December 21: Matthew 11 1-6
Key Verse: Matthew 11 6
Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.
Devotion:
No sooner had Christ given instructions to His disciples, He went out to all people and teach them too. His work was a labour of love, something He never get tired of doing because He knew it was sorely needed by each one of us. He knew what had to be done, and He knew it was what was required for us to get to know just how much we need a Saviour.
We all have our doubts at times. Now, whether John had his doubts at this stage or whether he simply wanted the disciples to be shown Christ's teachings in person is not up for discussion as we do not have enough details here. What is shown is that even the most ardent workers must be shown things at times to strengthen their beliefs. While Christ was here on earth it may have been easier for them to see His miracles first-hand. Whilst we are living in our time of faith, we need to listen ever more closely to find out what is happening all around us. We don't have Him walking amongst us performing the miracles in person, but we do have His Word describing all manner of things which have happened.
We need to exercise our faith in order to make it stronger. God is going to allow things into our lives which may do exactly that. What we do when we are faced with those 'exercises' is up to us. We can ignore them and allow our faith to become overweight and unfit, or we can work with them to strengthen ourselves so we are ready the face more temptations. John knew the people who followed him needed strengthening and so he would continue teaching them. Christ knew the ordinary people needed teaching too, and so He taught all people openly. Without teaching we can easily loose track on what we should be doing and get carried away by those around us who are doing all manner of things; things which are probably going to be offending God! It's amazing how quickly we will pick up on those things given a few minutes.
Points to Ponder:
Do you think you are looking after yourself physically?
How are you looking after yourself spiritually?
December 20: Luke 12 54-59
Key Verse: Luke 12 56
Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?
Devotion:
There are many observations we learn about, things which tell of something that is coming or about to happen. We can tell here in the UK that when a north wind blows, it's going to be cold. We can't see the rain coming as easily as some countries can... it just happens! We also learn to understand what signs to look out for to tell whether our parents are going to be mad at us. But, far too often, people disregard the most important warning sign of all – that Christ is going to be returning...
Each year as we get closer to Christmas day, we should remember all the things which have happened in the past in our bibles and all those things which have been foretold to happen in the future. We have it all written down in prophesies in our bibles, and yet, despite the bible being the bestselling book in the world, it still goes untold and ignored. We have all the warning signs available, and yet we prefer to ignore them and focus on the feel-good parts – God's love and mercy. We cannot afford to miss out on the truth!
If you know you have sinned and think you God is not going to forgive you, then you need to go to the one who can stand up for you; the one who has promised to stand up for you! We don't just get thrown into prison without a trial, we have to face a judge who is trying to uphold the law. If they deem it necessary, we should go to prison, then that is where we will end up. If we can convince them we are truly sorry and we will change our ways, there is a chance we will be able to avoid prison. The difference between a human judge and Christ is that Christ knows what is in our hearts, so He knows if we are truly sorry. He has also promised if we do repent, He will forgive us and set us free. It's not a “maybe”, it's a fact!
Don't leave it until it is too late....
Points to Ponder:
Do you like it when someone forgives you?
Have you asked Christ to forgive you for all you have done against Him?
December 19: 1 John 3 17-20
Key Verse: 1 John 3 18
Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
Devotion:
How can we in all good conscience not help someone when we know we can or we have the ability to help them? If we have the chance to help someone and refuse to do so, then should we expect anything less from others? Christ was the one who went out of His way to help us all by being born into this world and doing what He did. He did that because He could do it and because He knew we needed it. He did not do it because He would like the pain and suffering but because of His love towards us. We need to follow on in His example and show compassion and love towards others when we have the ability to do so.
It is no good saying we are going to support someone and never getting round to doing so. It is no good saying we will be there for someone and never turning up. Christ gave His promise He would be here for us, and He did exactly that – because of His compassion towards us. He did what He did because it was right to do so. He did what He did because we needed a Saviour. He did what He did because He promised to do so.
How many times have you said to someone you would phone them back or do something later for them knowing you would never do what you had just said? How many times have you promised to do something just to get someone off your back? How many times have you promised to do more as a Christian and never got round to doing it...? Each of us makes promises in the heat of the moment and go back on our promises after we have thought about it – or we just plain lie and never intend to carry out our promises. Others may not see into our hearts to see those lies, but after a while they will learn not to trust us. God knows exactly what we promise to do in His name; He expects us to follow in the example Jesus gave us!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you dish out false promises?
God never goes back on promises and never will...
December 18: Hebrews 10 23-25
Key Verse: Hebrews 10 24
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds
Devotion:
How wonderful it is to know we have a Saviour who has done exactly what He said He would do – to come to earth to be our ultimate sacrifice so our sins would be forgiven and to provide a way of getting eternal life through Him. We have that open way to heaven. The gift He has given us is waiting there for the picking. If He had not come to earth as a human, we would still be caught up in trying to find the best animal sacrifices without marks or blemishes which we could to offer up for our sins, hoping they would pacify God for a little longer.
It is one thing to believe there is a God, but another to believe in Him! We need to be bold in our belief. We need to uphold our faith in Him. We need to show others we do believe in what we say by following God’s Laws. When we see others around us who are struggling, then we need to show them compassion just as Christ would have shown them. When we see the faith of those around us faltering, we need to help them to build up their faith again. How do we do that? We need to be there with and for them!
Just like Jesus Christ came to earth to be with us, we must take a bold step forward to be there for those around us. It is the physical presence which will most often sway the argument. Being there will allow you to explain things as they are needed. When we get called on to help others, it is best if we are with them so we can help them directly. Jesus came to be our direct helpline, to help us understand our Heavenly Father's love for us. As we move ever closer to Christ's second coming, we need to make sure those around us do not falter as the world gets ever more caught up in the increasing temptations surrounding all of us daily. Being there to help someone will help them to see God's love at this time of year!
Points to Ponder:
Do you like to be with your friends when they need help?
Have you noticed how God is always there when you need Him?
December 17: Proverbs 27 17
Key Verse: Proverbs 27 17
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
Devotion:
We don't think too much about just how hard hitting our words can be. We often forget we could destroy people’s spirits just through something we say. We like to think we do say the right things all the time, but there are far too many times when we let slip with words which are just plain wrong! When we are talking to friends, we are more likely to say the right thing – unless we start to get angry. When we are talking to strangers, we probably are more likely to lie... “But I don't do that!” I hear you say; well think about this. How many times do we give a false excuse to someone just to get out of doing something – like those survey people and their clipboards in town centres!
Our words can achieve so much, but they can do so much damage as well. We have to be aware of just what they can do and to treat our mouths with care! I don't mean flossing and rinsing with mouthwash every day but taking care of what comes out of them! We do have the choice as to what comes out of them if we are willing to take the time to think before we speak. If we think a few milliseconds before letting rip, we are more likely to say something kind than a harsh rebuke!
With our words we can build people up too. We can help others by telling them the right things, telling them about things we know so they can learn as we have learned. Heading into conversations which will have a direction and meaning are going to be a whole lot more profitable to both parties than meaningless gossip. Gossip will spread bad feelings whereas the truth should build strength and trust. Some words will break down friendships whilst others will build them. Choosing what you say and when you say it may well make the difference between building and breaking. The wrong words will leave dents or wounds like the marks on two swords have after a sword fight. The right words could be like using those two swords carefully with each other to sharpen both blades. We have the choice as to how we use our mouths... Caution, mouth opening!
Points to Ponder:
How often do you think you say the wrong things?
Have you tried asking God to guide your mind so you can say the right things?