Thursday Reading: Hebrews 10 23-25
 
Key Verse: Hebrews 10 25
25  not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Devotion:
How often do you look up at someone as a pillar of strength or as a saint above others? Well the only one that we should really look up to is God because He is the only one whose promises will stand the test of time. No matter how much any one of us is determined to do the right thing at the right time, we are all going to falter at some stage in our lives; whether that ultimately affects the promises we have made or not is immaterial.  The fact that we have fallen short in one way or another bears out the fact that we are sinners. That does not mean that we should all look at each other as sinners but rather look to support each other all the time knowing that we are all sinners and that we all will do something wrong at some stage.

The more that we can be there for each other the more that we will be able to help each other out when the going gets tough. The more that we can help the more we can encourage. Now if that is a two way street then we have a true support system in place whereby we can all help to lift each other up. What a joy it would be to be able to look around you and know that any one of those people would be willing to come forward and help you at the drop of a hat... But in order for that to be true, it must first start with you being willing to help any one of them at the drop of that hat!

The more that we can be together as a church the more that we will be able to offer that help to one another. The more that we can know that that help is there the more we will be encouraged to not only offer that help but use that help too. After all, what use is help if it is not going to be used? When we do gather together it must not be to pull down other who do not come together but rather to build up one another and further encourage more to come and join in. The more we encourage the more people will be encouraged.

Points to Ponder:
Who do you look up to?

Would you be willing to help people other than them?

Wednesday Reading: Proverbs 13 19-20
 
Key Verse: Proverbs 13 20
20  He who walks with the wise shall be wise, but a companion with fools shall be destroyed.

Devotion:
How good it is when something goes right and other things fall into place. How much better it is when you really want something and it lands in your lap! That feeling is what so many people rely on to entice you away from God and to get you to do things contrary to His will. One man’s weakness is another man’s way of making money – and the laws of the land encourage that sort of thing to go on whilst throwing a loose veil over it to make it look like they are acting responsibly! If the truth be told then anything that is making us sin is not doing us any good whatsoever!

The less people know about God the more they will continue to give in to the things around them because some of them do make them feel good or wanted. If they have not yet known the love of God then so many things will seem good to them and turning away from those things and towards God will be totally alien to them. It is little wonder that the governments are willing people away from God so that they too can make money out of the weaknesses of men. What a sad state the world is in.

It takes courage and encouragement to walk away from the trimmings of this world and seek God. If we try to do that alone we will almost certainly fail because of the peer pressure alone. What we need is to be that encouragement for others to follow; we need to take a step towards them and invite them in to hear about God. We need to be persistent so that they will know that we are serious. We need to show them that the love that we have for Christ is real and that the love that He has for us is real too. Only then will they begin to see that the things they are involved with have such a short lifespan and are not really giving them anything but carnal pleasure. We may not be the best at telling people about God with words, but we can definitely show them that we live a life that is full of love and fulfilled too. Nothing in this world will ever measure up to the life that Christ can give us.

Points to Ponder:
What pleasures do you seek daily?
 
Are you lifting up God?

Tuesday Reading: 1 Corinthians 15 31-34
 
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 15 33
33  Do not be deceived; evil companionships corrupt good habits.

Devotion:
Don’t ever come to the conclusion that we are safe in this corrupt and evil world. That statement may sound harsh but every day we see events unfold that will uphold that statement, not because people are lacking in their security policies but rather than man continues to show more and more evil ways in which he can corrupt and even kill others. We will always have people like that in our world until The Lord comes to take us to our new heaven and new earth; sin is a big part of our lives and continues to pose a threat all the time. That is why the apostle reminds us that he was in danger every day; but he also knew that through Jesus Christ he would have eternal life when someone did finally come to kill him.

We may well face death all the time in our lives but that does not mean that we have to fear it because we do have eternal life in Christ. There will be many who will say things like “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” but that is not the sort of life that we should be leading. We need to work to separate ourselves from sin wherever possible so that we will not be caught up in the temptations, ignorance and ways of the world. Being reminded in such a harsh fashion should make us stop and think what we do.

No matter how good other people may make their sins sound we must not give in to them. If we try to stand up to them by ourselves we may well fall flat on our faces. But with Christ’s help, guidance and strength we will be able to withstand all manner of things that this world and Satan can throw at us. We need to practice good works so that they become good habits. Giving in to bad things will do nothing more that persuade us to take up bad habits. We fight the good and evil fight all day long and every day we must face it again. Being by Christ’s side will make sure that we are fighting the correct fight and having Him by our sides will ensure victory!

Points to Ponder:
What battles do you face each day?

Are you standing by Christ’s side during those battles?

Monday Reading: Psalms 106 34-36
 
Key Verse: Psalms 106 36
36  And they served their idols, which were a snare to them.
 
Devotion:
How many times have you gone somewhere thinking that you were stronger than the people around you in that you thought that you could stand up to the temptations that came your way? How many of those times did you end up falling flat on your face? No matter how strong we think we are and no matter how much we think we will be able to withstand temptations we will always find out the hard way that we fall short and that we give in at some stage; that is why we need Christ’s strength, because without Him we are weak.

We can read through our bibles which give full account of what the Children of Israel went through after they left Egypt and we can even begin to think that we would have been stronger in their place because we have a better knowledge of what God did for them. Not so. They were the ones who were there at the time and they were the ones who walked through the parted sea! And yet their strength that they gained from events like those was still not strong enough to resist the temptations that surrounded them – and Satan made sure that they were surrounded by enough of them at the time!

When God instils within us a task that we must do, we have no place to even think that we should be doing anything other than the job He has given us.  He is the one that does know what is best for us and He is the one that is trying to get us to move forward with Him and do His work in our lives. We are the ones that look around us all the time and think that we can overcome the molehills that surround us! God is the one who flattens the mountains around us, never mind the molehills! We need to stand firm in His arms knowing that His will in our lives is what is important. Yes He is going to listen to our pleas but don’t expect Him to grant them if you are pleading against His will! Our lives need to be lived to glorify Him and not to try and fight Him. Be strong in Christ and don’t try to live a life alone without Him!

Points to Ponder:
Who do you look to for strength?

Are you really relying on Christ?