December 19: John 3 7-15
Key Verse: John 3 12
I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?
Devotion:
Birth is an amazing event. I think everyone should be allowed to witness a birth at some stage in their life – I know a lot of people will not be able to put up with the messy parts, but seeing a new-born child breath their first breaths is just amazing! Many of us will get to see something close to that on TV nowadays because of the amount of information spread through the media, but it is not the same as being there. At that moment we put aside the pains we have witnessed (or endured) during labour, we put aside the pains of the country and the possible pains of what may be to come in the future and focus on that single, pure event.
When we talk about being born again it is an event which you yourself can witness because you are there! It is an event that is pure and one which allows you to focus on the now and not the past or future. The wonderful difference is the future suddenly seems secure... That moment when you tell God you want Him in your life and you admit to being the sinner you are; God is just and faithful to bring you into His fold, a fold you will never have to leave.
I am pretty sure that Jesus’ birth would have been something extra special for His parents, but there was a far greater need for His birth which we too often forget or put aside. Our bibles give us all the details about just how special His birth was, but unless we read about it and take it to heart, we will not be able to accept that gift God gave us. It may be hard for us to accept some of the wonders of this world unless we see them or read about them; God’s world is not different – we have to learn about it too. He will give us the understanding we seek and He, through the Holy Spirit, will guide us. Reading about Christ’s birth and remembering it (even if it is only once or twice a year) will strengthen us and will remind us that through Him we do have everlasting life!
Points to Ponder:
What parts of the bible do you find hard to believe?
How can you believe it unless you read about it?
December 18: Luke 6 37-49
Key Verse: Luke 6 46
Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
Devotion:
I guess it is this type of passage most people can relate to from the bible, the ones where Christ gives us the simple instructions and simple rules, the ones which agree with our lives... It is these ones which people hear in Sunday school and Church services, and it is the same one’s people go out and break themselves too. We are all guilty of it at some stage in our lives, so we all have to accept the fact we are being referenced by these words... but how many of us go away from those same services and take these words with us? How many of us take the words literally and make a difference in our lives?
It is easy to sit and listen to good advice coming from a good person and to then to place yourself in that “good persons” guild, the one where all the people obey those rules! But actually, obeying and following them is what counts; not just at the time you hear them, but continually in your life from that point on. Repentance, as we have covered in the past, is a time when you make a stand and say “no more”; it’s not a time when you say sorry expecting to go back there in a day or two... If we want to make a difference in our lives, then we have to make a change in our lives that will make that difference – that change has got to be our true repentance.
I guess most of us do not aim at the right spot either... We like to think we are good and we follow most of the rules which are good to follow... but where are we destined to go? Are we even thinking about tomorrow? Most of us will have to admit we think about today and make changes in our lives because we can see what will happen in the next few minutes, hours or even days. That is the type of forethought that we live on. What Christ wants us to do is to look beyond that and look at what He has laid up for us in our futures. Christ wants us to act as if we are aiming for our life after our death; what use is a long life on earth if we are not going to have an eternal life in heaven? If we are not looking to Him as our Living God, then we are not aiming for heaven... We need to focus on where our souls will spend eternity...
Points to Ponder:
Do you think you are a good person?
Have you done the right thing to gain an eternal life with Christ yet?
December 17: Matthew 2 1-8
Key Verse: Matthew 2 6
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Devotion:
Why is it that people find it hard to believe certain things and not others? When people have predicted events which everyone wants to happen, then we are all glad to see it come to pass; but when the event is not wanted, or misunderstood, nobody wants it to happen. It seems to be the ones which are misunderstood and not wanted that people find the hardest to believe; after all, why should we have to believe something we don’t want to happen? Well, that is exactly the dilemma Herod was facing too. I’m sure that when he heard someone was destined to be King of the Jews, he saw some doubt as to his future position and did not want it to happen.
