Monday Reading: 1 John 1 1-4
 
Key Verse: 1 John 1 4
4  And we write these things to you so that your joy may be full.
 
Devotion:
There is nothing that each of us would rather hear than good news! The last thing we want to hear is bad news but we always have time for good news... Here we have true encouragement from the Apostle as he writes about the Truth; he had had fellowship with Christ Himself and wanted the world to know just what that meant not just to him but to everyone. For some years the Jews had been building up their religion but in doing so had gained power which had started to corrupt their beliefs. We may look in from the outside and think “How could they have ignored the truth” but the truth and what you want to hear is often not the same thing.

We all look forward to hearing words that will comfort us or for decisions that come our way. We all look forward to hearing words that will make us happy or somehow fulfil us; what we don’t always accept is the truth! The apostle was describing the truth as he had learned it right from God Himself through Jesus Christ. He was trying to encourage others into listening to that truth and hearing that there is actually most excellent good news in that truth; but it may not have been what the local people wanted to hear...

It is through what Christ has done for us that we do have eternal life. It is through what He did that we have the truth and it is because of Him that we have a direct route to God. Jesus, in all His Divinity, came to earth so that we may experience something quite unique so that we could know that He is Christ and that He is Lord... but that we could have physical proof too! How often do we ask for physical proof rather than believe something that is told us? Christ wants us to have faith, to experience faith, to know that even though we cannot now see Him, we can still depend on our Rock that is Jesus Christ our Lord.

Points to Ponder:
How often do you wonder about the truth?

How often do you see His wonderful power in action?

Sunday Reading: 2 Corinthians 4 15-18
 
Key Verse: 2 Corinthians 4 18
18  we not considering the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are not lasting, but the things which are not seen are everlasting.

Devotion:
Just that first phrase of our reading today should raise such hope and joy within us that we need not care for our earthly surroundings! For all things are for your sake… A statement that must not be taken lightly because it refers to more than just the excellent things that God does allow our way but also to the untoward things that we may not like; but remember that all of those things work to our good. Now we may not think that they are to our good sometimes because we cannot understand His ways, but rest assured that His ways are best!

It’s not all about us, remember. When He says that all things work for our good it is qualified by reminding us that it is through His grace and that it will work towards the glory of God. We should not expect to get all the glory when it is not us who deserve it! But, having said that, He does work things for our good through that. We are reminded not to grow weary of things that may come our way but to rather remember what the ultimate goal is and that is to be with Him. It may be that we find that we end up in a condition that we think is not what we deserve, but it is another step closer to His goal for us in our lives.

Our afflictions cannot ever measure up to the good that we will receive when we are with His in heaven where everything that has happened to us will seem like nothing compared to the glory we too have there. God will continue to give us strength day by day through things that come our way; what we have to d is not focus on the things that we can see happening but rather those things that we do not see but know He is doing through things that do happen… We may not see the wind, but we know it’s there. We cannot see God, but we know He is here!

Points to Ponder:
Are you growing weary in life?
 
Trust in God’s unseen ways!

Saturday Reading: Matthew 6 21-23
 
Key Verse: Matthew 6 22
22  The light of the body is the eye. Therefore if your eye is sound, your whole body shall be full of light.

Devotion:
How many times have you been tempted by what you have seen? Can you look back and say that if you had not seen that you may have not been tempted by it? Most of us can say that about so many things in our lives and yet we continue to go off and look at things that we should not be looking at! How weak we find our bodies are when we see things – like giving in to have that ice-cream just because you saw the ice-scream van! Not all things we give in to are going to break us down; but we do have to be aware that there are things in our world that we should not give in to and those are them that are controlled by Satan.

He is in manipulating so many things in our world that we are not aware of to the extent that we probably bump into all manner of things that he wants us to; just so that we can be tempted away from Christ. He is going to trip us up with the things that are closest to us as well as the most inane things that we come across. The simple fact is that we just will not know what he drops our way… or will we…

As long as we keep our eyes firmly fixed on Christ and on His word then we will be able to compare things with those that Christ is allowing our way. What better way of seeing what is right than comparing them with the truth? So long as we continue to allow His light into our lives we will be able to spot the dark spots, to illuminate them and find out exactly what is behind those shadows. But if we continue to allow those shadows into our lives then we will continue to have to accept what is in those shadows. Turn the light on and keep it on!

Points to Ponder:
Do you like living in the dark?
 
How often do you switch God’s light on?

Friday Reading: Acts 2 42-47

Key Verse: Acts 2 46
46  And continuing with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they shared food with gladness and simplicity of heart,

Devotion:
Here is the history of the early church as we know it; neither the worshipping of God in a temple nor the sacrificing but of a gathering of people who believed in what Christ had done for them. A simple but very effective church; people who met and got rid of their earthly heritage to embrace their communion with each other as Christ wants us to. How we have lost those ways because of our own desires and wants...

It’s not the single fact that they met together to worship. It’s not the fact that they met in Christ’s name. Neither was it the fact that they broke bread nor that they said prayers. The real change was that these people’s lives were changed when they realised just how much Christ meant to them. They were willing to give up their old ways and embrace the ways of Christ. They laid aside the riches they had in favour of sharing and helping each other. They laid aside their wants and desires in favour of brotherly love. They met in houses and at the temple; they met with gladness and with open hearts. But most of all they praised God for everything they were allowed and able to do.

When you find someone who is willing to change their ways so that you can be better off you cannot help but want to change your life so that they can be better off too. When these people changed their lives to show God they wanted to commune with Him, He added to their lives in ways of the soul. They no longer lusted after their riches but rather received a richness in their lives that came from within; a richness that God supplied from the inside.

When we change our ways from earthly ways to Godly ways we too will see an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our souls that will enrich us in ways we cannot imagine; eternally!

Points to Ponder:
What do you look for in a Christian?
 
Are you receiving your heavenly riches?