December 26: Proverbs 17 9-10
Key Verse: Proverbs 17 10
A rebuke impresses a discerning person more than a hundred lashes a fool.
Devotion:
How many times have you got upset with someone because of something they have said in the heat of the moment? Or maybe you have said something out of line in the heat of the moment and you can't think why the other person is still holding a grudge... We are a fickle bunch and we do cause arguments over the smallest of things. Those arguments may well lead to breaking up with friends unless you and they are willing to forgive.
Forgiveness has to work from both ends as well, when one side forgives, the other side has to accept and trust in that forgiveness because without accepting and trusting in it, there is still a wedge between you and them. Being able to look over mistakes and things said in the heat of the moment is a big step forward to being able to seek and keep friends. In families we learn to do this all the time (or at least we should,) so why not extend that to everyone?
But there are going to be times when someone goes too far. At that point someone is going to have to express themselves and point out where things have gone wrong; but there is a big difference between pointing out an error and shouting your head off. There may be a fine balance between what should be pointed out and what should be covered over, but if it's not causing problems then what is the problem. Forgiveness will go further!
Being able to accept it when someone points out an issue takes more than you think. The first thing we are going to do is rebel because of our nature. Then we may well retaliate. Finally, we may well turn our backs on them... What we should be doing is trying to accept mistakes as they happen or are pointed out. Because they have had to be pointed out, it means that someone is not happy with us. We then should try to learn from those mistakes.
God does try to point out our mistakes and sometimes allows things to go wrong in our lives to try and get us to focus on why things have gone wrong. We need to stop and listen!
Points to Ponder:
Have you upset anyone recently without apologising?
Think of the things we do against God without apologising.
December 25: Luke 2 1-14
Key Verse: Luke 2 11
Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
Devotion:
The author of this gospel gives us an historical account of what happened over two thousand years ago (though probably not this exact day!) Caesar Augustus send out a new law saying everyone needed to be taxed once again, just as Cyrenius had done when he was governor of Syria. But in order for everyone to be taxed he wanted them all to go to their own towns and cities where their family line came from… this was because the people would have kept fairly good ancestral records.
Joseph’s family came from Bethlehem which was a fair old distance from Galilee, the city of Nazareth, where he was currently living. Now, his fiancé, Mary was pregnant and would not really have wanted to make such an arduous journey at that time of her pregnancy; but Joseph was a man who wanted to do the right thing and knew it had to be done.
When they got to Bethlehem they found they were either not welcome or there was simply no more room in any of the inns. They had to take what they could get and that was a lowly stable. Some time later, we are not sure how long afterward, Mary was ready to have the child and Jesus was born. She wrapped Him in whatever was to hand – simple cloths – and laid Him in the closest thing they had for a cot, a manger!
A bunch of shepherds living in nearby fields were visited by an angel, much to their initial fright. The angel told them to go down into Bethlehem where they would find a new-born baby laying in a manger and wrapped in cloths. The angel said this was Christ the Lord, their Messiah! Then a whole lot of angels appeared singing and praising God “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth and good will toward all men!” This was the welcome for Jesus Christ into our world, not just for the Jews, but for all mankind! The stories the prophets had told were coming true and the lowest people in that society, the shepherds, were the first to be told of this amazing thing!
Points to Ponder:
Have you welcomed Jesus Christ into your life?
A very Merry Christmas to you all with God’s richest blessings!
December 24: Proverbs 27 21
Key Verse: Proverbs 27 21
The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but people are tested by their praise.
Devotion:
One of the surest ways of finding out what a person is really like is to give them praise for something they have done. That person could do anything from the two extremes of accepting the praise with an eagerness which can only show pride and conceit to rejecting the praise in its totality; neither end of this scale would really be appreciated by us.
