April 29: Ecclesiastes 1 3-8
Key Verse: Ecclesiastes 1 4
One generation passes away, and another generation comes; but the earth abides forever.
Devotion:
Some people get so tied up in worrying about how they have to fit everything possible into their lives that they lose track of what is actually important. Solomon went through a lot of things as he tried everything out. Would we be something like that if we were to have loads of money? Would we go out and try everything, buy everything, taste everything, drink everything and generally overdo everything? I like to think that the answer would be that we would not, but I fear that having an excess of money would corrupt me just as it does so many others.
God knows our needs and He knows what is good for our souls. He alone knows us intimately and wants what is best for us. If we have a spouse we would like to think that they know us better than others, and hopefully they do, but still not as well as God.
Now take a though of the size of the country that you live in and compare that with the size of the home you live in. Your home is just a spot in that country and you could probably get up to whatever you wanted in that home without affecting the country as a whole. But God sees everything that you do and He cares for you, each one of us individually! Look up at the sky at night and wonder how far that star is away from you. Now think of how small you are in comparison to that distance; I doubt whether you would get an accurate picture because it is just too beyond our imaginations. But God knows how many hairs are on your head!
When Solomon came to the conclusion that everything was vanity he did so because he saw the world for what it was. Mankind continues to lift up his own self and to describe himself as being something that he is not. We are God’s creation. He knows us and wants what is best for us. When we seek what we think we want we go astray as we follow the world instead of following God’s direction. Don’t let the world get you down because it is not worth anything in comparison to what a proper relationship is worth. There is not better relationship than a relationship with someone who knows you better than you know yourself. Go with God! He cares for you and your family!
Points to Ponder:
Do you feel like an ant right now?
Christ knows how many ants we have seen!
April 28: Isaiah 40 10-11
Key Verse: Isaiah 40 10
Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him.
Devotion:
Of a certainty, Christ will be returning to His creation; we do not know the time or the place when and where He will return, but we know that he will because that is what He has promised us. So many places in our bibles told of His coming the first time and the next time; we have the proof that He did come the first time as promised because He was crucified by the authorities… and yet so many people still refuse to believe that He will come back again, just like the first time!
But before Christ does return, He has commanded us to go out and share the Gospel story with others so that everyone will get to hear the Gospel. There is no question that God’s hand is all powerful, but we as believers can deliver a powerful hand by coming together and being consistent with the Gospel message going out to others. When we share the bible with others and they get to hear the same story from others and get to see that story lived out in others as well, they will begin to question whether their lax view on life is right or not.
Satan has been using doubt to get into the hearts of man from the very beginning because it is such a powerful weapon. We need to quell that doubt by showing a consistent view of God, Christ and the Holy Spirit that people will recognise and want to hear more of! I do love being able to share God’s Word with others in new ways and I am always on the lookout for things that can help me; but the wealth of my knowledge comes from doing God’s will, by going out and sharing the Gospel message with others.
As we go out and tell others, the Holy Spirit gives us the words to say and allows us to share what Christ has done for all of us. I depend on God in all my work because I know that I am not eloquent enough (watch out, big word) to portray God correctly; but by allowing God to guide me in what I say instead of me trying to be clever in speech, He gets the glory because people get to hear the truth in just the way they need it. Yes I did fail English to begin with, and I’m still lacking in those skills, but I can share the Gospel with you. Try it. Depend on God.
Points to Ponder:
Do you fear talking to others?
Have you tried letting God share through you?
April 27: Ruth 3 10-13
Key Verse: Ruth 3 12
Now it is true that I am a close relative; however, there is a relative closer than I.
Devotion:
I do love reading my bible and finding snippets that you have not realise before; I love the way that God leads you through the bible and opens doors in your mind about what life was like, what life can be like and all the joy that we can look forward to in a life with Him. I have read the story of Ruth and Boaz, have taught on it, have preached on it, but when you spot something different you want to be able to get down and read it all again. That is why I so enjoy reading the bible – no other book has ever done that for me…
Boaz may have had a good time at the party and may even have had a few too many drinks, but when he came to realising that Ruth was at his feet he was not just startled but I think quite happy with the thought. He had done a “background check” on her already because we are told that he had asked questions and found out who was the relation that was closest to her. When you take a liking to someone you want to be able to draw closer to them by finding out all about them… Not stalking! I’m talking about getting to know them by talking to them and not about them!
