Tuesday Reading: Acts 4 1-3
Key Verse: Acts 4 3
3 And they laid hands on them and put them under guard until the next day, for it was already evening.
Devotion:
This is not the laying on of hands in the Christian sense we are talking of here, this is the authorities locking up Peter and his helpers just because they dared to teach about Jesus, much less to talk of His resurrection! Sadly this is going to be something that we face each time we dare to tell others about Jesus. Yes there will be those that do listen and learn the truth but there will always be many who do not want to hear the truth and will do what they can to disrupt our teaching. This is where my heart goes out to teachers in schools where the students run riot because the teachers are not allowed to discipline their pupils... But enough about school, let’s get back to Christ our King!
No matter where we go there will always be someone who is willing to take a stand against us because, although Satan has lost the war, he refuses to give up and lie down. He will continue to try to keep people away from knowing Christ and he is going to use whomever he can to achieve that goal. If that means using people high up in authority then so be it. We can see the corruption that is rife in our societies and we can see that corruption all the way to the top in our governments. It is very sad to know that we have people in charge who have given in to the temptations of power and greed and are no longer following God. What a joy it would be to see a Christian in power!
Over and over we hear about things happening in the news where people who had been given a position of power have abused that position and given in to evil rather than making a stand for righteousness. We are going to fighting a battle all the way to the end but we are the ones who can be sure of our outcome and because of that we must stick at what we do best – telling others about Christ; letting them know the truth. We may lose battles along the way but Christ is already victorious so we need not worry about the eventual outcome but rather of those around us who need our help in getting to know God.
Points to Ponder:
Do you stop teaching when someone rebels?
Did you ever see Christ turn His back on those that needed Him?
Monday Reading: Psalms 100
Key Verse: Psalms 100 5
5 For The LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endures to all generations.
Devotion:
As I am reading through Jeremiah the thought of bringing that sort despair in a daily reading is not what I had in mind so instead I am turning things over and telling you to rejoice! We have so many reasons to rejoice and to be glad in Christ. Yes we can read all about how the Israelites rejected God and how God was all set to wipe them out because of the total rejection they had toward God but what we desperately need to remember is that we are now living in the days of grace. Christ has come and paid the price for our sins. We now live under that grace that He has already paid for our sin debt; if there would be any reason to rejoice it must be that!
We wonder around like lost sheep much of the time because we do not focus on God’s Word. If we are to remain strong and faithful then we need to make sure that we know the reasons behind what God has done so far and what He is going to do in the future. Without that knowledge we could be forgiven for thinking that our God just wanted to make us miserable... But instead we find out that He has already done so much for us and He continues to do so much as well. We can see the love that He has for us in everything that has been done. Let us not get tied down with our own shortcomings and our own faults; let us not blame God for those because we are the ones making our own choices!
We have God’s Word and we need to make sure that we do remember it. We need to read it so that we do understand it and not just pick out the parts that we want to. We need to know the good and the bad so that we can avoid those bad times ahead because if we are not careful we too will find that we have to face God’s wrath in the end. But this is not a time to morn because we know that Christ has done all that He need do for us. This is our time to praise Him, to lift up His name, to glorify Him for loving us and giving us so much. Let us move forward safe in the knowledge that He is able to do anything. Let us acknowledge all that He has done and praise our God and King!
Points to Ponder:
Are you sinking in your own mire?
Can you see what Christ has done for you?
Key Verse: Psalms 100 5
5 For The LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endures to all generations.
Devotion:
As I am reading through Jeremiah the thought of bringing that sort despair in a daily reading is not what I had in mind so instead I am turning things over and telling you to rejoice! We have so many reasons to rejoice and to be glad in Christ. Yes we can read all about how the Israelites rejected God and how God was all set to wipe them out because of the total rejection they had toward God but what we desperately need to remember is that we are now living in the days of grace. Christ has come and paid the price for our sins. We now live under that grace that He has already paid for our sin debt; if there would be any reason to rejoice it must be that!
We wonder around like lost sheep much of the time because we do not focus on God’s Word. If we are to remain strong and faithful then we need to make sure that we know the reasons behind what God has done so far and what He is going to do in the future. Without that knowledge we could be forgiven for thinking that our God just wanted to make us miserable... But instead we find out that He has already done so much for us and He continues to do so much as well. We can see the love that He has for us in everything that has been done. Let us not get tied down with our own shortcomings and our own faults; let us not blame God for those because we are the ones making our own choices!
We have God’s Word and we need to make sure that we do remember it. We need to read it so that we do understand it and not just pick out the parts that we want to. We need to know the good and the bad so that we can avoid those bad times ahead because if we are not careful we too will find that we have to face God’s wrath in the end. But this is not a time to morn because we know that Christ has done all that He need do for us. This is our time to praise Him, to lift up His name, to glorify Him for loving us and giving us so much. Let us move forward safe in the knowledge that He is able to do anything. Let us acknowledge all that He has done and praise our God and King!
