Thursday Reading: Jeremiah 29 1-9
Key Verse: Jeremiah 29 7
7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.
Devotion:
One of the things that I always find so amazing is that the Old Testament continue to be new to me. How so? When I read through God’s Word I can always draw parallels with modern society. No matter how long ago things have happened I can always seem to find things that have happened so many years ago that are still happening today. I see how God has tried to teach people His ways over the years and I see how man has continued to try and get his own way for those same times. Man continues to try and say that he is unique and that his situation is unique so that it needs God to make a unique fix! Well, it doesn’t!
God has made sure that the prophets of old wrote everything down so that we can see that we are still living lives in similar ways to what men did thousands of years ago. Yes, technology is very different, but man is essentially the same! We continue to do many of the same things as we have always done; those same mistakes, those same needs, those same wants… and guess what, the solutions are going to be the same time and time again! We just don’t seem to get it…
God continues to try to get us to live in peace by showing love one toward another. He continues to try to get us to see that we have to live in the real world. Yes we may well be surrounded by heathens who don’t much care for God but we should be making the best of the situations that God has given us. He wants us to be able to stand out as Christians, to be the examples by which He can encourage others. We don’t need to conform to the ways of others, but we do have to live amongst them. He has given us the task of bringing a bit of light to the people that live in darkness. He has placed us here as those lights.
If we want to be able to shine as lights for Christ then we had better start making ourselves known as well. If we hide away we are not going to get very far. If we have a single small light in a dark place, there is a little hope. But if we gather a few of those little lights together, we have a much better and more encouraging light to lead with. By taking our little lights and showing those around us that they too can accept the light and use it, we make for a better environment for God to be able to work in. Work with the light, work with God!
Points to Ponder:
Do you think you are unique?
Do you know that God has seen it all before?
Wednesday Reading: Joshua 3 14-17
Key Verse: Joshua 3 15
15 And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)
Devotion:
How many times have we come to a place in our lives where we are absolutely sure that there is no way out or that we have definitely come to the end of the road when something changed and we were able to carry on? I’m not talking about life-changing events like we read about here in the book of Joshua but of simple things in our lives because it is not always about those big events but every step along the way. God is not waiting in the wings until that earth-shattering event is about to happen but rather walking with us every little step of the way.
We may not always be aware of God being with us because we do not look out for those little changes that occur in our lives or those small prayers that He answers quietly so we can continue on in our lives. I thank my God daily for the little things He does and look forward to those times where He will accomplish big things in my life; but it is not all about waiting for those big events but living with God continually.
We can read about those huge events in our bibles and we can know that that is the same God that has accomplished those events as the God that makes me smile today because of people He has brought into my life and yours. It was not the priests that stemmed the waters of the Jordan but God. He waited until they showed faith by taking that step into the river. He did not stop the water and then tell them to walk forward; He told them to walk forward and then stopped the waters. God wants us to move forward in faith and then reward us for that faith.
God has shown us what He is capable of and now wants us to step up and show that we believe that He can do things in our lives. He wants us to show faith. He wants us to know faith. The more that I am able to walk with God the more I am able to rely on that faith because I see Him working in my life every step of the way. I have the head knowledge that He is able to do anything because I can read all about it – but it is walking with Him that gives me the knowledge within my heart that He cares for me every step of my life. Praise God for being the God of the big and the little!
Points to Ponder:
Do you wait for big events to happen in your life before moving forward?
Are you waiting for God to make big changes before trusting Him?
Tuesday Reading: Jeremiah 12 1-6
Key Verse: Jeremiah 12 5
5 If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trusted, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?
Devotion:
OK, last day on these six verses… But you do have to admit that when you get down and read things carefully you get a whole lot more from God’s Word! So today we look on the brighter side of things!
No matter how far things seem to go in your life, no matter how deep in the doldrums or how much you feel like you are stuck down that one way street – there is always an option when you do have God on your side! Never forget that God is the creator of the universe; so sorting out you little problem is going to be a walk in the park compared to how to hang a single galaxy together in the emptiness that we call space. God is not only able to control the huge things that we cannot imagine but also those hard to imagine problems and worries that we have in our lives.
We need to take a longer look at the bigger picture – sorry for all the euphemisms, but sometimes they actually do get the point across! When we are faced with problems in our lives we always try to seek some sort of help so that things can be a little easier to grasp or to handle. But then there are going to be times when we are faced with things and we don’t see any help coming; at those times we tend to dig in and see how much we can do by ourselves. Those are the times when God is giving us a hand to train us in what we need to be able to achieve! God is not going to let us fall flat on our faces when we ask for help. We may think that we are at our lowest point but God has only allowed us to go as far as He knows we can go so that we will come out stronger!
