Tuesday Reading: Isaiah 48 1-2

Key Verse: Isaiah 48 1
1  Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness.

Devotion:
How many times have you come across someone or something that reports to be what they are not? Sometimes it is quite comical (though so sad) to see some describe themselves as something they are quite clearly not. What is your reaction to being faced with something like that? Do you dig in, shout and rant and call them names? Do you silently ignore them? Do you giggle at them and say that you would never do something like that?

Yes we have all probably been there, seen others and ‘just known’ that we would not do what they are doing; unfortunately for us we have probably already been there ourselves and done exactly what we are talking about. I’m not saying that we are the ones that would stand up and say that we are priests just because we have given a Sunday School lesson, nor saying that we are accountants just because we can add up a few numbers. These are not the things in question here, but something that runs much deeper and is ignored so much in many societies.

When things are going well or when people need to be noticed or seen to be ‘good’ they will often turn round and say that they are Christians. Here is Isaiah it was people who were saying that they were from the House of Israel just because they were acting like it. It’s no use us saying we are royalty just because we can act like it! It’s no use us saying we are Christians just because we can say the right things and do what is expected of us. God does not look on the outward appearance of men but deep inside their hearts. He knows us from the inside out and not just by what we can act like. Acting is for actors who want to portray something that is not real – leave acting to the actors and let us get real with God!

God wants us to be honest with Him because He has been honest with us from the very beginning. He has given us His ways, His Word, His promises and even His Son! Does that not demand a certain level of integrity and honesty from us? We may be able to pull the wool over some people’s eyes, but we certainly cannot lie to God; and that is what is comes down to, us telling lies to our Awesome God! God wants us to come willingly to Him in truth – simple…

Points to Ponder:
What do you like to pretend you are?

Do you really think you are fooling anyone?

Monday Reading: Psalms 116 10-19

Key Verse: Psalms 116 16
16  O LORD, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid: thou hast loosed my bonds.

Devotion:
What sort of reaction do you have toward others when you find out that they are not telling the truth? Our reactions can be anything from a mild disappointment to a raging fury and many things in between; but I don’t want to focus on what we do but rather how we view those reactions because we can apply this same question to our relationship with God. We are the ones that lie to Him and We don’t always think about what sort of reaction He should have toward us!

I want you to just put aside your own feelings and think about what we deserve to happen to us when we are the ones dishing out the lies. It may seem a small thing to many that they lie to God but as we read through our bibles we do find many verses that tell us that God is not someone to ignore sin such as lies no matter how small or ‘white’ we think they are! But no matter what lies we do tell, God is always willing to show His mercy toward us if we bring them to Him with a humble heart. And if He is willing to show us mercy when we do go overboard with our sin, could we ever find anything that would be good enough to give to Him to show just how grateful we are for that fact?

Well, if we are thinking in terms of earthly gifts then we are never going to match up to the heavenly and spiritual gifts that God is concerned with. But if we put aside the ways of the world and think more in line with God’s ways then we can begin to get a bit closer to what would be expected from such a deity. The Psalmist describes what he should do… To take the free gift of salvation that God offers by believing on His Son and we do that through calling on His name, showing that we do believe He is the Son of God. We need to do this and be willing to admit that we have done this before other people.

What does this mean? Well, if we take it to the next step, we are actually saying to God that we are His servants and that we are willing to do whatever He wants us to do. Once we do realise that we do owe Him so very much, coming to God in praise and with thanksgiving should be nothing more than what we expect to give. Showing that we are willing to do so is going to be the sticking point to most people…

Points to Ponder:
What would you be willing to do for love?

What will you give God to show Him your love?

Sunday Reading: Isaiah 44 1-6

Key Verse: Isaiah 44 5
5  One shall say, I am the LORD'S; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, and surname himself by the name of Israel.

Devotion:
One of the most amazing things I continue to be astounded by every day is the grace and mercy of our God! We read about all the things that man has done wrong time and time again and yet we also continue to hear about the forgiveness that God has given down to those people who are sinners. There are just as many references that describe the power and wrath of God so that we shall never forget just what we may have to accept as punishment if we allow ourselves to fall into man’s ways instead of God’s ways.

This pattern of us sinning and God forgiving has continued on for thousands of years and yet so many people still continue to forget about what is going on. God has shown us time and time again that we do deserve severe punishment for all that we have done wrong. He has also show us on many occasions the consequences of our sin; and yet He continues to declare His absolute love for us by showing us that He is also willing to forgive and to forget! It is not a case of turning a blind eye to what we do but rather seeing (and being hurt by) what we do and then coming forward and telling us that we can be forgiven should we choose to bring those burdens and sin before Him in humility and honesty.

God has always been honest and up front with us and He expects us to be able to be honest and up front with Him too. For as long as we continue to try and hide our sins from Him, He cannot show His grace and mercy and forgive us of those sins. But as soon as we come forward and lay it all in the open, He will show us that love and mercy time and time again.

I thank God every day that He is willing to do that for me because I know that every day I do do things wrong. I also know that He continues to monitor my every move and to plan a future for me that is bright and beautiful. If I accept that truth and bring my truth to Him, He is willing and able to forgive me of my sins; but not just forgive me but to wipe them clean away from my life. That way I will be guaranteed to be able to commune with my God!

Points to Ponder:
Do you remember your sins?


Are you asking God to forget your sins?

Saturday Reading: Proverbs 19 20-22

Key Verse: Proverbs 19 21
21  There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.

Devotion:
One of the hardest things to accept sometimes is advice especially when you don’t want it! No matter how wise the advice may be, if we are not looking for it then we may not want to entertain it at all. The more that we devise our own ways and plan things by ourselves and for ourselves, the less we want to accept advice from others; and yes I am guilty of that as well because there are times when I just don’t want to accept that anyone can know better than I can. But the more that I walk my walk with God the more that I have begun to realise that He has placed us all on this world together so that we can support each other as well as live together.

But we always seem to get to that point when we find out that we do actually know what was best at that one point in time; or at least that is how we see it because nobody else was right. But then when we take time to think things through we will see that God was always there and He was always giving us advice when we sought it. His advice is always right, is always perfect and is always what we need and when we need it… if we listen…

We all like to think that we are the kind ones, the ones that care for others and the ones that others will turn to in time of need. But then when push comes to shove and we are called to help just when we can’t or when we don’t want to, things turn turtle and we find we are lacking. And then when we are the ones looking for help from others and we ask at an inopportune time we find others lacking. The one thing we will find in our relationship with God is that He is never found wanting and we will never need more from Him than we receive. Yes there may well be times when we want more than He is giving us, but we will not need more than He has already supplied.

Our goal with our relationship with Christ should be that we admit that He is all we need and that He shall supply our every need. For as long as we do rely on those facts and live with that utter respect for Him we shall always be reminded that we are living a fulfilled life. And as long as we stay close to God, evil will not visit us.

Points to Ponder:
Do you look for advice?

Do you accept God’s advice?