Friday Reading: Psalms 128

Key Verse: Psalms 128 3

3  Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine by the sides of your house; your sons shall be like olive plants around your table.

Devotion:

Well I am not too sure whether I would like my wife to be described as being a vine; we are not looking at the obvious physical description but the practical side of things. A good wife is hard to find unless you start looking in the church first! God wants families to be families and to meet with Him as families too. God wants us to be there for each other and to encourage each other but more than that He wants us to support each other through what each of us can do.

Being in a family does not mean that there should be one strong person that everyone can hang on to and live off of – yes the ‘bread winner’ is the one that will be bringing in the support but that does not mean that they must take on everything for everyone. Being in a family means supporting each other in everything that we do and not just in the physical and financial ways that we limit our thoughts to. Supporting each other means being willing to go that extra mile and do what it takes to get things done; not shirking your responsibilities.

God gives each of us different skills and different temperaments so that we can live together and support each other. If we were all identical then who would fill in the gaps that we leave between ourselves? Family life is about making the whole and filling the holes. That should not end within the physical family but should extend further into God’s family and beyond. As Christians we should be willing to do what it takes to fill in the gaps where others cannot. God has given us our talents so that we can use them to glorify His name above all names. It does not matter what race, sex, age, condition or temperament we are – God has made us this way for a reason.

Points to Ponder:

How are you treating your family?

Have you noticed how God treats you lately?

Thursday Reading: Psalms 119 105-112

Key Verse: Psalms 119 105

105  Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.

Devotion:

How good would it be if you could pick up a book and read it through to see what you should be doing in your life; a book that would be specific to you so that it would be your own personal guide. Now if anyone is thinking, well is that not what the bible is, then I would have to answer no, not exactly. You see, the bible has been written for all mankind but one of the most amazing things about our bibles is that when we read it, God, through the Holy Spirit, personalises it for each of us.

God’s word is more than just a torch that shines in front of you so that you can see the path on a dark and gloomy night. God’s Word will not only allow you to go in the right direction but it will also tell you what you should be avoiding and what we should be aiming for. If we think that we are OK without it then we really need to read it!

God’s Word is not something that is just going to light up the next step in front of you so that you can walk slowly and not fall over if you really do concentrate! God’s Word is going to give you a complete plan or map of what is ahead – so long as you do look at it and take note of what it has. If I told you to go to a certain road in a certain city, the best way would be to be able to follow a satellite navigation system or a map that shows you the whole area. If we had a personalised step by step guide we would get very lost if we strayed from the planned path – God’s Word will not just try to keep us on the right path but show us the way back if we do stray. It will also give us the encouragement we need to want to get back where we belong. It is far better to know what lies ahead rather than counting on just the next step to be clear... Use God’s Word intelligently and fully.

Points to Ponder:

Do you read your bible?

Are you trusting God’s Word wholly?

Wednesday Reading: Psalms 16 1-3

Key Verse: Psalms 16 1

1  (A Secret Treasure of David) Watch over me, O God; for in You do I put my trust.

Devotion:

This is one of those psalms that are a treasure in themselves, this being described as a Michtam or golden treasure as written by David. It is also one that should be read carefully because you may well miss the whole meaning if you skim over the chapter. Much the same as a treasure is passed over many times as people walk by it, right up until someone digs into the area to study what is beneath the surface. That is when the treasure is exposed to everyone.

God is the one who knows what is beneath the surface both in our world and also in our souls. He knows what we are like on the inside and therefore knows what is best for each of us too. If He were our counsellor through which we were able to find what we should be doing with our futures then we would all end up in the right jobs. Instead we tend to look at the financial and other reasons before justifying what we should be doing.

Sometimes God is telling us to take a step back and trust Him to show us what is best for us rather than trying to find out what we think is best. God knew that the man who would be best for the position of king would be the lowly shepherd boy from a family of warriors. God knows what we should be doing and He knows what will fulfil us.

What we do often forget is that God aims to get the glory from all that we do. If we fight against Him then we should not be surprised if we find out that our ways fall flat on their faces whilst God’s ways continue to stand the test of time. God has an inheritance for each of us that we may well not be able to see yet. Trusting Him for His guidance will allow us to get there quicker – so long as we trust Him wholly!

Points to Ponder:

What would you be willing to do?

Are you willing to glorify God in everything?

Tuesday Reading: 1 Samuel 16 6-13

Key Verse: 1 Samuel 16 11

11  And Samuel said to Jesse, Are all the young men here? And he said, There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he keeps the sheep. And Samuel said to Jesse, Send and bring him, for we will not sit down until he comes here.

Devotion:

Somehow I cannot see how David ever thought that he would become king; and when we read from this chapter he was not alone in those thoughts. Samuel had to be told by God not to look at the ‘outer package’ but rather what was on the inside. That is something that we often find hard to do because we take first impressions and they tend to stick. When God chose Saul (1 Samuel 9) to be king it was because of his outward appearance. God was not fickle in choosing Saul but instead knew what the people were seeking for a king – someone that looked the part.

When God then sent Samuel to go to Jesse to find the next king he started by looking at the ‘biggest and best’ and continued looking until God told him to stop. The person that God chose in the end was the youngest, smallest and least obvious choice by man’s standards. This time God was going to allow the people to see what He wanted from a leader instead of what the people wanted; God looks at the inside where He can see inside people’s hearts and minds.

There are not many people who know what they are going to be doing at an early age. I can remember times when I thought that I may be a tractor driver – because that looked cool when I was tiny. Then there was a time when the tractor gave way to a train and a train driver was next in my aim, then a pilot, then an engineer, then a designer and what I actually ended up doing was programming computers! Now I know that what I do enjoy doing most of all is teaching children about God and I have a feeling that that is what God was trying to get me to do from the beginning but I certainly was not listening! We need to do what Samuel was doing: listening to God and obeying Him. God does know what is best for us – trust Him!

Points to Ponder:

Do you always know what is best?

Are you obeying God?