Monday Reading: Mark 4 3-9

Key Verse: Mark 4 5

5  And another fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth. And it sprang up at once, due to not having deepness of earth.

Devotion:

Yes I know it is the same passage – but trying to disclose all that is in some parables in a single day is a bit much to ask for! So we continue with the sower and the seeds; this time those that fell on stony ground. There are going to be those times when we are able to reach a few people with the truth and they will think about it and even come back and ask us some serious questions – but as soon as they get back into their own worlds where they are surrounded by the temptations that Satan shoves down their throats, they will begin to wither and fade away. Just when we thought that we saw something sprouting, we see it all wither away as they get choked by the garbage in this world.

We do face an uphill struggle but it is not one that we should take lightly or give up on doing. God has given us a task to take His Word with us wherever we go; and that is exactly what we should be doing. It is soul destroying to see how some people will throw their lives away as they go back to the worldly ways that they have become accustomed to. It is depressing to say the least when we lose a single battle to Satan. But never forget that Christ has already won the war and it is simply our task to allow people to see that that is the real truth!

Yes we will see many come to learn what we tell them only to throw it all away because they have heard something else that sounds a bit better at the time. It does not matter to them that it is not the truth because it sounds good at the time. We can clearly see the errors and traps they are falling into, but allowing them to see what we see means that we have got to be persistent in what God has given us to do. When we are giving out God’s Word to those who want it, allowing some to be scattered out to those who don’t know may get them encouraged to come and find out what it is all about. God can then do the real work in their hearts!

Points to Ponder:

Do you get discouraged?

How much did God have to do to get you in the right place?

Sunday Reading: Mark 4 3-9

Key Verse: Mark 4 4

4  And as he sowed, it happened that indeed some fell by the wayside, and the fowls of the air came and ate it up.

Devotion:

There are many different ways that we can be the same as the sower and take God’s Word with us to sow to the masses. We don’t have to stand up in front of a church to tell many people God’s Truth; though it is very rewarding being able to do so. I fear that church attendance is dwindling in many churches and putting off many who wish to bring forward God’s Word. But without that initial sower going out to sow the first seeds, the harvest will not come; yes a few will spring up from past years of sowing, but the majority that would have otherwise been reached will go hungry.

Our major enemy that we fight is Satan himself because he is the one who will spread bad feelings, dissent, temptations and even lies so that people will be put off from coming to hear God’s Word. It is not our fault that people do not want to come and hear the truth when we do preach the truth – but rather the choice that people are making based on the lies that they have been told already.

We can spread as much seed as we like in places where Satan is rife and nothing will happen to those seeds. Satan will be quick to pluck up the seeds that we leave just to make sure that the truth is hidden from the people that he has captured. Just because it is the truth and just because it is God’s Word does not mean that it will reach those people. Instead, what we should be aiming to do is to bring them out of their dwellings that they keep with Satan so that the seed will have time to at least sink in. It is not going to happen overnight but rather in God’s time – so long as we are the ones willing to step forward and take God’s Word with us. So long as we can reach people in our environment instead of in their dens we should be able to show them the truth; it may be hard to convince them because of the lies they have already been shown, but try we must.

Points to Ponder:

Do you encourage others to come out?

Do you discourage others by going to their dens for their fun?

Saturday Reading: Colossians 4 2-4

Key Verse: Colossians 4 2

2  Continue in prayer and watch in it with thanksgiving,

Devotion:

I always feel split between feeling like I am doing the right thing and feeling like others will think that I am doing the wrong thing when I write about verses like these. But in truth I suppose that I am also asking for prayer as well as encouraging you all to pray for those that bring God’s Word to you. Just as I do lift up my teachers in prayer, so should we all because it is through our teachers that we receive God’s Word. I love sitting down in front of my bible and PC and constructing devotions as God feeds me. Always these devotions come from my heart because they reflect things that are happening in my life – I would hate to be a psychologist trying to make sense of me now!

As we do lift up our spiritual teachers in prayer we should do so with thanksgiving because of the light that they bring into our lives; but not just our lives but to all those that they can reach through the work that they do. Each day I lift up people who are very special to me: those that I know are taking God’s Word with them every day and trying to make a difference. I lift up my prayers in love because I know that God will expect nothing less from me for all the love that He has shown me through them.

One thing we do all need is plain English explanations sometimes and for those we need to come to ordinary people who are living their lives with God. God shows us so much through His Word but He also instructs us through watching other Christians at work in what they do; He encourages us and moulds us through every little detail that He allows into our lives. A history of pictures or love, grace and mercy are set before us in the hope that we too can walk in that way after seeing how they can by depending on their God. Depend on God and walk with them. Depend on God and grow through His wisdom and might.

Points to Ponder:

Who inspires you?

How often do you pray for their strength and guidance?

Friday Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5 16-18

Key Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5 17

17  Pray without ceasing.

Devotion:

I love the way that God’s Word will always lift you up. I love the way that it always reminds us of the good and the bad. I love the way that it will always guide me in everything that I do. But most of all I love it for telling me that I need to rejoice in the Lord Always. There are always going to be times in each of our lives when we will face things that do not agree with us, or tasks that seem a bit too much to handle, or times that are too lean for comfort… but throughout each of those time we can always be assured that God is continuing to watch over us – because that is what His Word tells me every day!

Is it any wonder then that we are told to pray without ceasing? Is it really a big thing to ask to give a bit of God’s love back to Him? We do tend to take things in life and not always look to give them back – that seem to be the way that we are brought struggling and fighting through this world. The world tries to convince us that we need to lift ourselves up so that we can be strong enough to stand up to the next battle that will come our way. The world will say that we can do anything so long as we lift ourselves up… well each of us has an amazing ability to continue on throughout so many issues in our lives – but God does not want us to think that we are super human or that we can continue to do everything… He wants us to know the truth; that He is the one that has been holding our hands throughout every trial in our lives.

Let us then turn back and thank Him for holding our hands. Thank Him for encouraging us. Thank Him for pushing us. Thank Him for getting us into tight places so that we can see that we can do many more things than we first thought we could. Thank Him for holding us and allowing us to do even more with His help than we can do by ourselves!

Points to Ponder:

Are you building your hopes up?

Do you realise God’s hopes for you are even bigger?