Tuesday Reading: John 9 23-34
Key Verse: John 9 34
34 They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
Devotion:
When we look at the story about this blind man after he was healed by Jesus we begin to see a side of man that we don’t like to be reminded of. Before we really get to know God we do tend to have very high opinions of ourselves and we even go to extraordinary lengths in order to try and prove that we do. When others try to show us that we are just normal sinners we get upset and rebel. But when someone comes in from the outside and shows us up for what we are doing wrong, that is the time when we hit the walls and let everyone know just how we think that they are in some way mistaken or wrong with what they are doing themselves.
We need to look at the way that we judge others. “What?” you may ask; but that is the reality of the situation. We get so tied into the way that we live and think and work that when someone dares to show us a different attitude, or do something that we have heard is not normal or dare to go against what we say should happen, we blow up and try to break them down so that we can be proven right. And we do this even if we are wrong… We work ourselves into such a position that we are convinced that we are right without proof.
Our proof must be with God’s Word. That has got to be the yard-stick with which we measure the world and ourselves. If we do not measure up to what God wants in our lives then are we not falling short of His mark? This does not mean that we have to be perfect and do everything absolutely right because there was never a man like that except Jesus Himself! Instead we need to look for what Christ wants us to aim for and aim for that goal, knowing that we may fall short but that when we do, He will be there ready to help us back on track.
Shouting other people down without knowing the truth is a very dangerous position to be in. I have been there, on both sides of the fence, being in the right and in the wrong and neither is a pleasant place to be because someone is always being hurt. When we hurt people we push them away from God because we are breaking that fellowship that Jesus expressly said we need to aim for. Accepting the truth can be hard when we are so used to a lie…
Points to Ponder:
Do you live with lies?
Are you accepting what God is showing you?
Monday Reading: John 6 36-40
Key Verse: John 6 37
37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Devotion:
We do not have the privilege of personally seeing Jesus in the flesh yet because we are still bound by the rules of this world we live in; but there will come a day when we will see Him face to face and what a glorious day that will be! One of the most remarkable things is that every soul that comes to Jesus will find a willing God who will accept them and will never turn them away.
We always try to look for the catch when we are told that we are going to get a free gift of any kind and so we also look when Christ promises us eternal life. The catch is that we have to believe in our hearts that he is the Son of God and that He has indeed come to save us from our sins. But, you may say, that is not a catch… Well, it may not seem like a catch to us as Christians, but to someone who does not believe that this is the truth, they will see it as a catch. Each one of us made all manner of excuses before we did come to know Jesus and they are not going to be any different; they will seek out any excuse they can to not have to acknowledge their own sins before God!
Jesus did not come down to earth to try and do what He could to lesson our debt but instead came to earth because God’s will must be done. Jesus was a willing servant of Gods just like we need to be. We should be listening to what God wants in our lives and trying to do His will just as Jesus showed us. That in itself is not going to be an easy task unless we are willing to listen just like Jesus was willing.
If we are thus willing, Christ is willing to save us from our sins and the debt we owe for doing those sins. Not only was Christ willing to give everything for God but He was willing to give up everything for each one of us; just so that He could be our Saviour and raise us up on that last day to be with Him.
We do not know when that day will be that Christ will come for us so we have to be ready all the time, waiting on His return. Jesus continued to carry out God’s will until the time was right, and then He returned to Jerusalem to give His life freely for our sins. That is how we should show our willingness to do God’s will in our lives as well.
Points to Ponder:
Are you willing to listen?
Are you listening to God?
Sunday Reading: John 6 31-35
Key Verse: John 6 35
35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Devotion:
When the disciples began asking Jesus questions they started to learn. They had heard the stories about how Moses had led the people through the desert and how Manna was supplied for them to eat, but whether they actually believed that God was the one supplying that Manna was clearly in question – why would Jesus highlight the fact that it came from God and not from Moses?
But Jesus did not stop at saying that this came from God in heaven; instead He continued to say that they received bread from heaven and the true bread of God was not in fact the Manna from the Old Testament but the one that God sent down from heaven to be with man. That same person that God sent down would be the one who gave life back to man after man took on the mantle of death from sinning his whole life. When the disciples heard this they wanted more of this bread; the answer they got was probably one they did not expect when Jesus said that He was the Bread of Life.
