Sunday Reading: Matthew 24 23-27
 
Key Verse: Matthew 24 27
27  For as the lightning comes out of the east and shines even to the west, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Devotion:
How are we going to know when Christ does return? Have we missed the event like some people will say? Have we still yet to see the first coming like others will say? Our bibles do tell us that we will all know when it happens and our bibles tell us what we should look out for before it happens. Our bibles tell us of His first coming and history book record the fact too; even our current date system is based on when Christ was born. I do like the way that this verse tell us that we will all know because it also shows us that many people will simply ignore the fact!

Have you ever looked out over the sky on a dark night when there have been storms far away on the horizon? You may not hear the thunder but you certainly can see the flashes of lightening because the light travels so far and so fast. That does not mean that everyone rushes to their windows to see where the lightening is coming from; most people will simply ignore the fact and continue on in their normal ways. If you find that you have been too busy doing all sorts of other things lately without having time to sit down and read your bible then just maybe you have been sidetracked by someone who certainly does not want you to hear the truth!

The more we hear about religion the more people seem to come up with more different religions and sects. They all try to make out that their own way is the right way and that everyone else has got it wrong – what they do not have is thousands of years of records and history to back their religions up. Christ continues to make sure that His word is hear the world over so that everyone will be given a chance to look out and see that there is a storm brewing. By the time the storm hits it may well be too late so we have to make sure we are prepared and watch out for the coming signs.

Points to Ponder:
Have you ever watched a storm from many miles away?
 
What do you think you will be doing when Christ returns?

Saturday Reading: John 14 25-29
 
Key Verse: John 14 27
27  Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Devotion:
We cannot imagine what was going through Jesus’ mind as He spoke these words to the disciples. He knew what lay ahead. He knew what He had to face. Yet His love for us was greater than any pain and anguish that He would have to face – even having to go through the experience of laying down His own life and having to wait three days before He ascended back to heaven. That may seem a little to those who do not know God, but when you experience the love and support that God gives us through the Holy Spirit then we begin to understand just a little of what He missed.

When we say that we are going to support someone there is only so much that we can do because we are limited by our physical bodies; but there is another limitation which we do not think about and that is the fact that we are born in sin and that we cannot help but take that sin with us in our lives. Christ wants to set us free from that sin and that is just one of the reasons why He made sure that we always have someone to count on even when Jesus the man cannot be here on earth.

The peace that God gives us is far beyond that which we can share with one another. That is why He says that we do not have to worry about things; not because we have friends that can help most of the time, but because He can help always! If He could do all that He did as a man, think how much He can and has done as God. He has done all that He has so that we can see that He lived up to His Word; He did all that so that we can believe and trust in Him always!

Points to Ponder:
What things do you trust in your life?
 
Are you trusting God with everything?

Thursday Reading: Isaiah 64 1-5
 
Key Verse: Isaiah 64 4
4  And from forever they have not heard, nor did they listen. Eye has not seen a God except You, who works for him who waits for Him.

Devotion:
Oh how our outlook changes on life when things change around us. When we first start to meet authority we rise against it because it is different and not what we are used to; we don’t like others telling us what we can and cannot do. And yet after living under authority for a while and leaving, we then look back and think how good it was under authority because chaos seems to rein outside of authority.

 When God was guiding His people through the desert they complained about the authority and yet afterwards when they had their own way, they longed to have God back with them. We can look back on those times and think that they were harsh times for the Jews but then we can look at our lives around us and think that we do need some sort of order because of the lack of morality and general Christian well being that we find ourselves in nowadays. Is it that we just like to complain? No, rather it is that we lack the ability to be righteous without God leading or guiding us!

We like to think that we have advanced as a society and we do not have to look far back in time to see just how much we have advanced. The medical and industrial advances that we have been through just in the last 100 years are phenomenal... and yet we still lack the knowledge to do certain simple things in our lives. God is our Creator. He is the one that designed us from the ground up. He is the one that has created something very special for us after our mortal lives on earth – so long as we wait on Him. When will man wake up and see just how good life with God actually is? Probably just after he has destroyed himself... Bring God back into your life and live with Him as your guide!

Points to Ponder:
What do you think mans greatest achievement has been?

How does that compare to creating man?

Wednesday Reading: Isaiah 9 6-7
 
Key Verse: Isaiah 9 7
7  There is no end of the increase of His government and peace on the throne of David, and on His kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from now on, even forever. The zeal of Jehovah of Hosts will do this.

Devotion:
Many of you will recognise the first verse of our reading today because of the Christmas story but how many have actually thought about the words a bit more deeply? That Child was born to us; there is no other way He could have achieved His goal other than being born as a human. God’s own Son, His only begotten Son, was given to us. He came to give order and guidance to the church so that everyone could know the truth and know what it is we should be aiming for (imagine a government who’s goal were clear, honest and true!). Because He is who He is, His name must, and shall, be lifted up above all other names because He is our Wonderful LORD and Saviour. But more than that, He is the Prince of Peace!

Jesus came to earth as a human but that did not stop Him from being God’s only begotten Son. That means He is a Prince by birth because He is our Kings own Son, the Son of God. He is the author of peace because He came to break down the barriers set up by man to stop people from getting to know God. He got rid of the ceremonial law by giving His own life as a sacrifice for our sins; He took on the punishment that we deserve so that we could know peace for ourselves just by getting to know Him.

God’s Word will continue to be told the world over no matter how much man tries to stifle it. We see how it has overcome great sects and religions over time and we also see how man has given in to other things over time as well, but eventually there will be no end to how far the gospel will spread. Christ came to give order to the disorder that was beginning to rule in the church. He came to set things right since man had given in to so much else. He came to impose judgment with justice in a single step that would last through eternity. And that He did with honour and a perfect zeal that ensured that everything foretold came to pass!

Points to Ponder:
How often do you say one thing and do another?
 
Do you realise that Christ did all that was prophesised?