Tuesday Reading: Luke 3 10-14
Key Verse: Luke 3 11
11 He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.
Devotion:
When the people started asking Jesus what they should be doing and how they should be acting He had some specific answers to give them; I firmly believe that these would have been aimed at the people who were experiencing these issues in their lives. Just as when we read God’s Word now we find guidance in our modern society from words written to cover societies from ancient times, we can still find great truth and guidance in these words.
Jesus first guidance to the common people listening in (the Scribes and Pharisees seemed to turn their back on Him at this stage) was that they should care for others as if they were their own. If one person had two coats and another did not have one, the that person should give to the one who did not have. This behaviour needs to become part of our Christian lives to show that we do care for others just as Christ cared for all sinners around Him. This is not a commandment but rather guidance given to each person to exercise love and compassion as they see the needs of others. Oh that we would see more of this nowadays!
Then Jesus aimed another snippet of guidance to those amongst them that were overcharging the rich just because they thought they could afford it better. If the rich want to give more, then let them give more; but we should not extract more because we think they should do so. We need a common set of rules and prices and charges, and they should apply to all people.
Then Jesus aimed another snippet at the soldiers to make sure that they understood that being part of an army or any policing force did not give them the authority to abuse their positions but rather to assert the truth and justice. People should also be content with the wages that they have agreed with their employers and not demand more just because they have now attained a position of authority. Equally employers should be paying a fair wage just as sellers should be charging a fair price. God wants us to live together in harmony and not to constantly fight and argue because that will not lead toward Christian harmony!
Points to Ponder:
Do you trust others to be fair?
Do you think you are fair?
Monday Reading: 1 Corinthians 7 17-24
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 7 20
20 Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he was called.
Devotion:
Christianity is something that is to be found the world over and not limited to the parts where we think it belongs. We have our own ideas about what kind of people should be called of God and what kind of person should be called a Christian. A Christians is a person who firmly believes in their heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He came to die for our sin debt, was buried, rose again the third day and now abides in Heaven.
Nowhere in that description is anything about the most awful sinner never being forgiven, or the person in the darkest place on earth not being able to call on God. God is the God of the whole of creation and not just a god of some people who think He is real! Every person should be living for God and every person should recognise that God is calling out to them; the problem is that not every person recognises that fact and so not every person can become a Christian.
Jews and slaves were used here in the text because that is what the people recognised at the time. They understood about slavery and bondmen because they lived with it. They understood about circumcision and Jewish laws because they lived with them. Nowadays our societies seem to be far more diverse – or at least we think they are because we get to hear a whole lot more about societies the world over. But God is still God over every single one of us because He is our sole Creator.
Each one of us has a life to live and we should be living it for Christ in whatever circumstance we are in. Whether we live on a small island or in the biggest cities, God is still with us and we should still be showing others that we believe in the same God as Abraham did, but we should also recognise that Christ fulfilled the prophesy that our Messiah would come to save the world from sin. That is what we should be carrying out to the people around us so that they can get to know our Saviour as well.
Points to Ponder:
Do you think you are in the wrong place?
What would Jesus do in your place?
Sunday Reading: Romans 6 16-20
Key Verse: Romans 6 17
17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Devotion:
Each of us has the choice as to whether we want to continue following our sinful ways or to turn away from them and to follow the ways that Christ has taught us through His Word. The apostle taught these words using an example that was close to their hearts at that time; he taught them by giving the example of slaves and masters, in that being a slave you follow the one master and that is all. We cannot truly understand how true that is unless we too have experienced slavery in our own lives.
We could look at this in modern ways as being loyal to a particular person in charge or a particular business. When you work for one company that has several competitors then you remain loyal to the company you work for. If you choose to become loyal to the competitor then you will find that you either lose your job or you find you cannot honestly work for them and leave of your own accord. That is the choice that we have with our lifestyles.