Jesus was given this title because He is the one who gives life to sinners such as us. We are dead to our sins and no matter what we eat physically it will not take away from that debt that we owe because of that sin. There is only one bread that will be able to do that and that is Christ because He is the one that gave His life in our stead for our sins. They did not know that He would be giving His life as a lamb for them at that time, but they were beginning to learn just how important Christ is.
When Christ says that He will feed us it is not going to be just a bit more physical bread or Manna but rather He will fill us spiritually so that we may draw closer to God. When Christ said that they would never thirst it was not the physical thirst He was talking of but that spiritual need we have. The more we get to know God the more we want to know about Him and the more we want to know what He wants for us in our lives. Inside we are starving and we need to be fed just as we are physically, so why limit it to once a week on Sundays? Why not get your spiritual bread a few times a day?
Points to Ponder:
How many meals do you have each day?
How many times do you learn about God each day?
Saturday Reading: John 7 37-39
Key Verse: John 7 37
37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
Devotion:
The Jews had some very intricate ceremonies that they observed and whilst Christ did not try to detract from any of those that glorified God, He did point out to them that there was a better and proper way to receive blessings from God. Our Lord is the only Lord that listens to our petitions and answers them in the proper manner; but in order to understand Him more and to draw closer to Him we do have to receive the Gospel. How good would an intricate appliance be without a proper instruction manual?
God wants us to be able to receive His Word and to be blessed by it. It is the same Word that has been from the beginning and the same Word that will be until the end of time, just as we are told at the beginning of John. The Jews were probably observing the pouring out of water and wine on the last day of the feat of tabernacles when Jesus stood up and cried these words. He wanted people to know that the Gospel is what people should be seeking as the biggest blessing we can receive; and it is!
Without the Gospel we would probably be lost; man has this way of slowly corrupting the truth until it has turned around and becomes the ‘new truth’ which is in fact a lie. We can see this throughout our learning establishments where man shouts out what he believe to be the truth at the time. We even get excited when we think we have discovered a better truth and shout out more; but when we are found out or when the real truth is uncovered we sulk into the shadows. God wants us to know that real truth from the beginning and that is why He has given us the Gospel – so that we can learn it and know it right now!
Jesus upheld the scriptures all the time because He knew them to be the truth. He backed up the truth by what He said. He referred to the truth all the time. He used that same truth to rebuke Satan. Would it not be wise to follow that same truth in our lives? That truth is our blessed Gospel, our bibles. Yes man may have changed some things through various translations, but as long as we seek the truth through His original words then we are going to be able to survive the onslaught that faces us from the world. Let us come forward and receive the Living Water that Christ brings to us through the Holy Spirit.
Points to Ponder:
How long do you look until you find the truth?
Are you willing to trust Christ as well?
Friday Reading: Zechariah 14 8-9
Key Verse: Zechariah 14 8
8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
Devotion:
Oh for the day when people will read the gospel and simply believe it because it is true! But we have been told many a time in God’s Word that that is going to be coming; a day when all the people will hear the gospel. Whether they chose to believe it or reject it is still going to be their choice, but they will get to hear it. We see so many versions of the bible going forward nowadays as it is translated into almost every language for people to have ready access to it. That time must be drawing closer every day.
If you can imagine a river bursting its banks then you should be able to picture the spreading of the Word of God. The water will overflow barriers and will progress ever onward. To some it will seem slow but relentless. To others it will seem like a flood that rushes faster than they imagined. But all will agree that the river has burst its banks because they will see the truth for themselves.
Now the excuses will start and the blame games will continue. People will say that it only burst its banks because of excessive rain or weak defences. People will say that it is a once in a lifetime event that will end in a few hours or days. People will make all sorts of excuses to weaken its effect. But the simple truth is that the river has spread further and faster than ever before.
God’s word is not going to stop going out to people. We have opened up those flood gates and no matter how hard authorities try to stifle the flood, it has begun and will continue. Yes they will be able to shift the flow now and again as they rise into power themselves, but they will not stop God’s Word from reaching out to every soul. That is God’s plan and that has been His plan from the beginning of time. How can we ever come up against a God who has had such a plan in place for so long?
So instead of crying over what has happened, let us take that Word of God and allow it to reach more people the way that it is designed to do so. Let us continue to lift up the Word for the world to see. Let us work with God!
Points to Ponder:
Have you tried to build a dam before?
Are you fighting God’s Work?