Friday Reading: Acts 13 42

Key Verse: Acts 13 42
42  And the Jews having gone out of the synagogue, the nations begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.

Devotion:
What is the most times that you have seen any particular film or play? If there is a very special film for us then we do like to be able to watch it at almost any time. If there is any particular thing that we like in our lives we also think of being able to do that at any time as being pleasurable or even a must! The same goes for some people, we long to be with them when we are not and when we are we don’t want the time to end. So if we are willing to invite some things and people into our lives with such gusto, then should we not be looking at the most essential things in our lives as being the same?

No I’m not talking about money or food or anything else of a worldly order but rather of God’s Word. You see, God’s Word is more essential to us than anything else that we have in our lives when we already have God. Note that I say when we already have God because that has got to be the first step – to become a Christian! No matter how important we would like to think that various things are in our lives, that fact that Jesus relied only on God’s Word when facing Satan must surely speak volumes to us in pointing out just how important God’s Word is.

Spending time every day in God’s Word has then got to be something we do as a matter of course. Just as we do eat and drink every day, we need to be in The Word every day; not just skimming through but reading it and then applying it. Jesus did not just quote God’s Word but He really meant it when He said it. This then gave the Apostles something to focus on – getting God’s Word out to everyone. Once the Jews had listened to the sermon everyone else wanted to hear it too – we must not withhold God’s Word from anyone because we all need it; some to be saved, some to be strengthened, some to be taught, and some to be comforted. God’s Word is essential!

Points to Ponder:
What is important in your life?

How much do you read from God’s Word?

Thursday Reading: Isaiah 47 7-9
 
Key Verse: Isaiah 47 8
8  Now then hear this, O pleasure seeker, who lives carelessly; who says in her heart, I am, and none else is; I shall not sit as a widow, nor shall I know the loss of children.

Devotion:
Overconfidence in anything can cause a whole lot of heartache when things do eventually go wrong. It is not the fact that you have not thought of every eventuality that will get you down but rather the inevitability of the situation that will catch up with you and then the realisation that everything that you have done up to that point has been largely a waste of effort! Now I am not saying that we are all failures and that we should expect nothing else other than failure in our lives because clearly we are not. But what I am saying is that we need to remember the truth from the beginning!

Lots of big words in the first paragraph so let’s keep it simple now! The truth is simply that if we ignore the truth it will eventually catch up with us. That is easy to say and often easy to show others but dealing with that in our own lives can be difficult because none of us want to accept the fact that we may be wrong or that we are doing things wrong. We all like to think that we are right and that everyone else is wrong – that’s called pride and arrogance! God has shown us time and time again what pride and arrogance lead to and yet we still insist in our own little minds that we will be OK!

Babylon had over-stepped the mark and was now full of pride over what they had done in taking the Israelites. The truth was that God had allowed it to show the Israelites that they needed to depend on God always. We need to take note of both side here, the fact that God allows things into our lives when we are walking away from Him and also the fact that if we think we have achieved things by ourselves then we are sadly mistaken – God is still in control whether we acknowledge Him or not! The sooner we get to grips with these truths the sooner we will be able to live for Christ!

Points to Ponder:
What have you achieved?

What has God achieved in your life?

Wednesday Reading: 2 Peter 1 4
 
Key Verse: 2 Peter 1 4
4  through which He has given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, so that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Devotion:
How many times have you tried to say something to someone or to write a letter to someone and have ended up feeling like you have made a fool of yourself or have scrunched up the letter before actually sending it? Some people do seem to be able to say the right things at the right time and others, like me, seem quite adept at saying the wrong things at the wrong times! Simon Peter was no doubt under some duress as he could see that he would continue to be persecuted for Christ’s name but he had a way of introducing his letters that still makes people stop and think...

It is through Christ’s power and might that we are where we are right now. It is through His power that we are able to continue giving out His word to more and more people each day. It is because of Christ that this is all possible and that is what we have to make sure that we do remember. It is not through anything that we can do or have done or will do because Christ is the one that gives us the wherewithal to actually get out there and do things in His name! God is the one that has promised so much to us from the beginning and the one who continues to make sure that those same promises continue to come true.

It is because of these promises that we are all able to be like the Apostles of old time, that we are able to go out into all the world and spread His word to all who are willing to listen. Yes we will still continue to meet many who just don’t want to know – but there are many more that will listen and those are the ones that Christ would have us to reach. Those are the ones that we have been given Christ’s power to reach. Those are the ones who we need to reach because Christ is the one who have given them to us to reach. If we are not willing to get out there are reach for them, then who is going to step up and do our job? Christ gave us that position for a reason. Take it and run with it – it is God’s will!

Points to Ponder:
What are you waiting for?
 
Are you waiting for Christ to do your work?

Tuesday Reading: 1 John 3 1-2
 
Key Verse: 1 John 3 2
2  Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be. But we know that when He shall be revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

Devotion:
No matter what wondrous things we can dream up in our minds there is nothing that can compare to reality! We can think of all manner of fantastic things but when we actually take a closer look at the reality of this world we should be awe-struck. What then can we hope for in Christ when we finally get to meet Him face to face? Boy what a day that will be when we can finally put aside the theories, dreams and thoughts and our faith will go from being hope to being reality. Personally I cannot wait to see what amazing things will be there for us!

The most amazing thing for us is that we can be called children of God. Not everyone can because not everyone is willing to call God their true Father, but for those of us who have already accepted Him as Saviour, King and Father, we stand before Him as expectant children wondering what is going to be in store for us this time round. Have you ever thought of that? As a child you expect every day to give you more and you expect every day to bring forth some new surprise. When we grow up we then lose that expectancy and instead start to wonder when things are going to stop!

We are children of God. We should never expect anything to stop. We should be raising our hope each day looking for what God has in store for us and expecting the very best. We know that He loves us and we know that He can do anything. Why should we then expect anything less that the best? God is awesome and the sooner we all get to realise that and depend on that the better our walk will be with Him and hence the better our lives will be. As our Father He continues to want the very best for us and He continues to give us guidance and encouragement to be better children. What kind of a father would He be is He were not to make us the best that we can be? Trust Him. Listen to Him. Father knows best!

Points to Ponder:
Do you look up to your father?

Do you trust God as you trust your father?