Tuesday Reading: Jeremiah 4 22
Key Verse: Jeremiah 4 22
22 For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
Devotion:
Although it was Jeremiah that was trying to foretell of God’s wrath that was to come because the people were disobeying God, God also revealed to Jeremiah that He knew what was in the hearts of the people and knew what they were like on the inside. These are the words that were revealed to Jeremiah at the time.
God knew that the people were foolish, just as was revealed to King David and others; foolish because they were refusing to believe and trust in God within their hearts. It was one thing to talk about God and to say that they believed, but it was inside of their hearts that God was looking and finding knowledge but not feelings; they did not know God in their hearts any longer. To God they were more like churlish or silly children where they were being told over and over again that they were doing wrong and yet they continually went back for more! And then, just like a child, they probably answered “I don’t know” when asked why they did something wrong…
God knew that people were teaching them about Him and about the whole Jewish Law, and yet they remained without understanding. It was not a case of them not knowing but rather that they refused to take in the truth and refused to go along with and believe in that truth. They had a good knowledge about doing things wrong, about evil ways and about everything that worked against God’s laws, and yet they continued to refuse to accept the real truth in their hearts.
God knows that there are going to be many who will simply refuse to believe the truth, but that does not stop Him from making sure that every person gets to hear the truth at some stage so that they get the choice as to believe in God or not to believe. God knows that some will reject Him and when that happens He has promised to accept their decision even though it is wrong. We are given the choice as to whether we do believe or not and God accepts our choice. But we also must understand that He is Just and has to keep His word when it comes to us refusing Him. We make the choice. We choose our destination and we need to realise that fact!
Points to Ponder:
Are you acting like a silly child?
Do you know God will accept your choice, however bad?
Monday Reading: Psalms 14 1-7
Key Verse: Psalms 14 2
2 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.
Devotion:
It may seem like a harsh statement to call an atheist a fool instead of trying to encourage them into believing God, but this Psalms is written to highlight just how the world has rejected God. We do have so many words written down about God, about the Jews, about Jesus and about many other things that it is actually very hard to not believe when we are faced with all of it. If anyone actually sits down and reads the bible objectively then they will be convinced by the truth; it is only because there are fools out there who are making their own stories up that others are not convinced.
The fool is the one who will simply not accept the truth because they have come up with their own ideas or their own theories that will make themselves look good. If we admit it we have all been at that stage where we have tried to convince someone of something because we liked the way that we told the story rather than the truth of the matter. This is exactly what is going on in the world today, the same that has happened from the beginning of time.
Man has liked the sound of his own voice and his own story and so has promoted that as being the truth because it brings glory to himself! Just because we like to call something by a nickname that we have invented does not mean that the actual name of that item is what we call it; the actual name remains the truth, we just say that it is something else. That is exactly what is happening to God’s Word. People are going out and telling one story or another because they enjoy their own story more.
God’s Word remains the truth and it will not change – no matter how many times people tell their own versions or how many times people lie about it. The truth does not change! The more that man lifts his own stories up the more corrupt he becomes because he then has to invent more and more lies to support the lies he first told. The story becomes more and more ornate, sounds better in his own ears and then he becomes trapped into believing his own lie. This is why the bible declare the atheist as a fool. There is no eternal gain in promoting a lie.
Points to Ponder:
Do you support God’s Word or a lie?
Have you considered that you were once a fool?
Sunday Reading: Amos 5 4-6
Key Verse: Amos 5 5
5 But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.
Devotion:
When God told the Israelites events through the prophets there were many times when they simply did not listen because they did not want to hear what was being said. When we hear bad news we often turn away from it to try and avoid the outcome in some way – but when that message comes from God we are going to have to listen because it is going to happen!
Amos was trying to reinforce the Word of God by reminding the people once again that God had promised bad things for the people who refused to follow Him. Not that God was going to do bad things to them but that the people around them, the people who did not follow God, the people in the lands around them, would come in and destroy much of what they once had given to them.
When God gives us things we need to remember that God has given them to us for a reason and we need to be good stewards of what He gives us so that we can not only enjoy them but apply them in our lives as He has designed them. God gave the Israelites many things so that others around would see the power of God and turn toward Him. When the Israelites took to showing others their own power and might then God warned them that they would fall into enemy hands because He was not behind them in those cases.
