Saturday Reading: Luke 11 37-41
 
Key Verse: Luke 11 39
39  And the Lord said to him, Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and the platter clean, but your inward part is full of plunder and wickedness.

Devotion:
Because we do look on the outward appearance of others we do tend to look on our outward appearance rather than our inward appearance too. I’m not talking about sprucing yourself up to go out on a date or making sure you look very smart for that interview but rather about the way that we present ourselves to others. We may well be able to make ourselves look like we are very businesslike but unless we act like we know what we are doing nobody is going to be fooled by how we dress up or down. Even then we may be able to fool many by the way that we act but those closest to us will still be able to see us for what we really are – or at least that is how they see it.

We hear and see some pretty horrific things on the news nowadays as people let their true feelings out after bottling them up for so long. I’m sure that these things are nothing new because we can see so many reflections of this type of thing happening all throughout history but the way that the media now reports every little thing we are not going to get by doing what we want anymore. That being said we still seem to be fooled by some who live two separate lives, one on show to the world and one only known to themselves... and God! You see, no matter how hard we try to live a different life to what we actually are on the inside God is always going to know what we are like on the inside.

The simple illustration that Jesus used here is something that we can relate to. If we have a bowl that we are going to eat from we will want to make sure that it is clean on the inside and the outside before we eat from it. The outside is what everyone else will see but we will know if it is clean on the inside so we will have the final choice as to whether we use the bowl or not. God can see us on the inside and He is the one who will make the final choice as to whether He wants to use us or not. Christ has made it possible for us to be cleaned on the inside – if only we will allow Him to do so...

Points to Ponder:
Do you like clean things?
 
What does God see when He looks inside you?

Friday Reading: Matthew 5 1-12

Key Verse: Matthew 5 6
6  Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness! For they shall be filled.

Devotion:
Is it enough to go to church and listen intently to what the preacher has to say? Is it enough to pray each day and ready your bible? Is it enough that we should help others and even put them before ourselves? I say to you that none of this is worthy unless it is done with a heart that is willing. If we are simply going through the motions of doing all of these things in God’s name then we are still doing it for ourselves and not for God; we are still glorifying ourselves rather than God. No matter how much or how little we do do as a Christian, if we are not doing it with a willing and Christ seeking heart then we are still doing it for ourselves...

God does not want a whole bunch of automatons going around doing His bidding for Him. He does not want a bunch of people dressing up in special clothes. He does not want a bunch of people meeting up to sing to Him. He does not want men to give Him all their money. What God is seeking in a willing heart from each of us; a heart that is willing to listen to Him and willing then to go out and do things for and with Him. It is not how much we can do for God but the way in which we do do things for Him. If we tell someone that we love them it could just be hollow words unless we are able to show them that we mean it from our hearts – therein lies a problem for us because we cannot see what is in the hearts of others.

God looks at us from the inside, from our soul and our spirit. The outward body is the part that we humans see. If we start with a heart seeking after God then our bodies will follow on in the right manner; we will find that we do do the right things and that we do glorify God. But it has to start from within us and not from what we can do with our bodies. Christ blesses us for what we are on the inside and not for what we do outwardly. What we do outwardly counts in human sight and that is why we do things after our hearts are changed. We do things outwardly so that others can see that we have changed – and yes you can see the difference between someone who is willing and someone who is just doing it...

Points to Ponder:
What sort of things do you do for God?

Are you doing it because you want to please Him?

Thursday Reading: Matthew 5 1-12
 
Key Verse: Matthew 5 5
5  Blessed are the meek! For they shall inherit the earth.

Devotion:
If we are willing to listen to His will in our lives then He will bless us in ways that we just don’t realise. Sometimes we just don’t see how God has blessed us until someone else points it out! And I know God has blessed me in many more ways that I expected. The way that we approach God will dictate the way that He blesses us in our lives. God does not want someone with a haughty spirit because they will be the ones that take the glory for themselves rather than giving it to God. How can we take the glory when God is blessing us? Quite easily!

How many times have you turned round and said how good your life has been because of what you have done in your life? How many times have you concluded that it is what you have done that counted? Do you remember the lesson from a few days ago when remembered the parable of the rich man and his grain stores? If we are going to count everything because of our gain then we are being really foolish because we do not know what lies ahead. Don’t get me wrong because it is good to know that you have a pension plan in place and that you will be able to eat and survive until your grow old – just in case you do get to grow old... But how we go about fulfilling that plan is what counts for God.

We could go ahead and plan our lives around the really good paying jobs and in places where we know we will get good wages... or we could follow God’s will in our lives and work where He wants us to work and wait for the blessings that He wants to give us when He is ready to. If we don’t wait on God then are we not saying that we don’t need Him? There is nothing more important in our lives than a good, honest and stable relationship with Christ! Everything else must wait on Him because He will show us when the time is right. We may well still have to go forward in hard work to achieve the goal but we need to make sure that we do it with Him and not in spite of Him! To God be the Glory, great things He has done!

Points to Ponder:
How is your life?

Is it complete with Him?

Wednesday Reading: Matthew 5 1-12
 
Key Verse: Matthew 5 3
3  Blessed are the poor in spirit! For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.

Devotion:
For the next few days I will go over these verses because there is enough in them to last a few weeks never mind a few days! At this stage Jesus had quite a few disciples following Him trying to glean as much as they could. The core 12 disciples would remain but others would not always be there; not because they did not want to be there because I am sure that many more would have wanted to be with Christ. When Christ taught, He taught from His heart and not just from a book or script. That is one thing that I have learned whilst teaching children is that if you simply recount what is already written in books they will lose their respect for you because they feel cheated in some manner.

Christ wanted us to know that it is not just the disciples that were with Him that day that were going to be blessed but everyone who was willing to listen to God’s Word. He poured His heart out to them with each of these verses knowing what they were going through and making sure that they knew that He knew. What would you do if you had a lot of money? Would you do your best to try and help people making sure that God’s Word was spread to everyone? Just as we are not all rich, we are not all spiritual giants. There are times when we need lifting up. There are times when we need to be comforted. There are times when we need support. God is the one who is watching over us and He knows when we are in need.

Just as He knew when the Israelites were in need of guidance and comfort, He knows when we are in need. If we are going to sulk and not reach out to Him during those times then there is not too much He can do. But if we are going to admit that we are in need and lift up our prayers then He is Just and willing to answer those prayers. When we feel weak He is our strength. When we feel down He will lift us up. His blessings span more than our frailties or needs because He is our God!

Points to Ponder:
Do you admit your weaknesses?
 
Have you noticed how willing God is?