Boaz was very happy to allow Ruth to stay close to him through the night so that she would not have to go anywhere in the dark. Was this common courtesy? I think not because he was a man who had a good standing in the community and a position that demanded respect from all. It is sometimes hard to look at the ways of the world around you and wonder why they should be allowed to get up to the things they do when Christians should not; but then you look at the long term rewards that they end up with and you know why you have continued to be God’s child!
God wants us to separate our ways from the world’s ways. He does not want us to build huge walls that prevent others from coming to us. He does not want us to isolate our world from their so that they don’t pollute us; how are we going to show and tell them about the Gospel unless we are able to mix with them? We do have to take risks in our lives but we should always do so with God by our sides and trust in His ways and in His will. Running off and doing what the world does is not wise and will only end you up in the same mess as the world. Trusting in God, waiting on Him and allowing Him to work in your life can be hard but it is very rewarding!
Points to Ponder:
Do you think you are patient?
What do you do with the world?
April 26: Psalms 55 16-19
Key Verse: Psalms 55 16
As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me.
Devotion:
How many times have you tried to tell friends or family about Christ and you see them switch off as soon as you mention His name? Or just about when you want to dig more into God’s Word or try and have a decent discussion about the Gospel, they change the subject. I’m sure we have all been there at some stage and we do tend to get a bit discouraged by things like that. But the things that we should be remembering is that God is the one who we all have to call on in order to be saved.
I know I was there at one stage in my life and I was the one telling people they had all got it wrong; but I am so glad that Christ opened up my heart and my know and see the truth. I had a lot of help from people along the way and I know that I have a lot of very special people that are around me nowadays so I can always look for encouragement from them, but the simple fact remains that we have to make our own decisions to either follow Christ or reject Him. What sort of an influence are you toward others when it comes to showing them just how much you gain out of knowing Christ?
Are you one that hides your knowledge of Christ from the rest of the world? Maybe just like Peter when he denied knowing and being with Jesus three times before the cockerel crowed in the morning. Or maybe you are someone who stands on street corners shouting about Christ. Or maybe you are somewhere in between where you know Christ and you tell others about Christ when you get a chance, but you don’t go and shout about it.
Christ wants us all to know Him so that we can call on Him to ask for forgiveness from our sins. If we are not willing to be examples to others or not willing to tell others about this Gospel that we now know, then how are they going to ever be encouraged to find out more and be able to ask Christ themselves? We have a duty, but I would hope that we have a desire more than a sense of duty to go and tell others about Christ. They need to know they can call on His name!
Points to Ponder:
Can you remember when you called on Christ?
Are you ready to tell someone else now?
April 25: Psalms 116 1-4
Key Verse: Psalms 116 2
Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
Devotion:
It really is amazing seeing the real love of God in action. When we do call out to Him, He answers and He comforts. We may not get what we desire, but we certainly will get what we need to continue on in His will. I have found that there is nothing that will stop us from being able to show God’s love to other people. Yes we may get people trying to stop us, shut down our works, deride our work and all sorts of things, but we can still show people how much God loves us.
The disciples were put in jail for telling others about Jesus and all that He had done for them but they still continued encouraging people to seek the Lord; and it worked! We are reminded in the books of the Acts of the Apostles that they went out to share the Gospel just as Jesus had said they should and thousands of people got to know and believe the truth through their work. God is a great enabler and He will allow us to do His work as long as we are willing.
We should be aware that we may get people who will object and act against us but God continues to listen to our prayers. We need to be in constant contact with God to make sure that we do not grow weary. When we stop praying we start doubting because our minds lose focus on Him. When our minds lose focus we don’t get down on our knees… until we are desperate and then we don’t seem to have any issue with falling on our knees.
So instead of waiting until we are falling on our knees through desperation, let us get down on our knees when we know what is ahead. Let God prepare us for the journey through our prayers instead of asking Him to pick us up and carry us because we have failed. God wants us to know that he is always there by relying on Him to guide us through life and not by crying to Him after failure. He does always listen and he does answer, so lift up your prayers sooner rather than later!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you talk with God?
Do you have to be in a tight corner before you pray?