Sunday Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5 12-14

Key Verse: 1 Thessalonians 5 12
12  And, brothers, we beseech you to know those who labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and who admonish you,

Devotion:
As we see this conflict in Libya move into a new dimension we see what we are told is the fight between good and evil going on. Quite what is good and what is evil is going to depend on who you listen to unless you happen to find out the truth for yourself; which in cases such as these may well be too late. We can see conflicts and wars going on most of the time somewhere in the world as one side tries to get one over on another side – conflicts seems to have lost the truth and now fight for pride and greed instead. Oh to have a just person stand up and tell people what is actually right and wrong... but then again, how many people would actually believe them?

Christ came to this earth as a Just and Holy person and yet there were more people who would cause conflict than those who would follow Him. We see just people all round the world being told to shut up or get out because the greedy few want more control than they have already. We see conflicts arising over things that are mundane just because they upset someone along the way.

When we step forward we need to make sure that we step forward in Christ’s name. Stepping forward in any other name is to give God’s Glory to someone else instead. We need to step forward upholding the truth and upholding all those who also come forward in His name. We need to support our church leaders, Pastors, Missionaries, Evangelists and all others who take up God’s Word and preach it to the people. God wants us to show cohesion and not conflict within churches. God wants congregations of peace and not war. Yes we do fight a war against Satan but it is one that has already been won by Christ; our task now is to lift up His Word and show others the truth. Tell those that raise conflict about the damage they cause. Tell those that lie about the hurt they inflict. Tell those that reject Christ that they face certain demise. But most of all tell them in Christ’s love because they are the weak who need your support.

Points to Ponder:
Who do you support?

Does God receive your praise?

Saturday Reading: 2 Timothy 2 15

Key Verse: 2 Timothy 2 15
15  Study earnestly to present yourself approved to God, a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.

Devotion:
The more that I am able to teach others about God the more I want to be able to learn about God. Does that make me a ‘swat’ or a bookworm that I should want to read my bible? Far from it because my reading ability is certainly not what it should be and it takes quite a bit of effort for me to be able to read through my bible each year. The amazing part is that each time I do read it I get a new insight into what God has in store for me and each time I dig a little deeper to find out more about Him. I try my best to present the truth and I certainly am not ashamed at being able to present the truth to anyone.

We (all human beings) do have an amazing ability to learn, some more than others, but we all do learn through what we take in in various forms such as reading. We all have a curiosity that needs to be fed or satisfied by finding more out about things – if we did not have that curiosity then we would never dig deep and find out the actual truth about things. What scares me is that there are many people out there (and I’m sure we have all done this at some stage) who simply repeat what others say without thinking about what they are saying. We take things out of context and blurt out words without thinking of the consequences; what good is that going to do to anyone?

Our goal should be to seek out the truth and when we find it we should tell others about that truth so they too can know it. Finding out the truth in this day and age is something that we find harder and harder because of all the garbage and frivolous things that are tossed in front of us all the time. Many people do not want to know the truth because they would then have to give up on some of those frivolous things because they may actually be bad for you – even though they may seem like fun at the time. Seeking the truth is not a bad thing. Keeping that truth in your heart is not a bad thing. Hiding that truth from others is just plain selfish – share your truth today and make someone else smile!

Points to Ponder:
Are you seeking the truth?

Are you sharing the truth?

Friday Reading: Romans 1 16-17

Key Verse: Romans 1 16
16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Devotion:
We have God’s Word as our standard by which we should live. It is not just a guide book that one should look into and think about how life should be led but rather God’s instructions to us on how we must be going about His will. It is one thing to read it and an entirely different thing to obey it but let’s not get hung up in obeying God’s Word today but rather look into what we should think of it because God’s Word is the truth as we know it – the truth that God has made sure that we get to hear about and the truth that we need to understand. One of the most important things that we often overlook is that we need to believe it in our hearts.

Man would have you believe that there is an inherent psyche built into us in which we need an authoritative figure to look up to in our lives. Man would have you believe that this is what makes us look to religious experiences so that we can gain fulfilment in our lives. Well I put it to you that what God has placed in us allows us to know that He does exist and that we are then given a choice as to whether we wish to believe that truth or not. Our faith is believing in the so-called unseen; again I put it to you that it is quite clear that God does exist if you look at the truth. Hiding that truth or hiding from it is not going to make that truth nothing. 

We need to not be ashamed of acknowledging that our God is real and that we have His Word through which we can get to know Him better. The Gospel of Christ is open to everyone who is willing to listen to it. The Gospel is not something that is hidden in a church (though in the early English churches that is exactly what the church authorities tried to do). God’s Word needs to be on open display so that people can make their own choice as to whether they want to believe in Him or not; but equally it needs to be shown in all its glory rather than shunned as a piece written by some novelist. Get God’s Word out there and allow people to see the truth!

Points to Ponder:
How often do you look for the truth?

How often do you show others the truth?

Thursday Reading: 2 Corinthians 4 1-2

Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 4 2
2  But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor adulterating the Word of God, but by the revelation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

Devotion:
For as long as God allows us to be alive and well on this earth we should be about His good works. It is not sufficient to say that we have done our share and that we now can rest because if we look at the life of Christ we find that He continued His work right up until He gave up His life on the cross. If we are willing to give up our time for God to be able to use us for His ministry then we will be blessed in being able to do exactly that. Does that sound a bit half hearted? Well if it does then just maybe you are being half hearted about what you do for God.

He has given us His Word so that we can take that with us wherever we go. He has given us opportunity and time to be able to do the things that matter. He has given us life on earth so that we can not just live but live for Him and to live abundantly for Him! It is not that we have to stand on the street corner and shout out God’s Word for all to hear – though that is excellent in itself, but that we should allow others to know that we work for God through the way we are and not just what we say. We need to be Christians and not just say that we are. We need to keep God’s Word and not just read it.

If we are going to try and tell people the truth and then not do that same truth then we are nothing but hypocrites and we will be seen as such by anyone who has half a brain cell. Don’t be fooled into believing that you can hide your actions from others because we cannot see everything that others are doing and we certainly do not know what others think. It may be easy to think that you have fooled others but all it will take is a split second for them to catch on to what you are actually doing – that split second will destroy a life-times worth of work. God wants us to be honest and to live our lives for Him because He has shown us the mercy up front already.

Points to Ponder:
How do you act?

Do you know in your heart that you have done right?