from home; being well off the belongings in this case were large amounts of gold. If we think of this in worldly terms we get all caught up in riches and greed and the story then seems to be about riches and greed. This is not what was meant.
When we then look at the story in terms of spiritual riches, even spiritual gifts and in terms of what Christ can give us, the story takes on a new meaning. We then start to see that Christ gives us charge of many things in our lives. These things still belong to God but we are set in charge of them until He returns. He does not want things to go to waste but rather to be used to increase the kingdom of God and not to let it rot.
Yes we could take the gift that Christ has given us and bury it in our hearts, keep it to ourselves, not show it off, keep it within our group of friends… and there it will continually diminish as people grow old and pass on! You see, God gives us these gifts and opportunities so that we can make the best use of them and not to keep them to ourselves. God wants us to take what he gives us and not to just share it with those around us but to use it to increase and grow the gift He gives into something even more special and even more effective.
And just like the first two men, we must take what we have been given and take a few risks for that increase to come. Playing it safe all the time means we get to keep what we have been given, but nothing more comes of it. When we step out of our comfort boxes and take a few risks, He gives us the increase and we come back with much more than we had in the beginning.
Points to Ponder:
Are you playing it safe?
Will you take a risk for God?
October 10: John 13 6-17
Key Verse: John 13 15
I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
Devotion:
When was the last time you washed someone’s feet? I know as parents we have been called to wash feet many times for our children when they were small, but think about washing someone’s feet after they have been for a long walk or a run! Jesus was not telling us that we had to go out physically and wash people’s feet all the time; He was giving us a lesson in humility. Having to wash feet is not the most glamorous job on the planet and certainly one that we would not normally choose to do!
When you do truly love someone there would not be much hesitation if you were asked to wash their feet, and when it comes down to various other things we don’t have to think much before we do help out the people that we truly love. But when it comes to strangers or even people who disagree with you, we start thinking twice before helping them out. This is not what Christ was teaching here. Christ is teaching us that we have to put aside personal feelings and personal gripes to be humble before all people. If you want to show someone that you do love them as Christ loves us, then you should be willing to wash their feet without question.
I really do not think I would want to ask anyone to have to wash my feet after a hard day working in my boots, especially if it is working outside in the heat and dust. I can remember the state my feet used to be in when I was living out in Africa and running around in the dust with flip-flops! And yet my mum would willingly wash me before bed time as a young child… Christ showed the disciples that He was willing to do that to them as grown men after they had been walking in the dusty desert sands. Why? Because of His great love for them and for us.
If you are willing to love someone then being humble before them and doing their dirty work is not a hardship at all, in fact it does not even have to be a chore but a labour of love. Jesus has taught me to love people and to be willing to do what it takes to show them that love. Sometimes that is very difficult to do, especially when they are not willing to accept you as a person who loves them. I count myself very fortunate to know people who allow me to love them openly. I count it all joy to be able to work for them!
Points to Ponder:
Do your feet get dirty?
Can you imagine Jesus being willing to wash them?
October 9: James 4 13-17
Key Verse: James 4 17
Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.
Devotion:
It is good to plan things so that we move forward in the right direction. But planning out your life without regard for others is a dangerous past-time, one that God has warned us about many times through the prophets and apostles. We do not know what Christ is going to return, so building and planning a life that does not include His will in our lives is about as good as building a raincoat out of tissue paper; it will not work!
Our lives are totally dependent on God and on all that He has planned for us. We do not always get to hear what He has planned for us, but if we are willing to listen to Him and accept that what He says may not always agree with what we say or do, then we should be able to get on a bit further than just by ourselves. God is constantly trying to show us His will in our lives and constantly trying to teach us as well. We are the ones who surround ourselves with all manner of obstacles and noise such that we do not get to hear His will above the din.
Taking time out of each day and setting it aside to listen to God is as important for us as eating and drinking; without His daily bread we are just living for the world and nothing more. We could be looking at a very long life (like the steam from a kettle on a very cold day) or we could be looking at a very short time ahead like the vapour on a hot dry day. Ours is not to guess how long we have and try and build a case around that time span; ours is to trust that God is planning our life ahead and allow Him to show us the path forward so that we can live a full a life as we can with Him instead of in spite of Him.
Our lives are all going to be different so building our life according to what others do or have done is not as wise as building our life according to God’s plan. But getting to know God’s plan for our lives is not going to be as easy as watching others. Watch God. Watch Christ. Watch what He does and listen to what He plans. Our profit is not just in the prophets but in what Christ is feeding us with each and every day.
Points to Ponder:
Do you know your bible?
Are you listening to Christ’s word for you today?
October 8: Hebrews 6 1-3
Key Verse: Hebrews 6 3
And this we will do if God permits.
Devotion:
What use is the law once we know it and believe it? Bit of a risky question maybe, but think about how you would answer that and how others may answer. We have the law, all the rules and regulations, all the things written down so that we can get to know them. They point us in the direction of Christ and hopefully convict us so that we believe they are the truth. So once we know that truth, what use are the old things written down?
Well, clearly they are good as reminders and also for showing others about the things we believe in. And, yes, we can go back to those scriptures and learn new things each time as we study – but those are new things we are learning, not revisiting the old things and re-learning them. If we truly believe then we should be taking what we know and finding out more all the time; we should be expanding our knowledge and moving forward all the time. So what use are the old things?
They allow us to share. They allow us to give to others the knowledge we have gained through us learning in the first place. But their use for us should only be to reinforce what we have and not to re-prove things we already know. Yes I am standing on shaky ground and I am doing it for a reason. I want us to move forward in the knowledge and wisdom we have in Christ and not to stagnate and do things all over again just because they are there.
Moving forward can be just as bad as standing still because we need to know that we are moving forward in the right direction and not slipping back to our old ways and leaving behind the stuff that we have learned… just don’t get stuck in the old things and stand still. Take on new things. Move forward. Step forward along the path. Yes it can be scary because we may think we are going to step off the path at times – but unless we are actually stepping forward we are not trusting in God, we are just trusting in words that have been written down for a long time.
Points to Ponder:
Are you ready to step up?
Are you stepping forward with Christ?
October 7: Galatians 5 1-6
Key Verse: Galatians 5 4
You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
Devotion:
When we try to start justifying our own existence through what we do or to justify what we have done, do or are going to do through anything that we have done we get on a rather slippery slope. If we think we have it all right in our heads and we go forward justifying what we are doing because we want thing to happen our way, we are doing nothing more than telling others that we are right… We may well be right, but do we have the right to make things happen just because of that?
The answer is a bit grey because the question I asked is to provoke thoughts and not to tell you what is right and wrong. God alone is righteous in everything and we should be trying to work towards His ways and His will in our lives. If we lift up what we assume is the law and stick to that no matter what, we are deceiving ourselves. Even the people who wrote the words down in our bibles have made mistakes. God did not tell them to write down those mistakes, but they did anyway. It is our duty to try and find out what is right and allow people to see what we have found. It is not our duty to tell everyone how to live because someone said so.
Christ alone went to give His life for ours. Our brave people who fight for our countries have given their lives for us too, but their lives are so that we may be safe while we live here on earth. Christ died so that our lives would be safe for all eternity! Many people give their lives out of love or duty to their country, Christ gave His live because of His great love for us as individuals.
If we think that we should be safe because of what we do, we are sadly mistaken. The most we can do is to extend our lives a little on earth. God may well allow that so that we can have more time to give to others, more time to show others about this great love God has for us, this great love Christ showed for us.
Points to Ponder:
How do you look at time?
Are you sharing God?