Saturday Reading: 1 Corinthians 10 23-24
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 10 24
24 Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth.
Devotion:
Which brings us on to the final point this week. If we really do follow Christ’s teaching then we should be looking out for others, not just because we want to be friends with them but because we really do care about their well-being. And by well-being I am not just talking about keeping them happy but to be able to reach out to them and show them that you care – not just in words but in deed!
Just because the rules say that I can do something does not mean that I should go ahead and do it! The law in the UK says that you are not allowed to smoke in public places, but it does not prevent you from smoking all together. If we look at it from another direction, if we smoke in a public place we are placing other people in danger or at the very least annoying other people. Or from another angle, we can smoke in private and still be putting our own health at risk. The overall feeling of this must then be that smoking is not just bad for yourself, but it is bad for everyone around you as well – so why go there? Yes I know that there are people who have smoked for so long that they find it almost impossible to give up; that is a consequence of following bad advice and decisions for too long.
We do have to start thinking about others around us and to start thinking not just of the immediate consequences of our actions but the longer term consequences too. This is not a big brother approach nor a ‘we own you’ attitude but just common decency. The basis of all of this is that one thing we call love – being able to share love with others will go so much further than any rules and regulations as well as much further than any amount of knowledge.
Self-gratification rather than lifting up others is something that we are all guilty of at some stage; the more that we go there, the more that we think we can go there. It really is habit forming and it is not a good habit to have either. If people would focus on helping others rather than focus on making it look like they are doing the right things we would get further in life too; the more we follow the rules the more that we try to make it look like we are doing something whilst actually doing something else. We are then guilty of telling lies to ourselves as well as the people around us and doing it in front of our God without thought for the consequences either. It is hard to break habits, but we do have to start somewhere if we plan to try – let that be here and now by asking God for help along the way.
Points to Ponder:
Do you uphold the law?
Or do you uphold others?
Friday Reading: Romans 14 1-6
Key Verse: Romans 14 3
3 Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
Devotion:
The one thing that we can be very sure of in life is that we are going to have different opinions to other people! So if we do have different opinions about things, how are we supposed to live in peace with others and to also figure out what is right to do? The answer to that is the obvious one – we should be doing all things to the glory of God! If we find that we are doing something and it is going to pull down God instead of glorifying Him, then we should not be going there in the first place.
The simple things in life quite often cause people to argue and they do that because we do those simple things without thinking about others. We may think that something is straight forward or black and white to us, but when we find out that to others it is not straight forward, then we have to start thinking of how it is going to affect them before we blindly go off and do things or say things. One of our biggest problems in life is probably that we tend to say things without thinking about the consequences when we have ‘always done it’ or have ‘always thought that way’.
We may like to think that we are strong and can withstand temptation or can avoid temptation but when others see us doing what we are doing, are we leading them into temptation or causing them to stumble? These verses talk about the simple things like the food that we eat. If we really like to dig into a big underdone steak, we may like to share that experience with other people who like the same; but to do that in front of a vegetarian who has chosen to be so because of their love for animals is not wise!
Applying that sort of argument to the things that we like to do in our lives must work on the same principles. If we think that our actions or what we say is going to cause offence to someone else because they believe things should be done in a different manner, then we should not be so blatant as to think that we can do anything we like just because God has said we can. That is not showing love for our neighbours – one of the most important commandments Jesus reminded us of! On the other hand, if we know someone else does do things their own way and that those things may cause us to stumble, we should probably not go and join in for fear of stumbling under our own frailty.
Points to Ponder:
Do you count yourself as being strong?
Do you take into account other peoples weaknesses?
Thursday Reading: Proverbs 16 27-28
Key Verse: Proverbs 16 27
27 An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.
Devotion:
Depending on which bible translation you read, this verse will hint at all manner of sayings or proverbs; but no matter where you read you will get the hint that ungodly people will cause strife and that they are apt to gossiping. But if we are honest and open about our own lives as Christians then we will have to admit that we do get caught up in strife and even in gossip because we are not without sin. No matter how strong we may like to think we are, the evil one will go as far as he can to try and trip us up in this area just so that we will think of the bad ways and the evil things.
Last week was Halloween and despite our best intentions as Christians we get caught up in things, whether it is just answering the door to the children that come round or even going out and joining in. There will be Christians that say it is nothing but harmless fun because it is not based on bad intentions but on All Hallows Evening. It is not the absolute law that we should be looking at here because that would make us the same as the Pharisees – upholding the law instead of God’s will.