Initially we are caught up in sinful ways and because we know no other ways we continue on in those sinful ways. We then may get to hear about God and hear about how we can choose to live a life that is very different. If we accept those new ways as being the truth then we are going to have to make a choice. Either we stop our sinful ways and turn to the ways of God, or we continue to fight between being loyal to the world and loyal to God. We cannot honestly serve both the world and God, so we have to make a choice.
When we make the choice to follow God we make a choice to change our lives, whether we realise it or not. As we accept the truth from God’s Word we accept that life is different and that we now have a choice to make. God is not forcing us to make any choices but rather He is giving us the truth about the choice we have to make. It is not nice to be shown that we are sinners, but once we get over that horror we can make a sensible choice and God will continue to keep us as He tries to change our ways for the better.
Points to Ponder:
What choices do you face?
Do you see how God guides you now?
Saturday Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2 13-16
Key Verse: 1 Thessalonians 2 13
13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
Devotion:
How do you look at the Word of God? How do you see your bible? Do you see it as another study book or a personal message from your Creator God? Do you believe it all or just the parts that you want to believe? Do you take it in and then accept the parts that will not cause arguments and put aside the parts that others will argue against?
When the apostles took the gospel message to the people they did not hold anything back. They knew that they would have to face all manner of persecution as they tried to teach the truth that Jesus had taught them; Jesus had warned them that they would face these persecutions and so they were ready for them. I’m not too sure that they were ready for the ferocity of the actions from the people but they began to understand why. They had seen what the crowds did to Jesus and they were prepared to stand up for God now; so when they saw others who were willing to take the Word of God as the absolute truth, they were encouraged!
God’s Word is holy! It is the truth. It contains all the goodness and wisdom that any one of us needs – if only we would take it in and treat it as that holy and truthful account from God! When we try to do our best to describe how important God’s Word is, we fall short of the mark. No doubt you will forget about the words that I have written down here in a short while, but hopefully you will remember the verses and how they apply in your own life. Don’t just read the bible like a book, read it like a personal message from God to you!
You will have to fight against all manner of people trying to tell you that the bible is just another book (even though it is the world’s best seller) and that it was written by men (even though it is the inspired word of God) and you will have to come up with your own reasons for believing it. Well, once you have a relationship with Christ you too will be able to say why you believe it as the truth; others who do not have that relationship will see those reasons as just another bunch of words... Do not be discouraged! God is with you!
Points to Ponder:
Do you believe your bible?
Are you really trusting your bible?
Friday Reading: Ephesians 3 20-21
Key Verse: Ephesians 3 20
20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
Devotion:
I really enjoy the way that the apostles would lift up their praise to our Lord at all times; in times of need, in times of distress, in times of joy and when trying to encourage others. When Jesus taught them how to pray through teaching them the Lord’s Prayer, they took that on fully and everything they did was aimed at giving God the glory and praising Him through everything. We definitely need to take note of this and to make sure that we put ourselves and the world aside and lift up God instead!
The power of God should never be put into question by us. We have all the proof that we need right in front of our eyes. This world, the universe, the people, the miracles He performed, the miraculous things like blood cells; everything around us screams to the glory of our Awesome God! And yet so many people do not lift up their praise to Him but rather praise others and themselves for the things that God can do with them. This is not about glorifying us but about glorifying God as He works with us and in us.
When we ask things of God we can expect answers from Him. When those answers come we need to tell the world about those answers to remind everyone that He is still in the business of answering our prayers. How encouraging is it to know that things like that still work? In our little worlds we tend to throw things away or discard things when they don’t work anymore. That is exactly how we can behave with our relationship with God if we are not careful!
We live in a throw-away society and if we see that our prayers are not answered in our own time-frames we tend to get discouraged and stop praying. Instead of doing that we need to pray all the harder to make sure that we remember that our prayers are going up to God! It is only our lack of faith and our lack of patience that counts against answered prayers. We need to ask in belief. We need to ask in honesty. We need to expect an answer. We need to trust in that answer. Trust in God because He has never stopped keeping this world going!
Points to Ponder:
Do you grow weary when prayers are not answered?
Are you trusting God for an answer?