Friday Reading: Psalms 19 1-6

Key Verse: Psalms 19 1
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the expanse proclaims His handiwork.

Devotion:
How many things have you seen in your life that you have found jaw-droppingly amazing? The more that the Hubble telescope is out there taking pictures of the universe the more amazing things we get to see and the more that we are enriched by God’s beauty. You don’t have to look too long and hard at all of the pictures that come back from Hubble to think that there must be some sort of order to the universe otherwise we would not get to see these amazing pictures.

Last night at our teens club we got to see quite a few amazing pictures of galaxies and nebulas that we could not even dream of. To think that these pictures are of real things out there in the universe and the fact that they are so very far away does not make it any less extraordinary. We saw how man’s attempts at discovery have not gone that far out of our solar system and yet they are ‘long in the tooth’ in our own timelines. The more that I got to see, the more I wanted to see... And then things were put into perspective by showing us the relative sizes of earth and some of the stars that we see in our sky – never mind the galaxies.

And then to top this all off we are reminded that God is the one who is mindful of us; a minute, distant, tiny, undefined spec in the middle of just one galaxy. Out of all of that, He chose to send His Son down to this planet so that we can get to know His love for us! No matter how amazed and insignificant we think we are, that is nothing to how amazed we will be when we fully realise just how significant we really are to God! He chose us. He made this all possible for us. He allows us to see His handiwork. His works must surely make us realise that we are well and truly loved by our awesome God!

Points to Ponder:
How big are you?

Do you know how much God loves you?

Thursday Reading: Romans 8 26-27
 
Key Verse: Romans 8 26-27
26  Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Devotion:
How many times have you got yourself into such a desperate position that you were absolutely sure that there was no way out? In how many of those times can you look back and see how someone has helped you out? I am sure that we can all look back in our lives and see many places where others have helped us out and then we get to those times when we see that something else changed in our lives that turned the events more in our favour than against us... and even some of those times we don’t have any other explanation other than something else was watching over us. Well if we have not yet realised how much God does in our lives maybe it is time to take a step forward and think about that!

From the beginning of time we can look back and see how much God has done for many people in the bible and we can see how much people have prospered through believing in Him. If we read between the lines we also see how much other people have prospered as well, those who do not trust God – but they are not lifted up because that would not encourage people to seek God. Our history books will record many people from the past who have been tyrants and kings and who have had amazing success and all the rest – but our history books will not dare go into their minds or thoughts. The bible, however, lists peoples thoughts as well to show that believing in God gives us peace in our hearts – something that should be sought more than fame and fortune!

What history books do not return is the amount of intercession that the Holy Spirit does on our behalf. What history will not lift up is God in three persons working for us because of His love for us. The Holy Spirit has always been here with us and will continue to lift us up so that we can realise just who God is. He shows us the truth, even if we do not believe it. He is persistent, because He loves you and wants you to be safe too...

Points to Ponder:
Do you feel safe?

Are you depending on God?

Wednesday Reading: Ephesians 2 14-18
 
Key Verse: Ephesians 2 18
18  For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

Devotion:
I know that each religion has their differences and that many will never be able to agree on much but those that are willing to say that they are Christians should be able to agree on the basic fact that God’s Word is the truth. Christians should all be able to agree to the fact that Christ has died for their sins – that is after all the basis of Christianity! Christ is the one who has made this possible through what He has done for us. Nothing we can do will get us closer to Him that what He will do Himself.

By the very act of laying His own life down for our sins He has brought us closer to Him. That act was for every single one of us who is willing to admit that He actually did that for us because we fall short of His rules, the commandments. When we ask Him to forgive us of our sins He is faithful and just to do exactly that. It does not matter what background we come from but rather where we head to from that moment onwards. As a Christian we are placing our life in His hands knowing that that is where He wants us to be. As a Christian we then need to uphold His truth so that others can know that same truth. If that truth clashes with our “religion” then we must surely question who made the rules in our “religion”.

God is the author of the bible and it is the only book that we should look to for the truth. If what man has written down does not agree with the bible then we must question man’s writings. Our lives must be lived for Christ by following His will and obeying His Word. No we will not always be able to do everything right and He knows that; but what we can do is do the best we can to grow with and in His Word. Christ came into this world to seek and to save those who are lost; He did not come to condemn everyone who cannot do everything right – otherwise we would all be condemned already!

Points to Ponder:
Do you see yourself as a Christian?
 
Have you thanked Him for what He has done for you?

Tuesday Reading: Isaiah 26 3-4
 
Key Verse: Isaiah 26 4
4  Trust in The Lord forever; for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.

Devotion:
No matter how deep we sink in our own worries and mire that we mix we can always look up and know that God is our strength and know that with a surety that gives us an inner peace. We may not feel like we are at peace many times in our lives due to the constant bombardment of the world around us on our souls but that inner peace is a foundation that cannot be shaken. We may struggle to find it sometimes because we are lost in the world, but that does not mean that it is not there!

Perfect peace means exactly that. It is perfect because nothing can or ever will detract from that peace. It is a constant just like we think of time as being a constant in our lives. The word perfect may not be in the original Hebrew text in these verses but we know that it is; the reality of it makes it so. That inner peace cannot come from anyone other than God because He is the author of it and the keeper of it. Nothing else in our lives is as sure as God’s love, peace and mercy. Nothing is as sure as God. Yet so many people cannot see the wood from the trees because they are lost in the things that they find before they find God’s peace.

We are born with the knowledge that there is something better that we need to find in our lives. Whether we do find God’s perfect peace or whether we get lost before we reach His goal is based on the decisions that we make in our lives. If we want to find something then we have to start looking and not give up until we find it – if we give in to other things along the way then we will slow our progress to find that goal in the first place. We need to focus our minds on searching for God by starting in His Word and learning what He needs us to know first. Only then do we have the chance at listening to His instruction to find His perfect peace that He willingly gives to all who will listen. Be a listener today and seek God because He is already seeking you!

Points to Ponder:
How hard do you look for something when you lose it?

Are you looking for the peace your soul knows exists?