Points to Ponder:
Are you sinking in your own mire?
Can you see what Christ has done for you?
Sunday Reading: John 21 15-17
Key Verse: John 21 17
17 He said to him the third time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me? Peter was grieved because He said to him a third time, Do you love Me? And he said to Him, Lord, You know all things, You know that I love You. Jesus said to him, Feed My sheep.
Devotion:
Why is it that God will encourage you to do some things that you would not think of? Why is it that God would have you repeat some things? Why is it that God continues to work in each of our lives? We may not be able to answer some of these questions but we can always know that what God would have us to do is going to be the best for us. The problem we normally have is doing what God wants us to do and not what we think is best! Our other problem may well be that we do not want to listen to God when He does give us instruction.
It is easy to make up your mind that you should do something and go ahead and do it. It is easy to make your own choices and follow those choices. It may not be easy to live with the consequences of making our own choices but we like to think that we know best. So how do we go about listening to God? How do we find out what He would have us do rather than what we want to do? For that we have His Word. We have our bibles and through them He will show us what we need to know and how we need to live. So if we want to know what God would have us do, we need to stay in His Word constantly.
When Christ asked Simon Peter “do you love Me more than these?” He was asking him to acknowledge his love for Christ. That is maybe something that we don’t think that we have a problem with because we go to church and we help out and we do loads of things for Him. Or do we? You see, if we are going about our daily walk because we think that it is best to do these things then just maybe we are listening to ourselves rather than listening to God. If we can know that we are in God’s will because we are doing His will, then we are a step forward. We don’t just need to acknowledge Jesus as Christ, but we need to show others that we do through what we do for Him and with Him every day of our lives. But more importantly we need to show Christ because He sees all that is in our hearts.
Points to Ponder:
Does man see you as a Christian?
Does God see you as a Christian?
Key Verse: John 21 17
17 He said to him the third time, Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me? Peter was grieved because He said to him a third time, Do you love Me? And he said to Him, Lord, You know all things, You know that I love You. Jesus said to him, Feed My sheep.
Devotion:
Why is it that God will encourage you to do some things that you would not think of? Why is it that God would have you repeat some things? Why is it that God continues to work in each of our lives? We may not be able to answer some of these questions but we can always know that what God would have us to do is going to be the best for us. The problem we normally have is doing what God wants us to do and not what we think is best! Our other problem may well be that we do not want to listen to God when He does give us instruction.
It is easy to make up your mind that you should do something and go ahead and do it. It is easy to make your own choices and follow those choices. It may not be easy to live with the consequences of making our own choices but we like to think that we know best. So how do we go about listening to God? How do we find out what He would have us do rather than what we want to do? For that we have His Word. We have our bibles and through them He will show us what we need to know and how we need to live. So if we want to know what God would have us do, we need to stay in His Word constantly.
When Christ asked Simon Peter “do you love Me more than these?” He was asking him to acknowledge his love for Christ. That is maybe something that we don’t think that we have a problem with because we go to church and we help out and we do loads of things for Him. Or do we? You see, if we are going about our daily walk because we think that it is best to do these things then just maybe we are listening to ourselves rather than listening to God. If we can know that we are in God’s will because we are doing His will, then we are a step forward. We don’t just need to acknowledge Jesus as Christ, but we need to show others that we do through what we do for Him and with Him every day of our lives. But more importantly we need to show Christ because He sees all that is in our hearts.
Points to Ponder:
Does man see you as a Christian?
Does God see you as a Christian?
Saturday Reading: Jeremiah 14 7
Key Verse: Jeremiah 14 7
7 O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, act for Your name's sake; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against You.
Devotion:
When it comes down to it, we deserve what we get. We are the ones who continually sin before God and we are the ones that have to accept that there is a law that we need to stick to. If we break that law then we are the ones who have to pay for that which we have broken. The scary part is that we also have been told that the punishment for us breaking the law is death. But, you know what; that is exactly what we deserve because we are the ones who after knowing that that is the punishment go out there and continue to sin!
Horrible when you think of it like that, but there must come a time in our lives when we meet this realisation and face up to what has happened. Jesus Christ alone came to stand in our place to take on that punishment for us! He did that before we even knew Him. He did that because He loved us before we knew Him. But let us not hold up anything that we have done or have not done because this is not about us but about Christ. He has done this all. He alone deserves all the credit and all the praise.
Even after we come to know Him we find ourselves doing things wrong. Even after we have come to know the terrible things that He has had to have done against Him for our sakes, we continue on in doing things wrong. We are the weak. We are the weary. That is exactly what Satan wants to happen because he is waiting for us to become weary and worn and then he strikes by placing doubt and temptation in our way. All he wants is for us to fail our God once again. So let us remember all that Christ has done, is doing and will continue to do for each of us. He is doing it for a reason so let us lift up His name and glorify Him today and forever!
