Sunday Reading: Psalms 1 1-4
 
Key Verse: Psalms 1 1
1  Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, and has not stood in the way of sinners, and has not sat in the seat of the scornful.

Devotion:
What do you do when you have done something wrong? Do you then try to hide what you have done or do you continue doing it because it looks like you may have gotten away with it this time? The thing is that you have done something wrong and the knowledge of that is going to stick with you from that point onwards – you now know that you are a sinner, just like the rest of us! When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden for the first time they suddenly knew that they had done wrong and they tried to hide themselves from God.

Our first reaction to what we do with those sins really depends on the company that we keep. If we are in the company of others that like to brag about the things that they do wrong, then we will be encouraged to do the same. Yet of we were in the company of church-going people then we would not want them to know what we have given in to so we would hide those sins from them. Whichever way we choose there is no getting away from the fact that we cannot hide anything from God no matter how hard we try to hide! The other thing we cannot get away from is the fact that we now know that we have done wrong...

The most amazing thing is that Christ knew that we would get up to things like that and He willingly laid down His life to pay for our sins. We no longer have to pay for our sins. If we get caught doing something against the law of the land we can expect to get punished for doing that, be it a fine or a prison sentence. Now Christ has given us a choice as to what we do. We can either continue knowing that we have done wrong worrying about the sentence that lies ahead of us, or we can bring those sins to Him asking Him for His forgiveness. The latter is exactly what He wants us to do. Don’t carry your burdens round with you, give them to Him.

Points to Ponder:
Ok, what have you done now?

Have you admitted it to Christ?

Saturday Reading: 1 Kings 3 5-10
 
Key Verse: 1 Kings 3 10
10  And the word was good in the eyes of Jehovah, that Solomon had asked this thing.

Devotion:
What sort of things do you ask God for and what sort of response do you expect? Christ has told us that whatever we ask for in His name He will give to us but before you go asking to win the lottery, think about what you are actually asking God to do. When God asked Solomon what he would desire Solomon’s response was one which came from his heart, not one that he needed to get himself out of a bind or one to make himself more comfortable but rather a request to make him a better person for God’s children. Note that Solomon did not ask for wisdom so that he could be wise but rather so that he could rule as king in a way that would please God.

How many of our prayers are selfish prayers, asking thing for ourselves rather than for others. When Christ reminded us that whatever we do to others we do to Him it was a reminder that we need to know what we should be asking for as well. When we lift up our prayers to Him we are exercising a right given to us by Christ. How better to use that right than to ask for things for His people. We don’t all have to ask to be good kings nor good citizens but rather that we may be used for God’s glory. What better witness than to show love to others in the same manner as Christ showed love to us?

God wants us to have a good life and to be blessed with the things that He does for and to us. He wants us to know that He is in charge and that He is in control. If we go asking things for ourselves we will pretty quickly forget who it was that gave us those things as we rest in the luxury that He is able to provide. Instead of resting in those blessings rather use them to bless others with. Instead of taking everything, try giving. Instead of complaining about a lack of wisdom, show people wisdom that they too may learn... Show them Christ!

Points to Ponder:
What gifts has God given you?
 
Are using His gifts to the best advantage?

Friday Reading: Romans 2 1-4

Key Verse: Romans 2 1
1  Therefore you are without excuse, O man, everyone who judges; for in that in which you judge another, you condemn yourself, for you who judge do the same things.

Devotion:
Ok, time for some truth... How many times have you told someone else to do something one way only for you to go and do it another way? Or how many times have you told someone that a particular thing that they are doing is not right and you go off and do it anyway? We are all guilty of doing that at some stage in our lives but if we continue to do things in that manner after we have been born again then we are not living according to God’s ways. When we ask Christ to forgive us of our sins it should be in the manner of “Please forgive me. I will not go that way again.” Christ knows that we are weak and that we will give in to many temptations but if we are willing to listen to Him rather than our own deceitful hearts then we will be able to walk a better life!

The very rules that we blame others with are the very same rules that will trap us in what we do. There is no getting away from the law because it is. God’s Law stands now just as it stood at the beginning of time, nothing has changed in the law but we have changed in how we interpret it and how we uphold it! By those very same changes that we make we are condemning ourselves because we are changing God’s Law. No matter how far we try to run or how much we try to change the law, we are still going to be accountable to Christ when we have completed our life here on earth. I would rather that He be on my side and defend me that me having to try and defend myself knowing that I have broken the laws!

Christ gave His life so that we would not have to give our lives for our sins. He took on that sin debt so that we do not have to. Just because He has already done that does not mean that we can go out and ignore the law from now on – we are still bound by it and every time we break it Christ is the one who has paid for our wrong doing. We at least owe it to Him to be 100% honest with Him even if we cannot be so with others...

Points to Ponder:
Do you judge others?

What would you do if Christ judged you right now?

Thursday Reading: Acts 5 34-39
 
Key Verse: Acts 5 39
39  But if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it, lest perhaps you be found even to fight against God.

Devotion:
It is a pleasing thing to be counted as one who would stand up and be counted for Christ but nothing near as pleasing as it is to know that we are counted for a sure thing and not for a fly by night sect or religion. The chief priests had made a religion out of the laws that God had lain down for man to follow; whether they wanted to admit it or not they were more concerned about getting men to follow the rules than the actual Word of God. That is a place where we should not aim to be.

When the Pharisee Gamaliel stood up and talked he spoke with wise words and maybe he was one of the ones that tried to keep God in their religion rather than giving in to man’s ranting and ravings. Gamaliel knew that God could never be overthrown because He is our creator. Whether he actually wanted to believe that Christ was the Son of God or not at that time, I’m sure he would have had time to think about it before he died. We have so many people posing as the good guys nowadays that we find it hard to find the truth when we look for it. It is not because it is not there but rather that it is surrounded by so many people that try to lift themselves up higher than God that by the time we get closer to God we grow tiresome of all the false doctrine that we are inclined to give in before we go far enough.

God’s Word continues to be spoken by men and women who are willing to uphold the truth; our problem is that we are surrounded by so many who are trying to follow on from Christ’s success that the truth is hidden behind too many lies for some to believe. The people who look the closest are often the greatest deceivers. None of us likes to be deceived and so many give up seeking God because they are deceived by those few that look like they should know what they are doing – and yet the truth finds their deceit out and that destroys many people’s confidence in God. We need to stand firm and proud to make sure everyone sees that we are serious about the truth!

Points to Ponder:
What things stopped you from being a Christian?

Are you relying on the actual truth?