May 14: Proverbs 1 1-7
Key Verse: Proverbs 1 3
To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, judgment, and equity;
Devotion:
The beginning of the book of proverbs gives us insight into the reason why God has inspired people to write down His Word for others to read. God has made sure that the scriptures have been made available to as many people as possible with many people now taking to task the translation of the bible into many different languages. No longer is it the domain of those in the church who wanted to remain in power but rather a gift to all mankind from our Lord and Saviour.
Solomon did not have this all written down so that he would have his own reference book to read over and over to himself. He wrote it down because he believed that is what God wanted him to do for all men, not just himself. If it were a book to himself then the wording would have been different; why would he have to remind himself of who he is if this were a private note?
God has given each of us many different strengths to be able to do things in life that will make a difference. I am able to write down words that encourage others as well as encouraging me; I do get a lot out of being able to study God’s Word and try to explain it in my own words to anyone who is willing to listen. I dedicate part of every day to sitting down and learning a bit more about God and a bit more about me – God teaches me through applying His Word to situations and my life. I am able to pass on what I learn because I have taken time to learn.
God inspired Solomon and gave him a great understanding of life so that he would be able to rule effectively. Solomon was also inspired by God as He taught him ways of approaching situations in life in ways that would glorify God. If we seek to give God the glory for all that we do then we are going to be able to make more of a difference in our lives and the lives of those around us. This is what God meant by us going out and giving others the Gospel; not just to tell people but to show them God’s ways in life.
Points to Ponder:
Do you seek glory?
Do you glorify God?
May 13: Psalms 17 3-5
Key Verse: Psalms 17 5
Uphold my steps in Your paths, that my footsteps may not slip.
Devotion:
What happens when things start to get a bit tough in your life? Do you crumble and panic about what is going on around you or do you knuckle down and get on with things? I like to think that I knuckle down and get on with things, but I know that I do often fall into a big heap and need help getting to my knees again. After I am on my knees again I find the strength to get back up again and walk! That all important step of finding the strength to pray life through is what will allow you to get back up on your feet to walk again.
God continues to see us through the bad patches and allows us to grow in strength so that we will be able to move forward with Him in our lives and not leaving Him behind every step. God wants us to become stronger but He will also make sure that we get strengthened as we walk and learn with Him. God will not let us collapse in a big heap unless we are going to get something very positive out of it all; there is nothing worse than falling into a big heap and not being able to get back up again, so God does not let it happen.
Our prayers do not have to be building up until we get to the end of our tether before we lift them up to God. He wants us to be able to know that He is listening every step of the way and not just when we get into dire need. God wants us to know that He answers us on that first call when it is a call for help and through love. When God allows tests to come into our lives it is to make sure that we do depend on Him and not to make sure we collapse in a heap so that we will reach out to Him again.
We do not have to get stuck inside the belly of a whale before we cry out to Him; we can cry out before we even get wet. When we aim in the right direction and aim to please God from the beginning instead of waiting until we hit a wall and get into deep water with Him. God wants us to see the obstacles before we get too close to them. He would rather that we get warned off of the bad stuff before we get bitten by it or enveloped within the side effects. Try to gain confidence by listening to God always.
Points to Ponder:
Are you confident in yourself?
Are you confident in Christ?
May 12: Psalms 10 8-11
Key Verse: Psalms 10 10
So he crouches, he lies low, that the helpless may fall by his strength.
Devotion:
Let us never forget what we are working against in our lives as we work for God. God continues to show us what is needed and what we can do, but all the time we are going to be faced with what the evil one does to try and stop God from getting His way. It may seem like a losing battle when we as Christians look at it, but for someone who does not know Christ, the battle may not even seem real. The cunning ways of Satan will fool many into believing they are living their lives to the full and making the best of situations.
But God will always show us the way that is best and not the way that looks rosy from the outside. We face powers that do go beyond our understanding and we face rules and regulations that will confuse us. The evil one will come forward and make it look like it is impossible for us to achieve all that God asks of us so we may give in before we get started. There is no way that he will be able to get his own way with us when we are fully committed to following God’s ways, so he has to try and subvert us before we get there.