We should rather look at things from other people’s eyes and ears – if what we are going to be doing is going to suggest to others that we are getting mixed up in wrong things or evil things, then we should not be going there to start with. Quite simple when you look at it from that stand point, but also difficult to stick to when everyone else you know is getting out there and ‘enjoying’ themselves.
Our lots is not to make sure that we uphold the law in spite of other people but rather to encourage others to seek out the same goal as Christ would be seeking out. And the best way of doing that is going to be by seeking those goals out for ourselves so that we can be a better example to others.
We will find all manner of temptations and things being thrown at us as we try to pick out way through life; our goal then becomes similar to a navigator where we are used to navigate through perilous waters to keep ourselves as well as others as safe as we can. That will begin to show them a bit more of Christ’s love as we try to navigate close to Him every step of the way.
Points to Ponder:
Are you good at navigating?
Are you watching God’s map?
Wednesday Reading: James 2 14-26
Key Verse: James 2 16
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
Devotion:
When we come to know Christ we also begin to understand just how much of a servant He was to all. As our King, Lord of all, Saviour and Friend, He lowered Himself down to the position of servant for us to be an example to us all that we may know that being a follower of Christ is not just about believing in Him but doing His will as well.
Being willing to actually do what God is asking of you may be a hard pill to swallow if you are still focused on the world. When we focus on things around us from this world we do not see the importance of Godly works because we see worldly works instead; but when we focus on God’s will we begin to see the real need of the people around us and we then see how much they are in need of. I cannot make myself comfortable in my own little corner in church knowing that there are so many children in need of God all around me; I need to do what God has given me to do and reach out to those people that I can. Yes it does make me sad to see how society rejects people just because they do not conform to what is expected; but what makes me even more sad is watching Christians follow worldly ways and reject others just because they don’t conform to the expected.
I guess I have always struggled with people being rejected by others because as a youngster I would make friends with those that others rejected and reached out to try and love those that others would not. That would often get me into trouble because I was not strong enough to reject worldly ways when faced with difficult decisions; I thank my God that He continues to train me to depend on Him!
Being a Christian does not mean that things will go your own way because we are in the minority as the world rejects our God. Instead we will find it hard to stand up against the world and to do what God calls us to do instead of what others think we should be doing. God wants us to love one another. That means taking a stand with Him and doing what He calls us to do and not just talking about it; actually getting out there and doing it is very important – Jesus did!
Points to Ponder:
Do you always do what you say you will?
Do you trust God to do what He said He will?
Tuesday Reading: James 2 6-13
Key Verse: James 2 13
13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
Devotion:
Saying one thing and doing another is a fault that we all have at some stage in our lives, but living by those rules would just be plain stupid because nobody would believe you in the end. So why then do we go there in the first place? Why do we chance our luck or take a step and see what happens? As this passage reminds us, if we sin in one part we are guilty; it does not matter which part of the law that we break because we have broken the law. So if we say one thing and do another, are we not guilty of all?
We may like to think that prejudices are more evil than lies or others may say the opposite; that is going to depend on how we are brought up. But according to God’s law, we should not place levels of guilt on sins because sin is sin and when we sin we are guilty; it is more a case of guilty or not, not how much we are guilty of.
We may have been able to go through life living a very good life, helping others, not telling lies, not coveting others belongings, listening to our parents and in general keeping most of God’s law; but unless we were able to keep every part of the law, we are still sinners. But that is certainly not the end of the story, otherwise we would have been wiped out a very long time ago!
Instead God has shown us an incredible amount of mercy in that He has given us a way in which we can be declared not guilty. It is not by keeping every part of the law, because that is impossible for us to do. It is not by changing the law so that we can hide our guilt. It is not by saying that we are not guilty. It is through that grace and mercy shown to us by Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
If we look at the way in which we show mercy toward others we very quickly find the flaw – if people do not believe that we are showing them mercy because we say one thing and do another, they will not accept it! God, on the other hand, has upheld everything that He has said to us so that we know that He is Holy and Just and that His mercy is true toward those willing to trust in Him. God must judge us if we do not accept the truth because that is what He has promised.
Points to Ponder:
Do you do what you say?
Do you realise the gravity of God’s promises?