February 16: John 21 20-22
Key Verse: John 21 22
Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”
Devotion:
We do all face good and bad times throughout our lives and we try to forget the bad times by putting them behind us whilst remembering the good times – this is us being optimistic – the truth being we all face good and bad. What we do with those instances defines the way we are. The disciples would try to think about what Jesus had told them and act accordingly, learning as they took each step; but they still had many questions which would need to be answered before Jesus was taken from them. Well, that is probably the way they saw it... Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen and He was preparing the way.
Each time we face different situations, it may be God’s way of letting us know we have a whole lot more to learn about before we continue on in our path. But far too many times in those instances we worry more about what is going on around us than we do on what we should be doing. Jesus was quite explicit in what He said (paraphrasing) “If I want him to live until I come back again, what is it to you? Your simply have to follow Me”. In other words, Jesus was telling Peter not to worry about how much the other disciple was not doing for Him, be it back-sliding or working against God, but rather to worry about what he should be doing for God.
When we get caught up in things we tend to forget about what we should be doing and concentrate on all the things that are falling down around us. If we are able to step back and concentrate on what we should be doing for Christ, we will be working to help maintain what Christ is laying in place. If we ignore what we are doing and concentrate on what others should be doing, then we bring ourselves down because we are no longer doing what is profitable for God. If we want to make God proud of what we are doing, then we have to make sure we concentrate on the task that He has set us to do and not to get bogged down by others mistakes or misgivings.
Points to Ponder:
Do you do what you are told?
Are you listening to God or making your own way?
February 15: Ezekiel 28 12-19
Key Verse: Ezekiel 28 15
You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.
Devotion:
The more we achieve the more we try and the more we get trapped into seeking achievement. Whilst achievements themselves are not bad at all, we do need to remember just who our guide behind the achievements has been. There is no way we can reach out by ourselves and claim anything which God has given us, from our simple lives through to the most complex computers in the world – our brains! It is through Him that we are able to do so much and because of His guidance we can strive to do better in our lives. Many people have turned from God after their own successes in life and have left Him behind because of their pride. Satan was the first and will certainly not be the last one who gets caught up in themselves.
The prince or king of Tyre was just another one following in Satan’s footsteps as he claimed divine honours because of all he had achieved. You may turn around and say you have never done this, but think closely about just who you think has been in control of your destiny... We do lift ourselves up and the more we do, the more we leave God out of our destiny... That is the same as lifting ourselves up to God’s level, or lifting ourselves up to divinity. The more God allows us to have, the more we need to praise Him for what He is allowing into our lives because we certainly do not deserve it with what goes on in our minds!
Each one who leaves God behind or lifts himself up to God’s position will have to face God’s own wrath. God is our creator and He alone deserves the honour and glory for all we achieve through Him. Let us never forget just how much God does for us. We may achieve so much through Him, but we still have iniquity in our hearts, so we still need Jesus Christ as our Saviour. We need to depend on Him and through Him for everything in our lives. Give Him the honour and glory that He deserves for all that He continues to do for each one of us!
Points to Ponder:
Are you proud of what you have achieved?
Do you realise just how much God has done for you?
February 14: 1 Peter 3 8-13
Key Verse: 1 Peter 3 8
Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble
Devotion:
There are many times in our lives when we may find it hard to think along the same lines as other Christians... what should we be doing then? God gave us this answer when Jesus told us to love our neighbour. He knew there would be times when Christians would disagree with other Christians, and some being stubborn, would turn to arguments or fights to try and resolve the disputes. What the Lord would have us to do is far from the arguments and fights – He would rather we turned our feeling to love and compassion before we get that far.
We can identify the time before a fight breaks out as being when we start to get uneasy or let our feelings get the better of us. That is the time to take a step back and think rather than take a step forward and make yourself heard. Breaking out into an argument over something is not going to win friends or influence people whatsoever. Yes, we do need to make the truth known, but not at the expense of friendship – in these cases we need to back off and agree to disagree knowing we will at least have another time to put forward the truth and allow others to make their own minds up.