I don’t think he really did understand what was going to happen and just who this person would be, but his reaction could have been predicted too. He used deceit to gain knowledge of what was happening and again to try and gain access to the person whom he thought could cause him problems. You can probably wonder what sort of things were going through his head at the time: Just who do these Jews think they are? Just who do these Easterners think they are? Why is all this fuss being created when I am in charge? Why not me? He found it all hard to believe.
The wise men, on the other hand, were coming to see what this new star in the sky signified. If anyone would have a star in the sky just to signify their birth, then surely this person was someone to be worshipped! We don’t know too much about the wise men other than they were from the east, they were wealthy, and they held some positions of power in their society. When their prophecy and the Jews prophecy agreed, surely something very special was happening. They wanted to be a part of it too! They found it easy to believe.
Why else would so much happen for a child who was to be born in a stable and laid in a manger? God wanted to make sure we remembered His Son coming to earth!
Points to Ponder:
What sort things do you remember the best?
Do you remember why we celebrate Christmas?
December 16: Matthew 8 2-10
Key Verse: Matthew 8 8
The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed.
Devotion:
We may look back at the times of Jesus and think it must have been easy to believe in Him because of the miracles He did. This passage shows the different levels of faith which were around at the time; we may well fall into the same category as the leper being that our faith is strengthened only when Christ does something for us or when we can see Him. Whatever our faith, we can relate to the words in this passage today.
If we are like the leper, then we do seek physical evidence about Christ’s power so our faith can be strengthened; but it is only that, we have had to have faith in the beginning in order for it to be strengthened. If we are going to walk around waiting for physical evidence before we believe, then we are going to be disappointed. Yes there is plenty of physical evidence, but if we have not seen it and believed already, then we will continue to see it and continue to not believe. “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” (Romans 10 17 NIV)
If we are like the centurion, then we have a sure faith because we have already seen the evidence and have already depended on the evidence. As the centurion described it, he saw people around him with faith all the time. Because of his position, they did what he said, believing that it would be for the best. He had his position in the army because of his ability. Christ has an even higher position and He has it because He is the Son of God. Whatever He says is for the betterment of all. Whatever He asks of us, we should be doing. Our faith needs to be just as sure as our belief that those in power will do the right thing too. Jesus came to earth not to demonstrate His power and give us all something tangible to hold on to, He came so He could save us from our sins. All that He did was show His love for us in the best possible way...
Points to Ponder:
Do you trust and listen to people in power?
Do you trust and listen to God?
December 15: Isaiah 7 10-17
Key Verse: Isaiah 7 14
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Devotion:
Ahaz was a king who was not intent in keeping Israel walking with God; instead he commanded idols be made to be worshipped. Isaiah had word from God and confronted him on more than one occasion, this being one of them. The simple words from Isaiah would be that Ahaz would have nothing to fear from the nations surrounding him if he would trust God again, but even though Ahaz openly said he would not tempt God, that is exactly what He was doing behind the scenes! Nothing can be hidden from God.
This was happening almost 750 years before Christ was born and yet the word was quite explicit from God. Jesus (Immanuel) would be born of a virgin and would be King of the Jews (...before both kings). God was telling Ahaz another king (as well as the king of the land) would be born but both kings would not like the land. Herod certainly did not like Israel because of how he treated it. Jesus would flee from the land because He would be chased even before He could understand what was happening. In other words, Jesus was born as a human child and that child would have to be brought up just like any other child – but that child would be like no other child!
Ahaz was a pretender. He was pretending to support God in front of Isaiah and yet behind the scenes was readying himself to worship idols. He did not have faith in God. He did not fear God. Isaiah must have thought he was alone in standing up and giving Ahaz certain warnings of what was to come (certain as in they certainly would come to pass). That is how we may feel sometimes when we stand up and proclaim Christ as our Saviour when all around us people are instead using His name in vain. But just like Isaiah, we have to remain true and faithful to God and He will then support and protect us just as He was willing to support and protect the king Ahaz who was rebelling against Him. Christ wants to support us. He has proven that to us. We just need to have faith in Him...
Points to Ponder:
How are you rewarded when you trust others?
Are you wholly trusting God?