November 26: Ecclesiastes 7 19-22
Key Verse: Ecclesiastes 7 20
Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.
Devotion:
This chapter in our bibles talks about wisdom and how we see it. Much of the time we like to think we are getting wiser by learning more about the world as we go on. We like to think wisdom is all about knowing more and using that knowledge to better our lives – sadly that is just knowledge. The wisdom comes by knowing how to apply the knowledge we have gained for the betterment of us and the people around us too.
We can abuse the knowledge we have gained; this corrupts our hearts and allows us to wallow back into the worldly ways we have learned about. Don’t allow your knowledge to guide your ways because the knowledge you have gained is from the world and points back to the world. Far too often we react to situations based on our knowledge and show anger toward others when we think they should know better.
God made the world and all that is in it. He made some things crooked and some things straight. Ours is not to question why He made certain things crooked but to accept He has done so and try to use what He has allowed us to see to the betterment of mankind. When we face bad things, we need to stop and think what is around us and how we can give God glory with these things. Don’t forget that both Christians and non-Christians will go through bad things – but how we react and what we do for others will shine through.
If we can rise above the worldly reactions and ask God for help in discerning our situations, we will be taking in wisdom. We should not roll over and allow people to do absolutely anything to us; we should use God’s wisdom to show others what Jesus would do and how they should be reacting. None of us are immune from sin in our lives so we should not berate people for doing wrong unless we are willing to first show them righteousness and God’s ways.
Points to Ponder:
Do you get angry with what people say about you?
Are you listening to God to see how you should be reacting?
November 25: Romans 7 21-25
Key Verse: Romans 7 23
but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.
Devotion:
If any of us say we have never been tempted, then we are living a lie and covering up something! I know I have been tempted many times and I know I have given into temptations many times as well – this is the way we are as humans and the way Christ warns us about. I seems to be in our nature to sin and to give in to temptation, which is why so many of us say it is so hard to give up that lifestyle!
The apostle gives a very apt description of how things are – we have a war going on inside of us, one of the good against evil at its very essence; but one we find hard to discern who’s side we should be on! We have our old habits and ways which dictate we should do what we have always done and do it to the best of our abilities. But are these ways actually best for us? When we have doubts, we need to bring them to Christ and ask for His guidance to find out what should be best for us. It is no good following our old ways if thy are wrong, no matter how long we have been living those ways!
We can feel like prisoners in our own bodies because we have our minds screaming at us to give in and follow those old ways. Christ wants us to stand firm in Him and on His promises, which give us hope and a way forward which does not involve giving in to those old ways. We do not have to be prisoners of those ways as long as we invite Christ in to guide us in new ways, His ways!
And if you think you are all alone in giving in to those ways and into your old life, then think again! I know I have been there and lived many years back in my old ways getting more and more stuck and entwined by the things around me. But when I admitted to those faults and asked God to once again guide me, I was able to rise above them and live a better life. I still face temptations and I still get things wrong, but I look to Christ for advice and guidance to live the way He would like me to live… I sometimes get it right!
Points to Ponder:
Are you fighting to break free from your old life?
Are you relying on God to give you the strength to break free?
November 24: 2 Peter 2 17-21
Key Verse: 2 Peter 2 19
They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity - for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”
Devotion:
There are going to be people who try to convince others they are telling them the truth when they are actually spreading lies and deceptions. This part of the letter to Peter reminds us of the weakness of the human body and mind. No matter how hard we think we are or how strong we say we are, when we face the evil one and his ways, we tend to crumble and fall into submission.
But if we are willing to invite Jesus Christ as our Saviour and protector, then we will have the strength (given to us by God) to overcome the evil ways. One of our problems is that when we have seen the good and righteous ways, we often fall into a sense of self belief rather than remembering that it is because of Christ that we have this strength! When we tend to rely on our strength rather than God’s strength, we fall back into the evil ways we lived before because it seems much easier to do so. By falling back into these ways we subject ourselves to many more horrors than we faced before we had Jesus in our lives.
By knowing the love and peace we had when Christ was in our lives, and going back to our old ways, we know the sin and deprivation we are sinking into and wallow in our own self-pity. It is little wonder people talk of such bad times when they have previously experienced the hope Christ can give us; we become a prisoner to those old ways and to the evil one – no longer being free!
But Christ does not give up and continues to try and encourage us back to His ways and to His side where we can once again experience the hope and freedom He can give us. Christ has not given up on you and will never give up on you – but you do have the choice as to whether you are going to give up on Christ! Choose His ways and His life to be at peace with Him and with yourself!
Points to Ponder:
Have you slipped back into your old ways?
Are you willing to ask Christ to bring you out of the trap of selfishness?
November 23: Matthew 12 43-45
Key Verse: Matthew 12 44
Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.
Devotion:
Have you ever moved to a new house? What sort of state did you leave your old house in and what state did you find the new house in? It is much better to find the house you want to move into is clean and tidy than a shambles! So, what has this to do with me? Well our bodies are described as being a temple or dwelling into which we can invite the Holy Spirit.
When we ask God to forgive us of the sins we have done in our lives, He is faithful to do exactly that – this is much the same as getting someone in to clean out your dwelling place so it is the best place for its new occupant. But just who is going to be the new occupant? Who do we invite into our lives and how do we treat them? Jesus describes a scene where we try to get rid of the old occupants of our lives and get ready for something new; but if we are not asking God to be that occupant in the form of the Holy Spirit, our dwelling place is a prime location for the wrong spirit to move into!
God not only wants us to be cleansed by Christ as we ask for forgiveness, but He wants us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. If you were selling your house, would you clean it up and then leave it unoccupied and unlocked or would you try to get the new owners to move in as soon as they can? Jesus wants us to be filled with the Holy Spirit as soon as we are cleansed so there will be no room for evil in our lives. The more we work with God and allow Him to fill our lives, the less chance of evil invading our lives once again…
When we invite Christ into our lives it should be with a willing heart to have Him occupy our lives and not just for Him to come and clean once in a while! If we do not turn away from our old ways, we are more likely to have our old problems invade our lives and maybe more so because we have an open space which we feel should be filled in some way…
Points to Ponder:
Do you get Christ in as an occasional cleaner?
Or do you invite Him in to stay and fill your temple?
November 22: Luke 17 7-10
Key Verse: Luke 17 10
So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’
Devotion:
How do you react when you do something really good? If you were to follow certain soccer stars, you would try to tell the world how good you are and get them to see what you have done. If you were to follow certain servants, you would continue doing what has been asked of you and give the glory to God rather than taking it for yourself. Most of us are going to fall somewhere in between these marks because we are not soccer stars and we may not be willing servants…
Being humble in the accomplishments of our faith is what God is asking of us. Those miraculous things are may accomplish by doing what God has asked of us should not end up as badges on our lapels but rather as more things we can give the glory to God because of what He has done through us.
Another important aspect is what we do with the people around us who are those willing servants – if we do as is retold here and demand the servant continue to fulfil their duties before they can be acknowledged for anything they have done, then we are not being humble for what has been achieved around us. God would rather we support our servants and acknowledge them for all they do than to continue to treat them as hired servants alone.
We need to know the servants who serve us are people just as we are – they may well have faith in God which outstrips what we have. Jesus made sure the disciples knew they would be able to do many things as servants of God, but He also wanted them to acknowledge just who is the one who gave them the power to do what they could do.
Points to Ponder:
Do you boast of the things you accomplish?
Are you willing to boast about God for what He has allowed you to do?