November 21: Luke 17 1-6
Key Verse: Luke 17 6
He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.”
Devotion:
Faith has many facets. Faith is not just the blind belief in something which is not visible but goes much deeper than that! Faith is the belief in something we cannot see but also is the willingness to do what is believed in. What use is having faith if you are not willing to carry out those beliefs and to demonstrate that faith?
Jesus showed the disciples they would have to face up to many things which go against what we think should be right or decent. If someone does something wrong against you, you have the right to tell them what they have done is wrong, but if they ask for forgiveness on that matter, we must always forgive them – even when they do it “seven times in a day!” Our faith in this case should be toward believing the other party is willing to change their ways; it may take them a while and several tries before they can get it right…
Jesus wanted them to know the smallest amount of faith can make the biggest difference in the lives of those around us, especially when we are willing to show the faith we have toward our God openly and outwardly; after all, what good is that faith if we hide it from others? Our faith in God needs to be open but also replicated toward and through others. If we demonstrate our faith in God but are not willing to show any faith in other people, nobody is going to believe us!
Christ wants us to know our faith is going to make a big difference in the world around us and if we are willing to stand by our faith no matter what, then He will be willing to work miracles in and through us. The object of our faith and the glory due is important too. If we are demonstrating faith just so we can feel better, then the only reward we are likely to see is us feeling good; but if we are willing to show our faith is grounded on Christ Himself, then we may well see much more than we expect!
Points to Ponder:
Do you doubt your faith? (Many of us do!)
Are you willing to base your faith in Christ alone?
November 20: Luke 13 22-27
Key Verse: Luke 13 26
Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’
Devotion:
When Jesus was teaching people throughout the streets, He reminded them they had to not just listen to what He said, but to go out and do what He taught them. Jesus told people here they must do what they can to follow those instructions; too many times in our lives we find excuses so we do not have to follow instructions or rules. This is does not work with God!
Jesus also tells us the things He wants us to do are not always the most popular actions – He does this by comparing what we should be doing to a narrow door. It is easy to follow the crowd and go in through a big door which is waiting open, but many times Christ does not want us to blindly follow others. The work He has for us and the life He has for us to lead may well seem like a narrow or partially hidden door; we have to work hard to either go through it or even find out where it is.
Jesus also reminds us all we have to do something before we can get into heaven. If we think we have it all sorted just because we went to church every Sunday and heard every sermon, then we are sadly mistaken. We may find we are knocking madly on the doors of heaven only to have God call out and say “I don’t know you…” You see, we have to acknowledge Christ as our Lord and saviour and ask Him to forgive us of our sins; once we do that He will no longer say “I don’t know you” but will acknowledge you and open the door for you to come in.
Being turned away by someone who you though should support you is never a nice thing to happen to you. Having someone open the door and invite you in even when you have doubts over whether they will call you a friend is always a good thing! Even if we have doubts and still do things wrong, if we have called on Christ to forgive us of our sins, He is faithful to call you a friend and invite you in!
Points to Ponder:
Do you live a religious life?
Or do you have a personal relationship with Christ?
November 19: Matthew 7 24-27
Key Verse: Matthew 7 27
The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.
Devotion:
This is one of the stories I can remember being told about in Sunday School many years ago! It is such a simple parable which sticks in your mind because of its simplicity and common sense outcome… but one which Jesus was using to reach people around Him be they learned people or simple folk.
Jesus starts out by saying we can be like that wise man if we are willing to listen and obey the gospel He wants to teach us. If we sit there and say yes and no at the right times but go home and do our own things, we will not be learning the truth Jesus wants us to know. But if we really listen, then take those words to heart and follow them in our lifestyles, we begin to grow with Him and become those wise men who will build their house on the rocks.
The rocks here signify the truth as Christ tells us and the best knowledge we can have in our lives. If we are willing to take God’s Word, remember it and follow it in our lives, then we are becoming those wise men. Building our lives on these truths we find in our bibles and not the stories mankind comes up with will make sure we are firmly held in the truth when we are faced with troubles in our lives. The rain and rising waters signify those troubles in our lives – there is no getting away from them, but we can apply God’s Word and work according to those words to get the best protection we can.
God wants us to be sure and safe on the rock which is the gospel rather than having to face the sand which is mankind’s way of handling things. When we are faced with something bigger than mankind, we fall flat on our faces unless we are bound by something much firmer and stronger than those ways. God has given us the rock to build our lives on knowing we will be able to survive much evil if we are willing to trust that rock…
Points to Ponder:
What do you build your life around?
Are you willing to build it around the Gospel?
November 18: Luke 11 33-36
Key Verse: Luke 11 33
No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.
Devotion:
One of the things Christ teaches us is to go out into the world and boldly tell people the gospel story; not just hide it in your heart and trust someone else will do the going part! Each of us has a duty to tell someone else about Christ and show them how much we love and rely on God in our lives – don’t leave it up to chance for others to see the difference and come to ask questions!
Here, as in other places, Jesus is telling people they should not hide the truth behind or under things because others will not find that truth by themselves; what we should be doing is placing that truth on a stand for everyone to see.
When we first allow that light to shine and place it in a prominent position, some may run and hide from that light. This is not because they fear the light, but they fear their own positions when the light begins to shine in their own lives. Why should they admit to all the wrong doings in their lives when they can continue to try and hide them – it always seems easier to hide the bad stuff and continue on in blissful ignorance! God wants us all to admit to those things in our lives so He can help us to put them behind us and move forward with real hope in His grace.
The more people see how light helps them in their lives, the more likely they are to continue wanting that light with them. The more they see the goodness in the light and want the light with them, the more God can work in their lives and fill them with the hope and peace He has promised for us all. How can any of us find things in the darkness? We would much rather have light so we can find things – the initial problem being that when the light shines, it shows up problems and issues in our living which we may not want others to know about. Trust God to take care of those issues!
Points to Ponder:
Do you allow others to know you are an active Christian?
Do you actually go out and show people the difference?
November 17: 2 Corinthians 6 14-15
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 6 14
Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?
Devotion:
When the Israelites were making their way out from the oppression of the Egyptians, they were warned not to mix in with the indigenous people of the land they were going through and to. God knew what kind of people occupied the land and did not want the Israelites to become like them. We all like to try and fit into the communities we go into so we can become friends with the locals, but in doing so we are opening ourselves to the same temptations the local people may be giving in to.
God wants us to lead righteous lives and gives us the guidance we need to do so. If the local people do not know God, they will not be listening to Him and receiving that guidance we may be receiving from God. Does this mean we have to stick to ourselves and never mix with non-believers? Certainly not – how are they ever going to hear about God and get to know Him unless someone is willing to teach them?
The biggest problem we have when mixing with non-believers is falling into the same temptations they give in to and living the same lifestyle they live. The ways of mankind are very different to the ways of God! What they find acceptable may not be acceptable for God and we are likely to be drawn into those ways just because we want to get to know them better and fitting in always seems to be a good way of starting to know them.
We need to be able to stand firm in God’s word and allow God’s light to shine through us. We don’t have any reason to go with the evil ways of the devil, but we do need to show people the difference between good and bad by showing them we are willing to introduce them to God; the God who is the source of our strength and the one who gives us hope in all ways.
Points to Ponder:
Do you go and mix in with the wrong people?
Are you willing to invite them in to see a different way of life?