Points to Ponder:
Have you slipped up recently?
Do you bring it to God?
Key Verse: Jeremiah 14 7
7 O LORD, though our iniquities testify against us, act for Your name's sake; for our backslidings are many; we have sinned against You.
Devotion:
When it comes down to it, we deserve what we get. We are the ones who continually sin before God and we are the ones that have to accept that there is a law that we need to stick to. If we break that law then we are the ones who have to pay for that which we have broken. The scary part is that we also have been told that the punishment for us breaking the law is death. But, you know what; that is exactly what we deserve because we are the ones who after knowing that that is the punishment go out there and continue to sin!
Horrible when you think of it like that, but there must come a time in our lives when we meet this realisation and face up to what has happened. Jesus Christ alone came to stand in our place to take on that punishment for us! He did that before we even knew Him. He did that because He loved us before we knew Him. But let us not hold up anything that we have done or have not done because this is not about us but about Christ. He has done this all. He alone deserves all the credit and all the praise.
Even after we come to know Him we find ourselves doing things wrong. Even after we have come to know the terrible things that He has had to have done against Him for our sakes, we continue on in doing things wrong. We are the weak. We are the weary. That is exactly what Satan wants to happen because he is waiting for us to become weary and worn and then he strikes by placing doubt and temptation in our way. All he wants is for us to fail our God once again. So let us remember all that Christ has done, is doing and will continue to do for each of us. He is doing it for a reason so let us lift up His name and glorify Him today and forever!
Points to Ponder:
Have you slipped up recently?
Do you bring it to God?
Friday Reading: Proverbs 25 16
Key Verse: Proverbs 25 16
16 Have you found honey? Eat only as much as is enough for you, lest you be filled with it and vomit it.
Devotion:
The previous chapter tells us how we should eat honey because it is good to have a good thing going on to say that the gaining of wisdom is always a good thing. Then here we read that it is not good to eat too much in case we vomit it up. Therein is the truth; too much of anything is often a bad thing even when you are getting something good. No matter how good we think our brains are – and scientists still struggle to figure out how they can make a computer that is as good as our brains – there is a finite limit to them.
Let us take a test at school to illustrate this... If we have a test coming up we could cram as much as we can just before the test and then spew out verbatim all that we have crammed, or we could learn things over time and then apply our knowledge at the time of the test. Cramming allowed us to store a lot of information that we were able to recall at short notice and write down in the hopes that we pass the test. Learning over time however had given us the wisdom to understand what we were learning about so that we were able to apply our newfound knowledge in the proper manner. Soon after the test we would probably forget most of that which we had crammed, but remember much of that that we had learned over time.
God needs us to know the truth but He also wants us to remember and understand that truth. If we just cram we will be able to pass on that crammed information for a short while but we will not really apply it to our own lives or to situations around us. Good and steady studying will give us the understanding that God wants us to have because we will then be able to take that knowledge and pass it on to those around us. Each time I get up to teach people I realise just how much more there is to learn about God. His ways are infinite but He still wants us to know enough so that we can be useful servants for Him. We need to take time to take all that information in so that we will remember it, apply it and stick to it in our own lives as well as with those around us.
Points to Ponder:
What is your favourite pick-me-up food?
Are you feeding on God’s Word?
Key Verse: Proverbs 25 16
16 Have you found honey? Eat only as much as is enough for you, lest you be filled with it and vomit it.
Devotion:
The previous chapter tells us how we should eat honey because it is good to have a good thing going on to say that the gaining of wisdom is always a good thing. Then here we read that it is not good to eat too much in case we vomit it up. Therein is the truth; too much of anything is often a bad thing even when you are getting something good. No matter how good we think our brains are – and scientists still struggle to figure out how they can make a computer that is as good as our brains – there is a finite limit to them.
Let us take a test at school to illustrate this... If we have a test coming up we could cram as much as we can just before the test and then spew out verbatim all that we have crammed, or we could learn things over time and then apply our knowledge at the time of the test. Cramming allowed us to store a lot of information that we were able to recall at short notice and write down in the hopes that we pass the test. Learning over time however had given us the wisdom to understand what we were learning about so that we were able to apply our newfound knowledge in the proper manner. Soon after the test we would probably forget most of that which we had crammed, but remember much of that that we had learned over time.
God needs us to know the truth but He also wants us to remember and understand that truth. If we just cram we will be able to pass on that crammed information for a short while but we will not really apply it to our own lives or to situations around us. Good and steady studying will give us the understanding that God wants us to have because we will then be able to take that knowledge and pass it on to those around us. Each time I get up to teach people I realise just how much more there is to learn about God. His ways are infinite but He still wants us to know enough so that we can be useful servants for Him. We need to take time to take all that information in so that we will remember it, apply it and stick to it in our own lives as well as with those around us.
Points to Ponder:
What is your favourite pick-me-up food?
Are you feeding on God’s Word?