If we grow weary in the places where you can and do trust others, then how are we ever going to face those times when we cannot trust others and we cannot ask for help? When we are out in the wild and all alone, who do we turn to? God is training us for what lies ahead so that when we do think we are alone we will still be able to manage. If we think we cannot cope then just maybe we are not listening out for His instructions to get us to the next step. Does that sound harsh? Maybe, but it is also true because I know there have been many time when I have failed just because I have not listened to my God!
Points to Ponder:
Are you ready for the race?
Have you trained with God?
Monday Reading: Jeremiah 12 1-6
Key Verse: Jeremiah 12 3
3 But thou, O LORD, knowest me: thou hast seen me, and tried mine heart toward thee: pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.
Devotion:
Yes it is hard to be able to stand up when everyone else seems to be hitting you down and tripping you up, but we have to remember that we have someone rather special on our side who is more than just a guide. God is the one who knows us from the inside out; He is the one who has planned things out and still left us with a choice so that we can feel wanted and loved.
He is not a God that is going to switch you on and see what happens. He is not a God that is going to wait and see how long it takes to break you. He is a loving and caring God that wants you to be the best that you can; and to achieve that He is going to allow things to go wrong at times when we make wrong choices. He is going to be there trying to show us the right way to turn after we have gone astray. He is going to be the one trying to point us back in the right direction. He is going to allow those things to happen in our lives so that we will be stronger to face the traps and temptations that will get tossed our way by the evil one.
God knows that the riches of this earth will do nothing to prepare us for the path that is ahead. Stopping and wallowing in the earthly riches and earthly ways that surround us will do nothing but fatten us for the slaughter that awaits those who follow earthly ways. If we continue to walk in His ways and continue to follow His training and His methods we will be ready to face what God knows is ahead for us. We may not like the journey at times but we can rest assured that God does know what we need to train for and when we need that training.
When we come to terms with the fact that God does know everything then we begin to realise that He knows just who is going to follow Him and who is going to reject Him. For those of us who chose to follow Him, He is going to train us up in the right manner so that we can best serve Him. For those that wish to ignore Him and follow the ways of the world, He is going to allow those people to grow rich and weary so that they do get every opportunity to see the error of their ways through their own hearts. He knows the best way to reach out to each one of us and will continue to do everything that is required. What and awesome God we have looking over us!
Points to Ponder:
Do you grow weary of the things you have to put up with?
Do you know that God knows that that is exactly what you need?
Sunday Reading: Jeremiah 12 1-6
Key Verse: Jeremiah 12 2
2 Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins.
Devotion:
One thing we will probably always struggle with and find hard to understand is how the evil can prosper. Why should they be allowed to prosper when there are so many good people in the world who are not prospering, good people who are suffering and good people that seem to have fallen through the cracks? The answer to those questions is not simple, but is. They have not fallen through the cracks and they most certainly have not been forgotten or laid aside.
When things go wrong we look to God and ask questions like “why now?”, “why me?” or “why not them?”; but how often do we forget that God is righteous, Holy and Just. We should never question God as to why He allows things to happen the way that they do; but there is no reason why we cannot bring our questions and our requests to Him at any time. When we find ourselves desperate to find out why we need to remember a few facts about what is going on.
Firstly, God is the one who is in control and He is the one who is allowing things to happen the way that they are. God is the one who started the ball rolling and He is actually the one who does know what is going to happen and how things will turn out. But just because He does know that, it does not mean that He has turned His back on any one of us. God gives us the kick start and then allows us to make choices. If we are going to take the wrong roads, make bad choices and generally mess things up, then that is our choice; but that does not mean that God has forsaken us, rather we are probably running in the opposite direction!
Jeremiah was facing hard times having to watch society break down as well as watch on whilst some of the people rejected God and yet still seemed to prosper. He was struggling to come to terms with the choices that others were making, and when we see the choices that others make and how they seem to prosper, doubt sets in and we want to know “why”. When others are walking away from God, the evil one is going to be the one using them to try and bring doubt into our minds so that he can draw us away from our God. Faith in Him is what we need to rely on. Trusting in Him and His ways is all that should count.
Points to Ponder:
Do you get down watching others prosper?
Are you still walking with God?