He will be the one waiting in the shadows that makes all the right sounds for us to think it is the right way forward; but when we compare his ways with God’s Word we will see they fall far short of the mark. God always aims at fulfilling His word and allowing us to grow stronger with Him every step of the way. When we falter from His Word we give in to the evil ways of the world and we think we are helpless to do anything about it – that is just his cunning way of deceiving us away from God’s Word.
If we start doubting we may start thinking that God is not in control or we may feel like He does not think of us. Remember God does not forget every little bird that flies around, so why would He ever forget us when we are making such a fuss in this world! God does not ignore us, He is patiently waiting for us to move forward in His will and not against His will!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you feel alone?
How often do you see a bird fall out of the sky for no reason?
May 11: Psalms 8 3-5
Key Verse: Psalms 8 5
For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honour.
Devotion:
Astronomers have found some pretty incredible details about the stars that surround us in the universe. They have calculated ways in which they can measure distant objects and compare them with what we know and see around us. There are suns that are vastly bigger than our sun and yet we see them as single specks of light in the night sky. I cannot grasp the size of the sun when I am told about its diameter. But when I see a picture of its relative size with earth, then I begin to understand how large it is – and yet we don’t really get how big it is.
So when an astronomer comes along and says that the biggest star can be measured in terms of the distance between planets in our solar system, my brain blows a fuse or two! I used to think of distances between our village where I was born and the village over the hill as big. Then there was the town far away which we drove to once a month or so. Then we went to the other side of the country for school on a train journey that lasted many hours. Then we flew from one city to the other to go to boarding school. This was all inside one country and yet the distances were so huge for a young lad.
All this and more is what we marvel at and come to terms with in our daily lives; yet this is so little in comparison with what is out there in the universe! But God as made us to live on this planet and God then sent His Son to come and visit us on this planet! And more than that, He allowed His Son to die for us! How much more do we need to hear before we realise just how much God loves us? How much more do we have to be told before we start to understand?
We may not be able to come to terms with just how much God does love us, but we can make comparisons by coming to terms with things in our lives and then realising that this is nothing in comparison with His love! God has allowed us to see so much and understand so much and still we question His love! God wants us to understand a bit more of His love so that we can accept it, live with it and love Him back a bit more every day. Look outside your window if you can and see what God has done for you!
Points to Ponder:
How far have you travelled in your life?
You don’t have to travel far before you reach the Son?
May 10: Jeremiah 30 1-4
Key Verse: Jeremiah 30 3
For behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,’ says the Lord. ‘And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.’
Devotion:
When Jeremiah got these words warning of the time that they would all face captivity they were not all in the same place and they were certainly not acting like one country as they used to be. Judah and split from the rest of Israel and they could no longer see eye to eye, but God was warning of the captivity that they would face no matter what tribe they were from. God does not just look at what people who are closest to Him will get up to but looks at the whole picture.
We struggle with things like predicting the weather because there are so many things that can affect it and we just cannot get our heads round all the changes possible. We use the biggest computers in the world to try and predict the weather so that we can enjoy ourselves more or be better prepared for the next day or two. Farmers rely on the weather forecast so that they can get the seeds in before the rain or water the plants when they know rain will not come.
What God sees is so much more than just the variables of the weather because He sees everything that man does from the beginning to the end. He has given us the forecast time and time again to warn us away from the sin and deceit that we so like to spread. He warns us of the bad times and tells us of the good times in the hopes that we will take notice because He does actually know what is ahead! Sometimes it is hard to get the weather forecast right and we lose faith in the weather forecasters because they get it wrong; but God does not get it wrong!
He has given us His Word and He continues to make sure that it does come to pass even though we seem very adept at messing up all manner of things in the world. God keeps His promises and He keeps making sure that we get to see them come true. Believe in what God has said because we have been shown so many times in the past that it is the truth and not just as forecast.
Points to Ponder:
Do you treat the bible as a forecast?
Or do you treat it as the truth?