It is a case of listening to what God is saying to us and then following those instructions rather than making our own instructions and designs. There are times that we see what He has done in our past and we go forward to do something thinking that He must be behind us because it is similar to what He first asked us. What we actually need to be doing is asking direction from God and following His direction rather than making our own and expecting Him to be with us. It is difficult to watch and wait sometimes, but God is the only one who does know the perfect timing. Sometimes He just wants us to wait a short while longer to give others a chance to hear His word before we go in and assume control.
Points to Ponder:
Do you rush in to projects?
Are you following God or trying to lead Him?
Saturday Reading: Romans 15 8-13
Key Verse: Romans 15 13
13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
Devotion:
When Christ came to earth He was born and lived as a Jew and fulfilled the prophecies and promises relating to the Jews, God’s chosen race. But that certainly was not the limit of His life otherwise we would not be bound by the Word of God. Christ died for all and not just the Jews promising to have the Holy Spirit return to all men to bring forgiveness to every person who believes in Him within their hearts.
Just like the Jews were commanded to praise God, we too are called to praise Him for all that He has done for all of us from the beginning of time. Christ created the world for all of us. Christ knew that all of us would sin. Christ loves all of us. And if we don’t quite get the fact that Christ has done this all for us, then we really do need to read about it again. People like to miss out the parts of the bible that they do not understand or the parts that make them feel bad. Christ went through it all, every single step of the way, without missing a single step.
Christ has displayed His love for us quite openly and not being hidden from anyone; He did this so that we would know that we all do need to seek Him openly too. He continues to make sure that His gospel is taught to all men and not just limited to the Jews. He even sent out some very special people to teach the gentiles all about the gospel so that they could have the same choices as the Jews. Christ continues to make sure that His Word is heard all around the world to all people so that we all get to hear the same truth.
Christ has gone every step of the way to make sure that we can all be reconciled to God the Father through Him and to one another, being Jew or Gentile. Much of our bibles are aimed directly at the Jews to make sure that they understand the gospel and not to be trapped in religion. The prophecies that were fulfilled by Christ were to show the Jews that everything God had given them through the prophets in the Old Testament was now coming to fruition. Christ wanted us all to see that God laid down the law, upheld the law when others did not, fulfilled the law as laid down to the Jews and expanded on God’s promises to show us all the truth. He did this all using His chosen people, the Jews. Each of us, Jew and Gentile, have the Holy Spirit abiding in us when we accept that truth He has shown us and accept Him as Lord and Saviour.
Points to Ponder:
Do you see the bible as a Jewish law book?
Are you trying to limit Christ’s fulfilments?
Friday Reading: Psalms 3 1-3
Key Verse: Psalms 3 3
3 But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.
Devotion:
David was a man who clung to God, not as a crutch but as an anchor and a shield. During a hand to hand battle we may well thank our lucky stars that we would have something to hold up as a shield to prevent our enemy from cutting us down. During a mountain climbing exercise we will be very thankful for a rope that is anchored fast to the top that prevents us from falling to our demise! David knew God as both and more.
If we are an active believer then we too should be remembering God in everything and trusting in and depending on Him as our strength and our backbone. It is not a sign of weakness that we say that we have God there but a sign of strength that we are willing to stand up for Him under duress. The harder that people fought against David the more that He clung to God. The more that people said he should forget about God the more that He lifted His holy name up!
When people do not know God they do not know His strength, His mercy, His love or His capacity for forgiveness. The closer we get to Him the more we find out just how much He does care for us and the more that we are able to be strengthened by that knowledge. It is a knowledge that goes far deeper than any head knowledge of scientific facts or love shown by fellow people. This relationship that we build up with God continues to grow and to develop until it becomes the pillar of strength within our lives.
It was no small thing that medieval people would decorate their shields with the things that were important to them; their country, their county, their kingdom, their clan etc. We should be decorating our outward appearance with the things that are important to us; God! God is more than a safety net. God is more than an honourable partner. God is more than the joy in our lives. God should mean everything to us and we should be promoting Him as such and making sure that He is in everything we do because He needs to have pre-eminence in our lives.
Points to Ponder:
Do you feel like hiding when things get tough?
Do you use God as your shield?