Friday Reading: Song of Solomon 6 1-3

Key Verse: Song of Solomon 6 3
3  I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine; He feeds among the lilies.

Devotion:
I am sure that there is not one amongst us that would not say that they like a good love story and each one of us would probably give a very different account of that same love story if we were to see it unfold. There would be some that would describe in detail the events that unfolded. There would be others that described in details the feelings that unfolded. And then there would even be some that would describe the story relating it to things in their own lives. Each of us would see it in a different way and we would get something different from it, but we would all come away knowing that it was about love. Our own descriptions of love differ from other peoples descriptions of love. We all look at it in a slightly different light. But there is something common that we can all recognise as being love.

As you read through the Songs of Solomon you begin to see a new side of this king that may well be missed in other books. We begin to see a love within that we may not relate to him. Just as we begin to see other people in a different light when we begin to see what they think about things, here we see a new Solomon. If you wanted others to be able to see the love that you have for someone or to be able to see the love that they have for you, how would you go about describing things? Would you describe the physical, emotional or spiritual? Would you describe things so that others could relate to your feelings or would you simply try to describe the depth of your feelings? Again, we would all give a different account of our love for others.

So when Solomon describes the love between Christ and him he describes things in ways that we may not have thought of – but those descriptions are detailed and powerful. No matter how much we try to explain how much God loves us and how much we love Him there is no better description that is easier to follow than you actions. Using words alone will not make all people realise the truth but what you do and how you act will show them your true feelings...

Points to Ponder:
What would be your greatest love story?

What do people think about your relationship with Christ?

Thursday Reading: John 1 43-51

Key Verse: John 1 50
50  Jesus answered and said to him, Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these. 

Devotion:
What does it take for you to believe something? Do you actually have to see things happen before you believe them or do you take other people’s word for it? We would all like to believe that we would take other people’s word for some things because we would like to believe that we can trust some people with everything – but we do tend to have a very untrusting heart when it comes down to it. Why? Well, probably because we have been hurt by others through their deceit or through the lies they have told – that then casts doubt on everyone because we may have thought that we could trust them in the beginning.

It is because of that sort of doubt that we tend to doubt many things in our lives – and the disciples where no exception either. I’m sure that they would have faced many lies and much deceit in their time and because of that they would have had what some would call a ‘healthy doubt’ about many things. Well, how healthy is that doubt when it is actually blocking the truth from us?

This is just one of the places in God’s Word where we are reminded that Jesus knew everything – He is omniscient. That is a difficult concept for us to grasp because we only know what we have seen, heard or learned about. We can begin to understand the concept through the knowledge that we do have that we have not had to learn – such as breathing – but actually knowing what goes on inside other people’s heads is a scary thought for us. Many movies have made light of the subject by turning it into a joke but this is no joke for Christ. We certainly do not like it when we overhear what others have said about us or ever to us. We get very upset by what others say. We certainly do not always think about what we say; we don’t think of how it could hurt others before we say it... Have you ever stopped to imagine what Christ must think about what is going on in your mind?

Points to Ponder:
How often do people upset you?

How often do you think you upset God’s people?

Wednesday Reading: Luke 6 31-33

Key Verse: Luke 6 31
31  And as you desire that men should do to you, you do also to them likewise.

Devotion:
It is always a blessing to read God’s Word and certainly when He is uplifting us in the manner that He does here in this chapter. The encouragement that Christ gives to us through these words is not just a flash in the pan but long and lasting encouragement that He continues to give each of us. With the world in such turmoil as it is in now we can be forgiven for thinking that we have no hope because so many people look to the wrong things for stability and instead find a crashing defeat. No matter which way governments turn they always seem to find a bigger pit to fall into that the one they had before – and why, because they are seeking earthly ways out when there are none. They have come to the end of their borrowing cycle and they have nothing left to turn to; what more can they expect?

But we have a sure thing in Christ. We have a God that has always been and will always be. We have a goal to aim towards and we have heaven to seek. My heart goes out to those who continually cling to this world hoping for the impossible. The only anchor we should be holding on to is Christ because He is the solid rock!

If we were to turn our backs on the world and only preach to Christians then we would be making our congregations smaller. We need to show others that we are willing to share in the love and the peace that we have as our reward from Christ. We need to reach out to those around us who do not yet know Christ and show them the love that Christ showed sinners. How else are they going to hear the truth unless we are the ones reaching out to them? It’s no good sticking with the same because we need to be doing Christ’s work and not just relaxing in His arms always.

Points to Ponder:
Who do you love?

Are you reaching out to new people with love?

Tuesday Reading: Ecclesiastes 7 3

Key Verse: Ecclesiastes 7 3
3  Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is made better.

Devotion:
There is a time to be happy and glad but there is also a time to be sad. If we did not have feeling then we would not mourn the bad things in life and our love would not grow. Without sorrow, how can there be great joy? We live now surrounded by sorrow but with that we can know that joy is going to be so much better!

We could just laugh off bad things that happen but then we would never truly understand just how much they do affect us and how much we do not want them in our lives. Without that sadness we would not know what to avoid because we would have laughed it off the first time and would probably not avoid it the second time round. But now that we know that sadness we can strive to avoid it knowing that God has allowed us to see the pitfall that lies ahead and has given us the wisdom to avoid it the next time round.

So where am I going with this one? Simply to take life seriously... If we are not going to take life seriously then we should not expect to gain much from it. If we want to gain much from God, then we have to take Him seriously. That does mean that we have to take the good and the bad because He is allowing those things into our lives so that we can learn from them. He has already given us Christ so that we need no longer fear that He will destroy us because of our sins – so long as we have accepted Him as the truth. That was the turning point. The point that we need to take very seriously! Christ gave His life for our sins. That mean that they have been taken away and we now have a new and clean life. If we are not going to take that seriously then we are saying that His death was meaningless. That it was NOT! Our time for sorrow is at the point of realisation; thereafter we look forward with joy and love in our lives!

Points to Ponder:
How often do you feel sorrow?

How often do you look forward to joy with Christ?