It’s not about bashing people over the head until they submit to God’s Word, it’s about showing them the good and the benefits of having God’s Word on your side so they will want to find out more. The Lord is watching over us all the time and when we start to fight with others, we are chasing people away from God. If they are Christians already, then we are causing heart-ache to both us and God. Our tongues will get us into all sorts of problems if we do allow them to rule our lives. Jesus was one who only spoke when He knew it would benefit us, during times when He would otherwise be drawn into arguments, He would back off and allow people to think before giving them a truthful reply – most people will spot their own mistakes given time to think.
Points to Ponder:
Do you talk before thinking?
Do you allow God to speak before running off at the mouth?
February 13: Romans 12 17-21
Key Verse: Romans 12 21
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Devotion:
There are times in our lives when we think there is just no way we will be able to love our neighbours because they or so far from what we would call friends. Those are the people we need to try and reach because when it comes down to why, it is probably only feelings which are separating us from being their friends. There is only one truth in the world, and we know it; so many enemies are based on what people believe. As long as we are willing to hold a hand out and show others we are willing to give a helping hand, then maybe there will be a spark of life left in them which will allow them to see that, just maybe, we know something better than hatred.
If we are able to allow people to have an open mind for a moment, God’s Word will be able to make an entrance – the choice will then be theirs as to whether they take on the truth or ignore it. In the words of Bishop Desmond Tutu “God has such respect for us that He prefers we go freely to hell if that is our choice”. God has given us the choice as to what we want to do, but not everybody knows the choices yet. If you went into an election where you only knew one of the people standing for the post, then you would most likely vote for them because you did not know anything better... if people do not know God is a reality then they will not know they have a choice like us.
Showing support for others when they think we are against them will make them stop and think about what we are doing. Unless they are so caught up in fear that they cannot make us out, they will begin to see we want them to have what we have. Just as we were fighting against God at one stage in our lives, so are others. He was the one who first showed us His love so we would take time to think about what He wants for us. Where did we get the idea to first start searching for God? That may well have come from someone we know who reached out their hand to us so we would stop and think. Reach out, make someone else stop and think...
Points to Ponder:
Who first introduced God to you?
Have you mentioned God to someone recently?
February 12: Romans 13 8-10
Key Verse: Romans 13 8
Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.
Devotion:
As Christians we really do need to think about how we live... We need to take note of the first phrase of this verse – we need to “owe no one anything”. Granted there are times where we do have to borrow something in order to live, but there must always be a desire to be able to pay back all that has been given to you. The UK seems to be going through very unstable times at the moment but is a far cry from a decade ago when far too many financial institutions loaned far too much money to people who did not have much of a chance of paying anything back! Our lives are the same, not just with finances, but with spiritual and social gifts too; not forgetting love.
The one thing which separates us from everything else is our ability to love but with love comes an ability to hate as well – the result of the lack of love. Just as we should have the wherewithal to know how much we can borrow and how much we can pay back, we should have the ability to know how much we can depend on others. Taking more than we give can look like we are robbing others – just as it looks in the financial world. We need to be aware the more we take, the more we have to be willing to give as well. The more love we are willing to give, the more others will allow us to give and take.
God has given us the commandments so we can know what is right and what is wrong. The commandments remind us to stay clear of things like adultery, murder, theft and lust so we can continue to love. If we get caught up in our sins, we lose the ability to love as much as we should. Love and sin cannot work together because they are opposites. If we are willing to show God we are ready to love Him and to love all of His creation, then we have moved a step closer to Him. He wants to show us His love for us too – that means we have to be close to Him to start with. He does not want to lend us His love, but to give it to us knowing we will give that same love to others too. With love as our focus we will learn to live properly with Him in our lives.
Points to Ponder:
Do you like giving things to people?
Do you know how much God likes giving things to you?