December 31: Romans 6 17-23
Key Verse: Romans 6 23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Devotion:
As another year draws to a close, we have so many things to look back on. We have all the memories, be them good or bad. We have all the physical things, good or bad. And whatever has happened, we have a lot to that God for/about.
For as long as we had followed our sinful ways, we had been destined for a sinful death. For as long as we had our backs turned to the truth, we would not have seen the truth.
We are utterly incredible creations who God has lovingly created from the start. We have been given free choice in what we want to believe and follow. We have had the truth laid down in front of us and have been given the options to believe or ignore.
We have chosen our path based on our own free will. We have chosen our ways after being given that truth and after having accepted that truth. Our destination is chosen by what we believe, or by what we choose to ignore.
We have been shown the law of the land. We have been shown God's Law. We have had the choice as to follow both or none. We have known the penalty for both laws. And yet the one law, God's Law, does not carry the same impact in people’s minds because the effects are not visible to us.
Each one of us may well have broken a law of the land at some stage and some of us may well have been punished for that. But every single one of us has broken God's Law! Every single one of us would have had to pay the debt for those broken laws. Every single one of us would have had to die, not just physically, but spiritually.
But the best joy of all is that we can look back on this year and know Christ has already given us a way of escaping the debt we owe. A way of eternal life. A way we do not deserve... Just because He loves us so!
Points to Ponder:
What has been your fondest memory this year?
What do you think God will look at as His best memory from your life this year?
December 30: John 16 28-33
Key Verse: John 16 33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Devotion:
How good are you at explaining things to others? How good are (or were) your teachers at explaining things to you? In a class full of people there are going to be many ways in which things will have to be explained before everyone in that class will be able to understand what is being taught. Each one of us thinks in different ways, so much so that we may well miss something which is perfectly clear to someone sitting right next to us.
Have you ever been told something is impossible without being given any reasons or explanations? Have you ever been told something is true without being given the facts behind the truth to support it? Jesus had the perfect way of being able to get the disciples to think about what was going to happen before they got the plain truth. In this way, they were prepared for that truth when it was told. When they heard it, they knew it was the truth!
When you do some sort of science experiment at school, you know what the outcome should be and by diligently following each of the steps in the experiment, you can prove to yourself what you thought was the truth, is in fact the truth.
God has made sure we have all the evidence in the world we need. God has supplied us with His Word so we can find out the truth for ourselves. God has given us the 'experiment' so we can prove to ourselves that the truth is there!
God wants us to understand just how much has already been done for us before we get to Him. He wants us to understand He has done everything on earth for us. He wants us to understand He has done everything already! He has already overcome the world so we can accept the truth without having to pay for our shortcomings!
Points to Ponder:
What does it take for you to believe in something?
What does it take for you to believe all the truth we have in His Word?
December 29: John 16 23-27
Key Verse: John 16 23
In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
Devotion:
How many times do you think you have asked the wrong question this year? How many times have you asked a question through ignorance? How many times have you asked a question without expecting an answer? And how many times have you asked the right question that was designed to get the right response out of someone else?
Most of our lives, we bark out questions without thinking about the outcome, without thinking about the answer, without thinking about the effect, without thinking... We ask “what?” before we have thought about what was said. We ask “when?” just after being told when. We ask “who?” just after being told who... But when push comes to shove and we find ourselves in a tight spot, we find it difficult to ask the right question to get us out of those situations!
God fully understands us, even when we do not. God listens to us, even when we don't listen to ourselves! God's love for us goes so much further than we can ever imagine, even when our love falls very short of the mark. God is standing by us as a friend, waiting for us to ask the right questions. He has tried explained it all to us, yet we have not been fully listening. He has patiently given us all the information, yet we have not listened. He is waiting for those questions...
How many times have you had to answer silly questions this year because your friends have not been listening to what you have been saying? How many times have you got cross or upset with them because of their ways? God's love for us extends far beyond our friendship with our closest friends. His love for us means that He will never be upset with us for asking the questions over and over again.
His love for us means He was willing to lay down His life. His love for us means He is willing to listen to our every call. His love for us means He is willing to answer every question we have and every request that we make in Jesus' name.
Points to Ponder:
What question do you ask before you have thought of what was being said?
What questions do you have for Christ?
December 28: John 16 15-22
Key Verse: John 16 20
Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.
Devotion:
Now that most of us have opened all the Christmas presents, we have got from everyone, we are (hopefully) happy with what we have got. We looked forward to the point when we would be able to have those presents but had no idea what was going to be in some of the boxes. But now the moment of opening has passed, we know what we have.
What we have at Christmas time and what the disciples were about to experience were two totally different things! What Christ was trying to explain to the disciples was a difficult concept to accept. He was going to die! Yet they were being told they would have something great to look forward to! But what they were about to be shown physically was the greatest present anyone would know of.
Have you ever had to share a present with anyone and they were the one who got to physically open the present? What was it like having to let them open the gift? Was the gift worth waiting for?
Christ knew exactly what the disciples were thinking, He knew exactly what they were going to think, He knew exactly what sorrow and grief they were about to experience. But, He also knew that what He was about to do would give joy to so many more people to come.
When we face sorrow in our lives, we very often get caught up in the now and do not look into the future. We look back with fondness on the then, but somehow are not able to see past the grief we bear now. But as soon as we are able to see past that point, the grief & sorrow melt away and we can often see a new reason for joy after that sorrow.
Jesus has given us so much more than we can ever imagine. He has destroyed the debt we would otherwise have had to pay. He has given eternal life to absolutely anyone who is willing to put their faith and trust in Him. His forgiveness is absolute! His gift is perfect. His gift is on display for all to see; all we have to do is take it up.
Points to Ponder:
What was your best gift this Christmas?
What do you think it would be like to have a gift for eternity?
December 27: Proverbs 11 27-31
Key Verse: Proverbs 11 28
Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf.
Devotion:
There is a big difference between any inheritance we receive here on earth and the inheritance we can and will receive in heaven. The inheritance we receive here on earth can keep us happy for a short while (or maybe a long while if we happen to have a rich family,) but that is nothing in comparison to what we can receive. But there are so many ways in which we can lose any inheritance or lose any sort of gift we were going to get here on earth.
If we are going to put our trust in those riches here on earth, then we are going to quickly find we fall very short of the requirements which God has for us. We will find we fall short of many of the requirements true friends have for us too. Yes, we will have others who will look like they are trusting in us; most likely because of those riches, and that is about as deep as it goes!
And then we could really mess things up by causing havoc or even disruption close to home. The more we mess things up close to home, the more we will have to live in the mess we create. The more we do that, the less likely others close to us will trust us with the things they would have otherwise. The more we mess things up in God's eyes, the less we can be used by God to help those we love. God can use us in whatever we do, but we can be so much more effective is we are doing things His way!
If our eyes are diverted by the glittering things here on earth, we are not going to be able to see past them. If our hearts are persuaded to turn to riches here instead of what we can attain, then our inheritance may be high in earthly standards, but will be very short lived. If our souls are not destined for heaven, they will never see any riches beyond earthly riches.
But if our heart, mind and soul belong to God, we can look forward to everlasting riches which will surpass anything we can imagine here.
Points to Ponder:
What riches do you look forward to here on earth?
What riches do you look forward to in heaven?