If we wanted to get the most out of fine metals such as gold and silver, we would have to refine them. To do so, they are placed in heat, the highest they can take, so the impurities get burned off, leaving the true metal behind. Giving someone a whole lot of praise would have the same effect on them. All the pretences they hold up will almost certainly get dropped. If that person were to accept the praise and make themselves proud, conceited, boastful, even scornful of others, then they are taking the praise straight to their heads thinking they are the ones who deserve all the praise... That praise should not be taken up in ourselves, but transmitted to those who actually deserve it. We may have been the ones who have had to do the hard work, we may even have had to fork up the money, but where has all of that come from in the beginning – who has made it all possible to start with?
God is the one who deserves the praise for the things He allows us to get involved in and to do. God alone is the great designer. God alone is the ultimate creator. How can we really take the honours when we know He is the one who has made it all possible...
If we get praised for doing things, then we have to accept said praise in the right light. God has allowed us to do what we have done, and the praise given should be a guide to us showing us what we have done right. That praise should encourage us to continue to do what is right. It should encourage us to show more respect to those praising us. It should encourage us to stay clear of things which may bring us down. Praise should guide us in the direction of the truth. If we are able to endure good and evil, able to endure both good praise and rejection, and still come out the other side the same (or better), then we have succeeded in showing that we a true.
Points to Ponder:
How does praise affect you?
Do you give God the praise He deserves?
December 23: Job 13 1-5
Key Verse: Job 13 5
If only you would be altogether silent! For you, that would be wisdom.
Devotion:
Have you ever got to the point where you just want the people around you to stop speaking? Maybe they were annoying you with their constant jabbering, or maybe they were talking so much junk they were confusing you... Whatever the case, there are times when you just want to stop the others from speaking to get some peace inside your head.
Job had a few people around trying to give him advice about what they thought he had done wrong to have all the problems which had happened to him. Just like Job, we have probably had people gather around us to tell us of the things they think we have done wrong to get into trouble. The problem is, they cannot know exactly what we have done and they certainly are not mind readers – so how can they be blaming us for things?
We often jump in and help out with the blaming when things go wrong for those around us, but we certainly do not like it when people gather around us and dish out the dirt; at least that is how we see it! But when we are helping others, we think of it as help and not as gossip. We, each one of us, must be careful with what we do and say about those around us because they may not agree with what we say. Whilst there is nothing wrong with telling the truth, surmising about what is the truth can only get us into trouble!
We could all look at a few high-profile people to see just how badly things can go wrong. Take a few politicians who have thought they are doing the right things and have brought down countries. Take a few scientists who think they do the right thing and make horrible and fatal mistakes... Whilst some of those are going to be genuine mistakes, there will be those times when they have done what they thought was right! We need to do what we know is right, not what we think could be right – God's Word gives us those instructions!
Points to Ponder:
Do you get angry with people who boss you around?
How often do you think you know better than God (be honest)?
December 22: Luke 4 15-21
Key Verse: Luke 4 21
He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Devotion:
Can you imagine being in a synagogue and listening to Jesus preaching? I'm pretty sure most people did not know exactly who was speaking to them in the beginning... but can you imagine being able to go back in time and sit and listen to Him preach knowing as we do now He was the Messiah! Well, we don't have to travel back in time to hear His words because many of them have been written down for us to read. Yes, I know, reading about it and being there are not quite the same, but we do have His Word – how special is that!
It is little wonder the bible has sold more copies than any other book in history. When Christ promised His Word would not go unheard, that exactly what He was saying... His word would reach every nation before His return. There are many people out there who are yet to hear about God. There are people out there who are yet to see His Word... and yet we take it as if it were another book on the shelf... How do you treat your bible? How often does it get taken off the shelf to be read?
The more our society progresses towards a multi-everything society, the more we are losing sight of Christ at Christmas time. The more we lose sight of Him, the more we get taken away by the temptations which surround us. The more we get led away from His Word, the less we are likely to exercise spiritually. The less we exercise, the less we do; we get caught up in a downward spiral leading to all manner of things happening in our lives! Would you be brave enough to stand up and tell Christ what you have been up to the last year – If we want to face Him face to face, then we had better make sure we are on the right tracks and that we will recognise Him!
Points to Ponder:
How would you recognise someone you have not yet met?
What do you think Christ's first impression of you would be?