Saturday 28 Nov 2009


Saturday Reading: John 15 1-8
 
Key Verse: John 15 4
4  Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.

Devotion:
In order for us to grow we need to know that we are getting the right stuff, both physically and spiritually. Unfortunately for us though we can get too much physical food and we do then put on weight; the same cannot be said for spiritual food! That being said most people are hardly getting enough to survive on, never mind thinking about too much! I can remember sci-fi movies depicting how people would be able to survive on one or two tablets instead of full meal, the pill being a concentrated package with all the vitamins required. Nothing has come close to that because we need a variety of foods for our bodies to survive.

When it comes to spiritual food, many people think they can survive on a small concentrated jolt each Sunday and hope to survive through to the next week – assuming they can make it back to church! The truth is that we do need a constant supply of spiritual food throughout the week and not just a quick hour once a week. That is why God gave us our bibles, so that we would have a ready source of food that we can call on at any time. But unless we do actually pick it up and read it we are not going to have that food – rather like having a pantry full of food and never going in there to take any out.

When we have a good relationship with Christ we have a never ending supply of the perfect food that we need. We can call on Him at any time and He will supply what we need. It does not mean that we can treat Him like a slave and lie back and wait for Him to bring us prepared food, we do have to ask and obtain that food. A plant will draw food as it requires it. If it had the food pumped up through the stem then plants would be exploding all over the place just before they die! God has supplied us the perfect spiritual food so long as we are willing to go a few steps forward and obtain it!

Points to Ponder:
What is your physical diet like?
 
What is your spiritual diet like?

Friday 27 Nov 2009

Friday Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3 6-8

Key Verse: 1 Thessalonians 3 8
8  for now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord.

Devotion:
How many times have you wondered whether you are doing the right thing? How many more times have you wondered whether you are actually making a difference? All it takes is for one person to say something and you then know that what you are doing is affecting many more lives than just your own! In his letter to the churches of Thessalonica the apostle gave thanks for the encouragement that Timothy was able to bring back with him. It may only have been a few words describing how people were keeping their faith in Christ but it was those few words in a time of need that made all the difference.

When we are down God will find a way that we can be encouraged. It may well be in a manner that we have not foreseen or it may only be in a time when we are giving up because our faith seems to have run dry but we will find that God provides. Have you ever noticed how some things make a sudden U-turn just when you have given up hope, or something changes after you have allowed it to lapse? How does that make us feel to know that we have not had the patience to continue waiting?

Our faith is on permanent display whether we like it or not. If it were not so then how would others get to know about faith? Our faith is a tool that God can use to reach others. If our tools are not properly taken care of then we may well find that people get the wrong impression about our commitment. We need to be on the lookout at all times, but we also need to make sure that others can see that the tools that we use are in good order. If we don’t use our bibles people will think that they are not our tools. If we don’t use our prayers, people may think they are of no effect. If we don’t give God time then how do we expect others to do so either? We are on show for Christ.

Points to Ponder:
How used are your Christian tools?
 
Is your communion with God under question?

Thursday 26 Nov 2009

Thursday Reading: 1 Corinthians 16 13-14
 
Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 16 14
14  Let all your things be done in charity.

Devotion:
It is good to be reminded that we need to watch and wait because we do not know the time when Christ will return; but watching and waiting signifies patience and that is something that God wants us to learn. Not just for Christ’s eventual return but in everything we do in life whilst living under His grace. It is no use being patient in one thing if we are then going to be impatient in other things because those will then be our stumbling blocks that will get us down and prevent us from moving on in our lives with Christ.

In his letter to the Corinthians the apostle reminded them that they need to be patient in their lives with each other too. Being able to stand fast in our faith in many walks of life will not only give us strength but will encourage others too. Our faith is always going to be put to test because of the things that Satan is going to hurl our way, but having a little patience will go such a long way because we will then see How God is able to do so many things. When we run out of patience our world seems to fall apart, but when we have patience and wait for God to be allowed to do His will and His way, then we see the fruit of our labour.

It is no good planting a seed, nurturing it for a few days and then giving up because it has not sprouted; we have to continue nurturing it throughout the plants life. Our walk with Christ has to be a continual thing and not a flash in the pan affair. God continues to be with us through everything so why should we every turn our backs on Him by giving in to impatience. If we are able to show a little love towards others when everyone else is giving in to impatience then we will be able to show them that God is in control because they will see in us something very special – our full and everlasting relationship with Christ. Have patience with love.

Points to Ponder:
Do you give in when things don’t go your way?

Do you take a step back and watch God work every now and again?

Wednesday 25 Nov 2009

Wednesday Reading: Romans 4 19-21
 
Key Verse: Romans 4 20
20  He did not stagger at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God,

Devotion:
Faith means never giving up on the hope that God has given us. Faith means depending on the promises of God and knowing that they will come to pass. Abraham did not give up on his faith even when he was so very old and was told that he would have a child with Sarah his wife. They came close to giving up by trying to make things happen on their own, but in the end they waited patiently on God who then showed them His promises are exactly that, promises!

Many times in our lives we try to force situations by getting involved in ways that we think may hurry the situation up. We like to think that we have patience, but when push comes to shove we suddenly find that we don’t have as much as we first thought! God is the one who is constantly trying to get us to have patience in His work. He is the one who is in charge and He is the one who has a plan; but we really do need to take a break and let Him show us how He wants things done rather than trying to get things done our own way all the time.

If we want to have faith then we have to have faith 100% of the time. It is no good trying to have a little bit of faith here and there because that is not demonstrating to God that we have faith, it is saying that we will trust Him when we feel like it! God wants us to have constant faith in Him so that He can show us how He would like things done. Trying to find the shortcuts will do nothing to strengthen our faith but will rather weaken it. Faith needs to be exercised; it does not need to have a taxi supplied to make it easier!

Points to Ponder:
Do you keep fit through exercise?
 
Do you strengthen your faith through exercise?

Tuesday 24 Nov 2009

Tuesday Reading: Acts 27 21-25
 
Key Verse: Acts 27 25
25  Therefore, men, be of good cheer, for I believe God, that it will be so, according to the way it was told me.

Devotion:
How many times have you been discouraged because things have not gone your way? How many times have you thought that something must be wrong because nothing seems to be going your way? I’m pretty sure that we have all been there at some stage in our lives but when we are able to look back at the times when we have had these problems we can see the good that has come out of them – it’s just that when we are in those times we see no good because of the calamity that surrounds us!

Paul was in a ship that was in real danger because of the tremendous storm through which they seem to be drawn. The men were in mild panic because they had no real control over what was happening and then Paul has a vision which he firmly believes. He could have looked at the vision and then at what was happening around him and followed the fear of all the others on the ship, but instead he stood his ground with faith. Too many times in our lives we allow the worldly things around us to detract us from our faith in Christ and we think that there is no more hope. God is the one who is in control and He alone has the power to dictate His own ways.

We are the ones that feel that He is not with us sometimes and there are other times when we may not like His method of doing things but we must remember that He is in control! I’m sure that none of the sailors on that ship with Paul felt very safe at all, but Paul knew that God would come through with His promise and he knew that all lives would be saved – even if they had to be thrown out of the ship and flounder in the sea! God does protect is ways we don’t always see!

Points to Ponder:
Do you get worried that things are not going according to plan?

Are you trying to live your plan or God’s plan?